COGN 22: Methods of Media Production (Hands On section)

Winter 2008 Associate Professor Brian Goldfarb Email: bgoldfarbucsd.edu Office Hours: Wed 10:30 AM- noon, MCC 205 TA's: Lauren Berliner , laurenberlineryahoo.com           Katrina Boulding, kbouldinweber.ucsd.edu           Rachel Cody, rcodyucsd.edu           Terra Eggink, tegginkweber.ucsd.edu           Emma Johnson, ekjohnsoweber.ucsd.edu           Eduardo Santana , edsantanweber.ucsd.edu Chuk Moran, cwmoranweber.ucsd.edu TheTAs office hours and locations are posted at the Communication Department office. TA mailboxes are located in MCC 123. COGN 22 Sections: A01 609446 Tue 9:30 – 12:20 MCC 222 A02 609447 Tue 12:30 – 3:20 MCC 222 A03 609448 Wed 9:00 – 11:50 MCC 222 A04 609449 Thur 9:30 – 12:30 MCC 222 A05 609450 Thur 12:30 – 3:20 MCC 222 A06 609451 Fri 9:00 – 11:50 MCC 222 Jump down to: week: 1  |  2  |  3  |  4  | 5  |  6  |  7  |  8  |  9  |  10

Course Description: This course introduces you to hands on techniques of media production, specifically digital videography, sound recording, image and sound editing with digital nonlinear editing equipment, and lighting. This lab class provides you with the opportunity to apply concepts from COGN 21, the Methods of Media Production Lecture course, to the production of single channel video work and sound work. You are strongly encouraged to apply ideas from other Communication Department courses to production practice.

Course Requirements: As the bulk of media production takes place during class time, attendance is critical and absences are not acceptable. Most work is produced in groups and your participation in these groups, not just the quality of the finished piece, impacts your grade. Media production takes time, attention, and commitment. You must work in collaboration with your colleagues, which involves speaking your mind and providing creative input while respecting the positions of others.

Remember: This may be the first media piece that you make, but it will not be the last. You can create other opportunities for yourself so that your ideas may be completely realized if they are not realized in the confines of this course.

If you require accommodations for disabilities, please communicate with the Professor or Teaching Assistant immediately and register with the Office of Students with Disabilities (OSD). This way we may make arrangements to fit your needs.

Material Requirements:

• * 1 DV Cam Tape – 64 min, no chip!, available in the UCSD bookstore or at San Diego Audio Video, 4909 Ruffner St. San Diego CA 92111, 858.541.0500
• DVD-R’s (4)
• Print Outs of readings

Grading:

• Attendance & Participation: 25%
• Project 1: In Camera Video 10%
• Project 2: Sound Project 25% (includes pre production materials)
• Sound Paper, 2 pages: 10%
• Project 3: Documentary Project 30% (includes pre production materials)

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Weekly Meetings:

Week One: (1/7 – 1/11): Camera demonstration.

• Print and bring DSR 200 pamphlet to lab.
• Equipment Used: 10 DSR 200 cameras, tripods

Week Two: (1/14 – 4/19) Project One: In Camera Exercise

• Bring 1 DVCam tape (64 min, no chip!) and Camera Report
• Equipment used: 10 DSR 200 cameras, tripods

Week Three: (1/21 – 4/25) Editing Exercise

• Meet in Seq 142
• Print and bring: iMovie Handout
• Equipment Used: iMovie in Seq 142

Week Four: (1/28 – 1/31) Sound Production / Pre Production

• Read in advance: S. Alten “Manually Produced Sound Effects” pp. 605-612 on ereserves and H. Zettl “Audio and Sound Control” pp. 151-183
• Print out: Sound Report
• Equipment used: Marantz digital recorders, omni and cardiod microphones, iMovie editing rooms in MCC

Week Five: (2/4 – 5/8) Record and Import Sound Projects

• Print out: Pre Production materials including spotting sheets, Sound Report
• Bring: Equipment for sound effects
• Equipment used: Marantz recorders, iMovie rooms in MCC

Week Six: (2/11 – 2/15) Finalize Sound Project

• Bring: 2 DVD-R’s per group (must be recordable)
• Equipment used: iMovie rooms in MCC

Week Seven: (2/18 – 2/22) Sound/ Image Paper Due: Critique and Technique

• Bring: Gloves for lighting / grip work (leather garden variety)
• Bring: Sound / Image paper
• Equipment: Lighting, DSR 200 cameras, sound equipment

