FTV - 404 Spring 2022 Sign Up Now!
About This Class: A well produced video can transform the viewer from an audience bystander to the frontlines. It can motivate, inspire and call the viewer to action. This class is about what it looks like and what it feels like to produce impactful videos in the Real World.
Nancy interviewing 5 year olds
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Nancy Interviewing DACA families fearing deportation
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Class Meeting Times & Locations:
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Instructor Contact Information:
Nancy Montoya Adjunct Lecturer Office Location: Digital Futures Studio at 811 N Euclid Telephone #: 520-621-1664 Email-Address: nancymontoya@arizona.edu Help Hours: TBA |
FTV -404 Description |
You will work with non-profit organizations in Tucson to develop short videos to highlight their people and their programs. From conception to distribution, you will be involved in making creative decisions and helping your partners at the non-profit understand how best to use media to advance their mission. This is not only a class assignment for a grade - it is also a chance to work in the real world.
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Outcomes |
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PARTIAL SYLLABUS
Readings and Screenings:
· There is no required text for this class.
· All readings and screenings will be available on D2L.
· You are expected to do the assigned readings and screenings before the class period listed and be prepared to discuss them during lecture and lab.
COVID-19 and Filming:
Maintaining your health, and the health and safety of your cast, crew and anyone else involved in the development, production and completion of your film will be an ongoing focus during the semester. Mandatory guidelines and specific protocols to maintain safety will be provided; failure to observe these guidelines may violate the UA Code of Conduct and result in disciplinary action.
Partnerships:
Filmmaking is, for the most part, an intensely collaborative effort. Much of the pleasure - and correspondingly, much of the pain - comes from working with other people. At its best, one can achieve immense satisfaction creating something through a shared experience in which everyone grows and develops. At its worst, collaboration can make a root canal seem almost pleasurable.
This class is structured around working partnerships between students, and between students and professionals in the Tucson community. A high level of professionalism in terms of communication, dress, language and presentation is expected at all times.
Feedback:
Feedback is a crucial component to the successful development of your idea, and the necessary pre-production to plan for it. This is also an important learning objective for the class - how to effectively receive (and give) feedback.
Doing so is challenging - it is very easy to identify with one's work so much that any identification of a weakness with the film can seem like a personal affront. This usually produces defensiveness, and shuts down the ability to hear the feedback and respond to it.
We will practice how to both give and receive feedback in class. Ultimately how one responds to feedback is a choice; it is a fact that being open to it, carefully listening and responding, will make your film better all around, and help you grow as a filmmaker.
Gear:
Almost all production and post-production you need for this class will be available through MARPL or the Hanson Post-Production Lab(s). However, it is strongly recommended that you buy, or can use on a regular basis, the hard-drive storage listed below. If you are unable to afford the equipment or have ready access to them, please see me ASAP. 1. A portable bus-powered hard drive to edit and store your picture and sound. PLS NOTE: Flash drives will NOT work for video editing! They are too slow to read and write to.
2. A pair of good headphones; you will need this especially for editing sound in the HPL but they will also be very useful for field recording. A standard model is the Sony MDR-7510.
Description of Course Work:
All of the work you do this semester will be organized around producing one or more short videos in collaboration with a non-profit.
· The videos will range from 30 seconds to three minutes.
· There will be a series of steps that students will need to complete as part of the videos. Depending on the specific non-profit you are working with, and the videos you create, additional steps may be needed.
· Deadlines for some steps will be the same for all students; some steps will need specific dates in relation to the video, and non-profit you are working with
1. Partner up with a classmate
2. Partner up with a non-profit
3. Research and presentation on your non-profit
4. Treatment
5. Complete all necessary pre-production steps
7. Shoot
8. Rough Cut
9. Fine Cut
10. Color Correction
11. Distribute
12. Final-Project Evaluation (between the students, the non-profits and the instructor)
Attendance:
The University believes that students are responsible for their own attendance (so do I).Given that FTV 404 uses active learning which involves regular activity during class meeting times, attendance is significant for your and your classmates' learning.
· Each class attendance is worth 5 points; the lowest three attendance scores (i.e. “0” for an absence”) will be dropped and not affect your grade.
· What this means is what you are responsible for your own attendance; you do not need to ask for permission to miss class.
· Attendance will be taken each class period through 9:05am.
· Out of fairness to your classmates, please follow the above guidelines and not ask for exceptions.
