film 20P W05

UCSC/FILM + DIGITAL MEDIA DEPARTMENT
FILM 20P INTRODUCTION TO PRODUCTION TECHNIQUE
WINTER 2005
Tuesday + Thursday/ 2:00-3:45pm/ Communications Studio C


	Professor: Irene Gustafson [831] 459 1498 / Comm 125 click here to email Office Hours: Wed 2-4pm and by appt		T.A.: Sumit Agarwai click here to email Office Hours: Wed 11:30am-12:30pm Porter D214 T.A.: Daniel Massey click here to email Office Hours:

	[syllabus last updated: 13 December 04]

“The camera is an instrument that teaches people to see without a camera”
-Dorothea Lange

This class is designed to introduce students to the production processes of visual/aural, time-based, creative work. Students will work on numerous creative projects: performed, written, photographed and created digitally. With an emphasis on low-budget, independent film and video making, we will study all aspects of production from idea generation, conceptualization and scripting through post-production. Assignments, both written and creative, will emphasize creativity, visualization, research and production organization. Presentation of ideas in both the written word and visual media are integral to the production of creative media and form the basis of the assignments for this class.

Course Objectives:
•To demystify the creative process so that you can develop your own and/or become more aware of your own creative processes
• To develop creative adeptness at translating ideas into well designed and competently executed visual works.
• To develop a more sophisticated level of media literacy in creating and seeing,i.e., learning how to constructively critique.
• To foster the collaborative sense necessary for the production of film, video, and digital media.
•To develop an understanding and appreciation of production aesthetics, techniques, and technologies.

• Please be aware that there is a course materials fee of $15.00 plus $1.00 administrative fee to cover film rentals and other course materials.
• You are responsible for providing your own 35mm camera (disposable or other), photo processing for two rolls of film, and digital media storage [CD, etc].

REQUIREMENTS FOR RECEIVING CREDIT

• Attendance and participation at both lecture and section is mandatory. Sections will allow students to explore the concepts presented in class through assignments and discussion on a more individualized basis.
• Two missed sections will constitute a NO PASS in the course, and active participation will count favorably in determining evaluations.
• Reading assignments should be completed BEFORE class.
• Careful and conscientious treatment of equipment and facilities.

Your final evaluation and/or grade in the class will be based on the following:

• Attendance and Participation

10%

• Exercise 1: Alien Anthropologist/Show & Tell

10% [due week 2]

• Exercise 2: Still Images in Sequence

15% [due January 25th]

• Exercise 3: Writing a “scene”

15% [due week 7]

• Exercise 4: Nine-Frame Narrative

15% [due Februray 22nd]

• Exercise 5: Performance

10% [due week 8]

• Exercise 6: Photoshop Portrait

15% [due week 9]

•Final Exam

10% [March 10th]

• Students must complete each of the assignments in order to pass the class.
• Late assignments will not be accepted; missed exams will not be rescheduled, so please plan your time and commitments carefully. Any emergency situation or special condition should be discussed with the Instructor, not only with your TA.
• Incompletes for the course are NOT routinely given. Please assess your time commitments early in the term. An Incomplete will make you ineligible to proceed into another FILM production class until the "I" has been cleared the following Quarter.
• Lectures will be organized around the topics and the films as listed. Films can be reviewed and studied further at the Film & Music Center at McHenry Library.

All assignments must be completed and turned in on time. In order to receive credit for the class

ASSIGNED READING

REQUIRED:
[Available at the Bay Tree Bookstore and on 2-hour reserve at McHenry Library]

•Course Reader

SCHEDULE

jump to week:

10,

......T January 4
Introduction to the class, assignments, sections and expectations, Admissions
Screening: Visions of Light [USA, Stuart Samuels, 1992, 92 min] VID343

......TH January 6
Visualization Techniques: framing, aesthetics, and composition.
Photography, Exposure, Depth of Field
Reading Due:

[ERES] James Monaco, “Technology: Image and Sound”

SECTION: No Section This Week

......T January 11
How we “read” images a.k.a. "Learning to See”
Reading Due:

[CR/ERES] John Berger “Ways of Seeing. Chapter 1, 2, + 3
[CR/ERES] Bruce Mamer “Creating the Shots”

......TH January 13
Photography + Images in sequences
Form + Content
Reading Due:

[CR] John Sayles, “Thinking”

SECTION: EXERCISE 1 DUE: “Alien Anthropologist”

......T January 18

Mise-en-Scene/Things you include in the “scene”
Reading Due:

[CR] John Sayles, “Writing”
[CR] Kris Malkiewicz “Lighting”

......TH January 20
Thinking through “character”
Reading Due:

[CR] John Sayles, “Shooting: Pre-production”

SECTION: Photography review, Berger

......T January 25
EXERCISE 2 DUE: “Still Images in a Sequence” [due at the beginning of class]

Photoshop + Collage
Reading Due:

[ERES] Adobe Photoshop 7: In a Classroom - Lesson 1, 2, 3

PHOTOSHOP HANDOUT 1

PHOTOSHOP HANDOUT 2

......TH January 27
Photoshop + Portraiture
Reading Due:

[CR] John Sayles, “Shooting: Production”
[ERES] Adobe Photoshop 7: In a Classroom - Lesson 4 + 5

SECTION: Communications Computer Lab

......T February 1
Guest: Professor Warren Sack
Photoshop, Javascript, html
Nine-frame “narratives”
Reading Due:

[CR] Scott McCloud, ”Understanding Comics” Ch. 1 + 3

......TH February 3
Guest: Professor Warren Sack
Photoshop, Javascript, html [cont.]
Nine-frame “narratives”
Reading Due:

[CR] Scott McCloud, ”Understanding Comics” Ch. 4

SECTION: Communications Computer Lab

......T February 8
Writing a scene
Pre-production/Treatments
Reading Due:

[CR] Dancyger and Rush “Beyond the Rules”, “Dramatic Voice/Narrative Voice”, “Working with Genre”

......TH February 10
Writing
Alphabet Exercise—still image
Reading Due:

[CR] short story by A.M Homes, “Chunky in Heat”

SECTION: pick genre categories for “writing a scene”

......T February 15
Screening: Matewan [USA, John Sayles, 1987, 134 min] VT 1350

......TH February 17
Screening: Matewan [USA, John Sayles, 1987, 134 min] VT 1350

SECTION:

EXERCISE 3 DUE : “Writing a Scene”
Communications Computer Lab

......T February 22
EXERCISE 4 DUE : “Nine Frame Narrative” [at the beginning of class]
Acting, Casting, Directing + Drama, Stereotypes
Reading Due:

[CR] Rabiger,”Directing the Actors”

......TH February 24
The Documentary Performance
Screening: Mister Death (USA, Errol Morris, 2000, 92)
Reading Due:

[CR] “Interviews with Errol Morris”

SECTION: EXERCISE 4 DUE: “Performance”

......T March 1
Sound
Listening Exercises

[CR] Arnheim “In Praise of Blindness”

......TH March 3
Review for Final Exam

SECTION: EXERCISE 5 DUE: "Photoshop Portrait”
Finish up “Performance Exercises” [if needed]

10.

......T March 8
Photoshop Critiques

......TH March 10
FINAL EXAM