Brooklyn College of The City University of New York

The Department of Television and Radio

Course: TVR 7784G – Seminar in Television Programming and Production I Code: 0965 Section: R10 – Spring 2015 Schedule: Thursdays 10:00am – 4:00pm, Whitehead Hall & Various Locations

Brooklyn College Bulletin – Division of Graduate Studies Course Description: 15 hours lecture; 90 hours laboratory; 4 credits. Independent research, development, direction, and production of a television program suitable for broadcast. Rotation of advanced crew assignments for in-studio and remote location productions. Development of a suitable production report. Review and approval of work in progress by faculty member. Prerequisite: Television and Radio 7781G and 7782G.

Overview and Course Objectives: TVR 7784G is a lecture and production (studio and remote) course designed to facilitate each student’s growth as a television producer and director. The course combines theoretical, practical, and intuitive approaches to aesthetic, organizational, and ethical problems in television and electronic media production. Course content includes producing/directing M.F.A. Productions, where each student is the principal creative force behind the program, and assignments designed to present production problems that prepare students for the situations they will encounter in their professional lives as media producers. Students will participate in all aspects of production, emphasizing aesthetic development and technical proficiency.

All fields of human endeavor require the ability to communicate effectively. Communication begins when someone wishes to share or transmit an idea. This process is accomplished through both rhetorical and poetic components. Although technology augments, complicates, and even simplifies communication, the fundamental sounds, images, and dramatic imperative of the content determines the effectiveness of the message. While our most serious attention addresses the human need to speak, gesture, and engage others, as electronic media producers we have the distinct advantage of integrating technology to assist us in communicating our stories and messages. The study of electronic based media links the creative communication process to technology. An understanding of the production process can be gained only through the application of both creative expression and technology. Media production is a craft that blends the theory and technique that supports an artist’s free expression.

1 As a program producer, students assume responsibility for all aspects of production, from concept to distribution. Students must be thorough, conscious of all details and strive to work with others as a production team. As a program director, students are responsible for the specific elements of transforming a script into the final production. These elements include content development, research, creative use of the medium, remote and studio execution, and post production.

Students will be exposed to a great range of working areas and tools of the medium, including, but not limited to, the creative process of scripting and staging action, studio facilities, scenic and lighting design, graphics, animation, audio, post production and engineering functions.

Exploring and understanding the history of technique and technology from radio to digital sound and image production is an essential component of each student’s training. While the applications of electronic media may be changing, the discipline and process of creating media remains constant. The basic concepts of organizational skills, the power to persuade, the ability to assess an audience or client’s needs, and the necessity of teamwork are the foundation of every production. Student attitude and behavior regarding discipline, initiative, responsibility and respect for the work of others are in many ways the key lessons to be learned.

Our current Departmental Objectives are:

1. Students will be able to research, analyze, and write scholarly papers in the areas of electronic media and society in the United States and the world with the tools used in professional and academic media research.

2. Students will be able to learn and compare ideas from different approaches in the areas of history, law, research, and analysis related to media and society in the United States and the world.

3. Students will be able to understand the basic aesthetic and technical principles of electronic media productions, and their broader social implications.

4. Students will be able to use proficiently and creatively the basic equipment and software necessary to translate ideas into electronic media programs in the areas of radio, multimedia, single camera, multi-camera studio and remote productions.

5. Students will be able to research and write proposals, treatments, scripts, and promotional materials meeting professional standards.

2 6. Students will learn the workings of the full range of the communication industry, from independent and community to corporate and network productions.

7. Students will learn to use basic industry managerial tools, techniques, and practices.

8. Students will be able to analyze issues and controversies from ethical, legal and social perspectives in their professional practices.

9. Students will be able to research, report and write news materials and produce newscasts meeting professional standards.

Textbooks: Zettl, Herbert. 2011. Television Production Handbook, Eleventh Edition. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Company.

Hacker, Diana. 2007. A Writer’s Reference. New York: Bedford/St. Martins.

Materials: Portable Hard Drive(s), Flash Drive. Other materials may be required for specific assignments.

