Film and Digital Media Elective Courses
Elective Courses Summer 2020
Prose into Pictures: Adapting narrative into scripts: Teresa Steppe June 6 - June 27; 4 weeks; 4hrs; Saturdays: 10:00am-2:00pm From prose to pictures. Circumstances often call upon writers to script material not their own. In adapting narratives for the screen, writers must decide what to say and what to show and what to ignore completely. Sometimes these decisions are based on criteria determined by clients. Sometimes, not. Either way, the script must be made visual. One proof of a successful adaptation: it guides the crew on set. In this class, students will examine and discuss adaptations of prose pieces into scripted scenes. They will create adapted scenes of their own based on their own decisions and on the decisions of others. They will then create a working split script and/or storyboard ready for further breakdown. https://ace3.clayton.edu/wconnect/CourseStatus.awp?&course=204OLFM407A
Listen to My Words: The art of voice recording: David Bergen June 1 - July 20; 7 weeks; 3hrs; Mondays: 6:30pm-9:30pm Voice recording involves more than simply capturing sound. Mic selection and placement, capture software, equalization and sweetening, background noise reduction, and proper ambience all assist in creating an attention grabbing voice-over recording. Using subscription-based software and freeware, students will delve more deeply into the artistry of vocal recording. This course naturally feeds into skills already acquired by Voice Over Fundamentals and Intermediate Voice Over students. However, film editors and videographers who use voice over, off stage voices, wild-line recordings, and/or ADR will gain tips and techniques that aid their productions as well. https://ace3.clayton.edu/wconnect/CourseStatus.awp?&course=204OLFM410A
The Art of Sound: David Bergen June 3 - July 22; 7 weeks; 3 hrs; Wednesdays: 6:30pm-9:30pm We don’t notice it until it’s bad. What are they saying? I can see their lips are moving. And that back-ground noise! A poorly designed and balanced soundtrack can ruin an afternoon at the movies. A well-executed sound track enhances our viewing pleasure and understanding of a film. Striking the right balance of voice to sound effects to music takes time and patience. Finding just the right “boing” keeps springs springy. The right music cue can send shivers down the spine or create an “ahhh” moment. And timing… timing is everything. This course focuses on sound editing beyond the syncing of voices to picture. Using Premiere Pro students will craft a soundtrack using available visual and sound materials, focusing on selecting, timing, balancing, and equalizing to their purpose. https://ace3.clayton.edu/wconnect/CourseStatus.awp?&course=204OLFM400A
Blockbusters: A short history: David Bergen June 2 - July 21; 7 weeks; 3 hrs; Tuesdays: 1:00pm-4:00pm What makes a film a blockbuster? When and where did the term arise? This course guides students through the different developmental periods of both blockbuster films and blockbuster film makers. Is today’s Spielberg the Spielberg of Jaws? How does Spielberg’s Jaws differ from his West Side Story? Is it technology? Is it part of a cultural shift? Is it something more personal? The course will survey films by Spielberg, Lucas, Nolan, and more. Students will submit reaction papers as a basis of class discussion. https://ace3.clayton.edu/wconnect/CourseStatus.awp?&course=204OLFM600A
Cameras and Lenses: (TBD) June 6 - June 27; 4 classes; 4hrs; Saturdays: 10:00am-2:00pm They told us “going digital” would make our lives easier. Perhaps. But such simplicity also reduced our choices. Initially. Today’s digital film and video cameras come in a variety of configurations with a multiplicity of sensor arrays, lenses, and exposure options. We’re back to the same quandaries: what lens do I use, at what ISO, for which aperture setting to achieve the “look” I want given the camera I have or might soon buy? What does a codec have to do with any of this? And don’t start on focal length! This course helps clear up the confusion by answering some of the whats and hows of digital film and video photography. Students will evaluate and practice with cameras provided, but are very welcome to bring their own. https://ace3.clayton.edu/wconnect/CourseStatus.awp?&course=204OLFM421A
Upholstery 1 June 6 - June 27; 4 weeks; 3 hrs; Saturdays: 9:00am-12:00pm Upholstery 1 is a four (4) week program that will give you the basic concept of how to upholster projects. You will upholster 4 projects; 2 basic chairs, ottoman, bookcase and bar. You are responsible for having these projects on the first day of class. You are responsible for purchasing the necessary materials to complete your projects. Bring these items on your first day of class: tool box, electric staple gun, with staples, hammer, mallet, flat head screw driver, Philip head screw driver, tape measure, tack hammers, scissors, sewing needles, small nails, fabric tacks, plyers, glue gun, glue sticks, butter knife, emergency first aid kit, and 3 ring binder. Material for 2 chairs, ottoman, bookcase and bar. All projects will be presented on the last class. Dates will be given on first day of class with the thrift store and flea market shopping events. https://ace3.clayton.edu/wconnect/CourseStatus.awp?&course=204OLFM515A
Improv For Teens: Ages 16-18: Philip Spratt June 3 - June 24; 4 weeks; 3 hrs; Wednesdays: 10:00am-1:00pm https://ace3.clayton.edu/wconnect/CourseStatus.awp?&course=204OLFM700A July 8 - July 29; 4 weeks; 3 hrs; Wednesdays: 10:00am-1:00pm https://ace3.clayton.edu/wconnect/CourseStatus.awp?&course=211OLFM700A The Meisner Method prepares young actors to focus on character development through their understanding of characters’ wants and needs. By defining and identifying characters, young actors come to empathize with how and why characters make the choices they do and what will move the story forward. Combining Meisner training with improvisation gets rid of the memorization of long passages and allows young actors to focus on their character’s motivations and the motives of the characters around them. Young actors will work through a series of excises that enhance their comfort with improvisation, with spontaneously accessing emotion, and with developing personal responses to a scripted character. After 4-weeks of concentrated practice, students cap their experience with a public performance for friends and family.
