Writing with Video, ART 250-M4

agenda

1. writing warm-up: Write down 5 words that you feel reflect/inform/typify etc. your creative process – what inspires you, drives you, perplexes you, whatever. What words describe the aesthetics to which you are drawn in your work? Then, describe briefly why you chose these words. How were they (or were they not) in play in your previous pieces for this class? Are they present or reflected in your inspiration box? How about in your responses to the art exhibit we visited?
2. 5 words sharing and discussion
3. Introduction to module 3
4. Introduction to “through my eyes” project
5. screen: small town secrets (fullFrame DVD, 7:36), a thousand words (fullFrame DVD, 8:18)
6. homework:

• photograph 5 objects that you feel embody the 5 words you began with today and post to your blog
• narrow down your list to 3 words and post on why these words are important to your creative vision and authentic voice
• come to class with 2-3 ideas about what you want to do for this project
• screen This American Life, season 2, episode 5: “Every Marriage is a Courtroom.” post a response to this piece and be prepared to discuss it on Wednesday. how does it relate to our third module? what did you find surprising here? what is unique about this story? choose 3 moments that really resonated with you and explain why they made an impact on you (as a viewer, a filmmaker, an artist, whatever)
• we’ll be discussing Bomb It next Monday once we screen Exit Through the Gift Shop (which you may, as always, screen before I assign it on Wednesday)

agenda

THE BIG SHOW !! part 2

1. view and discuss final versions of Art of the Real video projects (view remaining projects).
2. homework:
   1. those students who showed their projects in class should post a ‘presentation and distribution’ entry on their journal which addresses the questions posed in this section of the video/journaling template.all students should complete this journal posting by the end of the week. this last phase of self-reflection and self-assessment is part of the module 02 grading rubric.
   2. finish up all remaining module 2 work. The deadline for all work is Friday by 5 pm.
   3. watch Bomb It! on Netflix Watch Instant before our next class day and write a post about the ways in which form and content are working in this piece. What is the story here? How do the elements of the film tell this story? What is emphasized here? These will be important questions to ponder as we’ll be viewing a companion piece that tells its own story within the same context but presents a very different film and aesthetic.

agenda

THE BIG SHOW !!

1. view and discuss final versions of Art of the Real video projects
2. homework:
   1. those students who showed their projects in class should post a ‘presentation and distribution’ entry on their journal which addresses the questions posed in this section of the video/journaling template.

agenda

1. in-class writing: How does it feel now that you’ve started to edit your raw footage? How is editing different from shooting? How are the two stages relating to and informing one another in your project?
2. discuss writing prompt.
3. draw numbers for screening date
4. discuss The Thin Blue Line
5. editing exercise (30 min): go back and review the footage you shot last week of the 10-question interview you did with a friend. create a quick 1-2 minute rough cut in which you completely MISREPRESENT the statements of that person.
6. discussion: discuss the results and the impressions of the students. questions to ask include: how easy or difficult is it to misrepresent someone in this medium? what did you learn, what does it tell you, about the editing process? what are the implications for you as an author? what are the implications of this exercise for you as a consumer of media?
7. 15 minute break
8. screen your rough clips of your Art of the Real projects in your working group and discuss
9. screen student rough drafts (volunteers) and discuss

homework:

1. finish and post final drafts of your Art of the Real Projects by next class – remember: even if you are not screening on Monday, you MUST still post your work by 4:00 pm that day! No exceptions.
2. screen Capturing Reality: The Art of the Documentary on Netflix Watch Instant and write a post regarding 1) the content of the piece and 2) the form of the piece. What things did you take away from this film? How has it helped you understand the documentary genre – or, perhaps, how has it complicated your views and feelings? What issues discussed in the piece and/or elements used in its construction do you see yourself employing in your own “art of the real” project?
3. Extra Credit Videos Due Monday as well!!

*** Work Day – Class Cancelled ***

photo by christine

agenda

1. In Class Writing (10 minutes):  how do you see form and content interacting in your piece thus far?
2. discussion of writing prompt.
3. remind students about steps 7 and 8 in the ‘production’ stage: reflection and improvisation. encourage students to pay attention to what they are learning and be open to new discoveries. remind them that their ideas may change and evolve – and that this can be a legitimate aspect of the creative process.
4. remind students about project due dates!!
5. assign collage extra-credit assignment. compose and film a 1-2 min. blog video post where you show your collage and explain your rationale, your methodology, what the parts mean, your composition, etc. as they relate your “art of the real” project AND how you think these elements will directly play a part in your project. post this video on your blog before March 14. Maximum of 3 extra credit points.
6. group discussion of work-in-progress (20 min): students should present their collages to their group and discuss their pieces and how they fit into their overall view of the project. also, students should update their group members on any news about their projects. be sure to include a brief discussion of the films each group member screened as part of Monday’s homework and how those films influenced your thinking about how to construct your films on similar topics.
7. 10 minute break
8. storyboards: basic information on storyboarding and suggest to students that this is a common and effective method in time-based media. pre-visualizing ideas is always helpful (and can save time), and that it really doesn’t matter if an author can’t draw – its about getting ideas onto paper (or some other sketching medium). here are some helpful links that have information you can share with students:

1. 1. storyboard wikipedia page
   2. josh sheppard has a nice site with lots of examples of storyboards
   3. another storyboarding site that also has downloadable templates
   4. basic storyboard template
   5. some interesting examples from a hitchcock film
   6. three quicktime movies of shrek creators ‘acting out’ some of their storyboards
2. (10 min) students sketch out a storyboard of the interview footage they were asked to compile and have in their editing programs today. if you were to make a one minute film based on this footage, how would you compose it? what images would you incorporate? remember: just interview footage usually isn’t very interesting or insightful for your audience, so how do you make your piece really SPEAK? sketch, sketch, sketch!
3. (5 min) students re-convene with their group members, share storyboards, and discuss what they learned from the process

