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Film and Video

Learn to understand and harness the power of visual media to send messages, build communities, educate and advocate for change.

Why Study Film & Video at Randolph?

We live in a world that is saturated with visual imagery and messages. Knowing how to understand and evaluate these messages is crucial; knowing how to produce your own media is even more valuable.

Studying filmmaking helps cultivate a variety of skills:

Technical skills: Learn about the technical aspects of film and video production, such as script writing, shooting, lighting, editing, and sound design

Creative skills: Harness your imagination and see your ideas come to life; learn to appreciate the beauty of cinematic language

Analytical skills: Interpret visual texts and develop media literacy

Intellectual skills: Develop independent thought, intellectual initiative, and research skills; deepen your knowledge of different media, geographical contexts, and historical periods

Communication skills: Work with a team to come up with an idea and see it through to a final product; learn to listen to others and collaborate

Leadership skills: Take the lead on a project and cultivate empathy, integrity, and decisiveness; learn to mentor others and develop self-awareness

Problem-solving skills: Make decisions about how to use resources efficiently, build positive relationships with stakeholders and solve problems that arise

Degrees offered

Bachelor of Arts in Film and Video

Minor in Film Studies

Curriculum and Courses

Related Programs

An Interdisciplinary Curriculum

Filmmaking is an interdisciplinary pursuit: to be a good filmmaker, you must experience the world fully and know a little about a lot of different topics.

Studying film within a liberal arts setting is ideal for building a wide base of knowledge. Courses in film history and criticism help you understand why filmmakers make the choices they make.

Other courses enrich your understanding of people and societies.

  • Want to make a romantic comedy? Study sociology to learn how people build relationships.
  • Want to make a documentary about climate change in your community? Take an environmental studies or marine science course.
  • Want to write an award-winning screenplay? Take a creative writing class.
  • Want to explore how the Hollywood film industry really works? Take a media and culture class.

All of your classes at Randolph will be valuable to you as you develop your individual creative vision.

Hands-on Experience

All the film and video classes at Randolph are highly interactive and hands-on.

Our Media Lab features the latest video production cameras that are used by professionals, cutting edge digital LED lighting kits, industry standard audio equipment, and a 15-seat computer lab with the Adobe Creative Cloud suite and DaVinci Resolve, all running on Apple Mac Studio M2 computers.

Students start the major by practicing techniques in exposure, lighting, framing, set etiquette, and gain the technical skills needed to work in the film industry.

Film and Video majors complete a practicum, during which they work with professionals to develop their skills. Each student produces a senior project as a culmination of their learning in the major.

The work you make for your courses will comprise a portfolio that will introduce you to prospective employers.

Faculty Mentorship

You will work with faculty members to learn all aspects of film and video production, from the basics to advanced level projects.

Throughout their time at Randolph, students are guided by faculty mentors to gain practical experience in the industry.

As film or video projects present themselves in the community, faculty help students navigate their first steps in the professional field of media production.

Professor Jennifer Gauthier mentors a student.

Internships

Student adjusts lights on a film set.

Randolph College is located in Southwestern Virginia, within close proximity to several prominent film festivals, such as the Virginia Film Festival, Richmond International Film Festival and Richmond French Film Festival.

Students have the opportunity to engage with arts organizations in the surrounding community such as Riverviews Artspace, Amazement Square Children’s Museum, and Endstation Theater Company.

Unique Experiences Prepare You for Success

Outcomes

International Anchor

EI Thant Sin ’16, communication studies major
International broadcaster, Voice of America Burmese, Washington, D.C.

A native of Myanmar, Sin was a writer for the Sundial and handled public relations for the Panworld International Club. She also completed several internships, including one at the VOA Service Bureau in Yangon, Myanmar.

That experience led to a position as a TV anchor for the network, where she broadcasts international and Myanmar news in the Burmese language.

“My classes allowed me to view the world’s media more consciously and be aware of what we, as the public, consume daily.”

“I grew up under a dictatorship where curiosity is shut down and questions were discouraged, where obedience signifies politeness, and where being an outspoken woman could carry a negative connotation.”

“At Randolph, I learned about respect and appreciation of different strong suits everyone has. I learned that learning doesn’t stop in class, and GPA is not the only ruler that measures me. I learned to be a strong, independent, and outspoken young Burmese woman who fights for her rights.”