Acting For Film: Shirley Norman June 2 - June 25; 4 weeks; 6 hrs; Tuesdays & Thursdays: 6:30pm-9:30pm https://ace3.clayton.edu/wconnect/CourseStatus.awp?&course=204OLFM725 July 6 - July 30; 4 weeks; 6 hrs; Mondays & Thursdays: 6:30pm-9:30pm https://ace3.clayton.edu/wconnect/CourseStatus.awp?&course=211OLFM725 This course will be an intricate study (theoretical and practicum) of the fundamentals of screen or “on-camera” acting techniques. The course will highlight and build upon theatre acting fundamentals that will allow students to discover and implement the various techniques involved in on-camera performance. Through voice/speech/movement exercises, on-camera assignments, constructive detailed notes and discourse, and analyzation of on-camera performances, students will gain the essential, foundational on-camera acting tools and techniques necessary to begin or continue their journey as professional actors.
Screenwriting: Teresa Steppe June 1 - June 24; 4 weeks; 6 hrs; Mondays and Wednesdays: 1:00pm-4:00pm https://ace3.clayton.edu/wconnect/CourseStatus.awp?&course=204OLFM530A July 7 - July 30; 4 weeks; 6 hrs; Tuesdays and Thursdays: 1:00pm-4:00pm https://ace3.clayton.edu/wconnect/CourseStatus.awp?&course=211OLFM530A This course will provide students with a working knowledge of the screenwriter’s craft by introducing students to the three dynamics of a good screen or teleplay: character, dialog, and action. Classroom discussions will focus on examples of each from published scripts and already released films. In addition, students will participate in practical in-class exercises that focus not only on story creation but also on formatting and grammar. Student submissions will culminate in a final project: either a completed script for a short film or a substantive excerpt for a feature.
The Art of the Interview: Brent Lambert-Zaffino July 11 - August 1; 4 weeks; 4 hrs; Saturdays: 9:00am-1:00pm Interviews are everywhere, and not just in the news. We see them in documentaries, reality TV, social media, commercials, and on corporate websites. But just because they are everywhere does not mean that they are easy to do. Interviewing is not as simple as asking questions. It also involves a great deal of physical preparation: camera and light selection. The goal of this seminar is to show students how to prep and conduct interviews on a variety of topics and in a variety of situations, culminating in the presentation and evaluation of student to student interviews. https://ace3.clayton.edu/wconnect/CourseStatus.awp?&course=211OLFM406A
Investigating a Situation: Shirley Norman July 8 - July 29; 4 weeks; 3 hrs; Wednesdays: 1:00pm-4:00pm Things happen. Things that excite, amuse, annoy, provoke. How do writers translate that emotional goading into a filmic experience equally compelling to others? Is it the action? The voice over? The seeming concern of the narrator? The overwhelming nature of the event itself? And in writing that event, what constitutes proof? What is just enough information v. too much v not enough? Students will examine PSAs, news stories, and short documentaries to determine what makes for a dynamic analysis of a situation that motivates its audience to act. Students will then craft a series of PSAs or a short documentary on a situation personally relevant that calls its audience to action. https://ace3.clayton.edu/wconnect/CourseStatus.awp?&course=211OLFM402A
Lighting for Film and Video: (TBD) July 11 - August 1; 4 weeks; 4 hrs; Saturdays: 10:00am-2:00pm In film, stories get told 3 times: on the page, on the screen, in the edit room. This course focuses on lighting as means of not only shaping objects but of story itself. Light can be hard, specular, and direct; it can be soft and diffused. And light has color, inherent color, not tinted or gelled. How do these qualities effect the affect of a scene or a film? Students will study and practice the lighting setups expected by audiences of comedies and dramas and documentaries (etc.) not just to understand how to quickly create the “proper” lighting, but also to understand how to play with audience expectations to craft a visual story not quite as expected. Register for the Course
Upholstery 2 July 11 - August 1; 4 weeks; 3 hrs; Saturdays: 9:00am-12:00pm Upholstery 2 is a four (4) week program that will give you the basic concept of how to upholster projects. You will upholster 5 projects; 2 basic chairs, ottoman, hall tree with storage, bed tray and night stand with nail heads. You are responsible for having these projects on the first day of class. You are responsible for purchasing the necessary materials to complete your projects. Bring these items on your first day of class: tool box, electric staple gun, with staples, hammer, mallet, flat head screw driver, Philip head screw driver, tape measure, tack hammers, scissors, sewing needles, small nails, fabric tacks, plyers, glue gun, glue sticks, butter knife, emergency first aid kit, and a 3-ring binder. Material for 2 chairs, ottoman, bookcase and bar. All projects will be presented on the last class. Dates will be given on first day of class with the thrift store and flea market shopping events Register for the course