Radio TV Film

Our lives are constantly impacted by the mass media, yet we scarcely understand the complex ways in which they affect us. For example, how does a radio ad persuade us to buy or vote a certain way? How does a movie manipulate us into sharing the values of a certain character? To what degree is a TV news report truly objective? This course will help you make informed decisions about the media you consume.

This course is offered through the Division of Online and Continuing Education for students enrolled in online degree programs. For more information regarding the University’s online degree programs please visit the website at uwosh.edu/oce.

This course does not count toward a Radio TV Film major or minor.   

Practical application of the principles of writing, editing, videotaping, and producing materials for and/or presenting materials on television.

This course is taught at the Fox Cities campus.

This course does not count toward a RTF major or minor. 

This course examines conventions and creative strategies that comprise contemporary moving image media. A major focus will be placed on foundational terms and techniques used in professional settings today. In its exploration of dynamic audio/visual communication, the course will analyze films, television programming, and screenplays.

This is a required course.

This course introduces concepts of media literacy through a focus on the industry structures of print, radio, television, film and new media.

This is a required course for the RTF Major or Minor.
This course is a USP Explore course and counts toward a RTF Major or Minor.

This course is designed to cover basic theory and techniques of audio production, as well as introductory radio station practices. The course consists of lectures, as well as studio session featuring equipment demonstrations and production exercises in a professional environment. This course also includes experience on the air at the university’s radio station, WRST-FM.

This is a required course.

• Special technology course fee of $10.00 will apply.

A survey course examining print, electronic and persuasive media from a historical and theoretical perspective. Media discussed include newspapers, magazines, books, radio, television, public relations, advertising and the internet. 

Cross-listed with Journalism 130. Students may receive credit for only one of the two cross-listed courses toward a RTF or Journalism  major or minor. 
This course is a USP Explorer course. 
This course is taught at the Fox Cities and Fond du Lac campuses.

Study of the history and development of film as a distinctive medium of communication, an art form and an industry. Students will be introduced to a wide range of theoretical perspectives that have been applied to film in academic settings: these will include but are not limited to such concepts as narrative, genre, “mise en scene’, and star image.

This course is a USP course but does not count toward a RTF major or minor. 
This course is taught at the Fox Cities and Fond du Lac campuses.

This course will help you understand how your perspective of reality show events and emotions can be skewed by the manipulation of footage and how preproduction, production, and post-production can alter the realness of reality television. Additionally, this course will explore the social communities created through reality shows in multiple forms of engagement.

This is a USP Quest I course and does not count toward an RTF Major or Minor.

The course focuses on how our relationships with our local communities impact our culture, our politics, and our neighbors in the context of digital narratives. To that end, this course will introduce students to community organizations and help them establish reciprocal, working relationships that will produce a digital media object that meets the needs of the community organization. This course will introduce students to a variety of theories and concepts related to digital narratives, including platform affordances, digital media literacy, and digital audiences and public. The outcome of the collaboration will allow students to craft meaningful narratives about Oshkosh in a way that speaks to the affordances and expectations of the 21st century while remaining grounded in local conditions.

This is a USP Quest III course and does not count toward an RTF Major or Minor.

This course introduces the student to basic theory and practices related to visual media, including television station operations, studio and field production, camera usage, and editing.

Prerequisites: RTF 114.

• Special technology course fee of $10.00 will apply.

This internship course provides access campus students with an opportunity to apply knowledge and skills learned in RTF courses to professional and/or community-based situations at off-campus institutions. Students will prepare for the field work opportunity with appropriate texts provided by the faculty supervisor and schedule regular meetings the faculty supervisor to evaluate progress. A detailed work journal and final paper reflecting on the academic relevance of the fieldwork are required. At the end of the semester, the professor will evaluate the student’s experience based on the work journal, final paper and consultation with the organization supervisor and assign a letter grade.

