Laptop Policy

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 SpecificationsRecommended Specifications
Processor Intel or AMD Quad-Core Processor8-Core or above for Multi-Frame Rendering recommended
Operating systemMicrosoft Windows 10 (64 bit) versions 1909 and laterMicrosoft Windows 10 (64 bit) versions 1909 and later
RAM16 GB of RAM32 GB
GPU2 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
Hard disk space15GB 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)
Monitor resolution 1920 x 10801920x1080 or greater display resolution
InternetInternet connection and registration are necessary for required software activation, validation of subscriptions, and access to online services. 

macOS Minimum and Recommended Specifications

 Minimum SpecificationsRecommended Specifications
Processorntel, Native Apple Silicon, Rosetta2 Supported Quad-Core Processor8-Core or above for Multi-Frame Rendering
Operating systemmacOS versions 10.15 or macOS Big Sur (11.*), macOS Monterey (12.*).macOS v10.15 (Catalina) or later
RAM16 GB of RAM32 GB
GPU2 GB of GPU VRAM
(Draft 3D requires discrete GPUs that are compatible with Apple Metal 2)
4 GB of GPU VRAM
Hard disk space15GB 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+
Monitor resolution 1440x9001440x900 or greater display resolution
InternetInternet connection and registration are necessary for required software activation, validation of subscriptions, and access to online services. 

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.