STEVEN PECCHIA-BEKKUM portrait
  • Assistant Professor (Lecturer), Film & Media Arts Department
801-935-9143

Current Courses

Spring 2025

  • FILM 2500-001
    Intro Film Production
    Location: FMAB 105 (FMAB 105)
  • FILM 2500-002
    Intro Film Production
    Location: FMAB 105 (FMAB 105)
  • FILM 2920-001
    Special Topics: Film
    Location: ARCH 228 (ARCH 228)
  • FILM 4960-002
    Animation Project I
  • FILM 4960-005
    Animation Project I
  • FILM 4965-001
    Animation Project II
  • FILM 6900-008
    Internship

Fall 2024

Summer 2024

Teaching Philosophy

Although the production of media involves the use of technology, I find that structuring a course simply around the “how-to-use” this technology is very limiting for the students and their future prospects.  The technology simply changes too fast; by the time that the students have graduated, it is likely that a new generation of devices will have become the standard of the industry.  Instead, I prefer to concentrate on concepts.  If a student knows about white balancing, manual control over focus and exposure (and why they are aesthetically necessary to utilize), they will be able to adapt to whatever is being developed.  This is not to say that I refrain from demonstrating software and hardware in my classes; there has to be a basis for the student to experiment and improve.  It is just that I emphasize the “whys” over the “hows” because experience has taught me that prepares the student better for the world outside of academia.

Additionally, I believe in a “hands-on” approach to learning media production.  The theoretical concepts are important, but my experience is that the student will often only appreciate the theoretical constructs once they have been faced with practical problems that must be solved.  The aesthetic and psychological uses of low key versus high key lighting is perfectly fine to discuss in the abstract, but really “come to life” for the student when they have to apply them within their own creative output.

Courses I Teach

  • Film 2630 - Traditional Animation I
    Meets with FILM 6630. In this introductory production course, students explore various traditional animation techniques, such as line animation, cel animation and claymation.
  • Film 2640 - Traditional Animation II
    The student will shoot, utilizing the techniques mastered in Traditional Animation I, a two to three minute animation, with a storyline, that will be shot on high definition video. The student will also shoot a stop motion project on 16mm film.
  • Film 3420 - Sound for Film and Digital Media
    This course will address the aesthetics and techniques of constructing good quality audio tracts for both film and video. It will examine sound as its own aesthetic medium, how it compliments the visual and how it works as a counterpoint to the image on screen. Topics covered will include location recording, foley technique, automatic dialog replacement, audio sweetening, etc.
  • Film 3500 - Film Production I
    Meets with FILM 6500. Introduction to basic film-making techniques using dramatic and documentary forms. Digital production and editing equipment provided.
  • Film 4165 - Contemporary Animation: The Simpsons to South Park
    Contemporary Animation will survey episodes form four animated shows: The Simpsons, South Park, Family Guy and Futurama. Several issues including, but not limited to, family, death, politics, religion and sexual and ethnic identity will be critically examined in the contest of these animations.
  • Film 6420 - Sound for Film and Digital Media
    This course will address the aesthetics and techniques of constructing good quality audio tracts for both film and video. It will examine sound as its own aesthetic medium, how it compliments the visual and how it works as a counterpoint to the image on screen. Topics covered will include location recording, foley technique, automatic dialog replacement, audio sweetening, etc.
  • Film 6500 - Graduate Film Production I
    Meets with FILM 3500. Syllabus addition of self-designed assignment is aimed at promoting more in-depth research.
  • Film 6630 - Graduate Traditional Animation I
    Meets with FILM 2630. In this introductory production course, students explore various traditional animation techniques, such as line animation, cel animation and claymation.
  • Film 6640 - Graduate Traditional Animation II
    Scriptwriting, storyboarding/animatics, production and post-production of a complete animation work.