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547 Fall 2017 Syllabus
CTPR 547 PRODUCTION III
DOCUMENTARY SYLLABUS & CALENDAR
FALL 2017
class code 18790D
Faculty:
Directing— Amanda Pope
310-397-0425; c310-344-3644
Producing — Lisa Leeman
310-365-7176
Cinematography — James O’Keeffe
626-695-8631
Editing — Thomas G. Miller
310-663-9874
Editing Lab – Paul Petschek
818-674-2264
Sound — Richard Burton
402-470-7990
Graduate Assistants:
Directing/Editing – Mary Gerretsen
323-492-2168
Camera — Sohil Vaidya
213-509-3720
Sound — Jingjue Zhou
213-705-7268
Assistant Sound — Eric Han
951-870-3711
Meeting times:
Sections as per Schedule of Classes at https://classes.usc.edu/term-20173/ under CTPR 547L
Lecture#18790D (everyone) /
10:00-12:50am /
Monday /
SCA112
9:00-11:50am / Wednesday / SCB B115
Editing Lab #18786D / 7:00-10:00pm / Wednesday / SCA B134
Editing #18786D / 7:00-10:00pm / Monday / SCA 363
Cinematography #18785 / 1:00-3:50pm / Wednesday / RZC Stage D
Sound #18788 / 1:00-3:50pm / Wednesday / SCA B130
Directing #18789 / 1:00-3:50pm / Wednesday / SCA 435/406
Producing #18784 / 1:00-3:50pm / Wednesday / SCA259
Textbooks:
Recommended but not required
Clearance and Copyright, 4th Edition: Everything You Need to Know for Film and Television, Michael C. Donaldson and Lisa A. Callif, , Silman-James Press, 2014, ISBN-10 1935247123.
Directing the Documentary, Michael Rabiger, 6th edition, Focal Press, 2009
The Film Editing Room Handbook: How to Tame the Chaos of the Editing Room, Norman Hollyn, 4th Edition, Peachpit Press/Pearson. ISBN 13: 978-0321679529
Sound for Digital Video, Tomlinson Holman, Focal Press, 2nd edition, 2005, ISBN 0-240-80720-0
DOCUMENTARY PROJECTS:
Adulting (AD)
explores the question of whether millennials can be held to the
same timelines and expectations as their parents and previous
generations.
Rise and Shine (RS)
Through observing intimate breakfast scenes of several cultures,
this film explores traditional and changing gender dynamics in the
kitchen.
Tommy Trojan (TT)
exposes the passionate, hard-working and dedicated personalities
comprising The Spirit of Troy, aka the Trojan Marching Band.
Crew lists to be distributed at the first class.
“A camera is a tool for learning how to see without a camera.”
Dorothea Lange
Week 1 COME TO CLASS HAVING READ & are familiar with THE SAFETY RULES, Student Prod. Handbook & the 547 F’17 GUIDELINES which include Information about University Support Systems & Students with Disabilities.
Wed. Aug. 23 Class orientation: directors introduce crews & present their films. Discuss class policies, safety, guidelines and production schedule. Review crew roles and dynamics, cooperation, and support. Discuss film test — shoot material sufficient to create a sequence (30 minutes of footage) — in terms of content, variety of coverage and usable cutaways.
Directors’ Tutorial — Explore basic approach to a Documentary: sources of creativity, choice in determining structure; film as a microcosm of life; film test – director’s opportunity to test her/his interviewing skills, the appeal of prospective subjects, rapport with crew.
Fri. Aug. 25 SOUND CREW ONLY
Equipment checkout for production recording
1-4 pm
Weekend Shoot film test – 28 minutes
Week 2
Mon. Aug. 28 Guest screening: “Kusama: Queen of Polka Dots”, Heather
Lenz
Wed. Aug. 30 VIEW TEST DAILIES - (AD,RS,TT)
1:30-3 pm CLINIC: Entire class together exploring how to cover a scene and answering creative and technical questions that came up during test shoot.
3-4 pm meet in separate sections.