Grading is based on the following criteria:
1. Creative work that demonstrates a synthesis of technical and conceptual ideas.
2. Classroom and individual discussion that demonstrates the ability to think and speak critically and analytically about your work in relation to the larger issues laid out in the class.
3. Feedback given and received in thoughtful, respectful ways
4. Written work that demonstrates clarity of ideas explored in lecture, labs and readings.
Your course grade will be determined as follows:
· A = Excellent, 100 to 90%: Completion of the work in an outstanding manner, showing artistic merit, conceptual understanding and technical proficiency.
· B = Very Good, 89 to 80%: Completion of all projects in an above average manner in all categories, or projects that are outstanding in one category but not the other (technical proficiency, conceptual understanding and aesthetic merit).
· C = Average, 79 to 70%: Demonstrates adequate performance in completing class work.
· D = Poor, 69 to 60%: Completing work on a level measurably below average, incomplete work or not completing enough work.
· E = Failure, 59% or below: Not completing enough assignments, completing them inadequately, or both.
· All Assignments Are Due as Listed in The Schedule, No Late Work Accepted.
· All Written Assignments Must Be Typed
Course Policies - Policies are a set of guiding principles for how you (the student), we (the instructors), and the university should act in each situation. Read these policies carefully so you know what is expected of you as well as what you can expect from the course and the UA.
General
· This class provides a learner-centered environment. This means that all members of the class – instructor and students – are expected to be actively involved in the teaching/learning process by engaging with the material during class, asking and answering questions about the material and coming to class prepared.
· Although discussion is encouraged and differences of opinion are inevitable, students are expected to be respectful of their classmates' ideas. Students who are disrespectful of their classmates and/or who cannot use appropriate classroom vocabulary may be asked to leave the room.
Grading
· I am always willing to discuss grades during office hours.
· No grades will be discussed over e-mail at any time during or after the semester.
· If you wish to appeal a grade, you must hand in (within one week of receiving the grade) the assignment you wish to appeal and a typed one-page paper explaining why you believe your grade was incorrect. I will respond in writing ASAP.
Elective Name and Pronoun Usage
· Please let me know your preference.
Equipment and Facilities
· Since the Film and Television Production Program in the School of Theatre, Film and Television maintains an extensive equipment inventory that is shared by a large number of users, it is vital that a professional, cooperative spirit underlies its use. One of the learning outcomes of all production classes is to develop the proper procedures for reserving, using, and returning production equipment.
· Rules and procedures exist for all the facilities you will use this semester. Specific information about each facility will be distributed during the semester - students not following rules and procedures may have their access to equipment revoked.
· Please be aware that other students are dependent on you to use the equipment responsibly and return it when it is due. Abusing the equipment or returning it late directly and negatively affects your classmates.
Notification of Objectionable Materials or Content Warning
· Some of the screenings for this class may contain sexually graphic and/or violent subject matter. In these cases, announcements will be made before the screening. If you find the content too disturbing to watch, you may leave, and alternate screenings will be arranged.
Plagiarism
· Any form of scholastic dishonesty in this class will result, at a minimum, in a failing grade for the assignment as well as the completion of a university-administered course on academic honesty
· The maximum penalty for scholastic dishonesty in this class is expulsion from the university.
· It is your responsibility to thoroughly understand what the University of Arizona considers academic dishonesty; ignorance of these rules is not a successful defense.
Use of computers, phones, and other mobile devices
· Research has demonstrated that the use of phones and laptops for personal communication during class seriously disrupts one's learning; evidence also demonstrates that it negatively affects other students' learning.
· Your teacher's own experiences is that it also negatively affects their ability to successfully interact in class.
· If your use of personal devices negatively affects class, you will be asked one time to stop. If it persists you will be asked to leave class.
Use of Animals in Student Productions
· The Film and Television Production Program highly recommends that students who use animals in their productions follow the guidelines outlined by the American Humane Association. These guidelines are the standard in Hollywood and much of the professional film and television industry. The student should contact the American Humane Association's Film and TV Unit at www.americanhumane.org or call their animal safety hotline 800-677-3420, as well as download the AHA Guidelines for the Safe Use of Animals in Filmed Media at the website: http://www.americanhumane.org/assets/pdfs/animals/pa-film-guidelines.pdf
· If the animals play a significant role in the film, we recommend allowing an AHA representative monitor the animal's treatment on the film set (free of charge, and required, for SAG productions).
