Southern Utah University

Course Syllabus

Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Spring Semester 2026

Business of Film (Face-to-Face)

FILM 4500-01

Course: FILM 4500-01
Credits: 3
Term: Spring Semester 2026
Department: ARTD
CRN: 10517

Course Description

Overview of film business practices including fundraising, unions, contracts, agent representation, navigating film festivals, distribution, exhibition, and gaining employment. (Spring) [Graded (Standard Letter)] Prerequisite(s): FILM 3500 - Prerequisite Min. Grade: B- Registration Restriction(s): Filmmaking majors only

Required Texts

There are no required texts however, there are required materials. Each student needs an external hard drive. Minimum: External hard drive with Thunderbolt 2/3 and/or USB 3.1 connection, 7200  rpm  spin speed,  and  at  least  1TB  storage  capacity  for  editing. Recommended: 500GB-1TB External SSD Drive. Note: This card and hard drive will serve you throughout the Film program. Buying a better/faster/higher quality drive means it will serve you better and for longer. You may use an external hard drive that you have purchased previously for program courses.

Learning Outcomes

  • Design and execute a fundraising campaign for a thesis film that aligns with the project’s creative goals, production needs, and target audience.
  • Create and present a professional pitch deck and a comprehensive film festival, distribution, and exhibition package using materials generated during thesis film production.
  • Develop and articulate a clear, persuasive fundraising pitch that communicates the thesis film’s concept, production plan, and value proposition to potential supporters.
  • Apply professional communication strategies to collaborate with key crew members in the development of fundraising, festival, and distribution materials.
  • Analyze and evaluate challenges encountered in fundraising, exhibition, and distribution processes, and implement strategic revisions to improve outcomes.

Course Requirements

Professional Readiness & Course Expectations

This course is structured to simulate professional film industry practices, particularly in fundraising, pitching, festival strategy, and distribution preparation.

In-Class Expectations

Throughout the semester, students will actively participate in:

  • Lectures and discussions on film business practices, including fundraising, contracts, unions, festivals, distribution, and exhibition

  • Workshops and labs focused on developing pitch decks, press kits, crowdfunding materials, and festival submission strategies

  • In-class presentations, including:

    • Comparable projects and demographics

    • Film festival research and submission schedules

    • Budget presentations

    • Crowd-funding sizzles

    • Pitch rehearsals

    • Final thesis pitches

  • Critique and feedback sessions, where students will give and receive constructive, professional-level feedback

  • Collaborative work with thesis crew members to develop fundraising, advertising, and distribution materials

Students are expected to come prepared, participate professionally, and treat class time as working production time.

Grading Categories

1. Attendance & Participation — 15%

This course functions as a professional development and production environment.

Evaluation is based on:

  • Regular attendance

  • Active participation in discussions, workshops, and critiques

  • Professional behavior and preparedness during class sessions

2. Fundraising Campaign & Presentations — 35%

Students will:

  • Develop and execute at least one approved fundraising campaign

  • Create and present professional fundraising materials and pitches

Evaluation is based on:

  • Strategic planning

  • Clarity and persuasiveness of pitch

  • Alignment with project goals

  • Professional execution

3. Film Festival, Distribution & Exhibition Planning — 25%

This category evaluates:

  • Film festival research and submission schedules

  • Distribution and exhibition strategies

  • Advertising plans and audience targeting

Grades reflect the professional quality and completeness of submitted materials.

4. Press Kit, Pitch Deck & Release Materials — 25%

Students will create industry-standard materials, including:

  • Pitch decks

  • Press kits

  • Promotional and release assets

Evaluation focuses on:

  • Industry standards

  • Design and organization

  • Responsiveness to feedback

  • Professional presentation

Warning: This course deals with the entertainment industry and popular culture. The instructor reserves the right to refer to and to exhibit any materials or discuss any themes that accurately reflect and enhance student’s understanding of the subject, including material meant for mature audiences. All material presented in class is deemed to exhibit scientific, literary, artistic and/or pedagogical value and is therefore appropriate for exhibition to college age students. The instructor does not endorse or subscribe to any opinions depicted in the course materials. If a student is unwilling to read or view certain types of content, please speak with the instructor with regard to the suitability of the class for the student in question. 



