• Writing
• Producing
• Directing
• Crewing
• Film & Television

Artists tell their stories with light, color, and shapes.  Musicians use tones, timing, and tempo.  Writers employ word choice, subtext, and metaphor in their storytelling.
     In the Mass Communications major at NNU, we fuse all of these into one art form which has far greater impact than the sum of its parts.  We combine image, sound, and text and put them in motion -- juxtaposing each against the other, and against itself, to tell stories which challenge the intellect, excite the imagination, and heal the spirit. 
     We do that through the mediums of film and television.
     Welcome to Mass Comm.  We're here to tell stories, and to tell them well, by combining the tools of the artist, musician, and writer.  We're here to enrich lives by learning to communicate, entertain, and impact.  We're here to help students create new worlds, or comment on those that already exist.
     We're here, to touch lives, and to teach our students how to do the same.
     Explore the links on the left and those below to discover who we are, what we teach, and how we approach the business of education.  Then come and visit us -- work with us on a film shoot, sit in on a few classes, talk to us about your dreams.  See for yourself what Fusing Art & Literature is all about. 

Just Wrapped: Recent Mass Comm News

• Mass Comm students and faculty were awarded the prestigious Telly Award for excellence in television, for their 2007 production of "An Idaho Family Christmas."  Read the whole story here.
• Mass Comm students and faculty returned on June 3rd from a three week tour of Europe, where they visited major cities and small towns.  The four-credit class looked at "Art, Music, Literature and History as they intersect with Film."  Discussions and assignments were held over late night dinners as the group traveled to London, Paris, Berlin, Rothenburg (Germany), Salzburg (Austria), Venice, and Rome.
• Department scholarships have just been awarded to qualified returning students and incoming freshmen.  "We held a little back though," said Dept. Chair Arnold Ytreeide, "for high school students still making up their minds where they want to go and what they want to study."  If you're in high school and want more information about the department or about scholarship, email Ytreeide at alytreeide(at)nnu.edu
• We've had shoots every weekend and many weeknights this spring as  the entire senior class has been shooting their senior films, and members of the Advanced Directing class each shoot a scene.  The crews, grip truck, vans and trailers have been from John Day Oregon in the west to New York City in the east filming dramas, comedies, docs, and a ... sci-fi?  Most of the time crews carried our Fisher dolly and 16' crane with them, making it a completely professional film package.  Seniors will premiere their films at the End Of The Year Party on April 26th.
• The entire department shot a new department promo in March on 16mm film.  The 45 minutes of film shot will result in a 15 minute look at what we do here at Mass Comm.  The final edited version should be available by the end of April.  Everyone in the department was both crew and talent.
• Fifteen students plus two faculty just returned from five days at the Sundance Film Festival.  The trip was a great success, with lots of good discussion about film theory and filmmaking. 
• The entire department just wrapped 48 hours of shooting over 7 days on the annual Christmas Special for NBC affiliates.  The open and close of the show were shot on 16mm film on location, while most of the show was shot in our own fully broadcast capable studio.  The show will air 12 to 15 times during the Christmas season on NBC affiliates in the Northwest beginning December 17th.
• Nine Mass Comm majors spent the summer working on four giant productions, including a movie with Kiefer Sutherland.  Read the complete article here.
• TA's Ryan, Jeremy and Matt assisted Prof. Ytreeide in teaching a four-day film school in St. Louis in July.

In Production: Happening Right Now in Mass Comm

• A new program is being developed for the 2008-09 school year and beyond that will allow journalism and Mass Comm majors an opportunity to work on a regularly scheduled news show.  The show will be broadcast on a network affiliate and will feature students in every role from Director and News Director to Photographer and Reporter.

Films of the Future: What's Coming Up in Mass Comm

• Future students interested in working in front of the camera instead of behind -- as news reporters, anchors, sportscasters, etc. -- now have that opportunity.  The new Communication major is designed specifically for that, as well as major/minor combinations in journalism, sports, and communication.  Go to the Communications Home Page for details.