film 20P W06

UCSC/FILM + DIGITAL MEDIA DEPARTMENT
FILM 20P INTRODUCTION TO PRODUCTION TECHNIQUE
WINTER 2006
Tuesday + Thursday/ 4:00-5:45pm / Communications Studio C ..Sections: ..A .......W 11:30AM-12:30PM Comm 121 ..B ....... W 12:45PM-01:45PM Comm 121 ..C ....... F 11:30AM-12:30PM Comm 117 ..D ....... F 01:00PM-02:00PM Comm 117


	Professor: Irene Gustafson [831] 459 1498 / Comm 125 click here to email Office Hours: Wed 2-4pm and by appt		T.A.: Christopher Ramirez click here to email Office Hours: Wednesday 3-4 pm/Porter D-125 T.A.: Michella Rivera-Gravage click here to email Office Hours: Wednesday 3-4pm/ Porter D-124

	[syllabus last updated: 02 February 2006]

“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

15%

• Exercise 1: Alien Anthropologist/Show & Tell

10% [due week 3]

• Exercise 2: Still Images in Sequence

15% [due January 26th]

• Exercise 3: Photoshop Portrait

15% [due week 7]

• Exercise 4: Writing a Scene ver.1

5% [due week 8]]

• Exercise 5: Performance

10% [due week 9]

• Exercise 6: Writing a Scene ver.2

5% [due March 7th]

• Exercise 7: Performing a “live” soundtrack

10% [due week 11]

•Final Exam

15% [March 16th]

• 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:

•Course Reader [CR] Available at the Bay Tree Bookstore and on 2-hour reserve at McHenry Library

SCHEDULE

jump to week:

10,

TH January 5
Introduction to the class, assignments, sections and expectations, Admissions

SECTION: No section this week

T January 10
Visualization Techniques: framing, aesthetics, and composition.
Photography, Exposure, Depth of Field
Reading Due: [CR] James Monaco, “Technology: Image and Sound”

SECTION: Photography/“production groups”

TH January 12
Visualization Techniques: framing, aesthetics, and composition.
Photography, Exposure, Depth of Field
Reading Due: [CR] Bruce Mamer “Creating the Shots”

T January 17
How we “read” images/ “Learning to See”
Reading Due: [CR] John Berger “Ways of Seeing. Chapter 1, 2, + 3

SECTION: EXERCISE 1 DUE: “Alien Anthropologist”

TH January 19
How we “read” images/ “Learning to See”
Reading Due: [CR] Susan Sontag, “Against Interpretation”

T January 24
Photography & Images in sequences
Form + Content
Reading Due: [CR] Scott McCloud, ”Understanding Comics” Ch. 1, 3

SECTION: Berger vs. Sontag

TH January 26
EXERCISE 2 DUE: “Still Images in a Sequence”
Mise-en-Scene/Things you include in the “scene”
Reading Due: [CR] Kris Malkiewicz “Lighting”

T January 31
Photoshop + the Digital Domain
Reading Due: Adobe Photoshop 7: In a Classroom - Lesson 1, 2, 3........[FDM Server> Class Materials> 20P Photoshop Tutorials]

Photoshop Help: http://www.uwec.edu/help/pshopCS2.htm

Toolbar Handout

Photoshop Handout

SECTION: Communications Computer Lab/ Photoshop

TH February 2
Photoshop + Portraiture
Reading Due: Adobe Photoshop 7: In a Classroom - Lesson 4 + 5........[FDM Server> Class Materials> 20P Photoshop Tutorials]

T February 7
Guest: Christopher Ramirez and Michella Rivera-Gravage [http://danm.ucsc.edu/~michella/20p/20Pindex.htm]

What is "digital media"? Our TAs discuss their own work in relationship to this category and the DANM graduate program

SECTION: Communications Computer Lab /Photoshop

TH February 9
Guest: Professor Warren Sack

What is "digital" media? Professor Sack discusses the FDM digital media curriculum.

T February 14
Writing a scene
Pre-production/Treatments
Alphabet Exercise—still image
Reading Due: [CR] Dancyger and Rush “Beyond the Rules”, “Dramatic Voice/Narrative Voice”, “Working with Genre, ” and short story by A.M Homes, “Chunky in Heat”

SECTION: Communications Computer Lab
EXERCISE 3 DUE: "Photoshop Portrait”

TH February 16
Guest: Ana Maria Quintana

T February 21
Acting, Casting, Directing + Drama, Stereotypes
Reading Due: [CR] Rabiger,”Directing the Actors”
[TBA] on acting

SECTION: EXERCISE 4 DUE : “Writing a Scene” ver. 1
pick genre categories for “writing a scene”

TH February 23
The Documentary Performance
Screening: Mister Death (USA, Errol Morris, 2000, 92)
Reading Due: [CR] “Interviews with Errol Morris”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Interrotron_web_page.jpg

T February 28
Sound/ Listening Exercises
Reading Due: [CR] Michel Chion

Screening: [excepts] Playtime [France, Jacques Tati, 1967] 108 min.

SECTION: EXERCISE 5 DUE: “Performance”

TH March 2
Guest: Jacob Estes/UCSC alum discuss his film/video work

http://www.glidemagazine.com/articles153.html

http://www.meancreekmovie.com/

10.

T March 7

Review for Final Exam

Guest: Carlos Trilnick
http://portal.unesco.org/culture/en/ev.php-URL_ID=14713&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html