Prerequisites: RTF 250, a minimum of 12 completed courses credits, a GPA of at least a 2.5 and consent of instructor.
This course is taught at the Fox Cities campus.

This course develops an understanding of the relationship between the traditional media industry and converging new media.

Prerequisites: RTF 115.

• Special technology course fee of $10.00 will apply.

This course focuses on the development of editing and sound design skills through the application of post-production theories and techniques. Through coursework, students will also become proficient with a non-linear editing system.
Prerequisites: RTF 120 and RTF 250.

• Special technology course fee of $10.00 will apply.

This course surveys the history of motion pictures and electronic media, including radio and television broadcasting, and media convergence. Consideration is given to aesthetic, social, economic, and technological perspectives.

Prerequisites: RTF 115 or consent of instructor.

Laws and regulations, which govern radio, television, motion pictures, and theatre. Includes the relationships of the broadcast/media manager, artistic director, producer, director, and actor to each other and to agencies such as Congress, the courts, the FCC and other regulatory agencies.

Cross-listed: RTF 313/Theatre 313. Students may receive credit for only one of the two cross-listed courses.

Prerequisites: RTF students: 2.5 GPA in RTF major or minor and RTF 115 and 310; Communication Studies Students: COMM 118 and 236; Theatre Students: THEATRE 102 or consent of instructor.

A study of advertising within the United States broadcast industry. Students divide into groups and create a campaign, researching and marketing a product, then writing, storyboarding, presenting, and producing a radio or television spot.

Prerequisites: Cumulative 2.5 GPA in RTF major or minor and RTF 115, RTF 120 and RTF 250.

• Special technology course fee of $10.00 will apply.

This course provides a comprehensive overview of the inner workings of a broadcast station. The student will learn the theory governing the essential tasks specific to radio operations and how the different departments within the station interact (much of what is learned is transferrable to television operations). The course also covers laws and regulations governing broadcast radio and internet streaming as well as rules specific to non-commercial radio. Students will also learn how to perform a critical analysis of the competitive environment facing a broadcast outlet and devise strategies for success. Students will put what they learn into practice in the real-world environment of WRST-FM in a variety of operational roles.

Prerequisites: Cumulative 2.5 GPA in RTF major or minor and RTF 120, and RTF 310.

• Special technology course fee of $10.00 will apply.

Production and direction of studio television programs including news, talk and sitcom formats. Course will provide training in key production positions and processes. Students will produce and direct live television broadcasts.

Prerequisites: Cumulative 2.5 GPA in RTF major or minor, and RTF 250; Special fees may apply.

• Special materials & supplies course fee of $20.00 will apply.
• Special technology course fee of $10.00 will apply.

Advanced, practical experience in producing, directing, hosting, and/or crewing weekly television programs and the running of television broadcast operations.

Prerequisites: Cumulative 2.5 GPA in RTF major or minor and RTF 250.

• Special technology course fee of $10.00 will apply.

Advanced, practical experience in various production and functional aspects of radio broadcast operations.

Prerequisites: Cumulative 2.5 GPA in RTF major or minor and RTF 120.

• Special technology course fee of $10.00 will apply.

The study of media through the application of various approaches, such as critical and historical. Topics may vary. Emphasis is placed on individual student research. May be repeated three times for up to 12 units (crs.) provided the topic varies.

Prerequisites: RTF students: Cumulative 2.5 GPA in RTF major or minor, and RTF 114 & RTF 115 or consent of instructor. 

The study of media production techniques. Topics may vary. May be repeated three times for up to 12 units (crs.) provided the topic varies.

Prerequisites: Cumulative 2.5 GPA in RTF major or minor and RTF 115, RTF 120 and RTF 250.

• Special technology course fee of $10.00 will apply.

The study of how media is created that educates, informs, or promotes. The course will draw from a wide range of examples, including educational children’s TV, adult educational TV programming, promotional videos (including music videos), web-based video tutorials, public service announcements, training videos, and online learning modules. Students will study differing ideas on how people best learn, applying them to content development for a variety of audiences.