Code of Best Practices for Sustainable Filmmaking
· Students are encouraged to review this link to learn ways to adopt pro-environmental practices in their own productions. http://www.centerforsocialmedia.org/resources/publications/greenfilm/
University Policies
Absences
Absences with prior approval by the UA Dean of Students (or dean's designee) will be honored. Please read the university's attendance policy.
Accommodations and DRC Contact Information
Our goal in this classroom is that learning experiences be as accessible as possible. If you anticipate or experience physical or academic barriers based on disability, please let me know immediately so that we can discuss options. You are also welcome to contact the Disability Resource Center (520-621-3268) to establish reasonable accommodations. For additional information on the Disability Resource Center and reasonable accommodations, visit the DRC website.
Administrative Drops Please refer to the UA's policy concerning Class Attendance, Participation, and Administrative Drops.
Code of Academic Integrity
Students are encouraged to share intellectual views and discuss freely the principles and applications of course materials. However, graded work/exercises must be the product of independent effort unless otherwise instructed. Students are expected to adhere to the UA Code of Academic Integrity as described in the UA General Catalog.
Student actions and behaviors at the University of Arizona are governed by the Codes of Student Conduct and Academic Integrity; these can be found at: http://deanofstudents.arizona.edu/codeofacademicintegrity http://deanofstudents.arizona.edu/studentcodeofconduct
The University of Arizona prohibits any cheating, fabrication, facilitating academic dishonesty, and plagiarism as set out and defined in the Student Code of Conduct, ABOR Policy 5-308-E.10, and F.1
Any form of scholastic dishonesty in this class will result, at a minimum, in a failing grade for the assignment as well as the completion of a university-administered course on academic honesty; the maximum penalty for scholastic dishonesty is expulsion from the university. It is your responsibility to thoroughly understand what the University of Arizona considers academic dishonesty; ignorance of these rules is not a successful defense.
Incompletes (I) and Withdrawals (W)
Requests to complete this course in a future semester or to withdraw from this course must be made in accordance with University policies. To read the policies, click these links: Incomplete policy Withdrawal policy
Nondiscrimination and Anti-harassment
The University is committed to creating and maintaining an environment free of discrimination; please read the university's Nondiscrimination and Anti-harassment policy.
Religious Holidays
Absences for any seriously held religious belief, observation, or practice will be accommodated where reasonable. Refer to the university's Religious Accommodation Policy.
Threatening Behavior The UA Threatening Behavior by Students Policy, prohibits threats of physical harm to any member of the University community, including to oneself.
· There is no required text for this class.
· All readings and screenings will be available on D2L.
· You are expected to do the assigned readings and screenings before the class period listed and be prepared to discuss them during lecture and lab.
COVID-19 and Filming:
Maintaining your health, and the health and safety of your cast, crew and anyone else involved in the development, production and completion of your film will be an ongoing focus during the semester. Mandatory guidelines and specific protocols to maintain safety will be provided; failure to observe these guidelines may violate the UA Code of Conduct and result in disciplinary action.
Partnerships:
Filmmaking is, for the most part, an intensely collaborative effort. Much of the pleasure - and correspondingly, much of the pain - comes from working with other people. At its best, one can achieve immense satisfaction creating something through a shared experience in which everyone grows and develops. At its worst, collaboration can make a root canal seem almost pleasurable.
This class is structured around working partnerships between students, and between students and professionals in the Tucson community. A high level of professionalism in terms of communication, dress, language and presentation is expected at all times.
Feedback:
Feedback is a crucial component to the successful development of your idea, and the necessary pre-production to plan for it. This is also an important learning objective for the class - how to effectively receive (and give) feedback.
Doing so is challenging - it is very easy to identify with one's work so much that any identification of a weakness with the film can seem like a personal affront. This usually produces defensiveness, and shuts down the ability to hear the feedback and respond to it.
We will practice how to both give and receive feedback in class. Ultimately how one responds to feedback is a choice; it is a fact that being open to it, carefully listening and responding, will make your film better all around, and help you grow as a filmmaker.
Gear:
Almost all production and post-production you need for this class will be available through MARPL or the Hanson Post-Production Lab(s). However, it is strongly recommended that you buy, or can use on a regular basis, the hard-drive storage listed below. If you are unable to afford the equipment or have ready access to them, please see me ASAP. 1. A portable bus-powered hard drive to edit and store your picture and sound. PLS NOTE: Flash drives will NOT work for video editing! They are too slow to read and write to.
