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