COM 473: Advanced Web Audio & Video Production

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fall 2016

// instructor information //

Dr. Steven Hammer
301 Bronstein Hall
shammer@sju.edu
office hours: monday 2:30-4pm, tuesday 1-3pm
for appointments: hammer.youcanbook.me

// course information && policies //

Learning Objectives
In this course, students will:

Course Description
In this course, students will build on previous knowledge and experience working with audio and video, using professional equipment and editing tools to construct a series of creative projects. Course topics and readings will include genre theory, film theory, and sound studies. Students will learn to use professional hardware (cameras, audio recorders, microphones, lighting, etc.) and software (Adobe Premiere Pro and Adobe Audition) to prepare them for professional media production situations. Students should expect to do both individual and collaborative work in this class. Major course projects will include music videos and sound design for digital video. Some previous experience with audio and video editing, though not required, is highly recommended.

Academic Honesty:
Please familiarize yourself with the University’s Academic Honesty Policy.

Accessibility and Disability Support:

If you have any concerns as we begin–or throughout–the semester in regard to the accessibility of course materials or presentation, please contact me as soon as possible.

In accordance with state and federal laws, the University will make reasonable accommodations for students with documented disabilities. For those who have or think that you may have a disability requiring an accommodation (learning, physical, psychological) should contact Services for Students with Disabilities, Room G10, Bellarmine, 610-660-1774 (voice) or 610-660-1620 (TTY) as early as possible in the semester for additional information and so that an accommodation, if appropriate, can be made in a timely manner. You will be required to provide current (within 3 years) documentation of the disability.

For a more detailed explanation of the University’s accommodation process, as well as the programs and services offered to students with disabilities, please see the Student Resources Page. If you have any difficulty accessing the information on-line, please contact Services for Students with Disabilities at the telephone numbers above.

Attendance:
Attendance (being in class, on time) and participation (engaging with us while you’re in class) are vital to your success in this course. You are allowed one for the semester without penalty, so use it wisely. If you miss two weeks, your final grade will be lowered by 10%. If you miss three weeks, you will not pass the course. If you do miss class, you are responsible for the content you’ve missed (please don’t email to ask me if we did anything in class on the day you missed). If you miss days in which your group requires you, your grade for that project will likely suffer.

Revision
Revision, in most cases, is vital to both producing quality work and engaging in the process of learning new practices. Expect to revise your work, and know that I am nearly always open to considering multiple drafts of a project prior to assigning your final grade.

Trigger/Content Warning: A Note on Explicit Course Materials
Because we will be studying a wide range of music videos, film, and other forms of audiovisual expression, we will invariably encounter materials that contain explicit and potentially triggering content. I will assign and ask that we discuss works that address and/or contain strong language, violence, sexual content, racial and gender inequity, and other representations that may challenge or trigger you. Above all, know that I welcome you to discuss with me any concerns that you encounter, either in class or one-on-one. If you need to leave class due to any material, you will not be penalized. I do ask, however, that you contact me so that you are able to receive the benefits of our discussion. Simultaneously, be mindful of your colleagues’ potential experiences and identities when we engage with challenging material. I will do my best to create a space in which all voices are heard and respected. I expect that you will also work toward this, especially in cases of disagreement or discomfort.

// required materials //

// course requirements //

Sound Design for Video: 40% of final grade

Your first major project involves creatively redesigning the sound for a film scene. I will provide you with a video file with no audio, and your job will be to draw from our readings and discussions to reimagine the scene through sound design. You will compose three major types of sound: dialogue, sound effects, and music. 80% or more of your sounds must be original, while 20% or less may be sampled from existing media. You are also required to employ noise in your composition, as defined in class materials and discussion. You will submit your project with a 1000-word artist statement that articulates, in detail, your vision for the scene, artistic influences, how your choices achieved (or failed to achieve) your vision, how you strategically employed noise, and (most importantly) how your project evolved over time, including revisions you made based on peer and instructor feedback. Go HERE to view the full assignment description and grading rubric.

Music Video Critical Analysis: 10% of final grade

You will write a 2000-word critical essay that analyzes a music video of your choice. Your primary task here is to use course readings and discussions as a model for analysis & critique of a music video. You will address several aspects of your chosen video, including: genre, format, narrative, cinematography, sound design, quality, color, text, social/cultural/historical context, position in music video tradition, etc. Go HERE to view the full assignment description and grading rubric.