2. A pair of good headphones; you will need this especially for editing sound in the HPL but they will also be very useful for field recording. A standard model is the Sony MDR-7510.
Description of Course Work:
All of the work you do this semester will be organized around producing one or more short videos in collaboration with a non-profit.
· The videos will range from 30 seconds to three minutes.
· There will be a series of steps that students will need to complete as part of the videos. Depending on the specific non-profit you are working with, and the videos you create, additional steps may be needed.
· Deadlines for some steps will be the same for all students; some steps will need specific dates in relation to the video, and non-profit you are working with
1. Partner up with a classmate
2. Partner up with a non-profit
3. Research and presentation on your non-profit
4. Treatment
5. Complete all necessary pre-production steps
- a. Safety Plan
- b. Budget
- c. Secure crew
- d. Secure location(s)
- e. Develop shooting plan
- f. Schedule production
7. Shoot
8. Rough Cut
9. Fine Cut
10. Color Correction
11. Distribute
12. Final-Project Evaluation (between the students, the non-profits and the instructor)
Attendance:
The University believes that students are responsible for their own attendance (so do I).Given that FTV 404 uses active learning which involves regular activity during class meeting times, attendance is significant for your and your classmates' learning.
· Each class attendance is worth 5 points; the lowest three attendance scores (i.e. “0” for an absence”) will be dropped and not affect your grade.
· What this means is what you are responsible for your own attendance; you do not need to ask for permission to miss class.
· Attendance will be taken each class period through 9:05am.
· Out of fairness to your classmates, please follow the above guidelines and not ask for exceptions.
Grading is based on the following criteria:
1. Creative work that demonstrates a synthesis of technical and conceptual ideas.
2. Classroom and individual discussion that demonstrates the ability to think and speak critically and analytically about your work in relation to the larger issues laid out in the class.
3. Feedback given and received in thoughtful, respectful ways
4. Written work that demonstrates clarity of ideas explored in lecture, labs and readings.
Your course grade will be determined as follows:
· A = Excellent, 100 to 90%: Completion of the work in an outstanding manner, showing artistic merit, conceptual understanding and technical proficiency.
· B = Very Good, 89 to 80%: Completion of all projects in an above average manner in all categories, or projects that are outstanding in one category but not the other (technical proficiency, conceptual understanding and aesthetic merit).
· C = Average, 79 to 70%: Demonstrates adequate performance in completing class work.
· D = Poor, 69 to 60%: Completing work on a level measurably below average, incomplete work or not completing enough work.
· E = Failure, 59% or below: Not completing enough assignments, completing them inadequately, or both.
· All Assignments Are Due as Listed in The Schedule, No Late Work Accepted.
· All Written Assignments Must Be Typed
Course Policies - Policies are a set of guiding principles for how you (the student), we (the instructors), and the university should act in each situation. Read these policies carefully so you know what is expected of you as well as what you can expect from the course and the UA.
General
· This class provides a learner-centered environment. This means that all members of the class – instructor and students – are expected to be actively involved in the teaching/learning process by engaging with the material during class, asking and answering questions about the material and coming to class prepared.
· Although discussion is encouraged and differences of opinion are inevitable, students are expected to be respectful of their classmates' ideas. Students who are disrespectful of their classmates and/or who cannot use appropriate classroom vocabulary may be asked to leave the room.
Grading
· I am always willing to discuss grades during office hours.
· No grades will be discussed over e-mail at any time during or after the semester.
· If you wish to appeal a grade, you must hand in (within one week of receiving the grade) the assignment you wish to appeal and a typed one-page paper explaining why you believe your grade was incorrect. I will respond in writing ASAP.
Elective Name and Pronoun Usage
· Please let me know your preference.
Equipment and Facilities
· Since the Film and Television Production Program in the School of Theatre, Film and Television maintains an extensive equipment inventory that is shared by a large number of users, it is vital that a professional, cooperative spirit underlies its use. One of the learning outcomes of all production classes is to develop the proper procedures for reserving, using, and returning production equipment.
· Rules and procedures exist for all the facilities you will use this semester. Specific information about each facility will be distributed during the semester - students not following rules and procedures may have their access to equipment revoked.
