Course syllabus

SCREEN 302 Fiction Filmmaking (2020)

Lecture: Thursday 10-1                                                           Classroom: 201E-149 (Black Box)

Office: Room 532/Social Sciences Building                 Office Hours: TBC (or by appointment)

Convenor: Peter Simpson                                                                                 

Email: pj.simpson@auckland.ac.nz  [best way to contact me]

Course Description:

SCREEN 302 is a course centered on creating scripted, dramatic narratives.

Building on the work done at Stage 2 screen students will look at such things as analysing and breaking down scripts, on set protocols, aspects of pre-production and more advanced technical techniques in production and post production. This course does not cover screenwriting but rather builds understanding on how to analyse a script for narrative themes and how to bring them to the screen

This will be an intensive practical course with emphasis on the doing aspect of film making in workshop style classes. We will cover theory and techniques in class discussions and put them into immediate practice with targeted practical exercises.

Assignments will be creative and practice based.

The course is comprised of lectures, discussions, screenings, exercises and three key creative projects demonstrating lessons learned.  Assessment is based on participation and three practical assignments utilising the techniques learnt in lectures and workshops.

Course Objectives:

• students will build on their understanding of the fundamentals of production techniques in narrative storytelling for screen
• students will achieve advanced familiarity with camera, editing, lighting and sound techniques and software
• students will refine and strengthen collaborative working skills and ways to receive and provide constructive criticism
• students will develop three projects from concept to completion that expose them to the different techniques of cinematic storytelling

Gear Loan-Out:

Please download the gear loan form from canvas and fill out the equipment you require. Email this form to Tim Signal (t.signal@auckland.ac.nz) and Nev Govindasamy (n.govindasamy@auckland.ac.nz) with at least 24 hours notice before you wish to pick up the gear. Loan out hours are between 10am and 1pm weekdays, no exceptions. They will let you know what time slots are available and you must pick it up at the agreed upon time. For assignments equipment cannotbe loaned out until Safety Forms have been checked and signed off by Peter.

Participation and Attendance:

10% of your final grade depends on your presence and active involvement. It is vital for the success of a workshop that you engage with each other’s projects every week. One absence can set you behind, so be there and be on time. Please note this mark is derived partially from attendance but mostly from participation in class and workshop discussions and also activities.

Final Examination:

There will be no final examination for this course.

Assignments:

There are major projects for assessment.

Project #1 Animatic Assignment: 30 March                                   30%

Project #2 One Shot Storytelling Assignment: 1st May          20%

Project #3 Final Film Assignment: 12 June                                     40% 

Participation/Attendance in class discussions/projects         10%

All assignments should be uploaded to server by 5pm on the due date as a self contained Quicktime, 1920x1080, H264 MP4 file with at least 10Mbp data rate or as stipulated in the assignment hand out. Any stills must be submitted in their uncorrected RAW state.

Late Policy:

All assignments should be handed in on time. Any late submissions without pre-arranged extensions will be penalized 1 point per day.

 HELP!!!

Please don’t hesitate to email if you are having any issues with or have questions regarding the course.  Email Peter at pj.simpson@auckland.ac.nz to do so, or to make an appointment to meet in person.

CALENDAR:

 5 March Week 1:

Introductions. Syllabus.  Assignments. Intro to camera. Shooting Exercise. Keyframing in Premiere

12 March Week 2:

Review week 1 sequence. Lenses. Sound Recording. Objective vs Subjective. Shoot first of three interpretations of an example scene.

19 March Week 3:

Review Week 2 static shot sequence. External Monitors. Moving the camera. The gimbal. Shoot second of three interpretations of an example scene.

26 March Week 4

Review Week 3 example scene edits. Assignment 2. Recording off camera sync sound. The onset shooting process. Shoot third interpretation of example scene.

 ****30 March Assignment 1 Due 4pm***

 2 April Week 5:

Review Week 4 example scene edits. Intro to advanced production techniques: The Split Screen. Basics of After Effects. How to use these techniques to enhance performance.

9 April Week 6:

Review split screen edits. Lighting and Cinematography with guest Director of Photography. Disucssion and Q&A. Practical demo: How to shoot a cinematic image in mundane locations.

***13 April to 26 April: Mid Semester Break***

30 April Week 7:

Assignment 3. Shooting with two cameras. Shoot first two interpretations of an example scene with lighting in two different locations.

 ***1 May: Assignment 2 Due 4pm***

7 May Week 8:

Assignment 3 presentations. Review lighting scenes from Week 7. Shoot third and fourth interpretations of example scene with lighting in two different locations.

14 May Week 9:

Review lighting exercises from Week 8. Assignment 3 production meetings. Meet composers from School of Music. Plan Assignment 3 shoots.

***Assignment 3 Shoot Period: 14^th – 25^th May. 2 Days Max***

21 May Week 10:

Colour in film and colour grading. Advanced post production techniques (Davinci Resolve, After Effects, vfx). Continue development on Assignment 3.

28 May Week 11:

Guest lecturer. Advanced audio post production, sweetening dialogue, denoise techniques, adding atmos, removing unwanted sounds, working with music. Post production on Assignment 3.

4 June Week 12:

Review rough cuts for Assignment 3. Class feedback and critique. Continue post production on Assignment 3.

***12 June: Assignment 3 Due 5pm***

END OF TERM.