Why I’m Minoring in Cinematic Arts
photo credit: Ging Chen Sow via @usccinema
by Kayla Bowens ‘25
When I first arrived at USC, I knew I wanted to have a minor, mainly because I thought it would be cool to have a longer title when people asked me what I studied. But I also wanted to be able to explore as much as I could during my time at USC. I just wasn’t quite sure what route I wanted to go down. I am a business major, which is broad and provides a wide variety of opportunities. Since I’m not exactly passionate about my main field of study, the option to branch out into a minor was exciting.
My transfer advisor told me to always take at least one class I enjoy or find interesting each semester to take the load off of my quantitative Marshall courses, and that advice led me to my minor. From childhood, I have always loved performing, watching movies, and testing my creativity. So, as I got older, I wanted to understand the inner workings of movie making. I decided to take CTCS 190 Introduction to Cinema as a fun elective, which is described in the course catalog as a gateway to majors and minors in Cinematic Arts. The course is a general survey of techniques, aesthetics, criticism, and social implications of cinema. The class started with a general lecture on a particular technique or discussion of a media topic followed by a movie or TV showing. In section, we’d discuss our notes on what we’d watched. This allowed me to think critically about the movies I was watching and begin recognizing the techniques and tools we talked about in class. I loved this class, which solidified my desire to pick up a minor in the arts.
I contemplated a minor in Cinematic Arts or Entertainment Industry. I even considered double minoring because there was so much course overlap. I ultimately chose to minor in Cinematic Arts to gain hands-on experience in film making practices like production, editing, and directing. Additionally, the Entertainment Industry minor was more economic and historically focused, and I wanted to be as close to sets and studios as possible. While a double minor was tempting, I wanted to make sure that I left plenty of room to explore other social, personal, and professional endeavors beyond SCA.
As described in USC’s minor program catalog, Cinematic Arts combines an introduction to an exciting and influential field with a diversified set of critical studies including production, screenwriting, the entertainment industry, animation, and interactive media. I declared my minor the second semester of my sophomore year, and I am so happy I did. I have gained hands-on experience in motion picture editing on Avid Media Composer and am currently taking a motion picture cinematography class. Because the Cinematics Arts minor only requires 8 upper division credits, adding the minor didn’t impact my graduation plans or add too much to my plate. If anything, I look forward to the time I get to spend at SCA.
At this point in my studies, I have found that my major and minor compliment each other well. I get to have the best of both worlds by gaining a large volume of business knowledge while also getting valuable insight on the film industry and getting to utilize my creative aptitude. I’m looking forward to a career in the film/entertainment industry, whether that be in front of or behind the camera. Having access to the networking opportunities and resources provided by SCA increases my chances of making this happen. All in all, Cinematics Arts has been a great minor for me.
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