Assignments, Grading and Assessment: Multi-camera Producer or Multi-camera Crew 30% Editing Multi-Cam Assignment 10% Lighting & Camera Blocking Presentation 10% Color Correction Assignment 10% Demo Reel 20% Website 20%

Total

100% *Each assignment and exercise is designed to develop student skills in all course objectives.

3 Multi-camera Producer or Multi-camera Crew – Students will be evaluated on their Multi-camera Production (Producer/Director) or Crew Work for other student producers.

Editing Multi-Cam Assignment – Students will be exposed to concepts, theories and workflow practices relating to the multiple camera post production process. The assignment will focus on the multi-cam editing environment within Adobe Premiere Pro CS6, and will require students to edit a multi-cam sequence using learned techniques.

Lighting and Camera Blocking Presentation – Students will analyze video of a multi-camera music performance and present their findings, including a lighting plot and/or camera breakdown.

Color Correction Assignment – Students will be exposed to basic principles of post production color correction and grading. This assignment will focus on the use of Adobe Speed Grade, and will require students to color correct and grade a narrative or multi-cam scene of their choice.

Demo Reel – This assignment will require students to create a producer/ director demo reel. Emphasis will be placed on structure, rhythm and pacing, transitions, and the overall creative approach.

Website – Each student will develop a personal website to be used as a marketing/promotional tool. The focus of the assignment will be proper design and functionality and intelligent branding.

* The course-scoring rubric is attached to this document.

Instructor: Assistant Professor Jason Moore Department of Television and Radio 406S Whitehead Hall Brooklyn College 2900 Bedford Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11210

(718) 951-5000 x2795 e-mail: [email protected]

Office Hours: Monday 12pm-1pm

4 Tuesday 10:00am – 3:00 p.m. (and by appointment)

Course Guidelines and Expectations:

1. Preproduction is essential to the success of every project. Students are expected to spend a great deal of time outside of class organizing their scripts and rehearsing their productions.

2. Deadlines are deadlines. Paperwork not handed in on time will result in a zero for that part of the assignment. Students are responsible for making up class work that is missed due to absence.

3. Attendance is mandatory. TVR 7784 strictly follows the Brooklyn College policy on attendance that states, “Class attendance is recorded each session. Students are expected to attend all scheduled sessions of every class for which they register. Students late for class may be excluded from the room. An instructor may consider attendance and participation in determining the term grade.” The only exception to this policy is “Nonattendance because of religious beliefs,” as described in Title I, Article 5, Section 224-a of the New York State Education Law. This law is available for review in the Brooklyn College Graduate Bulletin. In the event that you cannot attend class, you must call the Department office at 951-5555 and leave a message for me.

4. No eating or drinking in the studio or control room. Failure to comply with this rule results in an immediate suspension of facility access.

5. Cell phones must be switched off prior to entering the classroom or studio. No exceptions. No calls, no texting, no surfing, no IM’s. Students who interrupt the class with incoming phone calls will be dismissed and receive a zero for that class meeting’s “Multi-camera Production or Multi-camera Crew” evaluation.

6. Any act of academic dishonesty (plagiarism, cheating on quizzes or the final exam, etc.) will result in an F for the course and could lead to expulsion from the college. The faculty and administration of Brooklyn College support an environment free from cheating and plagiarism. Each student is responsible for being aware of what constitutes cheating and plagiarism and for avoiding both. The complete text of the CUNY Academic Integrity Policy and the Brooklyn College procedure for implementing that policy can be found at this site: http://www.brooklyn.cuny.edu/bc/policies. If a faculty member suspects a violation of academic integrity and, upon investigation, confirms that violation,

5 or if the student admits the violation, the faculty member must report the violation.

7. Students who are not on the faculty member’s course roster should be referred to the Enrollment Services Center.

8. Only under extraordinary circumstances will an incomplete be granted at the end of the term. Failure to complete course requirements due to poor time management, workload from other classes, personal obligations, etc., do not qualify. Course assignments that are not produced or submitted by the final class meeting will receive a grade of zero. Production or written work that is partially complete will be evaluated and assigned a grade based on the assignment criteria. In the rare and unusual case that an incomplete is granted, I will issue a department memo to the student indicating the date that the work must be submitted for evaluation. Students will have a maximum extension of 28 days to complete course requirements. Work not submitted by the deadline will receive a zero or partial credit as described above.