Music Video: 50% of final grade

Your second major project involves writing, shooting, editing, and publishing a digital music video. You may choose any song (including contacting artists/bands and working with them–this is encouraged but not required) and any style, provided you show that you are aware of your influences, how your work exists in a creative tradition, and shows attention to audience and purpose. You will submit your project with a 1000-word artist statement that articulates, in detail, your vision for the video, artistic influences, how your choices achieved (or failed to achieve) your vision, how you strategically employed noise, and (most importantly) how your project evolved over time, including revisions you made based on peer and instructor feedback. Go HERE to view the full assignment description and grading rubric.

our schedule (is tentative)

PART ONE. COMPOSING WITH SOUND

Week 1  8/31
<Introduction to field recording and basic audio editing.
<Web resources for sampling. Copyright, copyleft, and fair use.
<Microphones, Portable Recorders, Audacity, Bronstein Voice Studio.
<Make: 30-second PSA with sound effects, voice-over, music.

Week 2  9/7
>Read: Introduction to Adobe Audition: Complete all three steps on linked page.
Recording Ambience in the Field

<Advanced audio editing in Adobe Audition.
<Working with voices.
<Make: 30-second interview with vocals, music.

Week 3  9/14
>Read: Film Sound Cliches, Stretching Sound…, Apocalypse Now REDUX
>Watch: Murch’s Worldizing, Apocalypse Now REDUX (feature film)

<Sound for film: theory, narrative, dialogue, workflow. Foley recording.

Week 4 9/21
>Read: Cage (pages 1-12), Glitch Studies Manifesto, There are no bad deeds…., Designing Silence (watch accompanying video), WritingDirt/TeachingNoise
>Listen: Rectum
>Watch: The Conversation

<Noise and Silence.
<Select scenes for project one.
<Work on project one.

Week 5 9/28
<Revise + Resubmit. Bring rubrics and completed project drafts for critique.
PROJECT 1 REVISIONS DUE BY 11:00PM ON 10/4

Week 6 10/5
<Project One Screenings
<Project Two Introduction

 

PART TWO. MUSIC VIDEOS: HISTORICAL FRAMEWORKS & CLOSE READINGS

Week 7 10/12

>Read: Unruly Media: Introduction, Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3
>Watch: videos mentioned in text.
>Bring: A Post-Classical Scene from a film not mentioned in the text.

<Post-Classical Cinema: Hystories, Genealogies, and Manifestations.

Week 8 10/19
>Read: Unruly Media: Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 9, Chapter 10
>Watch: videos mentioned in text.

<YouTube Aesthetics: Extending and Converging with the Music Video
<Choose your video for assignment number two, begin analysis.

Week 9 10/26
<Revise + Resubmit. Bring rubrics and completed projects for critique.
PROJECT 2 REVISIONS DUE BY 11:00PM ON 10/30

 

PART THREE. MUSIC VIDEO PRODUCTION

Week 10 11/2
>Read: Yale Film Analysis Guide, Storyboarding
>Watch: Eyes Wide Shut

<Film Vocabularies, Analysis
<Form production teams, select music, storyboard drafting (storyboard templates available free here), schedule shoots and editing time.

Week 11 11/9
>Read: Camera User Manual, Intro to Lighting, Drone Shots
>Watch: Intro to DSLR Filmmaking

<Our hardware: cameras, microphones, lighting, et al.
<Drones
<Finish storyboarding in teams. Finalize schedules, bring footage next week.

Week 12 11/16
>Read: Premiere Pro Beginner Tutorials (complete 1-3)

<Our softwares & platforms: Premiere Pro (beyond the basics), Korsakow, YouTube, Vimeo
<Editing, coloring, text, etc.
<Edit in teams.

Week 13 11/23
[Thanksgiving Break, no class.]
<Shoots are finished this week; continue editing

Week 14 11/30
<Editing week.

Week 15 12/7
<Revise + Resubmit. Bring rubrics and completed projects for critique.

Final Exam
<Final Project Screening. Time/location TBA.