Syllabus: Five Minute
Documentary
Video
SSyll
CE 9005
| Fall 2012
[Pick the date][Type the sender company name]
Cou rs e Inf or m at io n :
Location:
UARTS Terra Building
Dates: Tuesdays, October 2- December 11
Ins t r uct or I nf o rm at i o n :
Name: Laura Deutch
Email: [email protected] // [email protected]
Email Policy: Instructor will respond to email within 48 hours.
Instructor Bio:
Laura Deutch is a Philadelphia-based media artist and educator. Her most recent project, Messages in Motion,
a mobile media studio, offers first time media makers the opportunity to produce, distribute and exhibit short form
documentary. MIM was selected for the People’s Biennial, which toured 5 cities in the US from 2010-2012. In
2012, Laura was honored at SXSW as a Dewey Winburne Community Service Award Honoree. She coordinates
the Philadelphia Youth Media Collaborative and teaches media classes throughout the city. She serves on the
board of Termite TV Collective, and holds an MFA in Film and Media Arts from Temple University.
Co u rs e D e sc ri p t i o n :
This course teaches the skills necessary to bring an idea to life through moving image and sound. With a focus
on the nonfiction form, the goals are to cultivate creative expression by developing an understanding of how
visual techniques enhance the meaning and purpose of an idea and/or story. Through the stages of
preproduction, production and postproduction, this class will introduce the basic concepts and skills of
storyboarding, camera operation, composition, lighting, sound recording and editing techniques. Students learn to
critically evaluate media work in regards to formal techniques and structure.
Additionally, the class will offer ways that students can make their stories heard using existing online resources
and distribution opportunities.
P re- r equ i sit e s: N A
Co u rs e O v e rv i ew
This course will focus on producing short form documentary and nonfiction video. Short exercises in the beginning
will expose students to different storytelling strategies. Students will be encouraged to work toward developing a
final project which will be refined over the course.
Co u rs e O b je ct iv e s/L e ar n in g O b j ect iv e s:
• Students produce short exercises and videos, which demonstrate their understanding of technical
production skills.
• Students demonstrate the ability to translate their story ideas into a video with a clear purpose and theme.
• Students produce work in which the visual and sounds elements contribute to the delivery of the main
idea.
• Students are able to talk about the media that they view and make and are able to explain and support
the story structure, style, themes and edit decisions, and how those enhance the story and the message.
• Students contribute to the critical evaluation and constructive criticism of their classmates, while learning
to receive feedback and experiment with new ideas.
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COURSE RESOURCES
Textbooks: (OPTIONAL)
• Documentary Film: A Very Short Introduction by Patricia Aufderheide
•
Directing the Documentary by Michael Rabinger ($20 on Amazon)
•
Visual storytelling (free download): http://documentarystudies.duke.edu/books/new-releases/visualstorytelling-the-digital-video-documentary
Ad di t io na l Co u r se M at e ri al s | S u p p li es
Portable USB Flash Drive (or hard drive). Minimum 8 GB recommended.
C OU RS E AC TI V I TI E S
V id e o Pr o duc t io n Ex er c is es
Pr es e n ta t io ns
W r itten As s ig nm en ts
Cr i t iq u es
COURSE POLICIES
Student Feedback/Communication
Submitting Electronic Files
Attendance + Participation
All students are expected to attend classes regularly and promptly, and for the duration of the scheduled
instructional time. Individual instructors will decide the optimum time for taking attendance and may penalize for
habitual lateness of absence. Repeated absences may result in a grade of "F" for the course.
Students who withdraw from a course must do so in writing. Nonattendance does not constitute an official
withdrawal.
If you are unable to attend a class, please email me in advance if possible.
