Bachelor of Science - Video and Film Production - Live Production

Video and film have great power to entertain, inform, or influence. Technology has now made it possible for essentially any industry or organization to harness this power to connect with their audiences, customer, constituents, or students. Middle Tennessee State University’s Bachelor of Science  in Video and Film Production degree considers all of these aspects, reinforces them with a foundation of media theory and a 4-year degree to produce graduates who are able to successfully enter the marketplace and advance through long-term careers. The program boasts a well-developed and flexible curriculum that enables students to focus on their strengths. Inspiring and experienced faculty deliver exciting classes inside and outside the classrooms and labs. An impressive array of facilities offers students boundless hands-on experience.

The Live Production concentration in Video and Film Production provides students with the knowledge and skills needed to be successful in the live television production industry. Live production is the process of broadcasting, recording, or projecting a live event or performance with multiple video cameras. Finished products include an almost infinite variety of forms such as television coverage of live sports, awards shows, recorded multi-camera productions such as music concerts/festivals, dance theater, game shows, cooking shows, talk shows, and Image MAGnification (IMAG) projection of live presentations or performances at venue-based events such as concerts and other large events. Live production also covers media design, rigging, and technology aspects of the concert touring industry.

This program is a good fit for students who like to collaborate in teams of experts in the media production industry. Primary career paths include creative, technical, and managerial positions. The industry is fast-paced, deadline-oriented, constantly changing, and somewhat glamorous.

The program has 30 years of experience with live sports production. In a typical semester, this program produces over two dozen live sports broadcasts with all student crews--many of which are aired nationwide on ESPN and other channels. Twice in the last six years, students in the program have been recognized for the best student-produced sports broadcast in the nation by a sports industry trade association. This program also produces a variety of in-studio and on-location music concerts, dance, and theatrical events and other live, special-events. Productions with Grammy-winning music artists, The Nashville Symphony, and Bonnaroo are regular class projects.

The program emphasizes hands-on learning experiences whenever possible. Facilities include a 40-foot mobile television production lab; two production studios including a 3,000 square foot TV studio; an equipment checkout system for students with a variety of on-location production equipment; video editing facilities; a Foley lab; and 360-degree virtual reality facilities. The program is one of the only college programs in the world where students learn to do hands-on work with large-scale LED video walls.

The Live Production program offers substantial cocurricular opportunities for its students. This includes a student-staffed production company that produces, manages, and crews live television broadcasts; and a student-run television station where students produce the programming and manage the station. These opportunities are available to students from their first semester onward.

Live Production students are able to build upon their unique talents and interests by combining this major with related minors such as Animation, Audio Production, Interactive Media, Media Management, and others.