· Please be aware that other students are dependent on you to use the equipment responsibly and return it when it is due. Abusing the equipment or returning it late directly and negatively affects your classmates.
Notification of Objectionable Materials or Content Warning
· Some of the screenings for this class may contain sexually graphic and/or violent subject matter. In these cases, announcements will be made before the screening. If you find the content too disturbing to watch, you may leave, and alternate screenings will be arranged.
Plagiarism
· Any form of scholastic dishonesty in this class will result, at a minimum, in a failing grade for the assignment as well as the completion of a university-administered course on academic honesty
· The maximum penalty for scholastic dishonesty in this class is expulsion from the university.
· It is your responsibility to thoroughly understand what the University of Arizona considers academic dishonesty; ignorance of these rules is not a successful defense.
Use of computers, phones, and other mobile devices
· Research has demonstrated that the use of phones and laptops for personal communication during class seriously disrupts one's learning; evidence also demonstrates that it negatively affects other students' learning.
· Your teacher's own experiences is that it also negatively affects their ability to successfully interact in class.
· If your use of personal devices negatively affects class, you will be asked one time to stop. If it persists you will be asked to leave class.
Use of Animals in Student Productions
· The Film and Television Production Program highly recommends that students who use animals in their productions follow the guidelines outlined by the American Humane Association. These guidelines are the standard in Hollywood and much of the professional film and television industry. The student should contact the American Humane Association's Film and TV Unit at www.americanhumane.org or call their animal safety hotline 800-677-3420, as well as download the AHA Guidelines for the Safe Use of Animals in Filmed Media at the website: http://www.americanhumane.org/assets/pdfs/animals/pa-film-guidelines.pdf
· If the animals play a significant role in the film, we recommend allowing an AHA representative monitor the animal's treatment on the film set (free of charge, and required, for SAG productions).
Code of Best Practices for Sustainable Filmmaking
· Students are encouraged to review this link to learn ways to adopt pro-environmental practices in their own productions. http://www.centerforsocialmedia.org/resources/publications/greenfilm/
University Policies
Absences
Absences with prior approval by the UA Dean of Students (or dean's designee) will be honored. Please read the university's attendance policy.
Accommodations and DRC Contact Information
Our goal in this classroom is that learning experiences be as accessible as possible. If you anticipate or experience physical or academic barriers based on disability, please let me know immediately so that we can discuss options. You are also welcome to contact the Disability Resource Center (520-621-3268) to establish reasonable accommodations. For additional information on the Disability Resource Center and reasonable accommodations, visit the DRC website.
Administrative Drops Please refer to the UA's policy concerning Class Attendance, Participation, and Administrative Drops.
Code of Academic Integrity
Students are encouraged to share intellectual views and discuss freely the principles and applications of course materials. However, graded work/exercises must be the product of independent effort unless otherwise instructed. Students are expected to adhere to the UA Code of Academic Integrity as described in the UA General Catalog.
Student actions and behaviors at the University of Arizona are governed by the Codes of Student Conduct and Academic Integrity; these can be found at: http://deanofstudents.arizona.edu/codeofacademicintegrity http://deanofstudents.arizona.edu/studentcodeofconduct
The University of Arizona prohibits any cheating, fabrication, facilitating academic dishonesty, and plagiarism as set out and defined in the Student Code of Conduct, ABOR Policy 5-308-E.10, and F.1
Any form of scholastic dishonesty in this class will result, at a minimum, in a failing grade for the assignment as well as the completion of a university-administered course on academic honesty; the maximum penalty for scholastic dishonesty is expulsion from the university. It is your responsibility to thoroughly understand what the University of Arizona considers academic dishonesty; ignorance of these rules is not a successful defense.
Incompletes (I) and Withdrawals (W)
Requests to complete this course in a future semester or to withdraw from this course must be made in accordance with University policies. To read the policies, click these links: Incomplete policy Withdrawal policy
Nondiscrimination and Anti-harassment
The University is committed to creating and maintaining an environment free of discrimination; please read the university's Nondiscrimination and Anti-harassment policy.
Religious Holidays
Absences for any seriously held religious belief, observation, or practice will be accommodated where reasonable. Refer to the university's Religious Accommodation Policy.
Threatening Behavior The UA Threatening Behavior by Students Policy, prohibits threats of physical harm to any member of the University community, including to oneself.