The Big Video Project: Choose Your Destiny!

Hello Students,

This project along with your portfolio will make up your final. This last video project is a free style, you can create the project you want to, but I expect it to reflect the skills and knowledge you have been granted over the course of this class. Your video project, no matter what form it takes, should show good editing, smooth camera work, good use of transitions, tell a story or deliver information in an entertaining fashion. There should be well crafted titles and credit rolls at the beginning and end of your project. You should find ways to utilize the motion graphics and animation skills to enhance your project in appropriate ways.

What Project will you make? :

It is up to you to decide what project you would like to complete for your final. You must make sure that you can accomplish this project with the time we have left in class. It is possible to create 2 short documentaries instead of a long form documentary. You are expected to utilize all skills developed in the project for planning, creating, editing, crafting title animations and visual effects, sound and sound effects and presentation as a production with accompanying materials is required.. Time management is crucial.

Here are some ideas for projects:

• Original Narrative or Drama, Science Fiction, Mystery, Etc...
• Documentary project
• Comedy Skits/Shorts/TV Show
• Experimental Video
• Music Video
• 2D Animated Short
• 3D Animated Short

How to Get Started! :

• Build a team of dedicated filmmakers, actors, artists and camera operators to participate in your project
• Decide on a concept/idea for your project
• Write a full page proposal to get approval from your instructor before proceeding
• Create a storyboard, shot list or script for your project... whichever suits your project best and get approval from your instructor before filming begins. 
• Schedule your shoot, decide on locations, check out equipment, gather costumes or props if needed, make sure everyone on your team is on board and begin production

Project Requirements:

• Each team is expected to complete:
• 1 page proposal for project complete with all project details, subjects, locations, summaries, storyline, content, special effects, etc...
• A storyboard, shot list or script that clearly describes the project, scenes, transitions, special effects, audio, camera angles, action, dialogue.
• A well edited final project free of technical errors.
• Well designed, animated title sequences and credit roles that are appropriate to the film subject or style and some use of motion graphics, special effects to enhance or create transitions or scenes in the project.
• Each team must completed a press kit with biographies
• Each project must create an animated production logo

Schedule for Final Projects:

• Project proposals should be done and approved by April 17th
• Storyboard/shotlist/scripts should be done and approved by April 22nd
• Preliminary shooting should be completed by May 10th
• Rough Cut should be complete by Friday May 17th
• Final Project completed with Press Kits by May 31st
• ROP Portfolios with Demo Reels Due June 4th

Grading and Evaluation:

• You will be graded against the Video Production Rubric. Familiarize yourself with it to achieve maximum points.
• Summary:
• You are expected to have a clear description of what your project aims to achieve and each team member should have a clear definition and fulfill their roles effectively
• You are expected to have a storyboard, script or shot list that illustrates your project clearly with beat, structure, transitions, special effects, sound effects, audio tracks, lower thirds, titles, etc
• The content should have a clear statement of purpose or theme and be a quality creative work.
• Your completed project is expected to have all elements defined, be well edited and be free of technical problems.
• Teams are expected to met, discuss and contribute to the project, and work with respect for each other.
• All deadlines are expected to be met.

Biographies, Press Kits and Logos: 

Each filmmaking team is responsible for assembling a press kit and writing the biography for their film. These materials are used to distribute the project to film festivals and for publicity.

Biography:

A biography is a brief, third-person description of the filmmaker(s). Information that is typically included in a biography includes: place of birth, place of residence, educational background, past projects, current projects, areas of interest.

A sample biography:

Jason Jakaitis is a filmmaking student at San Francisco State University and a graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill’s Master of Arts program in Communications Studies. Born and raised in San Diego, he currently lives in the Upper Haight area of San Francisco. In 2007, Jason was awarded a Murphy Fellowship from the San Francisco Foundation, as well as a Personal Works grant from Film Arts Foundation and a New Filmmaker grant from Panavision. Jason's previous film, minutiae, is a 16mm narrative short that was awarded Special Jury Prize at the Portland International Short Short Film Festival, and screened at the 2007 Mill Valley, Humboldt and Santa Cruz film festivals.

Logos:

Your team must produce a logo for your “production company”. This logo could be hand illustrated or created with motion graphics but it must show strong technical skill and be effective and creative.