9. Students are responsible for knowing all college policies, and should carefully and thoroughly review the Brooklyn College Graduate Bulletin, the TV Center Handbook and the Department M.F.A. Handbook.

10. All TVR Majors should join the department listserv by sending a blank message to: [email protected]. This listserv will send around information about scholarships, internships, guest speakers, events, and other items of interest to Television and Radio majors.

6 TVR 7784G Course Calendar – Spring 2015

1. January 29 (Diamant room & room 005) Lecture: Course overview. Multi-cam editing. Multi-cam lighting & camera for music. Multi-cam Pre-Pro: John Schiavone “Basketball” Lab: Multi-cam editing. Assignments: 1. Edit Multi-cam assignment, Due February 12th. 2. Lighting & Camera Blocking for multi-cam music presentation, Due February 5th.

2. January 30 (Friday) (11:00am-11:00pm) Production: Men & Women’s Basketball. Producer/Director: John Schiavone.

3. February 5 (Diamant room) Due: Lighting & Camera Blocking for multi-cam music presentation Lecture: Basketball Post Mortem. Lighting & Camera Blocking for multi-cam music: presentations & discussion. Lab: TBD Assignments: Edit Multi-cam assignment, Due February 12

February 12 - No Classes - Lincoln’s Birthday. Due: Multi-cam editing assignment.

4. February 19 (9am-5pm) (Diamant room & Studio B) Multi-cam Pre-Pro: Wendy “Poets” Lab: Lighting, Sound Recording & Camera Blocking for music

5. February 26 Production: “Poets on Poets”. Producer/Director: Wendy Santana

6. March 5 (Diamant room & room 005) Lecture: “Poets” Post Mortem Multi-cam Pre-Pro: Haeni “Quintet” & Jie “Music” Lab: Demo Reels & Websites. Assignments: Demo Reel & Website (Version 1 due April 16, Final Version due May 21).

7. March 12 (Studio B) Production: “Yoosun Nam Quintet”. Producer/Director: Haeni Kim

8. March 19 (Studio B) Production: “Heavy Metal Music Performance”. Producer/Director: Jie Song

9. March 26 (Diamant room & room 005) Lecture: “Yoosun” & “Jie Music” Post-Mortem. Lab: Color correcting and grading with Adobe Speed Grade & DiVinci Resolve. Assignments: Color Correction Assignment, Due April 16

April 2 - No Class (B-Ball)

7 April 9 - No Class - Spring Break

10. April 16 (Diamant room) Screening: Version 1 of Demo Reel and Website, Color correcting assignment. Multi-cam Pre-Pro: Nelson, Raisa, Sebastien & Stephen. Lecture: Post Grad TBD

11. April 23 Production: “Jazz Music”. Producer/Director: Nelson Rolan.

12. April 30 Production: “Music”. Producer/Director: Raisa Kelly.

13. May 7 Production: “Artists in Sync”. Producer/Director: Sebastien Prudent.

14. May 14 Production: “Music”. Producer/Director: Stephen LoRusso.

15. May 21 (Diamant Room) Lecture: Nelson, Raisa, Sebastien & Stephen Post-Mortem Screening: Screening and presentation of Multi-Cam Productions (excerpts), Demo Reels and Websites.

8 TVR 7784G – Seminar in Television Programming and Production I Spring 2015

Multi-Cam Productions ======

1. Pre-Production Book & Presentation:

Producer/Directors of the Multi-Camera Production element of the MFA Thesis are required to create a thorough, detailed and professional pre-production plan for their shoot. They will be expected to spend a great deal of time and energy outside of class.

One week before their shoot, Producer/Directors (P/D) will be allocated a twenty minute production meeting with the class. During this meeting, the P/D will present the following Pre- Production materials in both a Power Point presentation and a hard-copy handout for all class members.