Prerequisites: Cumulative 2.5 GPA in RTF major or minor and RTF 115 and RTF 250 or instructor consent.

• Special technology course fee of $10.00 will apply.

A critical survey of the history, theory and practice of the documentary in film and television. The methods and purposes of the documentary form will be examined through lectures, readings and screenings. Students apply these principles to the preproduction and development of a documentary film.

Prerequisites: Cumulative 2.5 GPA in RTF major or minor and RTF 115, and RTF 306 or consent of instructor. Special fees may apply.

• Special technology course fee of $10.00 will apply.

The development of skills in single camera narrative production. Students gain experience in continuity direction and editing, while learning how to develop and produce an advanced project.

Prerequisites: Cumulative 2.5 GPA in RTF major or minor and RTF 310 and RTF 306 or consent of instructor. Special fees may apply.

• Special materials & supplies course fee of $20.00 will apply.
• Special technology course fee of $10.00 will apply.

This course develops proficiency in advanced Foley techniques and sound design through training and the use of Avid Media Composer and Pro Tools. Students will study modern Foley methods and follow proper post-production workflow in the creation of class projects.

Prerequisites: Cumulative 2.5 GPA in RTF major or minor and RTF 306.

• Special technology course fee of $10.00 will apply.

This course introduces the craft of writing narrative films. Students will learn structures of narrative critical to producing effective films, methods of writing effective dialog, proper use of screenplay elements, and how to write and revise using scriptwriting software. Students will develop writing skills through weekly writing and revising exercises, culminating in a short narrative screenplay.

Prerequisites: RTF Students: Cumulative 2.5 GPA in RTF major or minor, and RTF 114, Non-RTF students: A 200 level writing course. Or consent of instructor. Special fees may apply.

• Special materials & supplies course fee of $10.00 will apply.
• Special lab technology course fee of $10.00 will apply.

Examination of the theory and practice of television development industry including broadcast, cable, and streaming networks. Course will examine the historical practices of the television business along with current trends in narrative and non-narrative development. Students will develop their own original television pilot and learn the steps of the pre-production process.

Prerequisites: Cumulative 2.5 GPA in RTF major or minor and RTF 115 and RTF 250.

• Special technology course fee of $10.00 will apply.

An introduction to the issues of race, socioeconomic class, gender, and sexual orientation, focused on representations in media, including film and television. This course examines the interconnected relationship between storytelling and social concepts of identity, using both formal analysis and research-based investigations.

Cross-listed: RTF 347/Women’s and Gender Studies 347/Social Justice 347. Students may receive credit for only one of the three cross-listed courses.
Prerequisites: RTF Students: Cumulative 2.5 GPA in RTF major or minor and RTF 310; Women’s and Gender Studies Students: Cumulative 2.5 GPA and WG STDS 201; Communication Students:  COMM 219; Social Justice Minors: Cumulative GPA 2.5 and SOC JUST 101 or consent of instructor.

This course emphasizes critical approaches to the form and content of mass media, especially film and television. Assignments emphasize the development of analytical and writing skills in the field of media studies.

Prerequisites: Cumulative 2.5 GPA in RTF major or minor and RTF 310 or consent of instructor.

This course offers an overview of methods used to study and measure media audiences across multiple planforms. Methods related to audience engagement and preferences, as well as reach and strategic effectiveness of social media use by content producers, will be studied in detail. Non-RTF students should contact the course instructor to request permission to enroll.

Prerequisites: Cumulative 2.5 GPA in RTF major or minor and RTF 115 or consent of instructor.

This course can count as an elective for the Marketing Analysis and Insights Certificate/Emphasis. For more information, speak with a Marketing Department advisor.

The study and practice of aesthetic and technical approaches to lighting, blocking, and camera placement for film and digital. The course combines the study of the relationship of the script to visualization and lighting with hands on film and digital production training and applications.

