Departmental History
The Department of Broadcasting and Cinema was officially founded in July of 2000, having existed since 1975 under the umbrella of the University’s Communication and Theatre Departments. Dr. John Lee Jellicorse, who played an integral part in the creation and development of the Broadcasting and Cinema curriculum at UNC Greensboro, would become its inaugural Department Head. In establishing the new Department, the College of Arts and Sciences, Graduate School, and Department of Theatre agreed that the MFA in Drama with a Concentration in Film and Video Production, instituted in 1983, would continue to be administered under the jurisdiction of the new Department of Broadcasting and Cinema. The department would also oversee undergraduate majors in Film/Video Production and Media Studies, both offered since the mid-1970s as part of the Communication and Theatre programs at UNCG.
According to the Complete Guide to American Film Schools and Cinema and Television Courses (Pintoff) in 1994, out of 639 undergraduate and graduate schools in America that offer programs in cinema and television, UNC Greensboro is one of forty-two that offer the MFA. The MFA in Drama with a Concentration in Film and Video Production is one of seven of such programs in the southeast and only one of three programs with an emphasis on independent production and scholarship within a liberal arts environment. The program is not a conservatory-based study that trains individuals to fill specific commercial studio positions or track students into definitive production roles in the feature film industry. Rather it seeks to instill in its students the importance of developing well-rounded production skills, in essence cultivating complete auteurs; well-versed, resourceful, and innovative producers of media in all phases of production, from script to screen.
Student work produced at UNC Greensboro has earned over thirty major national and international awards, including those presented by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (five Student Emmy Awards); the Baltimore Film Festival; the Chicago Film Festival; the Council on International Nontheatrical Events (CINE Golden Eagle Award); the National Educational Media Network (Bronze Apple Award); the International Du Court Metrage De Mons; the International Television Association; the Margaret Mead Film Festival; the James River Film Festival; and the University Film and Video Association. UNCG student work has likewise been featured in an array of film festivals and broadcast venues throughout the world, including the South By Southwest Film Festival; the Milano Film Festival; the Crossroads Film Festival; the IndieMemphis Film Festival; WUNC-TV (North Carolina PBS); WSCE-TV (South Carolina PBS); and the FAIF International Film Festival in Hollywood. In addition, scholarships, grants, and competitive internships awarded to UNC Greensboro graduates include the prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship; Eastman Kodak Scholarship; the Cannes Film Festival Kodak Internship; and the UFVA’s Carol Fielding Production Grant. Graduates of UNC Greensboro's MFA in Film and Video Production teach at universities across the country. Some of these individuals are now tenured. Campuses where they have been employed include Hartford University; James Madison University; Ithaca College; University of Central Florida; Oklahoma Baptist University; St. Francis College; University of New Mexico, Gallup; and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Within the state, UNC Greensboro graduates have served, or currently serve, on faculties of institutions such as Duke University; East Carolina University; Elon College; High Point University; North Carolina A & T State University; North Carolina State University; Bennett College; and Wake Forest University.
Artist/scholars in film and video production learn to critique existing works in the moving image arts as well as create new work (i.e. the writing and producing of media texts). It is the artistry of creating these media texts that distinguishes the MFA, however. Production courses, central to all academic programs that offer majors in media studies, require skilled instructors. Media units hiring new faculty often find they must balance new hires between expertise in media production and qualifications in scholarship and research in content areas (Blanchard and Christ 137-40). For many institutions of higher education, the MFA in film and video production is preferred over the media studies PhD for staffing and teaching of key positions in undergraduate programs, except for those instances where PhDs also have considerable professional experience. These programs seek new faculty who not only explore the frontiers of knowledge, but "integrate ideas, connect thought to action and inspire students" (Boyer 77). As noted above, the UNC Greensboro MFA in Film and Video Production gives priority to the development of independent video artists. Under present economic and artistic constraints, many such artists support themselves by teaching. Although not planned as a curriculum to develop teachers, the degree has, in fact, had a considerable impact in providing media artists for teaching positions in academic institutions.