Billy Wilder (operating camera) shoots and directs Gloria Swanson in "Sunset Blvd."

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Questions to Answer.

Here are some questions that I found useful to answer to help develop the documentary's goal:

-What's the focus?

-What story do you want to tell?

-What topics will be explored?

-What information do you hope to convey to your viewers?

-What aspects of your topic are most compelling?

-Are there new angles to explore on your topic?

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Documentaries about Food.

All of these are streamable on Netflix.

Food, Inc. (2008) - Nominated for Best Documentary in 2010 at the Academy Awards

Drawing on Eric Schlosser's Fast Food Nation and Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma, director Robert Kenner's Oscar-nominated documentary explores the food industry's detrimental effects on our health and environment. Kenner spotlights the men and women who are working to reform an industry rife with monopolies, questionable interpretations of laws and subsidies, political ties and rising rates of E. coli outbreaks.

Fed Up! (2002) -

Nominated for an Environmental Media Award, this eye-opening documentary explores the United States' food production system from the organic farming of the Green Movement to the genetically engineered food of the Biotech Revolution. Through fascinating archival footage and interviews with farmers, scientists, government officials and activists, Fed Up! provides a detailed and sometimes disturbing overview of contemporary food production.

What's on Your Plate?(What's on Your Plate?: The Film About Kids and Food Politics) (2009) -

Aimed at children and adults, this entertaining documentary from activist Catherine Gund follows her daughter, Sadie, and her best friend, Safiyah, as the two 11-year-olds spend a year investigating the politics of food in America. The intrepid tweens interview farmers, school officials, chefs and ordinary folks to find out how food is grown and how agriculture can be transformed in order to improve both nutrition and profit.

Food Matters (2008) -

With a staggering number of Americans suffering from obesity and other food-related maladies, this film takes a timely and hard-hitting look at how the food we eat is helping or hurting our health, and what we can do to live (and eat) better. Nutritionists, naturopaths, scientists, doctors, medical journalists and more weigh in on everything from using food as medicine to the value of organic food and the safety of the food we consume.

The Corporation (2003) -

Filmmakers Mark Achbar and Jennifer Abbott explore the genesis of the American corporation, its global economic supremacy and its psychopathic leanings, with social critics like Noam Chomsky and Milton Friedman lending insight in this documentary. With their merciless quest for profit and insatiable aim to sway every aspect of culture, conglomerates' inner workings are scrutinized to draw conclusions about "business as usual."

The Future of Food (2004) -

Before compiling your next grocery list, you might want to watch filmmaker Deborah Koons Garcia's eye-opening documentary, which sheds light on a shadowy relationship between agriculture, big business and government. By examining the effects of biotechnology on the nation's smallest farmers, the film reveals the unappetizing truth about genetically modified foods: You could unknowingly be serving them for dinner.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

The movie Sideshow:Alive on The Inside actually goes to Gibson FL and interviews all the people we talked about in class including Ward, the fat man and the fire eating dwarf. If you interested I think you should def check it out considering this takes place exactly where we will be filming.

Monday, April 11, 2011

Syllabus - Spring 2011

SYLLABUS - PRODUCING & DIRECTING
COURSE NUMBER: FV2001
COURSE NAME: Producing & Directing
COURSE LENGTH: 11 weeks
CONTACT HOURS: 44 hours
CLASSROOM #: ROOM #
CLASS BLOG: http://producingdirecting.blogspot.com
INSTRUCTOR: TOM HAMMOND
PHONE: 813-900-4759
EMAIL: thammond1946@yahoo.com
OFFICE HOURS: Before and after class
CREDITS: 3 credits
DATE OF SYLLABUS: DATE 4/08/10

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
The course is an introduction to the jobs of producer and director as they relate to the filmmaking process. The goal is to develop an understanding of these two positions and some fundamental skills vital to their responsibilities. Students will examine the separate and overlapping areas of authority and cooperation a producer and a director share in the making of a film. Students will be presented with the tools, techniques, and understanding of budgeting, scheduling, hiring, casting and shooting the movie. Financing, contracts, unions, guilds and distribution will also be covered. The course will consist of reading, writing, discussion and viewing of documentaries dealing with the production and direction of famous films as well as viewing some of the films themselves.

PREREQUISITES:

REQUIRED TEXT – “Making Movies” by Sidney Lumet

STUDENT LEARNING OBJECTIVES/OUTCOMES:

1. Conceive a plan for financing a film.
2. Be able to chart an organizational structure for a film production.
3. Break down a script.
4. Budget a script.
5. Make a strip board and a shooting schedule.
6. Be familiar with standard contracts and deal memos.
7. Understand the various ways films and filmmakers make money.
8. Structure a production crew.
9. Understand creative aspects of the producer/director relationship.
10. Identify the steps of the production process.
11. Explore the possibilities of independent film production and the Internet.