Prerequisites: Cumulative 2.5 GPA in RTF major or minor and RTF 250 and RTF 310, and RTF 306 or consent of instructor. Special fees may apply.

• Special materials & supplies course fee of $20.00 will apply.
• Special technology course fee of $10.00 will apply.

This course provides an overview in the theory and practice of news producing including story selection,
ethics, reporting, and editing. Students will gain practical experience in news reporting and producing for
broadcast television and digital platforms.
Prerequisites: Cumulative 2.5 GPA in RTF major or minor and RTF 120 and RTF 250 or consent of instructor.
Special course fees may apply.

• Special materials & supplies course fee of $20.00 will apply.
• Special technology course fee of $10.00 will apply.

This course involves the study and application of radio news operations, reporting, announcing and production.
Students will also get extensive experience using the digital audio workstation Adobe Audition.
Prerequisites: Cumulative 2.5 GPA in RTF major or minor and RTF 120 or consent of instructor; Special fees may
apply.

• Special technology course fee of $10.00 will apply.

This course will introduce the student to the theory and practice of sports reporting, play-by-play and sports talk. Students will apply what is learned in the classroom by attending and reporting on Titan Athletics; analyzing media coverage of amateur and professional sports and sports figures; and producing and/or calling Titan Athletics’ contests. Student work will air on WRST-FM and stream on wrst.org. Students will also develop and apply production skills using Adobe Audition.
Prerequisites: Cumulative 2.5 GPA in RTF major or minor and RTF 120 or consent of instructor; Special fees may apply.

• Special technology course fee of $10.00 will apply.

This course focuses on technical and creative skills used for authoring web sites. Students will learn to develop and maintain websites using HTML and Cascading Styles Sheets (CSS). Students will also become proficient in the web design software Adobe Dreamweaver and familiar with other digital communication tools, such as Adobe Photoshop. Additionally, students will learn color theory and principles of design, as well as best practices for navigation, accessibility, and usability. Students will also learn the basics of working with a content management system (CMS).

Prerequisites: Cumulative 2.5 GPA in RTF major or minor and RTF 120 and RTF 250; or consent of instructor.

• Special technology course fee of $10.00 will apply.

Supervised professional field experience at a business, community, or government media organization or on a film or television shoot in which the intern applies Radio-TV-Film study to a practical situation. (Note: RTF will only facilitate internships in which students are registered for credit. Internship credits will not be granted retroactively.) This course counts as part of the 12 upper level elective credits for the RTF major. It can be taken multiple times, but students can only get a total of three credits.

Prerequisites: Radio TV Film majors only, consent of instructor, junior or senior status (60 completed credits with 12 completed at UWO as an RTF major/minor) and a cumulative 2.5 GPA in RTF major or minor and RTF 120, RTF 250.  Pass/Fail (5+15)

Supervised professional field experience at a business, community or government media organization or on a film or television shoot in which the intern applies Radio/TV/Film study to a practical situation. (Note: RTF will only facilitate internships in which students are registered for credit. Internship credits will not be granted retroactively.) This course is available for those desiring an additional internship after having successfully completed RTF 400. However, the credits earned in RTF 401 will only count toward the student’s non-RTF upper level course total required for graduation, and will not be counted as part of the 12 required upper level RTF courses. 

Prerequisites: Radio-TV-Film majors, consent of instructor, junior or senior status (60 completed credits with 12 completed at UWO as an RTF major/minor) and a Cumulative 2.5 GPA in RTF major or minor and RTF 120, RTF 250 & RTF 400. (5+15)

This course develops proficiency in advanced editing techniques, motion graphic design and sound design. Students will study effective motion graphic design and sound design to develop enhanced skills and Post-Production techniques in the creation of class projects.

Prerequisites: Cumulative 2.5 GPA in RTF major or minor and RTF 310 and RTF 306, or consent of instructor. Special fees may apply.

