Film Program Laptop Requirement
For students majoring in Film who plan to take the production courses listed below, we require that you own a laptop computer that meets these hardware and software specifications.
Courses
- FILM 132 Introduction to Digital Filmmaking (4)
- FILM 257 Narrative Film Production I (4)
- FILM 258 Documentary Film Production I (4)
- FILM 358 Narrative Film Production II (4)
- FILM 359 Narrative Film Production III (4)
- FILM 360 Topics in Film Production (4) *Most FILM 360 Topics require a laptop
- FILM 361 Documentary Film Production II (4)
- FILM 362 Documentary Film Production III (4)
- FILM 363 Topics in Experimental Film (4)
- FILM 364 Sound Production and Design (4)
- FILM 365 Editing (4)
- FILM 366 Digital Cinematography (4)
- FILM 450 Portfolio and Professional Development (4)
- FILM 451 Advanced Production Workshop (4)
- FILM 460 Advanced Topics in Production (4)
Specifications
Hardware
Windows Minimum and Recommended Specifications
| Minimum Specifications | Recommended Specifications |
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Processor | Intel or AMD Quad-Core Processor | 8-Core or above for Multi-Frame Rendering recommended |
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Operating system | Microsoft Windows 10 (64 bit) versions 1909 and later | Microsoft Windows 10 (64 bit) versions 1909 and later |
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RAM | 16 GB of RAM | 32 GB |
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GPU | 2 GB of GPU VRAM Adobe strongly recommends updating to NVIDIA driver 472.12 or later when using After Effects. Drivers prior to this have a known issue which can lead to a crash. Note: If you use a Windows 11 machine with NVIDIA GPUs, you must upgrade to version 472.12 to work. | 4GB or more of GPU VRAM recommended |
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Hard disk space | 15GB of available hard-disk space; additional free space required during installation (cannot install on removable flash storage devices) | Additional disk space for disk cache (64GB+ recommended) |
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Monitor resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 1920x1080 or greater display resolution |
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Internet | Internet connection and registration are necessary for required software activation, validation of subscriptions, and access to online services. | |
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macOS Minimum and Recommended Specifications
| Minimum Specifications | Recommended Specifications |
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Processor | ntel, Native Apple Silicon, Rosetta2 Supported Quad-Core Processor | 8-Core or above for Multi-Frame Rendering |
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Operating system | macOS versions 10.15 or macOS Big Sur (11.*), macOS Monterey (12.*). | macOS v10.15 (Catalina) or later |
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RAM | 16 GB of RAM | 32 GB |
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GPU | 2 GB of GPU VRAM (Draft 3D requires discrete GPUs that are compatible with Apple Metal 2) | 4 GB of GPU VRAM |
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Hard disk space | 15GB of available hard-disk space for installation; additional free space required during installation (cannot install on a volume that uses a case-sensitive file system or on removable flash storage devices) | Additional disk space for disk cache 64GB+ |
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Monitor resolution | 1440x900 | 1440x900 or greater display resolution |
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Internet | Internet connection and registration are necessary for required software activation, validation of subscriptions, and access to online services. | |
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Internet connection and registration are necessary for Adobe CC required software activation, validation of subscriptions, and access to online services.
Software
The Adobe Creative Cloud (ACC) subscription program offers a package that allows students to subscribe to software on a month-by-month basis at a discounted rate while in courses that make use of that software.
· Editing: Adobe Premiere Pro
· Sound Design: Adobe Audition
· Color Correction: Adobe SpeedGrade and Adobe After Effects
· Visual Effects and Graphics work: Adobe Photoshop and Adobe After Effects
External Hard Drive
We recommend the LaCie Rugged series, or an external hard drive with:
• Disk rotational speed: 7200 RPM
• Interface: USB 3.0 and/or FireWire 800 and/or Thunderbolt
• Capacity: at least 500 GBs, but more is better
An additional external drive or a subscription to cloud storage is recommended for back up of the external hard drive.
Purchasing Your Laptop
Your purchase of a laptop may be eligible for an extension of any student loans you receive through the PSU Financial Aid Office. Please contact the PSU Financial Aid Office at (503) 725-3461 or toll-free (800) 547-8887. The form required to extend your student loan is available online.
You should ensure that you have access to a laptop before registering for any production course that is 100 level or above, starting with FILM 132. Even if you currently own a desktop, you will still need a laptop to participate fully in the courses listed above.