UNIVERSI TY POLICIES:
Academic Honesty/ Integrity Policy
Violations of academic integrity are considered to be acts of academic dishonesty and include (but are not limited
to) cheating, plagiarizing, fabrication, denying others access to information or material, and facilitating academic
dishonesty, and are subject to disciplinary action. To review the Academic Honesty/ Integrity Policy in its
entirety, please visit: http://cs.uarts.edu/ce/policies#academichonesty/integritypolicy
ACT 48 Activity Hours
To have ACT 48 Activity Hours for this course reported to the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) you
must complete and return the CE Request for Activity Hours Submission Form to the UArts Continuing Studies
Office and meet all requirements outlined by the PDE.
Student Code of Conduct
It is the policy of the Division of Continuing Studies to provide a safe and healthy environment for
learning, personal growth and enjoyment. The well being of this community depends upon the good
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CE 90 05
judgment and considerate behavior of its members. Student status at The University of the Arts is not an
unconditional right, but a privilege subject to certain rules and expectations articulated in the Student Code
of Conduct. To review the Student Code of Conduct in its entirety, please visit:
http://cs.uarts.edu/uploads/media_items/student-code-of-conduct.original.pdf
SCHEDULE:
SESSION +
DATE
Session 1
Oct 2
TOPIC
COURSEWORK
Introductions and Documentary Overview
Presentation/
In-Class work
Assignment
Session 2
Oct 9
Class Introductions, interests and expectations.
Overview of equipment, facilities and Syllabus.
Look short films and videos to understand the basic history and
practice of documentary.
Shoot 3 1-minute Lumiere inspired videos that reflect your interests,
habits and surroundings.
http://videoblogging.info/
Camera basics
Presentation/
In-class work
Assignment
Session 3
Oct 16
Introduce cinematography concepts. Students learn how to use camera
placement, angles, and composition to communicate ideas and build a
visual story. Students create storyboards for an in-class sequence.
Video Poem: Select a short piece of writing (poem, lyrics, sayings), and
create an image track that reflects the message and tone of the piece.
You can use text, voiceover or audio to convey the writing.
Editing Intro & Sound
Introduce editing programs (imovie or FCP) to assemble footage into a
sequence
Presentation/
In-class work
Assignment
Session 4
Oct 23
Students are introduced to the basics of sound recording, and learn how
to prepare and execute an interview for the camera.
Conduct a short interview with someone.
Broll and Found Footage
Presentation/
In-class work
Assignment
Session 5
Oct 30
Presentation/
In-class work
Assignment
Working with B-roll and found footage. Introduction to editing workflow
(logging and transcribing, organizing your ideas).
Film Broll or gather found footage to accompany your interview.
Pitch and Treatment
Writing a treatment and script. Preparing a pitch for your final project.
Prepare a written proposal that you would like to develop for your final
project.
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Session 6
Nov 6
Capturing events and actions over time
Presentation/
In-class work
Assignment
Session 7
Nov 6
Presentation/
In-class work
Assignment
Session 8
Nov 6
Give project pitch andreceive feedback about your final proposal.
Capturing events and processes over time. Discussing the different
steps to preparing for a documentary shoot.
Consider an action that you do or observe and capture it in a 3 minute
video.
Final Project workshop
Bring in footage you have been shooting for your final project to work on
in class
continue working on your final project
Post Production Techniques (advance sound editing, transitions, titles)
Presentation/
Review rough cuts and give feedback.
In-class work
Assignment
continue working on your final project
Session 9
Nov 6
Distribution and Preparing your work for the Web, DVD, etc
Presentation/
In-class work
Assignment
Session 10
Nov 6
Presentation/
In-class work
How to prepare your videos for the Web, DVD and theatrical
distribution. We will review compression, exporting and distribution
options.
Sign up for a video host (youtube, blip or vimeo)
Accessing Local Resources
Students will learn about local resources and opportunities in
Philadelphia and beyond to continue this work.
AS S I G NM E NTS / PR OJE C TS :
Week 1: Self Portrait
Week 2: Video Poem
Week 3-5: Interview and Found Footage
Week 5: Preparing a pitch for your final project
Weeks 6-10: Final Project
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