GRADING OPPORTUNITIES:
Assessment
This is a highly interactive and discussion-oriented course. Students will learn from one another as well as from the instructor, guest lecturers, the text, readings, exercises, presentations, weekly assignments and the final project. Professionalism will be put into practice through the students’ promptness, class attendance, willingness to create a forum for shared ideas, quality and creativity of work, and the meeting of deadlines. Specifically, grades will be based on the following criteria:

Class Participation 20%
Individual Project 40%
Mid-term Exam 20%
Final Exam 20%

STUDENT LEARNING ASSESSMENT:
Appropriate quizzes, tests, and projects will be designed to measure the achievement of the major course achievements as listed above. Instructor will specify such quizzes, tests, and projects on the syllabus to be handed out to the students at the start of the quarter of instruction. In the syllabus, weighted values in percentage will be clearly indicated by the instructor for each category of assessment.

PARTICIAPTION CRITERIA
Excellent
A (93-100)
A- (90-92)
Outstanding participation. The student is actively engaged in every facet of the class. He/She comes to every class session ready to engage in informed discussion bases on a thorough and critical reading of their homework assigned material (if applicable), and he/she maintains complete critical reading notes and brings it to every class session and keeps copies of everything in their journal. The student makes extraordinary contribution to the class through consistently thoughtful, well focused, and original examples. The student works collaboratively with his/her classmates and instructor and the student seeks assistance should he/she need it. The student misses no classes.

Very Good/Good
B+ (87-89)
B (83-86)
B- (80-82)
Good participation. The student is actively engaged in most facets of the class. He/She comes to every class session ready to engage in informed discussion based on a careful reading of the assigned material, and he/she maintains substantial number of critical reading notes and brings it to most class sessions. The student makes a solid contribution to the class through regular relevant and thoughtful comments, questions and examples. The student works collaboratively with his/her classmates and instructor and the student is likely to seek assistance should he/she need it. The student misses the maximum of one class.

Satisfactory
C+ (77-79)
C (73-76)
C- (70-72)
Average participation. The student is actively engaged in some facet of the class. He/She comes to many class sessions ready to engage in informed discussion based on a general reading of the assigned material, including few critical reading notes and brings it to many class sessions. The student makes a contribution to the class through general, incomplete and/or tangential comments. The student, for the most part, works collaboratively with his/her classmates and instructor and is not likely to seek assistance on his/her own. The student misses two class sessions.

Below Average
D (60-64)
Poor participation. The student rarely demonstrated an active engagement in some facets of the class. He/She comes to many class sessions unprepared for informed discussion, and his/her critical reading notes are substantially incomplete and rarely bring it to the class sessions. The student does not collaborate with his/her classmates and instructor and the student is not likely to seek assistance on his/her own or even with direction. The student misses two-three class sessions.
Failure
F (0-59)
Unacceptable participation. The student is not an active member of the class.

Joining, posting and making comments on the Class Blog are components of the Participation Requirement.


INDIVIDUAL PROJECT – GRADING CRITERIA

This project is worth 40% of the course grade.

Each student will create a production package consisting of the following required components:

• Script – It must be of sufficient length to provide substance and exhibition of learning to the total project. Script selection is subject to the instructor’s approval.

(Forms and materials will be provided for the following categories.)

• Script Breakdown
• Production Board
• Shooting Schedule
• Budget
• Marketing Plan

The student is encouraged to include additional material from, but not limited to, the following categories:

• Cast
• Crew
• Locations
• Fees & Permits
• Unions & Guilds
• Contacts
• Resumes
• Posters
• Publicity
• Storyboards
• Conceptual Art


Grading Criteria: (i.e. thoroughness, neatness, concept, design, execution, professionalism, presentation, craft, cleanliness, following instructions) applies to all presentations and individual assignments. Handwritten work, no matter how neat you think it is, is not accepted. This is college and all work must be typed. Submission of handwritten work will not even be considered and will receive an F (0) for that assignment.

Grading Scale: A= 93-100, A-= 90-92, B+= 87-89, B= 83-86, B-= 80-82, C+= 77-79, C= 73-76,
C-= 70-72, D+= 65-69, D= 60-64, F= 0-59

CLASSROOM POLICIES:
Late Work: Since this course is dealing with industry success, all projects will be due on the date assigned and at the beginning of all classes. Late work will not be accepted. It will be an F/0. If schedule problems occur, notify the professor before any and all due dates. Putting the “final touches” on your homework/assignments such as stapling, printing out, mounting, cutting or even putting your name on the assignment, etc., prior to the start of class or during break is considered late (therefore an F/0). Regardless of when the work is collected, it should be 100% complete when you walk into class.

Attendance: The Art Institute of Tampa policy requires students to attend a minimum of 82% (36 hours) of scheduled course hours in order to receive a passing grade in a course. Attendance is taken twice throughout the class. If you arrive after attendance is completed, it will be marked down as half (1/2) an absence. Missing two classes will result in a lowering of your grade by at least one full grade. Missing more than two classes will result in the failing of this class.

