At the heart of every young filmmaker is the love of story. Through the ages, perfecting the art of telling a good story has been a critical skill for a culture’s survival. Story conveys who we are, what we value. Told well, it can transmit knowledge, captivate the heart and change the course of lives.

At Biola’s Cinema and Media Arts department, our mission is to prepare our students spiritually, intellectually, and professionally to become exceptional visual storytellers who can compete and succeed with the best of the best in the areas of film, television, and digital media. Our experienced faculty challenge our students towards this goal, pushing their storytelling and productions to new heights of achievement through extensive projects in and outside of the classroom.

Here at Biola, we are uniquely positioned to combine spiritual development with state-of-the art industry training - shaping both character and craft. Our unique location allows us to feature guest appearances by the finest producers, directors, and media makers in the business; to connect our students to our exclusive Biola Studio Task Force mentors; and to secure prime internships in preparation for our students’ vocation in media.

Commitment to Excellence

The Cinema and Media Arts Department offers students a thorough grounding in the theory, research and practices of cinema and media arts. We begin with an understanding of the ancient arts and aesthetics inherent in storytelling. Students will then learn the history of their discipline, developing the research skills and critical thinking necessary to recognize their position in relationship to critical junctures in cinema and more recently, media arts.

Finally, students will polish and practice a particular craft by immersing themselves in the collaborative production process, utilizing state-of-the-art equipment, methodologies and techniques. With a minor in Bible, each student will leave equipped to work out God’s enduring truths within the rapidly evolving, technologically driven, highly–competitive world of cinema and media arts.

Cinema and Media Arts (CMA) Majors

The CMA major has four Concentrations:

• Production
• Screenwriting
• Media Management
• Off-Hollywood