Treatment A brief synopsis of your project. One paragraph will suffice.

Conceptual Approach Ideas, theme or central concept that will inform all areas of your production from script to lighting, from shot pattern and camera placement to colors, graphics, sound and editing.

Distribution & Marketing Plan Is this a series pilot or a standalone show? Compare and contrast your show to existing, successful shows to demonstrate why you feel your show will be successful with viewers. Who is your audience? Where do you plan on distributing your show? How do you plan on creating interest and attention around it?

Script All scripted elements of the show including opening/closing copy, talent wraparounds, etc. Scripts should also include rough timing of all segments (CUNY TV requires 29:20 total RT).

Call Sheet / Crew & Talent List Include full names, positions and phone numbers. This can be created as a call sheet or a simple list.

Shooting Schedule Load-in, Build and Pre-light days can be rough windows of time (ex: 8am-3pm). Shoot days must be detailed and account for nearly minute to minute. (ex: 8:00am-8:45am - artist load in and setup. 8:45-9:45 - sound check and camera engineering. 9:45-11:00 final lighting tweaks. etc.)

Set Diagram with camera positions Use the TV Center floor plan diagram available in Distribution, or use the ‘scaled’ version (available on BlackBoard).

9 Lighting Diagram Also use either the TV Center floor plan or the ‘scaled’ version on BB. Include specific instruments and gel colors.

Audio Specs Microphone placement and cable runs for all audio sources.

Shot List for each camera (with screen grabs if relevant) It is advisable that in addition to a basic list of shots for each camera, you include screen grabs from your reference video for specific framing/angles. And, on the day of the shoot, it is advisable that you give your camera operators index cards that they can tape to their cameras.

Visual Reference Pictures A variety of pictures collected during your research. Specifically, references of Set Design elements you like, Lighting Design elements you want to replicate, and/or Camera Angles/ Moves you wish to replicate.

Reference Video All producers must present their Reference Video during the pre-pro meeting. The reference video gives your crew a visual representation of some of your production goals. You may use a video from my Dropbox library or provide your own.

2. TV Center Tech Meeting:

Each producer must schedule a mandatory tech meeting with the TV Center staff to discuss set design, audio, lighting, camera, and other technical specifications. This meeting must be held at a minimum of two weeks before the shoot. Failure to schedule this meeting will result in the cancellation of the shoot.

Prior to this meeting, producer will: Draft a basic set plan using the TV Center template. Draft a basic lighting plot using the TV Center template. Create an Audio Specs list including microphone placements for all audio sources Prepare to discuss all technical needs including graphics, ingest materials, cameras, live audience, load-in and pre-light days, schedule of shooting, etc.

The goal of this meeting is to: Prepare the TV center for your shoot. Gain advice and guidance on how best to prepare for your shoot.

Remember: While the professionals at the TV Center will be happy to consult and guide you, they are not part of your crew. If TV Center staff are hanging lights, running cable, or building sets, then you and your crew are not doing your jobs.

10 If and when you learn that there are some elements of your shoot that are not possible to do for safety, logistics, manpower or other reasons, take a deep breath and accept it. Limitations, compromise and the word “no” is a part of production. Stay flexible and stay positive.

To schedule your meeting, send an email to Jeanine Corbet ([email protected]) and cc me ([email protected]).

3. Post Production & Delivery

A Rough Cut of your project is due 3 weeks after your shoot, to be screened in my office.

The Final Cut is due on May 21 (the last day of class).

For the in-class screening, you will screen a ten-minute portion of your project.

Your final cut must conform to the technical standards for CUNY TV / B.C. Presents (see attached).

4. Grading & Evaluation

Multi-cam Producer/Directors: Pre-Production presentation 20% Directing 20% Producing 20% Production Aesthetics 20% Post Production/Delivery for air 20%

Multi-cam Crew: Technical proficiency 50% Professionalism 50%

This project is worth 30% of your overall grade.

11 TVR 7784G – Seminar in Television Programming and Production I Spring 2015

Multi-cam Editing Assignment ======

Each student will create their own edit of the “______” concert using the clips provided.