• Special materials & supplies course fee of $20.00 will apply.
• Special technology course fee of $10.00 will apply.

This course will provide an overview of the contemporary media landscape in the context of streaming media platforms. In an age of rapidly converging media, it is important to understand how shifts in ownership, distribution, production, and reception impact our relationship with media content. Students will critically engage with movies, TV shows, and discourses that revolve around these digital shifts in the media industries. In particular, the course will explore: digital distribution platforms, both subscription-based and ad-supported; how viewers engage with both traditional and digitally native content; and how our relationship with different types of content changes depending on the method of consumption.

Prerequisites: RTF Students: Cumulative GPA of 2.5 in RTF major or minor and RTF 115 and RTF 250; Non Majors: 45 credits completed or consent of instructor.

The advanced study of media through the application of various approaches, such as critical and historical. Topics may vary. Emphasis is placed on individual student research. May be repeated three times for up to 12 units (crs.) provided the topic varies.

Prerequisites: RTF students: Cumulative 2.5 GPA in RTF major or minor, and RTF 114 & RTF 310; Communication Studies students: COMM 118 and 236.

The advanced study of media production techniques. Topics may vary. May be repeated three times for up to 12 units (crs.) provided the topic varies.

Prerequisites: Cumulative 2.5 GPA in RTF major or minor and RTF 115, RTF 120 and RTF 250.

• Special technology course fee of $10.00 will apply.

This course focuses on audio production theory and techniques. Audio production projects will emphasize the proper mix of sound, the application of effects and audio mastering techniques.

Prerequisites: Cumulative 2.5 GPA in RTF major or minor and RTF 120 and one of the following: RTF 354, RTF 355, or consent of instructor. Special fees may apply.

• Special materials & supplies course fee of $20.00 will apply.
• Special lab technology course fee of $10.00 will apply.

Students will complete a substantial body of writing in this advanced workshop. Topics will include feature-length screenplays, serial pilots, show bibles, short films, adaptations, and pitching. Students will study successful examples of these forms and workshop their own creative projects. Students will develop advanced skills through weekly writing assignments while learning to analyze and provide constructive critiques of one another’s work. Cross-listed: RTF 434/ENGLISH 434

Prerequisites: RTF students: Cumulative 2.5 GPA in RTF major or minor, and RTF 344 or RTF 342; English students: ENGLISH 303 or ENGLISH 305 or ENGLISH 308 or ENGLISH 329 or consent of instructor.

• Special technology course fee of $10.00 will apply.

This course develops advanced creative and technical skills in narrative and non-narrative production. Students choose core creative positions(Producer/Director, Cinematographer/Videographer, Editor/Sound Designer) on a narrative or documentary film production, television pilot, or multi-cam studio production that will include professional project development, production, and distribution. Projects and skills required will be a continuation of material developed in Documentary Production, Narrative Production, Television Development, Studio Production, News Production or Advanced Post Production.

Prerequisites: Cumulative 2.5 GPA in RTF major or minor and RTF 115, and one of the following;  RTF 321, RTF 341 or RTF 342,  RTF 345, RTF 350, RTF 352 or RTF 406. Special fees may apply.

• Special materials & supplies course fee of $20.00 will apply.
• Special technology course fee of $10.00 will apply.

See Independent Study under Course and Academic Advisement Policies information for general course description, general prerequisites, and proper contract form requirements. As outlined in this section, RTF 446 is designed to provide structured research (scholarly or creative) “well beyond that required in established courses.” It may not be used as a substitute for an existing course, nor may it be used by a company or organization seeking free labor or free access to Department equipment and facilities.

Prerequisites: Consent of instructor.

ADVANCED CAPSTONE COURSE

This course will help seniors prepare for a productive career.

Prerequisites: RTF major or minor with Cumulative 2.5 GPA in RTF major or minor and 90 or more credits. Pass/Fail
This is a required course.

• Special technology course fee of $10.00 will apply.