Film & Media Program
Part of the Art, Film & Media Department
Filmmaking With Excellence
Because God made us in His image, we are designed to create and appreciate beauty as He does and to create work that is excellent. Taylor’s program emphasizes the craft and technology of film and media production as well as focusing on the person you are becoming as a follower of Jesus. Our graduates are consummate professionals, able to contribute to culture in ways that make a difference. Joining Taylor’s Film & Media program means not only building filmmaking skills but also strengthening your understanding of the significance of stories and the role they play in the world.
Professional Technology
Taylor’s Film & Media program is blessed with nearly $2 million of equipment in the form of Hollywood-grade cameras, lights, and audio. Many editing suites and a computer lab enable you to do your best work with software such as Avid Media Composer, Adobe Premiere, DaVinci Resolve, ProTools and more. Some schools attempt to teach filmmaking without access to filmmaking tools. At Taylor, our equipment is the real deal. It’s what the pros actually use.
Freshmen work with ProTools software in Audio edit suite 1
The RED Helium with 8K sensor is Taylor’s top camera for fiction filmmaking
The studio allows for multicamera television production
Learn live production and how to direct a crew from this control room
One of two checkout rooms full of professional equipment
Edit with Avid Media Composer, Adobe Premiere and DaVinci Resolve software
The MacLab has specialty software for audio, video editing and screenwriting
Multiple Steadicam® rigs allow for smooth camera motion
Taylor’s 40-foot production trailer takes production on the road
Inside the trailer, students direct multi-camera, live events
Using the trailer, students produce a variety of events for music and sports
The campus radio station offers opportunities for live shows
Film screenings are regularly held across the street in Cornwall Auditorium
New Facility Plans
Taylor’s Film & Media Production program has outgrown its space in the Rupp Communication Arts building and has plans to construct a new film building in the near future. Architects have already drawn plans for the Horne Center for Film and Media Arts, a 40,000 square feet of dedicated space for production. The facility will contain a film sound stage with support spaces for wardrobe/makeup and set construction, television production studio and control room, multiple edit bays for audio and video, a sound production area for voice-over and Foley sound effects, multiple classrooms and computer labs, an equipment checkout room, and creative collaboration spaces for student teams.
Award-Winning Work
Your faculty will push you to create great work, and your best projects will be entered in competitions and film festivals. In 2021, every graduating senior had at least one of their projects receive an external award or recognition.
"My Brother's Keeper"
Fiction film “My Brother’s Keeper” screened at eight film festivals, won a Telly award and earned a win from the regional Emmy organization.
"20 Over"
“20 Over” won Best in Show (Documentary) at the Broadcast Education Association’s national convention in 2020, won $1500 in prize money, screened in multiple film festivals and won an award from the regional Emmy organization.
Our Approach to Story
In Taylor’s Film & Media Production program, the stories we write, shoot, and edit are intended to be good, beautiful and true. God’s first act in the Bible is to create, and we’re made in his image, designed to create and appreciate beauty as God does.
The themes of our films and video projects echo the reality of life on earth: love, joy, celebration, pain, suffering, redemption, conflict, resolution, and justice, all imagined through the lens of a Christian worldview. With Jesus as our model of the ultimate storyteller, we endeavor to tell stories that are compelling, thought-provoking and sometimes even life-changing.
Taylor’s film program focuses on the craft of modern storytelling. The major requires a big commitment of time and energy. You have to be all-in and willing to put in the time to gain experience with producing, directing, writing, cinematography, editing, and sound.
We also focus on helping you develop character, helping you become the kind of teammate people want to work with–one who loves authentically and acts ethically.
Joining Taylor’s Film & Media Production program also means you’ll learn about the significance of film and media, and the role they play in our culture, shaping values and perceptions of truth.
Gaining Hands-On Experience
From the start of your freshman year, you'll find many opportunities to gain hands-on experiences, including:
Envision Productions
Taylor's internal production team produces chapel videos 3 times a week, shoots live events, and produces client projects on contract. You can volunteer with the team as a freshman and later join the paid crew.
Envision Film Festival
The annual film festival screens and awards Taylor student filmmakers’ best work of the year and brings entertainment professionals to campus for free workshops. For more information, see the Envision website.
Red Eye 24-Hour Film Festival
Our 24-hour film festival is the most fun, sleepless night you’ll ever have. Shoot a short film overnight and screen it the next day. Offered every January.
WTUR Radio
Taylor’s online radio station, WTUR, hosts live programming during the school year, produced by Taylor students. Be a DJ, create your own original show (talk, sports, music), or join the production staff.
Taylor Athletics
Put your skills to work for Taylor’s athletic teams. They often need videographers to cover sports events and editors to capture highlights for team review.
Media Services
Apply for a campus job with Taylor’s Media Services department. You’ll join the team running sound and doing technology set-ups for campus events and conferences.
Faculty-Mentored Project
Film students can spend eight paid weeks working directly with a faculty member on a summer video project in this grant-funded opportunity.
Internship / Practicum
Complete at least one required internship in the summer between your junior and senior year. Faculty provide strategies and connections to help you land a resume-enhancing internship. Students participating in the Los Angeles program will complete two internships during that semester.
Are you a good fit for Taylor’s Film & Media Production program?
Does one or more of these describe you?
- Like to express myself by telling stories
- Have interests and skills in music, studio art, photography, theatre, or writing
- Have served on my church media team, running camera, audio, slides etc.
- Love to watch movies and television and drive other people a little crazy because of the way I analyze them
- Have chosen to turn in at least one high school assignment on video
- Have my own YouTube channel
- Enjoy posting stories on Instagram
- Watch YouTube to learn video-related skills
- Have roped my family members into my productions in the past
- Have taken a television or news production class in high school
- Love movie “behind the scenes” segments
- Have taught myself software for video editing
Even if none of those statements is true for you, have no fear. Faculty make no assumptions about prior experience. They look for enthusiasm, eagerness to learn and creativity above all.
Grad Programs for Film
Although attending film school or graduate school after Taylor is not required to work in the field, some alumni go on to do graduate work to further their expertise or to prepare them for teaching. Our graduates have pursued MA and MFA degrees at outstanding programs, including:
- American Film Institute Directing Program
- Ball State University
- Baylor University
- Boston University Film & Television
- Florida State University Film School
- Fuller Theological Seminary (Theology & the Arts Program)
- Regent University
- UCLA Screenwriting Program
- University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts
