Film Studies 282 - ADV PROJECTS/ VIDEO PRODUCTION

In this class, students take the skills and insights gained in introductory production courses and, working individually or in pairs, develop them over the length of the semester through the creation of one short project, 10 minutes long. Students may choose to work in narrative, documentary, experimental or hybrid forms. We learn by making work as well as by researching, reading and watching films related to our projects. We may take this opportunity to delve into and learn the conventions of our chosen form. Or we may decide that our content demands formal experimentation and risk-taking. The course is structured by the projects each student brings to it. We begin the semester with brainstorming, research, script or documentary proposal writing and pre-production. Each student develops a script or in-depth proposal to begin with. As we move into production, we review and deepen our knowledge of camera, lighting (available and set), sound (location and studio), and editing principles and techniques. We move between production and post-production in the second half of the semester, first developing sequences, then rough cuts and fine cuts, before ultimately completing our final cut. Prerequisite: FLS 280 or its equivalent. Permission of instructor required. Priority given to Five College film and media studies majors. Apply at http://www.smith.edu/filmstudies/courses_apply.php>. Enrollment limited to 10.