Assignment 1 examples – weekly submissions

This studio blends assignment 1 and 2, requiring weekly submissions that together make up the two assignments.

 

ASSIGNMENT#1 & ASSIGNMENT#2 [5 videos + short reflections worth 6% each – 30% of your studio grade in total)

For the first half of the studio we will all be producing individual weekly online videos for our studio Youtube Channel [RMITMedia VidConStudio2019] and writing/recording accompanying short reflections that will posted to your individual mediafactory blog.

 

You will make 5 videos in total. They are due weekly from Weeks 2-6. They will each be worth 6% of your final grade. [Week 2 responds to Week 1 classes and so on].

Videos will be due Tuesday, 12pm (midday) each week (from Weeks 2-6).

Your videos must have a decent proportion of appropriate quality sound and vision (given you are Media students in a production-oriented degree). We will discuss technical expectations more in class. Suffice to say here that relying predominantly on a mobile phone here will not be acceptable.

The maximum length for your video will change and be specified in the prompts.

Your videos must conform to Australian copyright requirements. We will remind ourselves of these in Week 1.

Each video will be an investigation of form, style and communication – i.e. you will be asked to make videos in the style of different specific online creators or genres each week. This is a way to learn new making skills but also deconstruct some of the production practices of well-known online video (and other kinds of media) makers. A portion of our weekly studio class will be set aside for analysing the creator/genre of the week for the next video and practising by actually doing some of the work.

There will a series of prompts for each video that you must respond to. Some of these prompts will relate to work we do in class the week before. We will record some of the footage for your video in class exercises started in class time (though they may need finishing out of class hours). If you miss that class you will need to do the equivalent work/exercise on your own. Prompts will be available on Canvas at least 9 days before the due date.

Each video must be accompanied by a written reflection on the past week’s studio class (also due weekly on that same date) . The reflection should be 150-250 words and focus on a couple of key moments of learning (rather than trying to cover everything). I’m particularly looking for reflections/insights that cover both the conceptual and media making elements of the studio. It should also include at least one production still showing a key recording setup.

[If you haven’t done any or much reflective academic writing before then see this helpful guide – Reflection / Blogging / Writing]

Each video and reflection will be assessed on the following criteria:

    • success in addressing all the prompts comprehensively (relative to the time constraints)
    • production values: technical competence in shooting and editing
    • creativity in approach, storytelling, individual style
    • insights via reflection (concepts addressed by the studio; the creative practice; related learning)

Please note:

Videos 1-2 will be assessed within a week of posting.

Videos 3-5 will be assessed as a group after Week 6.

 

Example video prompt:

PROMPTS FOR VIDEO#1 + REFLECTION (due Wk2, Tues 12pm (midday)

CONSTRAINTS

  • must be as close as possible to the typical vlogging style of the vlogbrothers
  •  (Links to an external site.)
  •  (see some examples below) – oh, and note that you will be addressing Brian (Studio Leader) instead of Hank or John [so yes, start with ‘Good morning, Brian’ and finish with ‘I’ll see you next Tuesday’]
  • overall length to be 3-4 minutes
  • must include up to a minute’s footage from our in-class two shot interview exercise (‘vlog interview with a classmate – surprise questions’) 

WHAT SHOULD THIS VIDEO BE ABOUT?

  • a vlog-style video about you and online media – i.e. how has your identity and life/sense of self/values been shaped by online media?; what kind of online media do you regularly consume?; what online media do you love making and why?; what do you most want to get out of going to vidcon and being part of studio studying it? (note: you don’t have to absolutely directly answer all these specific questions one by one – they are here to help give a sense of what that topic ‘you and media‘ might address … which is another way of saying it should be a reflective account of you and the media not simply a list or description)
  • it’s vlog-style this week so it has to be predominantly piece-to-camera [PTC] (check the examples from the vlog brothers below and imitate)
  • we will recap copyright issues in our first class – you should be across these by now but a refresher is good for everyone

AND A WRITTEN REFLECTION AS WELL

  • Each video must be accompanied by a written reflection on the past week’s studio class (also due weekly on that same date) . The reflection should be 150-250 words and focus on a couple of key moments of learning (rather than trying to cover everything). I’m particularly looking for reflections/insights that cover both the conceptual and media making elements of the studio. It should also include at least one production still showing a key recording setup.

ANOTHER THING

  • for this vlog, students are welcome to record/present in their first language (and include subtitles if not in English)

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES/REFERENCE POINTS

  • we will talk about [‘deconstruct’] the significance, history and style of  vlogbrothers, Hank and John Green, in Week 1 classes
  • examples of what you should emulate

 

~

 

Assignment 2 examples – collection of small works

This assignment asks the students to reflect on an earlier gathering of small exploratory works, and create more work to form a deliberate collection around a theme they have chosen or identified in their work.

ASSIGNMENT #2: Collection of small media works and reflection (15%) – Due Friday 11.59pm, 30 August (Week 6)

 

Assignment 2 – 15% of your overall mark

In this assignment you will use in-class exercises to put together a collection of media works that give a more active ‘lived-in’ sense of the body.

Submitting your Assignment

Please write a post that contains the requirements listed below, and hyperlinks to each weekly post. Then past the URL for this post into the ‘Website URL’ field in Submission Section.

You must submit your assignment through Canvas by the due date via the submission within the assessment.

Assignment 2

You will submit 1 blog post that contains:

  1. Development (350 word minimum): A short discussion/description/synopsis of the work you aimed to create for each of the weekly exercises in weeks 4, 5 and 6; and how you hope to bring all the weekly exercises so far (weeks 1-6) together to form the collection.
  2. A collection of 6 short media works: You will embed into this post the collection you have put together from the 6 weekly exercises. Think about how you will present the works together so it’s clear they are a considered collection (we will discuss this in class).
  3. Reflection (500 word minimum): You will write a short reflection that considers all of the following questions. It should make reference to (and cite correctly) at least 3 ideas from the weekly readings. 
    1. How have the themes identified in the works produced for assignment 1 developed and/or changed for this collection?
    2. How did you make use of the affordances of the different kinds of media to try to highlight or heighten the different experiences of the senses?
    3. What is one thing that worked well about each of your media works? What is one thing that didn’t work quite so well about each of your media works?
    4. How are your ideas about the enacted body developing as a result of making these works?
    5. What are some ideas you would like to explore further in group work for assignments 3 and 4?
  4. Links to weekly blog posts: You will include the hyperlinks for each of your six weekly blog posts.

Assignment 2 example – reflection, film analysis, making

This assignment is a collection of different activities, including reflecting on in-class work, in-class exams, analysing an existing film, and developing some media work of the student’s own.

ASSIGNMENT 2

Submitting your Assignment

You must write an index post that contains hyperlinks to each post then past the URL of that post

into the ‘Website URL’ field in Submission Section

You must submit your assignment by the due date via the submission within the assessment.

Assignment 2 – 40% of your overall mark

1 Submission of Making 20% Reflection 20%

You will be marked to the WRITING & the SUBMISSION OF MAKING Rubrics below

Pick 2 of the exercises that we’ve done so far (that you haven’t included in Assessment 1) and write a post on each that includes:

  • It doesn’t matter if the video is not highly polished. Perhaps if you’ve made different edits you could include the different versions
  • Compress your edits using these instructions – Premiere – Compression and Export for Online found on the Film-TV Blog. Then upload it to your google drive and embed it in your blog using these instructions here (https://docs.google.com/a/rmit.edu.au/document/d/1UyqPUn094Zf3pmx6ArdbHYoyepXZELJ4N1buusp=sharing) – follow all instructions – especially aspect ratio. (This is worth 20% of your mark – therefore it must be done)

Reflection on each video (at least 300 words)

  • Each clip should have a concise reflection that is constructive in nature.
  • There should be some moment of discovery, an epiphany – If you didn’t have one that was naturally occurring, then you haven’t reflected enough.
  • It’s fine for you to re-purpose the writing from the previous assessment but make sure you are progressing with it, building up from it

2 Deconstruction 20%

You find a scene (at least 400 words)

  • Find a scene from a film and deconstruct it on the topics of sound, shot construction, camera movement, production design, performance and any other facets of the production you would like to discuss.
  • It could be a scene you admire (beware: you might not admire it so much after deconstructing) or a scene you think is flawed, could be improved upon.
    • I prefer the latter
  • We understand you may not be strong in your analytical language, yet. You will be marked on your insights, your ability to look beyond the artifice
  • Paste the hyperlink of the clip in your post or if you have a clip of the scene put it in google drive and paste the link in your post

 

3 Development of ideas 20% (no word limit)

This is a documentation of the development of your ideas – your individual ideas, prior to forming the groups then your work within the group.

  • Present the development of your ideas in a few posts. Include any music, stills, videos, lists, sounds that have inspired or form part of your development. 
  • It is OK for this writing to be repetitive. That is the nature of it. You write, think about it, rewrite it, move on to the next piece.
  • It has to include reflection. It must reveal your reflective practice.
  • Your writing for the ideas presented in class is obviously included in this

4 Colour Grade 10%

Please interact with the tutorial here http://www.mediafactory.org.au/film-tv/post-production/

(http://www.mediafactory.org.au/film-tv/post-production/) – Colour Grading

  • In a sequence called ‘colour’ of whatever project you’re working on, place clips that are indicative of a particular colour or lighting state.
  • To the right of that clip you will have that same clip repeated 3 or more times with different colour grades on it. Hint – google – before and after colour grade.
  • Take screenshots of each clip then upload to your blog the series of stills that show us ‘before and afters’ of your colour grading.
  • Each with a description of what you did to the clip and why.
  • Provide at least 3 clips with 3 grades on each and include the original.
  • This is a learning exercise, not a qualitative one, don’t stress – it is the act of doing it and the reflection on that, that is important
  • Also, if interested (Bonus Marks!) try Masking and tracking effects here (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1tmkIhL-8B6jj89ENbT0RYh8Uq4cAEamyQHCnA50MKoM/edit?usp=sharing)

5 In-class exams 10%

In order to reinforce your knowledge and see what is sticking, we will have a series of in-class exams to do this.