Course Outline

MODULE 1:  DEVELOPMENT & FUNDRAISING
Week 1: Lecture: Class overview. Syllabus, Deck/kickstarters; examples on what’s expected. | Assignment: | Register LLC for the Thesis Film.
Week 2: Lecture: Advertising (studio vs Shorts) Posters & Taglines, Loglines | Assignment:  | 
Week 3: Lecture: The Director. Collaboration, Running A Film Set & Leadership. | Assignment:  | 
Week 4: Lecture: Union Standards & Contracts | Assignment:  | 
Week 5: Lecture: Genre, Demographics, Creating For Distribution In Mind. | Assignment:  |  Comparable Projects & Demographics
Week 6: Present: Comparable Projects & Demographics | Assignment:  | 
Week 7: Lecture: Crowd Funding Campaigns Overview | Assignment:  |  
 
MODULE 2: FILM FESTIVAL & DISTRIBUTION PREP
Week 8: Lecture: Navigating Film Festivals | Assignment:  | Research Film Festivals & Prepare a potential submission schedule
Week 9: Presentations: Film Festival Submission Schedules & Game plan | Assignment:  | Build your Kickstarter/Indigogo
Week 10: Lecture: Tagline, Logline, synopsis,  | Assignment:  | 
Week 11: Lecture: Film Budgeting | Assignment:  | Prepare a Budget
Week 12: Presentations: Film Budget | Assignment:  |  Build Your Deck
Week 13: Present: Crowd funding sizzle Lab: building Decks.  | Assignment: |  
Week 14: Presentations: In class Pitch Rehearsals |         Due:        |  Thesis Pitch Materials
Week 15: Presentations: Thesis Pitches  : Thesis Pitches
Note: Additional articles may be assigned for reading. Also, although unlikely, additional production exercises may be assigned to the groups.

Instructor's policies on late assignments and/or makeup work

Assignments are expected to be submitted on time.
Late work will not be accepted unless there is an extreme and verifiable emergency, and approval is granted by the instructor in advance or as soon as reasonably possible.

Students are encouraged to plan ahead, communicate early, and manage their time carefully to avoid missed deadlines.

Attendance Policy

This course operates as an experiential, studio-based learning environment. Much of the work in this class—lectures, workshops, presentations, critiques, and collaborative activities—cannot be replicated outside of scheduled class time. Consequently, attendance is mandatory.

Students are expected to:

  • Attend all class sessions

  • Arrive on time and remain for the full class period

  • Participate actively and professionally in all in-class activities

Students who miss more than one-quarter (25%) of the total class time will receive a final grade of “C–” to “F,” regardless of performance on assignments or other considerations.

Attendance and participation are reflected directly in the course grading structure. Repeated absences, tardiness, or disengagement will negatively impact a student’s final grade.

Students are responsible for managing their schedules and commitments to meet the attendance expectations of this course.

Course Fees

Courses in the Filmmaking Program have a course fee of $50 per credit. As a three credit course this class has a $150 Program Fee. 

ADA Statement

Students with medical, psychological, learning, or other disabilities desiring academic adjustments, accommodations, or auxiliary aids will need to contact the Disability Resource Center, located in Room 206F of the Sharwan Smith Center or by phone at (435) 865-8042. The Disability Resource Center determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of services.

