Course Description:
Filmmaking is a unique art form that holds a
prominent position in American culture and throughout the world. In Introduction to Digital Video
Production, you will learn to express your ideas as a filmmaker. You will learn to use the artistic process,
the elements of art and the principles of design, all timeless tools of
artistic creation, to make expressive films and communicate your ideas with
moving images, words and sound.
FAQ: Frequently Asked
Questions about Digital Video Production
Do I need my own digital video camera for this class?
Is there homework in this class
Do I need to take
notes in this class?
Can I eat in the classroom?
What happens if I
miss class?
What
if I lose or break this expensive equipment? It is the policy of South Burlington High School to
not allow food or drink in classrooms, outside of structured class events. This
policy will be maintained in this class.
Students should keep a notebook that is to
contain all handouts, work and material for this course. Students need to bring
a notebook with them to class each day. It is expected that students will take
notes in class and to record and reflect upon their learning.
Late work will be penalized. Students will
be notified of the late policy for an assignment when it is given. Some
assignments may not be accepted late. Assignments, quizzes and tests that are
missed due to excused absence may be made up through arrangement with the
instructor. It is the student's responsibility to make up all missed
assignments.
Do I need my own
digital video camera for this class? No, we have
Mini-DV camcorders that I will teach
you how to use in class. You are welcome to use your own digital
video camera if you have one, but
be sure to keep an eye on it so it doesn’t get lost or stolen, and please
only capture video from our cameras to protect your camera.
What do we do in this class? The assignments listed on the Course Outline are
designed to
teach you filmmaking
skills and challenge you to think of creative ideas within limitations. I’ll give you the background and teach the skills in
class, and then you will plan, shoot your film, and edit your
footage them on
the computer with Adobe Premiere CS3. You will
present each of your assignments to the rest of the class in a “critique,” which is
a fancy art word for sharing your work and getting constructive feedback from
your classmates. And you will also be asked to critique their
work. The class allows you to leave the
classroom to shoot your film footage, so you need to be responsible for your time and
behavior when you are not in the classroom.
Is there homework in
this class? Yes, but not in
the traditional “do the even problems on page 114” sense. Some of your shooting will take place in class,
and some of your editing, and even some of your writing, but video production
is time-consuming, so in order to do an acceptable job in this class, plan on
spending time outside of class on your projects. The iLab is available almost every period of the day, and I am
here by 8:00am and until 4:00pm every day for you to work before or after
school, and you can make arrangements with me to access the lab outside of
those times.
Do I need to take
notes in this class? Almost
everything that is presented will be posted in written form on our Moodle site (http://campus.vtacad.net), so there is little
need to take written notes unless it helps you as a learner.
Can I eat in the
classroom? Let’s ask the SBHS
Handbook! Here’s what it says on page
11: “There is no food
allowed in the library, computer labs, gymnasium and auditorium. Food is only allowed in classrooms as part
of the instructional activities approved by the teacher. Students may have drinking water in class.” And this class meets in a
computer lab, so no food or drink, please.
What happens if I
miss class? If your absence is
excused Class participation is
an important component of this course.you will need to make work you missed and you may need to
use time outside of class for this. And
since many of these projects require you to work with other students in class
(that’s the nature of filmmaking, after all), your absences will impact
everyone, so please consider class attend a high priority. Students
have a great deal of work to accomplish in a short 9 weeks. Those who fall
behind will find it very difficult to catch up without investing a great deal
of time outside class. And, if your absence is
unexcused, you’ll need to appeal to stay in the course (See SBHS Handbook p.
18).
How will I be graded? I will provide specific guidelines and rubrics
for all projects when they are assigned.
Short-term assignments like journals, critiques and discussions are
generally worth 10 points while video projects are typically 100-point
assignments. In terms of deadlines, we
make videos for an audience, so the video needs to be ready to screen when the
audience is there to see it, so due dates are important! Please have your projects ready to view on
the due date or it will impact your grade.
Can I get extra
credit? If you are interested in going beyond
the scope of an assignment or creating additional videos for extra credit,
please speak to me to arrange this.
Only pre-approved extra credit work will be considered, with one exception:
participation in The 50-Hour Film Contest
(www.fiftyhourfilm.com) during the
semester will earn extra credit.
What if I lose or
break this expensive equipment? Great
question! There are many pieces of
expensive equipment used in this class, like computers, lighting equipment,
cameras, and microphones. Some of the
equipment is small and desirable to thieves (like the cameras). This means you need to take EXTRA care when
you use the equipment, and, like your textbooks and graphing calculators, you
are responsible for replacing equipment you borrow. Try to be careful and plan on when you will borrow and return
equipment. Also, never leave equipment
in the classroom and consider it “returned.”
Always hand it directly to me to be sure it gets where it needs to go
and you get credit for returning it.
It is the policy of
South Burlington High School to not allow food or drink in classrooms, outside
of structured class events. This policy will be maintained in this class.
Students should keep a notebook that is to
contain all handouts, work and material for this course. Students need to bring
a notebook with them to class each day. It is expected that students will take
notes in class and to record and reflect upon their learning.
Late work will be penalized. Students will
be notified of the late policy for an assignment when it is given. Some
assignments may not be accepted late. Assignments, quizzes and tests that are
missed due to excused absence may be made up through arrangement with the
instructor. It is the student's responsibility to make up all missed
assignments.
Other important notes:
Controversial Topics
Presentation
of Standards
A variety of instructional
strategies are used, including group discussions, lecture, and a great deal of
guided and unguided
practice.
Vermont Standards
Information Technology - 1.18 Students use computers, telecommunications,
and other tools of technology to research, to gather information and ideas, and
to represent information and ideas accurately and appropriately.
Reports - 1.8
In written reports, students organize and convey information and ideas
accurately and effectively.
Aesthetic Judgment
– 5.4 Students
form aesthetic judgment, using appropriate vocabulary and background knowledge
to critique their own work and the work of others, and
to support their perception of work in the arts, language, and literature.
Components
of Internal Assessment
Student grades and assessments will
include a variety of projects, quizzes, tests, portfolio evaluation, research
report, and class participation. Please review the class requirements.
Grading
Photography
Components:
Photographs
will be graded using a variety of criteria. Please review the photography rubric. A major component of the student's grade will be a
portfolio of their best work, in electronic format, due at the end of the
quarter.
Writing
Components:
Written papers required for this
course must use proper grammar, be checked for spelling mistakes and be
double-spaced. In the upper left hand corner of the paper will have: student’s
name, name of class, date and quarter. Please review the writing rubric fro grading
criteria.
Extra Credit
A few examples of extra credit are
listed below. Please feel free to suggest you own ideas.
1.Submit
one of their photos to be used on the school’s website.
1.Go
to a photography exhibit and write a response paper.
1.Create
a portfolio of photographic work focusing on one area of photography (i.e.
nature, architecture, food, self-portraits).
Hints
for this Course
Students need to keep on task and
meet incremental project deadlines in order to be successful. Students who actively
engage and who develop interest and excitement in the material will be met with
the greatest success.
Communication:
PStudents and parents
are always welcome to communicate with me the instructor via
voice phone (652-7058) or electronic mail
(jshields@sbschools.net).
Academic honesty: The Handbook defines
plagiarism
as “knowingly representing the work of another as one’s own” and plagiarism in
Digital Video Production is a violation of the SBHS Academic Honesty
policy (see
the SBHS Handbook,
p. 33).My
e-mail address is jshields@sbschools.net
and my phone number is 652-7058.
Goals
Explore the world of digital
photography and imaging software, develop individual expression, examine and
critique photographers and photographs, see the world different, and have fun.