Weekend PRINCIPAL PHOTOGRAPHY #1 (1.5 hours of dailies, max)
Week 3
Mon. Sept. 4 LABOR DAY—NO CLASS
Wed. Sept. 6 VIEW DAILIES #1 (RS,TT,AD)
(25 min. of unedited selected dailies).
Editors show cut sequences from test footage.
Sound/editing S.A.s need dailies/cuts at 8:30 am at the latest to cue them up and test them so there are no disasters in class.
BAG LUNCH #1 –crew & faculty
Directors’ Tutorial – discuss shooting weekends. Explore how to cover a scene in terms of content & technique. Creative choice, casting your documentary subjects, choosing situations to film them in. What discoveries did you make about yourself, your crew, your subjects, the conceptual direction of the project? Review the structure/approach and content of your project and your production schedule.
Weekend PRINCIPAL PHOTOGRAPHY #2
Week 4
Mon. Sept. 11 Guest screening
Wed. Sept. 13 VIEW DAILIES #2 (TT,AD,RS)
BAG LUNCH #2 –crew & faculty
Directors’ Tutorial – Communication with your subjects – possibilities and problems; review content essential to each film. Is it evident in the dailies? Discuss style - director as a player or behind-the-scenes – implications of each choice
Weekend PRINCIPAL PHOTOGRAPHY #3
Week 5
Mon. Sept. 18 Guest screening
Wed. Sept. 20 View Dailies #3 (AD,RS,TT)
Explore relationship of style and camera coverage to conceptual and character issues of projects: sync and cutaways, the close-up and wide shot, choice of settings.
BAG LUNCH #3 – crew & faculty
Directors’ Tutorial – Dealing with failure and disappointment in the dailies, analyzing mistakes, making changes, technical problems, problems with subjects, self-consciousness, limited access.
Weekend PRINCIPAL PHOTOGRAPHY #4
Week 6
Mon. Sept. 25 Guest Screening
Wed. Sept. 27 VIEW DAILIES #4 (RS,TT,AD)
Assign directors interim outline:
1) to meet with editors & review material that has been shown.
2) review the transcripts of all material shot
3) determine the material that will go into video from what has been shot.
4) write a step outline of film listing scenes in order of their appearance. Indicate what has been shot, what needs to be shot.
5) prepare for next class a progress assessment of the film.
What is the present focus for your film? The theme? The
audience?
Directors’ Tutorial – Discuss issue of commitment to a concept/approach, commitment in shooting style; emotional thruline; program’s unique set of visual symbols.
Weekend PRINCIPAL PHOTOGRAPHY #5
Week 7
Mon. Oct. 2 Guest Screening
Wed. Oct. 4 VIEW DAILIES #5 (TT,AD,RS)
VIEW CUT SCENES
Directors present Interim Critiques to the class.
Discussion. Does class & faculty agree with director’s assessment of subjects, progress, strengths/weakness of each project?
COMPOSER SELECTION STARTS
Directors’ Tutorial – Continue discussion of interim critique; monitor remaining pick-up plan; structure; what is beginning, middle and end of the story? A time to go back and look at the creative underpinnings of project. Why are you doing this film?
Weekend No shooting
Week 8
Mon. Oct. 9 Guest screening
Wed. Oct. 11 VIEW ASSEMBLY (AD,RS,TT)
SELECT COMPOSER, SIGNED CONTRACT DUE
Director’s Tutorial – re-examining the Assembly
Weekend No shooting
Week 9
Mon. Oct. 16 Guest Screening
Wed. Oct. 18 FIRST CUT --(RS,TT,AD)
GUEST CRITICS
What is missing? Voice-over versus sync as means of telling the story. Use of music to delineate character.
*******4 WK ADVANCE NOTICE REQUIRED FOR OUTSIDE COLOR GRADING – THAT IS NOW
Director’s Tutorial – director/editor collaboration. What does fresh vision of an editor bring to the project?
