Oct 04, 2024  
2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog

Video and Film Production, Live Production Concentration, B.S.


Media Arts  
615-898-5862
Robert Gordon, program coordinator
Robert.Gordon@mtsu.edu

The Live Production concentration in Video and Film Production provides students with the knowledge and skills needed to be successful in the live television production industry. Live production is the process of broadcasting, recording, or projecting a live event or performance with multiple video cameras. Finished products include an almost infinite variety of forms such as television coverage of live sports, awards shows, recorded multi-camera productions such as music concerts/festivals, dance theater, game shows, cooking shows, talk shows, and Image MAGnification (IMAG) projection of live presentations or performances at venue-based events such as concerts and other large events. Live production also covers media design, rigging, and technology aspects of the concert touring industry.

This program is a good fit for students who like to collaborate in teams of experts in the media production industry. Primary career paths include creative, technical, and managerial positions. The industry is fast-paced, deadline-oriented, constantly changing, and somewhat glamorous.

The program has 30 years of experience with live sports production. In a typical semester, this program produces over two dozen live sports broadcasts with all student crews–many of which are aired nationwide on ESPN and other channels. Twice in the last six years, students in the program have been recognized for the best student-produced sports broadcast in the nation by a sports industry trade association. This program also produces a variety of in-studio and on-location music concerts, dance, and theatrical events and other live, special-events. Productions with Grammy-winning music artists, The Nashville Symphony, and Bonnaroo are regular class projects.

The program emphasizes hands-on learning experiences whenever possible. Facilities include a 40-foot mobile television production lab; two production studios including a 3,000 square foot TV studio; an equipment checkout system for students with a variety of on-location production equipment; video editing facilities; a Foley lab; and 360-degree virtual reality facilities. The program is one of the only college programs in the world where students learn to do hands-on work with large-scale LED video walls.

The Live Production program offers substantial cocurricular opportunities for its students.This includes a student-staffed production company that produces, manages, and crews live television broadcasts; and a student-run television station where students produce the programming and manage the station. These opportunities are available to students from their first semester onward.

Live Production students are able to build upon their unique talents and interests by combining this major with related minors such as Animation, Audio Production, Interactive Media, Media Management, and others.

NOTE: Students must complete all major course requirements with a grade of C (2.00) or better.

Academic Map


Following is a printable, suggested four-year schedule of courses:

Video and Film Production, Live Production Concentration, B.S., Academic Map   

Degree Requirements


True Blue Core (TBC) 41 hours
Major Requirements 55 hours*
     College Core    9 hours
     VFP Requirements   34 hours
     Guided Electives   12 hours
Minor 15-18 hours
Electives 6-12 hours
TOTAL 120 hours

*This program requires courses that can also fulfill requirements of the True Blue Core curriculum. If program requirements are also used to fulfill True Blue Core requirements, the number of elective hours may increase.

True Blue Core (41 hours)


True Blue Core (TBC)  requirements (shown in curricular listings below) include courses in the Foundational Skills areas of Written Communication (WC), Information Literacy (Info Lit), Non-Written Communication (NWC), and Quantitative Literacy (Quant Lit). Knowledge Domains include Human Society and Social Relationships (HSSR), Scientific Literacy (Sci Lit), Creativity and Cultural Expression (CCE), and History and Civic Learning (HCL), which include Discovery and Explorations categories. Students must choose at least one course from each Discovery category.

The following courses required by the major meet True Blue Core requirements:

Major Requirements (55 hours)


College Core (9 hours)


Guided Electives (12 hours)


Minor (15-18 hours)


Electives (6-12 hours)


Curriculum: Video and Film Production, Live Production


Freshman Fall


Subtotal: 16 Hours


Freshman Spring


Subtotal: 15 Hours


Sophomore Fall


Subtotal: 15 Hours


Sophomore Spring


  • 3 credit hours
  • History and Civic Learning 3 credit hours
  • Scientific Literacy 4 credit hours
  • Minor 3 credit hours
  • Guided elective 3 credit hours

Subtotal: 16 Hours


Junior Fall


Subtotal: 13 Hours


Junior Spring


Subtotal: 16 Hours


Senior Fall


Subtotal: 15 Hours


Senior Spring


Subtotal: 14 Hours