Sleeping in Class: Sleeping in class is not permitted and will not be tolerated. If you are falling, or are a sleep, you will simply be asked to leave the class for the day and will be marked absent for the entire day.

Email: Check often and relay the information to your classmates. Ultimately you are responsible for checking email and following up with the instructor if you not receiving assignments, notes and correspondence for the class via email. It is CRITICAL you start the semester off fresh by clearing out your student account and adjust your forwarding address if necessary. I will correspond with the class quite often via email. Again, check often, relay the information to your classmates and ultimately you are responsible for checking your email. **Let’s exchange information now**

Plagiarism: Plagiarism will not be tolerated and may lead to immediate expulsion from the class and/or college. Plagiarism includes taking words, ideas, or artwork from anyone else and presenting it as your own or not citing properly in accordance with APA Style Guide.

Food/Beverages: Food and non-sealed beverage containers are NOT permitted in any classroom, lab or studio.

Cell Phones and other electronic devices: Cell phone usage is not permitted in any classroom, lab or studio. All cell phones, beepers, games, two-way radios (Nextel), or any other communication device must be turned off before entering the classroom. Leaving the class to take/make a phone call is not permitted unless it is an absolute medical emergency. If you do, you will be marked absent for the entire day. If I see you sending text messages, IMing or playing games or doing anything with any phone or electronic device you will be told to leave the class for the remainder of the day and you will marked absent for the entire day. Leaving devices in silent or vibrate mode is not permitted and text messaging during class is not allowed. In other words, turn all devices completely off and forget you even have them with you for just a few hours. Please take a moment to shut everything off now.

Add/Drop: The first six (6) academic days (not including Saturdays, Sundays and holidays) of each quarter are designated as the schedule adjustment period. During this time, students may make registration adjustments (adding, dropping, or changing days/times of courses) without financial penalty.

Holidays: This quarter has one holiday.

ADA Statement: To meet the needs of our students with disabilities, The Art Institute offers reasonable accommodations for qualified students with disabilities. Students or applicants who would like to request reasonable accommodations should contact the Student Services Coordinator for the school. Students with disabilities are encouraged to contact your instructor and the Dean of Student Affairs in advance of the quarter of study when accommodations are needed.

Saving Work: It is the student’s responsibility to save his or her work to disk. Multiple copies should be saved and verified prior to leaving the classroom. The teacher is in no way responsible for the work saved on hard drives, nor is he/she bound to give an extension on work improperly saved. The hard drives will get purged regularly. Students are expected to back up all work. Loss, theft, computer failure, etc. are not acceptable excuses.

Syllabus Changes: Syllabus is subject to change at the instructor’s discretion. Awareness of these changes is the student’s responsibility

CLASS SCHEDULE:

Student Projects as “works in progress” will be viewed and critiqued as parts of them become available.

Various films will be shown and assigned as required viewing during the quarter. Their content will be included on the tests.

WEEK 1: Friday, April 8
Discussion: Introduction, Syllabus, Instructor, Creativity, Critical Thinking.
The Jobs of Producing and Directing.
Film: “Lost in La Mancha”
Assignment: Project Research
Reading: “Making Movies”, Sidney Lumet

WEEK 2: Friday, April 15
Due Today: Project Review
Discussion: Business Structure of Film Production
Film: TBA
Assignment: Project Development
Reading: Ongoing

WEEK 3: Friday, April 22
Due Today: Project Review
Discussion: Film Financing
Film: TBA
Assignment: Project Development
Reading: Ongoing

WEEK 4: Friday, April 29
Due Today: Project Review
Discussion: Film Budgeting and Scheduling
Film: TBA
Assignment: Project Development
Reading: Ongoing

WEEK 5: Friday, May 6
Due Today: Project Review
Discussion: Casting, Mid-Term Exam Review
Film: TBA
Assignment: Project Development
Reading: Ongoing

WEEK 6: Friday, May 13
Due Today: MID-TERM EXAM
Discussion: Crewing
Assigned Film: “Burden of Dreams”
Assignment: Project Development
Reading: Ongoing

WEEK 7: Friday, May 20
Due Today: Project Review
Discussion: Production Contracts
Film: “Hearts of Darkness”
Assignment: Project Development
Reading: Ongoing

WEEK 8: Friday, May 27
Due Today: Project Review
Discussion: Unions and Guilds
Assignment: Project Development
Reading: Ongoing

WEEK 9: Friday, June 3
Due Today: Project Review
Discussion: Film Distribution
Film: “Spine Tingler: The William Castle Story”
Assignment: Project Development
Reading: Ongoing

WEEK 10: Friday, June 10
Due Today: Project Review
Discussion: Business vs. Creativity, Final Exam Review
Film: TBA
Assignment: None
Reading: None

WEEK 11: Friday, June 17
Due Today: Final Project
Final Exam:
Final Critique:
• Presentation of Final Project
• Class evaluation