Film and Digital Media

Film
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About EWU Film

The Bachelor of Arts in Film and Digital Media will prepare you for creative roles in the filmic arts and digital media. Our 80-credit program offers an intensive experience in production and screenwriting as well as film history, theory, and criticism. A unique and defining feature of our program is the 4 full-time faculty who will oversee your studies throughout your time at EWU Film. Few programs in the region offer such focused attention and faculty engagement.

EWU Film follows a cohort model where your share courses with your peer group every quarter. You will become very familiar with the faculty as well as with other students during your time with EWU Film. You will also learn to work in a team while shaping your own path.

Seniors have the opportunity to write a classically-structured, feature-length screenplay, complete an advanced production project, and write a theory/criticism project. A faculty-student panel provides rigorous feedback on these projects as part of the Oral Examination experience during spring quarter.

Special Events and Opportunities

EWU Film students gain opportunities by being located near Spokane. One of these is the opportunity to work or intern on local film and media productions.  Other opportunities come from a proximity to The Spokane International Film Festival, such as attending, volunteering, and even submitting work for consideration.  In 2025, EWU Film students met with filmmakers from around the region to learn how they created their work. EWU Film offers support for students to submit their work to film festivals through the David Terwische Scholarship.

A highlight of our year is a trip to Universal Studios Hollywood to visit with EWU alum Jim Orr, President of Distribution at Universal Studios, and to learn from industry experts. In 2025, EWU Film screened the live-action version of How to Train Your Dragon (2025). We met with industry figures such as Jon M. Chu, director of Wicked and the upcoming Wicked: For Good, and actor-writer-director-producer Leigh Whannel. (Saw, Upgrade, The Invisible Man)

EWU Film students with Jon M. Chu in March 2025.
EWU Film visited with Jon M. Chu at Universal Studios in March 2025.

In 2024, EWU Film was treated to a special premiere screening of The Fall Guy and met with director-producer team David Leitch and Kelly McCormick.  EWU Film students must apply for this amazing learning experience, which is supported with a generous grant from an anonymous donor.

EWU Film Faculty and Students at Universal Studios 2024
EWU Film Faculty and Students at Universal Studios in 2024

Best of EWU Film: Friday before Commencement

We wrap every year with a public celebration and screening: The Best of EWU Film showcases the best student work of the academic year. In 2025, see you on June 13!  Join us!

Here is our 2024 Flyer:

EWU Film Alums Screening Near You!

EWU Alum Stimson Snead screened the Spokane-produced Tim Travers and the Time Traveler’s Paradox to a packed house at the Spokane International Film Festival!  Read the glowing review in The Inlander.  Snead also screened Tim Travers and the Time Traveler’s Paradox at the Seattle International Film Festival.  Learn More at the SIFF site!  Great Job Stimson!

Getting Started with EWU FILM

Declare your major in Film and Digital Media at any time, but no later than the fall quarter that you begin your major in Film and Digital Media. A key part of declaring your major in Film and Digital Media is that you will be assigned a faculty advisor in FILM who can guide you through the steps of the program and advise you which courses to take to prepare for Film and Digital Media.

Fall Quarter sees the beginning of the coursework sequence. Because of our cohort model, Film and Digital Media program requires a specific sequence of courses. If you don’t complete courses as they are offered, you risk a significant delay in progress toward graduation. You should consult with the program director about these requirements and declare your major status as early as possible so that we can advise you.

While we recommend that you complete most EWU requirements before beginning the program in Film and Digital Media, this is less critical than starting Film courses in a Fall Quarter. You will have the chance to complete BACR courses after completing Film and Digital Media or during summer quarters, but the Film Program only starts in the Fall.

We are here for any questions that you might have about the program in Film and Digital Media. Contact pporter@ewu.edu.

Declare a Major in Film and Digital Media

Transfer Requirements for Film

Plan to begin the program in the fall quarter. You should apply for major status prior to the fall quarter that you intend to begin your major in Film and consult with the program director on transferability of courses. Transfer students, including students with AA degrees, must complete FILM 214 no later than their first fall quarter in the program.

Facilities

Equipment Checkout

  • 4k and 2.5k production cameras
  • Camera support tools including tripods, shoulder mounts, lenses, Steadicam, and filters
  • Professional audio tools including mixers, wireless lavalieres, shotgun microphones, and boom poles
  • Grip and electric equipment, including a wide variety of professional lights and industry tools for sculpting light

Editing Stations and Suites 

  • 14 non-linear editing stations with the Adobe Creative Cloud, Final Cut, and other creative software
  • Two editing suites for advanced post-production including sound design, color correction, and Blu-ray/DVD mastering

Studio Space 

  • A fully-equipped studio with an overhead lighting grid
  • 16′ x 16′ infinite cyclorama wall
  • 12′ x 18′ green screen available to students enrolled in a production course

Screening Rooms

  • A state-of-the-art screening room, seating 50
  • A second state-of-the-art screening room, seating 30
  • Both Screening Rooms offer 4k Digital Projection, UHD Blu-Ray capacity and surround sound.

Conference Rooms

  • A conference room with seating for up to 16.
  • A conference room with seating for up to 12.
  • Conference rooms offer a space to pitch projects, develop story ideas, and work on scripts

Scholarships

Qualifications

  1. Declaration as a major in electronic media journalism with greater consideration given to photo-journalism.
  2. Must have at least a 3.0 GPA in Film major and a 2.75 average in all university courses.

Qualifications

  1. Declaration as a major in Film.
  2. Must have at least a 3.0 GPA in Film major and a 2.75 average in all university courses.
  3. Must be a junior or a senior.
  4. Must be a graduate from a high school in the Pacific Northwest.

Qualifications

  1. Declaration as a major in Film.
  2. Must have at least a 3.0 GPA in Film major and a 2.75 average in all university courses.
  3. Must demonstrate service to the Film Department.

Qualifications

  1. Declaration as a major in Film.
  2. Must have maintained at least a passing grade in all require Film courses.
  3. Must have completed all project requirements at the time of submitting an application for consideration.

Film students may apply for full or partial funding for film festival submissions, screenplay competition fees, graduate school application fees, and other similar fees, to be awarded at the discretion of the Program in Film.

Students should furnish all relevant materials to the faculty advisor, who will review them according to merit and appropriateness of the proposal. If the faculty advisor believes the application has sufficient merit, the materials and the faculty advisor’s recommendation will be forwarded to the chair of Fine and Performing Arts for a final decision.

For more information about Film scholarships, contact our office at pporter@ewu.edu.

Careers in Film

Earning a degree in Film and Digital Media from Eastern Washington University can lead to many career opportunities:

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Director

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Media Producer

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Sound Technician

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Production Coordinator

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Content Creator

Why Study Film at Eastern?

Our faculty are committed to excellence and student success.

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Hands-On Experience

Get hands-on experience writing, directing and producing your own work.

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Industry Standard Equipment

You'll have access to a variety of industry standard film equipment for use in your projects.

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Excellent Location

We're located near Spokane, a center of motion picture production, which means diverse internship and work opportunities.

You Will Learn

  • How to Build a Portfolio of Work
  • Film and Digital Media Production
  • Writing for the Screen:
    • Short Film
    • Feature-length and Series Development
  • Media Theory and Criticism
  • As a Senior, you will complete 2 Senior Projects (3 with permission):
    • Screenwriting portfolio: feature-length screenplay or series pitch and project
    • direct or produce a major film/video production, or
    • write a theory/criticism essay or create a portfolio
  • How to Distribute Your Work

 

The Film Program prepares students for creative roles in the film and digital media industry.

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