Cinema Arts Certificate of Achievement

The Cinema Arts Studies Certificate of Achievement is designed for students who would like to write, produce, or direct films or videos for marketing, education, or entertainment. This certificate is a multidisciplinary educational experience and the program emphasizes lecture and critical analysis film courses to inform creative decision-making for careers in the film and video industry. Students will build the foundation of knowledge they need to successfully transfer to a four-year institution, join the workforce for entry-level jobs such as a writer, producer, director, or production assistant, or upskill through continuing film/video education pathways.

 A total of 5-10 students are expected to enroll with potential for annual growth. Completion rates of the Certificate of Achievement are expected to be 5-10 per year with a potential for annual growth.

Cabrillo College is seeking approval from the Chancellor’s Office for the new Cinema Arts Studies Certificate of Achievement in Career Education. The Art Photography program is designed to train and educate students to work in the fields of commercial photography and video to become professional image-makers or creatives. The need for cinema arts professionals has been advocated for by local creative photography and video marketing organizations and supported by current, regional labor market research (TOP 0612.20).

The Cabrillo Art Photography program educates students in learning to become discerning image viewers and potent image creators through developing critical thinking, aesthetics, visual language, and photographic and video technical career skills. The program objectives include benefits to non-traditional learners who profit from hands-on learning. Students will gain the foundation of knowledge in photography and video they need to be successful in transfer to a four-year institution to obtain a bachelor’s degree, to join the workforce for entry level jobs such as an assistant to a commercial videographer, or to achieve continuing education skills for use in their current photographic, videography, or design career.  The primary areas of focus for this certificate will be the creation of commercial video imagery utilizing digital photographic and video practices such as in commercial videography, digital technician assistant, design, video production or editing, or documentary or photojournalism photography. 

Santa Cruz County has an extensive photography and video community and Cabrillo students are employed by local photography and video retailers, labs, and with independent professionals.  Many students create their own businesses, providing commercial videography, portraiture, wedding and event photography, video, and arts marketing.  The technical and creative skills gained in Art Photography classes, particularly composition, design, lighting, and visual storytelling help prepare students for entering the entertainment, marketing, film, and art industry in Santa Cruz.

The Cinema Arts Studies Certificate of Achievement is aligned with Cabrillo’s mission, master plan, and statewide community college work in Guided Pathways.  Approval of this program will benefit regional employers and fulfill the employment needs of the local community, augment college enrollment, and support non-traditional and underserved minority students in a viable career and academic path. This program would give our students the knowledge and skills they need to gain acceptance to a four-year institution or excel in the workforce. The goal is for certificate completers to be gainfully employed, whether they continued with an associate’s or transfer to a university. Working with employers to identify earning potential is promising, with potential earnings of $59-$72/hour in jobs such as producers, directors, film and video editors, program directors, technical directors or managers, talent directors, news producers, creative producers, and more. It is critical to give community college students educational and professional experience that is necessary to be successful when they transfer to earn a degree or certificate in other film and cinematic arts professionals.

There are 15 required units in the departments of art history, art photography, journalism, and English. There is an additional elective requirement of 3 units between two English department courses. 

Course	Title	Units	Year/Semester (Y1 or S1)
AH10	Appreciation/Intro to Visual Arts	3.00	S1
AP35	Photography, New Media, and Social Change	3.00	S1
AP55	Moving Image Studies	3.00	S2
ENGL49A	The Language of Film	3.00	S1
JOURN21	Mass Communications	3.00	S2
ENGL12C	Creative Writing: Film	3.00	S2
or ENGL49B	The Language of Film II	3.00	S2

The Art Photography program shares learning goals with the Art Studio, Art History, and Digital Media programs. These goals include principles of art and design, visual communication, visual literacy, and the evolution of visual art processes with technological and cultural developments.    Art Photography actively participates in VAPA’s division-wide Arts Entrepreneurship initiative and the department’s AP79 Creative Careers-Discovering Self-Directed Pathways course is part of the interdisciplinary certificate with the same title that also includes a section of BUS 88 Starting and Operating a New Small Business that is tailored to the VAPA cohort.  AP is actively engaged in the development of a new investigation of video pathways for students through certificates, articulation, and community partnerships. This is an interdisciplinary effort by 10 departments that addresses the growing demand on campus for a program that prepares students to move into the fields of video and film production. Additional collaborations are being developed to package noncredit courses into noncredit certificates of completion.

 There are no other programs in the Cabrillo College service area with this TOP code.