TV & Video Production Projects

Shot lists

Grading

Campus Story. The emphasis here is on story. Take any aspect of campus life (any college campus) and develop a well thought-out video piece with a clear beginning, middle and end structure.

Edit in the camera (for this assignment only). Learning the concept of editing in the camera is an important discipline that will save you time later.

Sound will be music (your choice) from an audio cassette or CD that you will bring to class and play with your videotape. You will not use any location sound for this first assignment--only CD or cassette music.

After this assignment you will be submitting an edited tape and the audio will edited onto your edited master during the editing process.

TIME: Not critical, but between 1 and 3 minutes.

Person at work. Illustrate on tape the relationship between a person (only one person) and a job. This can be a vocation or avocation, but not a hobby.

Tell a complete story of the person-job interaction through the use of establishing shots, closeups, ECUs, etc.

When you present your video we should get a clear idea of the person, exactly what they do, how they do it, and something of their personality and feelings toward their job.  

Sound for this assignment will be a selection of music of your choice. You may include SOT (sound-on-tape) segments if you feel you can confidently handle this at this point in the course. Transfer this music along with any location sound (including interview segments) to your edited master during the editing process.

TIME: Not critical, but between 2 and 4 minutes.

Music and dialogue may only supplement (but not establish or fully communicate) the mood you select. Without your audio we should clearly get the idea. Stick to one mood or feeling, and don't confuse matters by moving from one mood to another.

After seeing your video we should be able to ask 10 people for a one-word description of the mood conveyed and get a reasonably consistent answer.

TIME: Probably rather short. Once you feel you have communicated your mood, quit!

Mini-drama: Do a short dramatic scene with two or more actors in which you smoothly and transparently intercut the dialogue from two or more single-camera setups. This is to be done in single-camera, film style setups.

Write the script yourself, or borrow it from a film or play; it doesn't matter.

You will be required to hand in a typed script in proper dramatic script form before your video will be shown. 

Keep in mind needed visual variety and the techniques of single-camera film-style production.

NOTE: To meet the minimum requirements of this assignment you must have at least six, consecutive audio cuts from one (speaking) person to another. This is a typical dramatic segment and not a voice-over or one person interviewing another with a single, shared microphone.  The people must be in the same location (i.e., not one person talking on the phone).

Pay particular attention to shifts in audio levels, changes in background sound, proper pacing, consistent actor energy levels, etc.  

When we hear your video we should not be distracted by unnatural sounding audio transitions. To achieve the desired results this assignment also will also require finesse in working with actors.  

Public Service Announcement. Create a 30-second PSA (Public Service Announcement) with an ethical, moral, or humanitarian message.

Time: precisely 0:30. (Not a second more or less!)

Have a video (and possibly audio tag) at the end that clearly identifies your cause.  

This must be edited with a non-linear editing system and be a truly effective PSA, one that shows top-notch production techniques.

You will write, produce and direct one :30 second studio commercial focusing on a theme that is suitable for broadcast. The class will critique each commercial. A major goal of this course is to help you develop a critical eye for excellence.

Training Video. 

Create a training video for a real or fictional business.  

Time: not critical

All shots must be exterior shots of the campus, students, and campus activities.  Be creative regardless of the weather conditions.  You will present a storyboard in class of what you plan on videotaping.  Your video postcard must contain a variety of wide, medium, close-up, and extreme close-up shots.  You will not be able to use the videotape editor to complete this project.  Thus, all scenes must be shot in sequence and at one time.  Points will be deducted from videos that have a break (“snow”) between any shots.  All scenes must be properly composed and stable else points will be deducted.  Remember: the purpose of this project is to create a promotional video to show to prospective Sexton students.  What did you want to know about Sexton before you came here?

You will be able to correct any mistakes or bad scenes in your first assignment by  reshooting them, etc.  This project will be able to be edited on the linear videotape editing system.  Your team’s completed project should last sixty seconds exactly, fading up from back and down to black and the video’s beginning and end.  You will also need to  add an appropriate musical sound bed.  Remember: the purpose of this project is to create a sixty second promotional video to show to prospective Sexton students.  What did you want to know about Sexton before you came here?

This project will go together easier if you first create your narration/music sound bed in the two audio production area of the lab.  Next, edit your video to audio in the video lab.  All video must be shot by your production team.  Professional graphics and backgrounds may be used.  Your video must also open and close with an appropriate graphic created by  you.  This logo will be keyed over your video at the beginning and end.

This should be of some real news or sports happenings in the Sexton community.  If your team is having a difficult time determining your subject matter, meet with your instructor.  There are plenty of topics of student interest to be found within our community.

Shot List

Here is a sample beginning of a shot-list, which must be submitted before taping begins on your project.

1. LS - campus, early morning. Students are hurrying to classes  (10 seconds)

2. MS - Mary getting out of her car in the student parking lot with a load of books  (5 seconds).

3. MS - John noticing, stops, turns, starts walking toward her.  (10 seconds)

Grading: 

10% - Participation (working with others, giving each assignment your best, professionalism)

90% - Video Projects:

• Each project will include grades for:
  • Team work (10%)
  • Progress Checks (10%)
  • Storyboards/scripts (20%)
  • Meeting Deadlines (10%)
  • Final Product (50%)
• The final product will be evaluated by peers and teachers with this rubric. The areas of evaluation are:
  • Photography
  • Motion
  • Frame
  • Sound
  • Editing