Press Kit:

Depending on the project, press kits can be composed of a variety of different kinds of information, but the overall goal of the kit is always the same: to provide the individual with as much relevant information about the film as possible. This information can then be used in articles, in film festival schedules, online “blurbs” and any other way that a festival would choose to promote the film.

Check out this link: How To Make A Press Kit for your Indie Movie

Download and read a real press kit: Press Kit for  the film Some Kind Of Wonderful

Check out this press kit: Quivir Press Kit

Check out this press kit: Cave of Forgotten Dreams Press Kit

Press Kits require the following: 

• Two or more still images from the film itself 
• Two behind the scenes production stills taken with a camera, cell phone cam, ipod camera, point and shoot, etc 
• One “headshot” photo each of the filmmakers and actors
• A one paragraph (3-4 sentence) synopsis of the film
• A one paragraph biography of each filmmaker 
• You can assemble your press kit using google docs, pages or word, indesign, photoshop or illustrator and turn it in as a PDF file

Ridley Scott and Harrison Ford, behind the scenes production still from the film "Blade Runner"

Production Still from the film "Blade Runner"

Original Press Kit from the film "Blade Runner"

Behind the Scenes Production Still from Werner Herzog's "Cave of Forgotten Dreams"

Production Still from Werner Herzog's "Cave of Forgotten Dreams"

Good luck Filmmakers!

- Mr.W

How to Write a Good Great Resume and List of References

Hello Students,

Having a solid resume is the cornerstone developing your career. A well written and well designed resume is what sets you apart from other job applicants. A perfectly written job application, a quality resume and a list of positive references is the job seekers trifecta. In this class we will teach you these skills to help in your search for employment. Below is a list of resume writing tips, read over it before finalizing your own resume.

Link(right click to download): ROP PORTFOLIO HANDBOOK

Resume Writing Tips:

Put your typography skills to work:

Never use comic sans, zapfino or anything difficult to read or is more "expressive" than "rational". Use sans-serif for headers and section titles, pick a complementary serif font for all other text. Limit your fonts to 2, with 1 or 2 modifiers (bold, italic, etc). Also, refer back to our rules on typography in our introduction to typography and utilize those guidelines in your resume. Choose fonts that are complimentary to each other and assist in creating information hierarchy, this helps the reviewer find the information they need quickly. Choose a good sans serif font for your section titles and a complimentary serif font for the rest.

Have an objective:

Know the purpose of your resume and edit it for different job scenarios. Having a focused job objective listed on your resume will help you with attaining an interview and getting hired.

Back up your special skills with job experience:

List your skills but make sure your listed job experience, training or education reflects those skills. Are you really good at making websites? Let them know how and where you learned that skill.

Research and use the right keywords:

Every industry has its own language, research job offerings and pay attention to the keywords that are used. If you put your resume online with a job placement service they will often use certain keywords to search their database for potential hires.

Be descriptive with job experience:

A job title will communicate your role, but not the details of your work experience. List the duties, tasks, activities, skills and achievements that were part of your job.

Format your text:

Use bold text to start each section. Use bullets for lists. Make the document easy to quickly scan and read. Clarity of format is crucial, you have ten seconds before the employer will move on to another applicant.

List most recent job experience first:

This also goes for education, list the most recent first. If your still in High School you can say "future class of 2012", or "Currently attending HS".

List most important skills first:

When writing out your skill list make the most important skills the first ones on the list. If you are applying for a web design job, list your web skills first. Change and edit this for different industries/jobs.

Leave out the obvious:

It is not necessary to add "available for interview" or "references available upon request". References are standard and expected, and of course you are available for an interview. Thats the whole point!

Avoid negativity:

Don't trash talk past employers or state that you didn't like a past job. Simply state that you were looking for future opportunities.

Go with what you got:

If you haven't had work experience yet, just list any summer jobs, volunteer experience etc. If you have hobbies that are relevant to the job you can list those. If you don't have a diploma or degree then just list your estimated date for completion.

Proofread your resume:

Have your neighbor or classmate read your resume. Sometimes the spellchecker doesn't catch typos. The more eyeballs that see your resume before it gets in the hands of the employer the better.