If your instructor requires attendance, you may need to seek an ADA accommodation to request an exception to this attendance policy. Please contact the Disability Resource Center to determine what, if any, ADA accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

Academic Credit

According to the federal definition of a Carnegie credit hour: A credit hour of work is the equivalent of approximately 60 minutes of class time or independent study work. A minimum of 45 hours of work by each student is required for each unit of credit. Credit is earned only when course requirements are met. One (1) credit hour is equivalent to 15 contact hours of lecture, discussion, testing, evaluation, or seminar, as well as 30 hours of student homework. An equivalent amount of work is expected for laboratory work, internships, practica, studio, and other academic work leading to the awarding of credit hours. Credit granted for individual courses, labs, or studio classes ranges from 0.5 to 15 credit hours per semester.

Academic Freedom

SUU is operated for the common good of the greater community it serves. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. Academic Freedom is the right of faculty to study, discuss, investigate, teach, and publish. Academic Freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research.

Academic Freedom in the realm of teaching is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the faculty member and of you, the student, with respect to the free pursuit of learning and discovery. Faculty members possess the right to full freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects. They may present any controversial material relevant to their courses and their intended learning outcomes, but they shall take care not to introduce into their teaching controversial materials which have no relation to the subject being taught or the intended learning outcomes for the course.

As such, students enrolled in any course at SUU may encounter topics, perspectives, and ideas that are unfamiliar or controversial, with the educational intent of providing a meaningful learning environment that fosters your growth and development. These parameters related to Academic Freedom are included in SUU Policy 6.6.

Academic Misconduct

Scholastic honesty is expected of all students. Dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent (see SUU Policy 6.33). You are expected to have read and understood the current SUU student conduct code (SUU Policy 11.2) regarding student responsibilities and rights, the intellectual property policy (SUU Policy 5.52), information about procedures, and what constitutes acceptable behavior.

Please Note: The use of websites or services that sell essays is a violation of these policies; likewise, the use of websites or services that provide answers to assignments, quizzes, or tests is also a violation of these policies. Regarding the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), you should check with your individual course instructor.

Emergency Management Statement

In case of an emergency, the University's Emergency Notification System (ENS) will be activated. Students are encouraged to maintain updated contact information using the link on the homepage of the mySUU portal. In addition, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Emergency Response Protocols posted in each classroom. Detailed information about the University's emergency management plan can be found at https://www.suu.edu/emergency.

HEOA Compliance Statement

For a full set of Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) compliance statements, please visit https://www.suu.edu/heoa. The sharing of copyrighted material through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, except as provided under U.S. copyright law, is prohibited by law; additional information can be found at https://my.suu.edu/help/article/1096/heoa-compliance-plan.

You are also expected to comply with policies regarding intellectual property (SUU Policy 5.52) and copyright (SUU Policy 5.54).

Mandatory Reporting

University policy (SUU Policy 5.60) requires instructors to report disclosures received from students that indicate they have been subjected to sexual misconduct/harassment. The University defines sexual harassment consistent with Federal Regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106, Subpart D) to include quid pro quo, hostile environment harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. When students communicate this information to an instructor in-person, by email, or within writing assignments, the instructor will report that to the Title IX Coordinator to ensure students receive support from the Title IX Office. A reporting form is available at https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv

Non-Discrimination Statement

SUU is committed to fostering an inclusive community of lifelong learners and believes our university's encompassing of different views, beliefs, and identities makes us stronger, more innovative, and better prepared for the global society.

SUU does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex (including sex discrimination and sexual harassment), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, disability status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or other bases protected by applicable law in employment, treatment, admission, access to educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services.

SUU strives to cultivate a campus environment that encourages freedom of expression from diverse viewpoints. We encourage all to dialogue within a spirit of respect, civility, and decency.

For additional information on non-discrimination, please see SUU Policy 5.27 and/or visit https://www.suu.edu/nondiscrimination.

Pregnancy

Students who are or become pregnant during this course may receive reasonable modifications to facilitate continued access and participation in the course. Pregnancy and related conditions are broadly defined to include pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, and recovery. To obtain reasonable modifications, please make a request to title9@suu.edu. To learn more visit: https://www.suu.edu/titleix/pregnancy.html.

Disclaimer Statement

Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.