Week Eight: (2/25 – 2/29) Shoot Documentary Project

• Bring: DV Cam Tape (old tape is fine), shot lists, blank camera report
• Equipment: DSR 200 camera, microphones, boom pole, lighting if necessary
  

Week Nine: (2/29 – 2/31) Edit Documentary Project

• Bring: logs, edit notes
• Equipment: iMovie edit rooms in MCC, DV Cam tape that you shot on, Cameras if necessary

Week Ten: (3/3 – 3/7) Edit Documentary Project

• Allow one hour for finishing project on DVD
• Turn in project at end of class
• Equipment: iMovie edit rooms, camera if necessary

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Project 1: In Camera Exercise

10% of grade

An in camera film means that there is no editing done after shooting. Rather you record each image in sequence so that when you are done recording shot after shot, you have a complete video.

Premise: Depending on the framing of an image (the angle, focus, exposure, color) a different point of view may be expressed. Yet, the context in which this image plays, equally effects the image’s signification and reception.

Requirements:

• Create a story that addresses the premise above.

• Tell the story through images alone (no sound.)

• Storyboard your images before shooting.

• Work in groups of 3 (one group of 4.)

• Each person in the group is responsible for coming up with and shooting at least one of the images in the video.

• Record in sequence: first shot first, last shot last.

• Practice your shots so that you record from beginning to end without extra material (as you will not be able to edit.)

• Use a tripod!

• Have at least one Wide shot, one Medium shot, one Close Up Shot. (These may be ‘one shot’ if you use the zoom feature and land on one of these frames for at least 5 seconds each.)

• You may use the Fade in / Fade out feature on the camera.

• You may have as many shots or as few shots as you wish and need to tell the story, though it is recommended that you use less than 10 images.

• You may record the exercise twice, time permitting, if you want to try it again.

Project 2: The Sound of Place

25% of grade

In groups of 5, create a 2 minute piece of fiction using only recorded sound and edited in iMovie which addresses the following premise:

Premise: Recorded sounds contain a spatial signature. Explore how recorded sound expresses the uniqueness of a space. (Revisit Rick Altman’s “Material Heterogeneity of Recorded Sound” for inspiration.)

• Use a minimal amount of narration and dialogue. Instead, think of ways to use the voice as a musical instrument or for sound effects.

• Create a spotting sheet to demonstrate the sounds you will use to make this piece, and the way you will place them in the edit.

• Record sounds using the Marantz digital recorder and two microphones: an omni directional microphone and a cardiod microphone. Certain microphones should be used for certain types of sounds, so think through your recording methodology before implimentation.

• During editing, you may use up to 3 sounds from the sound library in iTunes, but do not use music. Create opening and closing credits. No other images are allowed – only the black screen.

• Complete the piece by ‘sharing’ the file to email and then make a DVD using iDVD.

The Sound Paper

10% of final grade

Each student must write an individual paper exploring the premise of your project and the execution of this project through sound theory. Comment on the ways you employed voice, music (or musical influences), sound effects, ambience and silence as they apply to your specific project. Consider theories by Altman and methodologies explored in Yewdall and Alten (sound effects.)

2pgs, double spaced, 12 pt font, 1” margins, typed, printed out on white paper with your name, date and TA name.

Project 3: Documenting Reality

30% of final grade

In groups of 5, produce a 3 – 5 minute documentary video that considers one of the provided quotations, articles or sets of images:

• No mockumentaries allowed!

• You may not use music unless you produce it with your group members during this quarter.

• No ‘talking head’ interviews. Interviews must reveal something about the person interviewed through their actions, the setting, or the circumstances under which the interview takes place.

• The following topics or techniques are not suitable for this assignment:

• Interviews on library walk

• Interviews at the Price Center

• ‘POP-VOX’ interviews

• Documentaries on parking

• Documentaries on the Geisel library

1. Produce pre-production materials that indicate the shots, the locations and the participants in your video. Include a statement on the subject of your documentary which reveals how your piece addresses the question above. This statement may be turned in twice – once at the pre production stage and then upon the completion of the assignment.

2. Shoot in section with the DSR-200 camera. Shooting outside of section is allowed, but you may not have access to university equipment for these shoots and grading will not be based on differential access.

3. Edit in section using iMovie. There is enough time to complete the project in section, however if you are producing your own music you may use time outside of section.

4. Turn in 2 DVD copies of the finished project, labeled with your group name.

5. Turn in the statement on the subject of your documentary and your approach (above) as a group with the DVD. (optional)

6. Share the documentary as a .mov file through email to your TA.