Although these resumes contain similar information, styles do vary. Focus on what makes a resume readable, identifiable and effective. It should be unique to stand out from the rest, but not overly expressive as that can make legibility difficult.

Resume Writing Assignment:

Read:
Check out these links to get some tips from the pros
Practical Resume Writing Tips
20 Best and Worst Fonts for Resume Writing
More Best and Worst Fonts for Resume's
Resume Tips: Avoid These Typography Mistakes

Create:

• Download the ROP Career Portfolio Handbook and follow the template to write your own resume from scratch
• Create a 1 page resume that meets the handbook requirements for all included information
• Use any program or online tools of your choice to write your resume
• Demonstrate good typography, spelling and accuracy! 
• Make sure your resume shows good information hierarchy so it is simple to read and each section is listed clearly
• Email or print and turn in your resume  and list of references for credit - DO NOT POST YOUR RESUME ON YOUR BLOG! It contains sensitive information!
• Due Wednesday

List Of References Writing Assignment:
It is incredibly important to develop a great list of references. These references will help you obtain jobs, college admissions or acceptance into special programs.

Who makes a good reference?

• Teacher
• Coach
• Counseler
• Present or past employer
• Family friend
• Anyone that can speak highly of your abilities, skills and worth

References to avoid:

• Anyone under 18
• Personal friends
• family members
• Anyone who cannot speak highly of your abilities or skills

Important Tips:

• The format of your references should match your resume exactly, same header, same fonts.
• Do not include references on your resume
• Include at least three references
• All references should be responsible adults who know you well and can speak to your character and skills
• Always ask whether or not someone is willing to be a reference before including them in your list
• Verify the contact information before handing over to an employer

Format:

Use the following format for your references, using your own accurate information of course:

Persons Name:   Bob Smith

Address:            123 Fake Street

                          Santa Cruz Ca, 95060

Phone #:             (831) 555-4321

Title and              Business Owner

work place:         Moland Spring Bottled Water

Grading:

Your resume's and reference lists are graded assignments. For a total of 10 points, grading is as follows:

2Pts - Resume and List of References is complete per Handbook Guidelines

2Pts - Resume and List of References is well formatted and easy to read

2Pts - Resume and List of References contains no typos or errors

2Pts - Resume and List of References are two separate documents with consistent style, font and header

2Pts - Resume and List of References are emailed to me as PDF files with descriptive file names (don't send a file called "untitled.pdf")

Have fun!

- Mr.W

Video Production Scavenger Hunt

Hello Students,

Your next assignment will be graded on your ability to accomplish 20 specific technical shots or techniques and how creative you can be within those constraints while creating a video project. Minimum video length 2 minutes, 4-5 minutes max. We will discuss all these techniques and how to accomplish them in class. You will also be graded on time management, working in teams effectively and ability to meet the deadlines.

Teams will be chosen by picking numbers. Teamwork is crucial on this project, every one must participate and contribute to the final project. You will work in teams of 4.

Teams will shoot footage and share among each other, each team member will produce their own final edit of the project for grading.

20 Video Production Techniques

Video Project Specifications:

1 Page proposal/pitch must be approved before production can begin.

Production Schedule:

March 13th  - Proposal Due

March 18th  - Script, Storyboard or Shot List Due

March 27th  - Preliminary Shooting Complete

March 28th  - Rough Cut Edit Due

Feb3rd         - Final Editing Complete and ready to present to class

Format: The final format of the video is your choice, it could be a music video, action video, narrative or experimental. You could even make an instructional video about these video production techniques. Here are some format options:

• Produce a video about the positive people and events at our school 
• Produce 1 or more Public Service Announcements around a current local/social/environmental issue
• Produce a "Statement Video" on a topic that is personally important to you
• Produce a music video
• Produce a short narrative (drama, intrigue, wizards?)
• Produce 1 or more comedy skits and format it as a short comedy show

Grading: For full credit your video project must contain one example of each of the 20 shots listed below. Shots may be combined, for example a twin shot that is created with a green screen. Camera work should be smooth and steady. Editing should be well timed and without edit glitches or gaps. Must have titles and tails. All deadlines listed above must be met on time.

Rules: No content that glorifies violence, drug or alcohol use. Music must have family friendly lyrical content. 