1. screening: first 5 min of The September Issue and Seamless
2. discuss screening
3. HAND BACK MODULE 1 GRADES. Discuss 24 hour policy and extra credit opportunities.
4. homework:
   1. WORK DAY ON MONDAY, MARCH 7: No class today!
   2. shooting should continue, but ideally be wrapped up by the beginning of week 08 (next class period).
   3. screen The Thin Blue Line on Netflix Watch Instant and write a post about the ways in which “eye witness” (I use the term loosely . . . you’ll see why)testimony is constructed for the viewer to balance out the heavy use of talking heads. also, how is Errol Morris presenting his argument in this piece (i.e. what formal elements does he employ and for what purpose)? what is his rhetorical motivation here? [OH, and one more thing: FYI, this is not a rip-off of Cops or America's Most Wanted; it's actually the other way around. We'll talk more about this, but it's important to note at this point.]
   4. START EDITING. MOVE TO ‘POST-PRODUCTION’ STAGE BY FIRST MEETING OF WEEK 08. complete a ‘post-production’ journal entry by next Wednesday. refer to video/journaling template.
   5. keep that raw footage of 10-question interviews (assigned last week) on your laptop for another activity next week.

*** CLASS CANCELLED TODAY – Meet in Discussion Groups Instead ***

homework:

• meet in your Discussion groups either today or tomorrow to discuss your progress on your projects, seek advice, and support each other’s process. (Discussion Groups are listed in the post before this one.) Aim to meet for about 40 min to an hour, but by all means go longer if you wish!
• write a post detailing how the meeting went, what you all discussed, and what helpful ideas came from it (yes, this should be done individually)
• screen a documentary on Netflix Watch Instant that relates in some way to your topic for your project (a search will be helpful, or a run-through of the category listings could help, too). write a post detailing how the film was put together and how it portrayed your topic (i.e, use of filmic elements like sound or composition, use and presentation of interviews, how it begins and ends, etc.). also, be sure to list 3 things that you took away from the documentary that you feel will help you in your own project.

agenda

1. screening: wallyball, wholphin 3 DVD, ~3:30
2. discuss the piece screened – what do you think this is ABOUT?
3. go over consent forms and location on main site
4. activity: students push the tables together into one large super-table. each student should look through the materials they brought as well as their classmates’ in order to find words, images, concepts, etc. that you feel inspire/represent your “art of the real” project. glue pieces together to form a collage, thinking all the while about juxtaposition and composition. collages should in some way represent your feelings about/ideas for your “art of the real” project and/or your developing aesthetic in general (which should always be a consideration in your work for this class)

homework:

1. refer to video/journaling template and complete a ‘production stage’ journal entry that addresses all eight items in this section of the template.
2. conduct a video interview of a friend, peer, roommate, etc. (no more than 5 minutes) using the interview questions you prepared for today’s class. upload the footage into your video editing software and bring with you to class on Monday.
3. finish collage and bring to class on Wednesday
4. START SHOOTING!  bring, and be prepared to show, some kind of raw footage by next Wednesday’s class

photo by chris

agenda

1. In Class Writing: (5 min) Write a brief story about something you did in the past week. Consider these questions and answer them: What happened first? Was there a climactic moment, a turning point? How did it end? What kind of back info would another person need to know to understand a message or learn a lesson from it?
2. finish example screening discussion
3. discuss narrative in Babies
4. Activity: Improvisation Interview:
   1. Have students pull up their 100 questions page from day one.
   2. Ask them to choose a question from the list, write it on a piece of paper.
   3. collect all slips of paper in a ‘hat’.
   4. Choose 2 students to come to the front of the class.  One is the interviewer, and the other is the interviewee.
   5. The interviewer chooses a random question from the hat, and must proceed to interview for at least five minutes by riffing off of the interviewees responses.
   6. Students watching are to write their own follow up questions as the interview goes on.
   7. If the interviewer gets stuck, he/she may ask the class to shout out a question.
   8. After each interview ask the audience to share questions that came to their mind.

1. Group brainstorming exercise (30 minutes): Break class up into groups of 3 or 4. Each group presents and discusses their ideas about possible approaches to the video project (students should have done this as part of their homework). Each student should either (1) talk about the one idea they have decided upon, describing the goals of the project and why it is interesting to them and potentially an audience, or (2) present two or three possible ideas, explaining each possibility, soliciting questions and feedback, and seeking advice in making a final choice. In either case, group members should work to help clarify and improve the project ideas of each member.
2. screening: wallyball, wholphin 3 DVD, ~3:30
3. discuss the piece screened – what do you think this is ABOUT?

1. homework
   1. Students should review the video journaling/production template discussed earlier in the week. On their journals, they should create a ‘project pre-production’ entry that addresses any of the 14 headings in this stage that pertain to their projects. This needs to be completed by next class, as it will be used as part of a group exercise.
   2. Start a post or a page titled “Hampe Advice”.  Hampe gives numerous “warnings” or suggestions to first time documentary film makers.  Keep of log of suggestions that resonate with you.
   3. Prepare a ten-question interview centered around a topic of your choice.  You will interview a classmate with these questions in class and record it with your ISight camera, so have the questions posted on your e-journal, but also printed or written out.
   4. Bring your magazines to class on Wednesday including a pair of scissors and a glue stick (if you have one) – yes, it’s craft day