Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Fall 2025 - CA 430 D100

Filmmaking VI (4)

Class Number: 6286

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Sep 3 – Dec 2, 2025: Wed, 2:30–5:20 p.m.
    GOLDCORP

  • Prerequisites:

    CA 331.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

The first of two courses which supports students in all stages of filmmaking, culminating in a self-directed thesis film project and a final year exhibition. A laboratory fee is required. Film production may require personal funding in addition to the lab fees.

COURSE DETAILS:

Welcome to the 4th year SCA filmmaking capstone!

It is now time to bring together everything you have learned and experienced in the past few years and fully articulate a capstone project from inception to exhibition, independently. You will now become responsible for your craft and its impact on the world that is in need of reconciliation, representation, and reframing. It is time to expand or break from the conventions you know and love. Risk and surprise will be the focus of your project that will include either a single audio-visual (AV) project or multiple smaller AV projects that are cohesively tied together. Whether your project(s) choose to entertain or to experiment, the element of risk is still paramount. The format / genre can range from: narrative to experimental films projected in a cinema, transmedia narratives in extended realities, video game branching dialogues in dramatic conventions, or audio visual interactive experiences amidst outdoor landscapes. It is up to you, your curiousities, and your risk-taking that will form what cinema will look, sound and feel like in the future.

CA430 will be the first of a two-term yearlong course (CA430+CA432) and you will be asked to create a 10 minute (maximum) film project(s) with the support of your cohort. During this first term, we will go through the process of expressing your own cinematic point of view through Research, Development, Pre-Production, and Production stages within a protected, sharing environment.

Course Structure

Students focus on sharing their project at all stages of production for the entire year where an extensive and constant exchange of supportive critiques will be part of this weekly studio. Guest speakers from artists and practitioners in the cinematic field will also visit the class on occasion.

Grading

  • Research & Development 25%
  • Script / Treatment 25%
  • Pre-Production 30%
  • Share & Acknowkledge 20%

Materials

REQUIRED READING NOTES:

Your personalized Course Material list, including digital and physical textbooks, are available through the SFU Bookstore website by simply entering your Computing ID at: shop.sfu.ca/course-materials/my-personalized-course-materials.

Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

At SFU, you are expected to act honestly and responsibly in all your academic work. Cheating, plagiarism, or any other form of academic dishonesty harms your own learning, undermines the efforts of your classmates who pursue their studies honestly, and goes against the core values of the university.

To learn more about the academic disciplinary process and relevant academic supports, visit: 


RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION

Students with a faith background who may need accommodations during the term are encouraged to assess their needs as soon as possible and review the Multifaith religious accommodations website. The page outlines ways they begin working toward an accommodation and ensure solutions can be reached in a timely fashion.