Opportunities and Resources

Top Ranked Professors

Randolph College’s faculty are consistently recognized as among the best in the nation. The Princeton Review ranked the College 23rd for most accessible professors in the 2024 edition of its flagship college guide, The Best 389 Colleges.

Randolph has been ranked in the top 25 for most accessible professors for 8 years.

Film & Video Faculty

Jennifer Gauthier

Charles A. Dana Professor of Media and Culture, Director of the Honors Program

Read More... Jennifer Gauthier

Dustin Abernathy

Assistant Professor of Film and Video

Read More... Dustin Abernathy

Julio Rodriguez

Associate Professor of American Culture, Director of the American Culture Program

Read More... Julio Rodriguez

Department News

New faculty Q&A: Dustin Abernathy
Abernathy, who grew up in western North Carolina, joined the faculty this fall as an assistant professor of film and video, teaching for one of the College’s newest majors. 
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Department Chair

Jennifer Gauthier

Charles A. Dana Professor of Media and Culture, Director of the Honors Program

Credentials:B.A., Vassar College
M.A., Wesleyan University
Ph.D., George Mason University
Associated Departments:Media and Culture, The Honors Program, Film and Video
Office:Leggett 613
Phone:4349478501
Email:jgauthier@randolphcollege.edu

News Headlines

Edward Said wrote, “The job facing the cultural intellectual is therefore not to accept the politics of identity as given, but to show how all representations are constructed, for what purpose, by whom, and with what components.”

I firmly believe that this is part of my job as both a cultural intellectual and a teacher. In my communication and film studies classes at Randolph, I encourage students not to take anything for granted, but to ask questions about the historical, political, economic, and social contexts of the cultural objects we examine. My ideal classroom is one where students are eager to share their ideas and learn from each other. I often learn just as much from them as they do from me.

Film is my passion, although I was an art history major as an undergraduate at Vassar College. Studying medieval manuscripts turned out to be the perfect way to develop a critical eye and close attention to detail. I strive to pass these skills on to my students and to ignite in them a passion for knowledge, intellectual inquiry and lifelong learning.

My own research on Canadian film, cultural policy and national identity has fueled my interest in the delicate relationship between art and economy.

Spending a year in Ottawa as a Fulbright Scholar helped me to better understand the subtle, but important differences in our two nations. I consider myself an unofficial ambassador for Canada and its amazing, but under-appreciated films. Currently I am working on projects that examine the national cinemas of Canada, Australia and New Zealand, with special emphasis on indigenous cinemas. I am most interested in how state-sponsored film industries balance their cultural and economic goals.

In my other life, my husband Eric and I have a son Jack (born in 2007) who keeps us busy. In our free time we enjoy outdoor activities like hiking, mountain biking and canoeing, often with our golden retriever, Max. We also like to travel; some of our most recent trips have been to New Zealand, Hawaii, the Canadian Rockies, and Key West, Florida.

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Dustin Abernathy

Assistant Professor of Film and Video

Credentials:BA, The University of North Carolina Asheville
MFA, The University of North Carolina Wilmington
Associated Departments:Media and Culture, Film and Video
Office:Leggett 508
Email:dabernathy@randolphcollege.edu

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Julio Rodriguez

Associate Professor of American Culture, Director of the American Culture Program

Credentials:B.A., East Stroudsburg University
M.A., Bowling Green University
Ph.D., Bowling Green University
Associated Departments:Media and Culture, Sociology, The American Culture Program old 2016, African and African American Studies, Film and Video
Office:Leggett 601
Phone:4349478304
Email:jrodriguez@randolphcollege.edu

News Headlines

Professor Rodriguez has published articles on baseball, basketball, boxing, and the performance of masculinity in sports films.

He is currently working on a book-length project examining the role of neo-conservative foreign policy in action-adventure films released during George W. Bush’s presidency.

In the summers he tirelessly, but fruitlessly, tries to break 80 on the golf course, quitting the game on a regular basis. The winter brings snowboarding and the to-date successful attempt not to break anything. Sports have always been central to his work and leisure. They instruct and inform his personal and professional search for a comprehensive understanding of the male gender.

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