Online Assignment #4 Due by end of class 9/27

Tell me a story. That is how Don Hewitt, producer of 60 Minutes, described the charge to his troops while at the helm as Executive Producer of the venerable show for decades. They succeeded for a reason, they excelled at telling good stories.

Check this one out:
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7361574n&tag=contentBody;storyMediaBox

Talk about all the stories.  There are many quests here. Vy, the organizer. And each student too.

Talk about the resonant chords for you. What struck you? What made it happen? The story? The visuals? The audio? or all of the above?

Be specific. We can learn from the best.

CHANGE FROM SYLLABUS...ONLINE DAY TUESDAY, 9/20 ASSIGNMENT

This is a change from the syllabus. Tuesday, Sept 20th will be an online assignment day. Do not report to class. You will need to post your critique of the following piece by the end of the class period.

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=6929979

Please be specific about production techniques. Discuss:
depth of field
re-enactment scenes
interview shots
movement on stills
Did this piece strike a resonant chord with you?

Project 3

JOUR 4710  FALL 11 PROJECT 3

Raw Footage Due  11/17   3:30 pm

       Project Due 12/1  end of class

   Students will produce a 4 to 5-minute magazine package in the genre of their choice. 

Entertainment, sports, technology, medical, science etc. Students are encouraged to be 

very creative in this project. You should coordinate with your team members so you have 

a cohesive magazine program. No instructions for specific format will be given.

 However, I am expecting to see the various editing techniques that you learned throughout 

the semester. Your project will be evaluated using the following criteria:

--   Use of music 

---    Use of VO and natural sound

--    Use of text (simple text from FCP and/or graphic templates from Live Type). 

Your project should include a title, lower thirds to accompany sound bites, and rolling credits.

--    Proper use of B-roll. You will need lots!

--    Proper mix of various sound tracks’ levels. 

--    Use of video filters (the use of even one filter can satisfy requirement).

--    Use of audio and video transitions (no excessive use, use them properly to strengthen 

your project).

--    Stable and creative camera work (angles, framing, exposure, visual interest).

--    Editing Continuity (no cuts during a camera movement, no jump cuts, and no i

nconsistent audio) unless complexity editing is warranted.

--    Video leader that include bars, countdown, name, piece title, date, trt.

--    TRT should be between 4 to 5 minutes. Less than 4 min. or more than 5 min. is not acceptable. 

TRT starts from the first frame in your timeline (not from video leader).

--    If you have to use materials that are not filmed by you (e.g., from a video library), 

keep in mind that you can use no more than half of your total running time from previously recorded material.  

--    Is it a story worth telling and told well?

--    You will need to turn in a script.

--    Your project needs to be turned in on DVD

--    Did you meet all the benchmarks on the intermediary due dates? 

REMEMBER:

Get started early on shooting your story! Find that emotional spike! Have fun with it and get creative! Take advantage of the time you have in class to get my feedback.

Project 2

JOUR 4710

Project 2   News Magazine Piece

Raw Footage due 9/29

Rough cut Due 1020

Final Version due 10/22 11am sharp

Start shooting EARLY!

        Students will produce an edited television news magazine piece (similar to what you will watch in programs like 20/20, Dateline, 60 minutes, etc). The project should run at least 4 minutes but not more than 5 minutes in length. It is recommended that you do a story about a nonprofit organization because of easy access to these groups.

 The project will be due Thursday, Oct. 27th at 3:30 sharp! Then you will work in groups to produce news magazine complet shows.

Your grade will drop one letter grade per day late, starting immediately after the deadline. The project will comprise 15% of your final grade for the course.   

                                                             

Criteria for evaluating your project:

·      Variety in shots and camera angles.

·      Proper use of camera movements.

·      Introductory shot before sound bites.

·      Number of soundbites (You must include at least 4 SOT’s from at least 2 people directly affected or involved in the story. More is probably better! A reporter standup does not count as soundbite). 

·      The proper use of soundbites (length, framing).

·      Creative shot composition/ proper framing/exposure/white balance/focus.

·      The pace of editing (e.g., the same shot should not stay for too long on screen)

·      Quality of beginning and end of the piece (catching attention? visually appealing?)

·      Audio (VO quality and level, the use of music if any, the use of natural sound, and relative levels).

·      Narration—delivery and how well you tell the story. Also keeping a good mix with natural sound.

·      The use of graphics (e.g., titles, project’s title, etc) Please include at the very least lower third text graphics for the important SOT’s.

·      Editing techniques and continuity (e.g., the use of B-roll, any jump cuts?)

·      Editorial content—is it a story worth telling? And told well?

·      Use of transitions and effects—OK to use them, but make sure they are used well and are motivated. Not mandatory.

·      You will need to turn in a script. See examples from class.

Take advantage of the editing time we have in class to work on this project…I am happy to give you feedback or any help you may need. Get your footage shot way in advance and digitized so you can take the time to fine tune it in our editing lab. As always, email me or come visit me during office hours if you have any problems or questions!

Good luck!

ONLINE assignment #2 DUE 9/13

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/doctor-hotspot/

Your second online assignment is a piece done by PBS for Frontline, a long-running and well-respected program, featuring excellent documentary and long form journalism.

Please be specific in your observations about the production values and techniques used on the piece, as well as the storytelling and the story structure. Don't just do a synopsis of the story. What production techniques worked to resonate with you the viewer? What did you not like?

Please comment on the following:
--the b-roll or footage they used to cover parts of the narration
--interview setting for Dr. Brenner
--shots of Derek and Derek's story
--story structure
--tone of the narration

The objective is to learn from what works to communicate the story best. Enjoy!