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Area of Study

Film & Digital Video

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You don’t have to move to Hollywood to be successful in the film and video industry. NPC can prepare you for an exciting and creative career in the film and digital video industry.

NPC's Film and Digital Video program trains students in the art of video production for a career in motion pictures, broadcasting, online websites and more. Foundational courses in the history and theory of film, as well as film aesthetics, pave the way for hands-on courses in the art and craft of several fields of video production, including lighting, cinematography, sound, screenwriting and editing. NPC offers one of the few two-year, Arizona digital video degrees in the state.

Instructor Mark Ford is an award-winning filmmaker with significant international experience in film and video production. His documentaries have taken him across the United States to China, Japan, India, Cambodia, New Zealand and Great Britain.

He lived in Taiwan for eight years, where he was nominated for the Golden Bell (Taiwanese Emmy) and the Golden Horse (Pan-Chinese Oscar). Ford worked extensively with visionary filmmaker Lee Chi-Yuan, and was part of the creative team on Tsai-Ming Liang’s Stray Dogs, winner of the Special Jury Prize at the 2013 Venice Film Festival.

He often co-directs with his wife, Mei-Fang Hu, and the two share numerous credits, including their short film Run Away Home, winner of the 2002 Humboldt International Film Festival, the 10-part documentary series Taiwan Fans, released in 2008, and the feature-length documentary Ripples Apart, screening nationally and internationally in 2014.

Read our story about Film & Digital Video in NPC's Career Focus magazine.

For more information about this program, please contact an NPC Academic Adviser. Also see the current NPC College Catalog and class schedule.

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Watch a video produced by NPC film students:

Labs and Classrooms

Students enrolled in NAVIT and several local high schools may be eligible for dual enrollment credit while pursuing a Film and Digital Video AAS degree from NPC.

The Visual Communications Fundamentals Certificate of Proficiency is currently only available as dual-enrollment at participating high schools.

Supplies / Tools

Students work with Adobe Premiere Pro software, an industry standard, and the latest digital tools to produce their own video work, which acts as a résumé or "short reel."

Job Outlook

You don't have to move to Hollywood to be successful in the film industry. Today, video making is more accessible than ever with the relatively low cost of technology. As the equipment gets smaller and less expensive, there’s more opportunity to create high-quality videos for a local band, business, wedding or event. The Phoenix area is the eighth-largest employer of camera operators for television, video and motion pictures. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports 11-percent growth in this field through 2024.

Salary

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, (May 2019) the average national annual salary for motion picture and video industries is $87,300, SOC 27-4032and it's $70,810 in the Phoenix area. Camera operators earn an average of $55,200 SOC 27-4031in the Phoenix area. Depending on how good you are and what kinds of contacts you've made, the sky is the limit.

For those interested in the graphic design field, the average Arizona annual salary is $54,820. SOC 27-1024For pre-press technicians, the average Arizona annual salary is $39,340. SOC 51-5111 For Desktop Publishers, the average Arizona annual salary is $39,270. SOC 43-9031May 2019.

Potential Job Titles

Camera operator, videographer, audio or sound technician, lighting director, video editor, producer, director, grip, best boy, graphic designer, pre-press technician

Articulations

Although this is not a transfer degree, some of NPC's film and digital video courses may transfer to the state's three public universities and other colleges. Check with an NPC academic adviser and AZTransfer.com to see which NPC courses may be accepted for transfer credit. Always work with an academic adviser at the college or university you plan to attend to ensure courses you complete at NPC will transfer.

Student Outcomes

Gainful Employment:

The U.S. Department of Education requires all colleges to disclose a variety of information for any financial aid eligible program that "prepares students for gainful employment in a recognized occupation." See the Letter from the U.S. Department of Education (PDF).