Production Pedagogy

Fall 1997 Thurs. 9:35-12:25
Classrooms: MCC 201, MCC 134 & Sequoia Mac lab
Ellen Seiter 534-2356; email eseiter@ucsd.edu
Office hours: Friday 10-12
MCC 102

Course Objectives: Production Pedagogy

This course will prepare students to write production course syllabi, evaluate production texts, and develop assignments for creative exercises. During the class we will analyze the complex range of issues involved in the hands-on demonstration of equipment and the counseling of students through the development of creative work. Each student will complete two exercises, choosing from still photo, 16mm, hi-8 video, or digital media. The course is intended both for novices and advanced production students, who may be paired up for tutoring and critique. Advanced students may begin longer projects to be completed in winter quarter's 280-B. Beginning students should leave the course prepared to TA for Comm 21. The major aim of this course is to be self-reflexive about the practice of production teaching and to connect this practice to theoretical issues covered in the core curriculum. Readings will consist of production textbooks, syllabi, technical guides and scholarly articles about media production.

Course requirements: Grades will be based on participation (50%), three written commentaries (25%) ; and film, video or digital media exercises (25%).

Schedule

September 25

Critical Pedagogy: distinctive problems in production teaching

Read; Sclove, Denski, Higgins, Citron & Seiter

October 2

Basic technology: Composing Images/ Using cameras

Read Kaminsky & Hodgdon

Exercise: Review one chapter of Herb Zettl's Sight Sound Motion or Ron Compesi and Ron Sherriff's Small Format Television Production

Oct. 9

Sound

Read Burch, Bresson, and Bordwell & Thompson

Oct. 16

The Documentary Mode

Guest filmmaker: Jesse Lerner

Read Steven, Corner

Oct. 23

Wannabe Spielbergs: Writing Fiction Treatments

Demonstration of Dramatica, screenwriting software

Oct. 31

The Significance of the Amateur

Guest speaker/curator: Melinda Stone

Screening of student reels

Read Chalfen & Zimmerman

Nov. 6

Editing Conventions

Read: Sud & Morrow; Giannetti

Nov. 13

Digital Editing: Media 100

Read Adobe Premiere manual

Nov. 20

Designing Web Sites

Macromedia Director

Read Niederst

Nov. 28 Thanksgiving--No class

Dec. 4

Organizing the Syllabus

Saturday, Dec. 13 All course materials due at 11:00

Assignments:

Participation --attendance, tutoring/assisting others in class, participating in discussions. (50%)
Commentaries --two four-page critiques of the readings or of a textbook, analysis of a syllabus, or of a tutorial session. Commentaries will be assigned weekly in class and due the following week (25%);

Exercises-- two film, video or digital media exercises (25%).

Select two from the following:

One-shot film/video: Shoot a project which is a single, continuous take, either one 100 ft. roll of 16mm film, or a single video camera take at least 2 1/2 minutes in length.
Sound: I provide the soundtrack of 2-3 minutes, you add the images in any format you wish.
Storyboard: Tell the story of an interaction between two people in 12 images.
Can be handed in as digital, polaroid, or 35mm images.
Video interview: Tape and edit an interview with someone (2 min.). Should conform to basic rules of continuity editing. Select location, lighting, and framing carefully.
Web site: Make a Web site in MacroMedia Director or a Quicktime movie that describes and explains a piece of research, or a critique of a TV program or film.

Contents Of Course Packet

Week One: Critical Pedagogy

1. Richard Sclove, "Making Technology Democratic," in Resisting the Virtual Life Eds. James Brook and Iain A. Boal (San Francisco: City Lights), 1996, 85-101.

2. Stan Denski, "Critical Pedagogy and Media Production," Journal of Film and Video 43(3): Fall 1991, 3-17.

3. John Higgins, "Pedagogy as Political Activity," Journal of Film and Video 43(3): Fall 1991, 3-17.

4. Michelle Citron and Ellen Seiter, "The Perils of Feminist Film Teaching," in Peter Steven, Ed., JumpCut: Hollywood, Politics and Counter Cinema (Toronto: Between the Lines, 1984).

Week Two: Basic Technology

1. Stuart Kaminsky and Dana Hodgdon Basic Filmmaking

Week Three: Sound

1. Elisabeth Weis and John Belton, Eds., Film Sound: Theory and Practice New York: Columbia University Press, 1985, 179-208

1. John Corner, "Civic Visions: Forms of Documentary," in Television Form and Public Address (London: Edward Arnold, 1997), 77-104.

2. Peter Steven, "The Look, Sound, and Feel of the New Documentary," in Brink of Reality Toronto: Between the Lines, 1989, 5-43.

1. Richard Chalfen "Media Myopia and Genre-Centrism: The Case of Home Movies," Journal of Film and Video 38(3): 1986.

2. Patricia Zimmerman, "The Amateur, The Avant-Garde and Ideologies of Art," Journal of Film and Video 38(3): 1986.

1. James Morrow and Murray Sud, "Moviemaking Illustrated,"

   Rochelle Park, New Jersey: Hayden Book Co., 6-95

2. Louis Giannetti Understanding Movies 6th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1990, 117-184.

1. Jennifer Niederst Designing for the Web

   Sebastopol, CA: O'Reilly & Associates

2. Adobe Premiere User guide, Version 4.0., 25-67.