Assignment Guidelines

All assignments should be typed and written grammatically. You will be graded on your writing, especially on scripts, where grammar, spelling, and formatting mistakes are not accepted in the production industry. Make sure you proofread and spellcheck.

Studio

Studio Script Proposal

Studio Drama Script

Audio on the Fly

Studio Project-Group Grade

The studio project does not have a checklist but is graded as an overall achievement. There are three main questions. The first is: does the project avoid technical problems? Can you hear everything clearly? Is the camerawork smooth and subtle? Are there few lighting shadows? Can you see important elements clearly? Does the set look realistic? Is the set dressed well and are costumes good? Are there problems framing and following characters? Are all cameras always in focus? Are there any cutting mistakes? The second question is: does the project use technical elements to enhance the script? Are the compositions visually compelling? Does the lighting establish a mood? Is there lots of shot variety in shot scale, camera position, and framing? Do the characters have good blocking that reflects their characters and the tension developed during the story? Is sound used to enhance the realism and effectiveness of the environment? Is there an effective use of music? The final question is: is the story strong and are the characters compelling? Is there a dramatic conflict? Do we care about the characters and the story's resolution? Does the piece effectively convey a specific tone? Would it affect an audience in the way it is intended?

Studio Project-Individual Grade

Remote

Remote Proposal (all types of projects)

Preproduction Documents

Rough Cut

On this day, I will watch a rough cut of your project and give you feedback to help you polish it. This is an ungraded assignment.

Remote Project

The remote project grading does not have a checklist like the other parts. It is graded as an overall achievement. Your goal is to have a project with a clear intent. You will be graded on how successfully you achieve what you set out to do. If you make a horror project, for example, you will be graded on whether your project is scary. In this class, effectiveness is measured by technical and creative achievement. The technical aspects of the project are worth more than the creative aspects, but both are important.

You are free to use any style or content you like within the guidelines of the course. For fiction, I will assume that you are trying to make something in the basic continuity style UNLESS you have specified otherwise in your proposal (which is fine). The basic technical question I'll ask about your project is whether it looks and sounds good. A few of the questions I'll ask are: Can I clearly hear all audio? Is the lighting effective? Are their problems like shadows or framing issues? Do you have good visual compositions? Do you have varied shot scales, camera movement, and many different set-ups? Is the editing effective? For documentaries, I will assume that you are trying to make something in a standard documentary style (talking head, direct cinema) UNLESS you have specified otherwise in your proposal (which is fine). Do the interviews look good? Was care taken with interview locations to make them look good and tell us about interviewees? Are there sufficient and interesting cutaways?

The basic creative question I'll ask is whether you have done something original and ambitious, and whether you succeeded in achieving your goal. If you made a comedy, was it funny (not to you, but to a general audience)? Was your plot confusing or clear? If you had a standard story, did you have an original take on it? For a documentary, was the content interesting and surprising? Did you make an unusual point that most people wouldn't have already known? Is your argument effective? Think about your project in terms of what effect it will have on an audience. I will grade the projects more on whether it is effective for an audience than on whether it is a creative personal expression (although obviously your projects will be quite personal because you will make them).

You should avoid some common aspects/problems of student projects:

  1. beginning your video by showing a character waking up and going through their morning routine (for some reason people love shots of someone looking in the bathroom mirror-VERY common)
  2. doing a project about a person who is doing a video project and can't think of a good idea or has production problems (more common than you realize)
  3. overusing music whose lyrics directly state what the characters are feeling (you should make emotions clear in other ways)
  4. projects with scenes that require many extras (it's hard to get those people to all show up), are set in locations you will have great difficulty getting permission to shoot in (bank robbery, anyone?), or have plots that are more appropriate to feature films than 10 minute projects (keep it simple so you can accomplish what you set out to do)

Your self-evaluation should assess the strengths and weaknesses of the project, discuss what worked and what didn't (and why), suggest how it could be improved, and describe each partner's responsibilities.

Other

Quizzes

Final Exam

Lab Participation

Complete all ungraded assignments

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