Note: Each team member must take turns shooting and acting. Outside actors or camera operators allowed. Teams may help each other for difficult shots. All project storyboard/scripts/shot lists must be approved by me before production can begin.

Each team member is responsible for editing their own final version of the video, no group efforts with editing.

A shotlist and storyboard must be created and the final video must contain 1 example each of the shots or effects listed below:

1. Silhouette Shot - actor or actors must be silhouetted against a background

2. Green Screen Shot - actor or actors shot against green screen, background must be keyed out and replaced with background still image or video

3. Single Source Light Closeup - actor or actors shot closeup with single light source for high contrast

4. Shadow Shot - camera shows shadow only, can pan up to actor after, or show interaction between two characters through shadow only

5. Twins - use static camera and split screen effect to show actor and a "double"

6. Window Illusion - overlay semi-transparent video over actor or actors to simulate window reflection

7. Frame Within A Frame - look for environments or architecture that "frames" your actor or actors

8. Background Slide - use a sideways camera movement to give the impression that the background is moving behind your actor or actors

9. Handheld Dolly Shot - follow the action with a handheld shot, must use a tripod as a counterweight to reduce camera shake, change camera height during shot

10. Fall Away - camera walks backwards from actor or actors

11. Walk In - shot begins on actor 1, in the foreground or background actor 2 steps into frame

12. Camera Flow - shot begins with Handheld Dolly Shot following actor 1 walking to the right, actor 2 passes in foreground going in opposite direction and camera changes direction to follow actor 2. This change in direction can happen 2-3 times

13. Spin Shot - camera spins around actor or actors 360 degrees

14. Motionless Camera - camera is tripod mounted, focus on motion in scene, all actor or actors must be moving. extras can help add energy to a scene

15. Whip Cut - camera quickly sweeps away from scene, edit is made to seem like camera ends on a second scene, also called a sweep cut

16. Slow Motion - Video source is slowed down by 75%. slowing down any more can be done but render time is increased. Ask me how to do extreme slow motion with Adobe After Effects.

17. Pass Through Wall - Camera moves up to wall, fades to second shot inside moving towards center of room. Can also be pass through window, pass through keyhole etc...

18. Extreme Angle - camera angle has extreme foreshortening or perspective

19. Saturated Color Background - actor or actors are shot against a background of mostly a single vivid color, such as a brightly colored wall, green grass, etc...

20. Textured Background - actor or actors shot against textured background, brick wall, fence posts, tree bark, ivy etc...

Extra information about these shots can be researched online... have fun!

- Mr. W

Introduction to Editing Video

Hello Students,
Today we will begin our introduction to video editing with Adobe Premiere. You will be editing pre-shot footage to create a fun and compelling promotional tourism spot for the city of San Francisco.

Objective: Learn how to edit video with Adobe Premiere, incorporate video and audio from multiple sources and edit for energy and continuity.

Imagine yourself in the Directors Seat... it's time to make your vision happen!

Part 1 - Learning Adobe Premiere:

• Launch Adobe Premiere.
• Watch videos 1 through 13 in the "Learning Premiere Pro" section of the Adobe TV website.
• Practice the steps that you can as you watch the videos.
• Find a sample video file to practice editing, color correction, outputting, etc...
• If you can watch all 13 videos you are on your way to being a video editing pro! When complete watch the other videos in that section to learn how to process and distribute your edited files.

Part 2 - Editing a Promotional Tourism Video for the City of San Francisco

Project Concept: The City of San Francisco has hired you to edit a promotional tourism video. They have provided you pre-shot footage and your job is to make it sing! Your commercial will play on local television stations coast to coast, so it should have universal appeal. Your commercial should promote the unique sights that the city has to offer.

• Your final video file should be exactly 30 seconds long
• Use music that fits the energy of your video
• Edit your video cuts to be timed with the music
• There should be an edit in the video footage every 2 to 5 seconds
• Make sure your sequence settings in Premiere match the specifications of your source video
• Use color correction to enhance the footage
• Use video transitions to keep the video compelling and interesting, but be careful not to overuse them or repeat them too many times
• Create text titles to create a "call to action" at the end of your video, something like "Visit beautiful San Francisco today!"
• Add a 2-Pop and pad the end with 3 seconds of black, this is your "titles and tails".
• Have fun!

- Mr.Wilson