1. Set up the camera angles in the Premiere Multi-cam environment. 2. Use the Multi-cam editing tools to create your own version of the “_____” concert/song.Add titles and end credits. 3. Export using the H.264 compression technique. 4. Upload to Youtube or Vimeo using password protection. 5. Submit your link in the “Multi-cam editing” assignment area of BlackBoard.

DO NOT email me the link. Copy/paste your link into the assignment area of BB.

This assignment is due on: ______

Video tutorials are located on Blackboard.

Grading Rubric: Basic editorial structure (we see what we are hearing): 25% Creativity of shot selection, rhythm, pacing: 50% Compression, Titles and Credits: 25%

This project is worth 10% of your overall grade.

12 TVR 7784G – Seminar in Television Programming and Production I Spring 2015

Lighting and Camera Blocking Presentation ======

Students will analyze video of a multi-camera music performance and present their findings, including a lighting plot or camera breakdown.

Half of the class will be assigned “Lighting” and the other half “Camera”.

1. Choose a live multi-cam music performance to present. You may use videos in my Dropbox library or find one on your own. (The “Vevo” channel on Youtube has many. Use “keepvid.com” to download and save the videos)

2. CAMERA: On the floor plan, neatly map camera placement and movement. Pay special attention to camera dollies and arcs and to Jib placement and flying shots. Come up with what you think the “conceptual approach” to the camera shots/patterns are and present them to the class.

3. LIGHTING: On the lighting plot, sketch out the lights you would use to simulate a scaled down version of the lighting scheme in the video. Use the list of available lights / gels I have handed out. Be sure to indicate the type of lighting fixture and gel color. Devise and present a plan for incorporating multiple light cues into your version of the video. Have 3-5 lighting cues. You may write these down or verbally present them.

This assignment is due on February 5th.

Grading & Evaluation:

Camera Blocking or Lighting Plot (accuracy, neatness, detail) 50% Oral presentation (insight, preparation, communication) 50%

This project is worth 10% of your overall grade.

13 TVR 7784G – Seminar in Television Programming and Production I Spring 2015

Demo Reel & Website ======

Demo Reel Your demo reel is a compilation of short segments of your very best work, assembled in such a way as to excite and impress viewers. Your reel should be 3-5 minutes long, should be well paced, and should be creatively edited.

Version 1 is due April 16th. The Final Version is due May 21st.

You will screen your demo reel as a standalone QuickTime file in class, but it must also be included on your website (see below).

Grading Rubric: Overall pacing, rhythm and editing: 50% Audio: (music, mix): 15% Titles & Lower Thirds: 15% Overall quality of work on the reel: 20%

This project is worth 20% of your final grade.

Web Site Your website is a place for you to showcase your demo reel, your resume, your biography and other important pieces of professional marketing information.

Your site should be well designed and easy to navigate. It does not to be overly slick or complex, but it should feel polished and professional. Your site should feature, at a minimum, the following elements/pages:

Your demo reel Your biography Your resume Contact information

Version 1 is due April 16th. The Final Version is due May 21st.

Grading Rubric: Site design (type, color, layout): 25% Navigation: 25% Content (quality of reel, bio, resume, etc): 50%

This project is worth 20% of your final grade.

14 TVR 7784G – Seminar in Television Programming and Production I Spring 2015

Color Correction Assignment ======

Color correcting and color grading allow you to fix and enhance the tone, color, and overall look of your work. Understanding this process will allow you to get closer to achieving a polished, professional aesthetic to your projects.

Using the concepts and techniques you learned from the lab, perform a color correction and color grade to a scene from any of the projects you have recently created. The scene should be between 1-4 minutes.

This assignment is due on April 16th.

Bring in your scene as a QuickTime file on your portable hard drive, to be screened in the Diamant room.

Grading Rubric: Basic color correction (white balance, contrast, blacks/shadows/highlights) 50% Creative grade (appropriate and interesting use of color) 50%

This exercise is worth 10% of your final grade.

15