Weekend FIRST PICK-UPS
Week 10
Mon. Oct. 23 Guest Screening
Wed. Oct. 25 VIEW DAILIES FIRST PICK-UPS
SECOND CUT (TT,AD,RS)
GUEST CRITICS
Weekend FINAL PICKUPS – END OF PRINCIPAL PHOTOGRAPHY
Week 11
Mon. Oct. 30 Guest Screening
RETURN CAMERA/SOUND EQUIPMENT
NO MORE SUBSEQUENT MONDAY CLASSES
Wed. Nov. 1 THIRD CUT (AD,RS,TT)
LAST OUTSIDE GUEST CRITICS
Director’s Tutorial – individual sessions
Week 12
Mon. Nov. 6 NO MORE SPEAKERS
Wed. Nov. 8 FOURTH CUT (RS,TT,AD)
LAST CLASS UNTIL FINAL SCREENING
PLEASE NOTE THAT THE FINAL POST SCHEDULE IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE
Sun. Nov. 12 ALL GROUPS PICTURE LOCK
EDITORS OF ALL 3 FILMS CLEAN UP/ADJUST
PROJECTS AND ADD FINAL TITLES
(No directors/producers; no changes)
Week 13
Mon. Nov. 13All 3 groups do the following–under Paul’s supervision :·
Make sure all VFX are in the cut, as well as final titles. Get them in there if not.
· Prepare final sequences for sound export, including making sure all clips have sound on two new tracks.
· Output AAF's of sound for sound department that they will use to do all final audio editing and mixing.
· Make sure picture edits, including VFX, are on proper tracks and in proper formfor color correction, based on specs from whatever color grading facility that each project is using.
· Relink all picture to original raw footage.
· Transcode a final output in final resolution for color grading.
COLOR CORRECTION DATES SCHEDULED WITH
GREG VANNOY –
*******4 WK ADVANCE NOTICE HAS BEEN REQUIRED FOR OUTSIDE COLOR GRADING
Tues. Nov. 14 PREP FOR COLOR GRADING 1st Project – day 1
Wed. Nov. 15 COLOR GRADING 1st Project – day 2
Thurs. Nov. 16 PREP FOR COLOR GRADING 2nd Project – day 1
Fri. Nov. 17 PITCH DAY FOR NEXT SEMESTER’S DOCS – welcome all
Week 14
Mon. Nov. 20 COLOR GRADING 2nd Project – day 2
Tues. Nov. 21 PREP FOR COLOR GRADING 3rd Project – day 1
Wed. Nov. 22 THANKSGIVING VACATION
Fri. Nov. 24 FINAL MUSIC DELIVERY – see tech. specs.
Week 15
Mon. Nov. 27 COLOR GRADING 3rd Project – day 2
PRE-DUB Project 1 – all day - B130
Tues. Nov. 28 PRE-DUB 2nd Project – all day - B130
Wed.. Nov. 29 PRE-DUB 3rd Project – all day – B130
Thurs. Nov. 30 FINAL MIX Project 1– day 1- B130
Fri. Dec. 1 FINAL MIX Project 1 – day 2 – B130
Sat. Dec. 2 FINAL MIX Project 2- day 1- B130
Sun. Dec. 3 FINAL MIX Project 2 – day 2 – B130
Week 16
Mon. Dec. 4 FINAL MIX 3rd Project – day 1 – B130
Tues. Dec. 5 FINAL MIX 3rd Project – day 2 – B130
Wed. Dec. 6 547 FIX DAY IF NEEDED – 127A
546/547/508B Load-ins 6-10pm
Fri. Dec. 8 FINAL CLASS SCREENING AT NORRIS, 7:30 PM
CLASS ATTENDANCE REQUIRED
BRAVO! TIME TO CELEBRATE
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES: Any student requesting accommodations based on a disability is required to register with Disability Services and Programs (DSP) each semester. A letter of verification for approved accommodations can be obtained from DSP. Please be sure the letter is delivered to the directing instructor as early in the semester as possible. DSP is located in STU 301 and is open 8:30 am – 5:00 pm Monday through Friday. The phone number for DSP is (213) 740-0776.