Course Proposals

Beginning Video Course Syllabus ART 2650

 

 

Instructor:      Paul Crow ● Email: paulcrow@weber.edu

                        Office hrs: MW 11a-12 noon or by appointment

 

Course Description:

In this course students will develop skills necessary to make use of video as an artmaking medium.  An emphasis will be placed on bringing together technical skills and critical and aesthetic thinking to produce meaningful video work in an art context.  Work will be evaluated by the instructor for both content and technical competence, and presented to the class in peer critiques.  Students are expected to take a disciplined approach to assignments and projects, and to continue to work to refine their art practice using this medium.

 

Required Readings:

• Final Cut Pro 7 - Apple Pro Training Series by Diana Weynand

• I will provide selected readings from:

            - Video Art; Michael Rush (2005)

-     Video Art: A Guided Tour; Catherine Elwes (2005)

-     A History of Video Art; Chris Meigh-Andrews (2006)

-      TBA

 

Required Equipment / Materials:

·         HD or DV Camera, or DSLR with HD capture (ie. Canon T2i/T3i, 7D; Nikon D3100; Sony α580, etc.)

·         External Firewire hard drive (800 preferred, 400 if you already have one)

·         Full-sized 18% grey card

·         A Tripod is recommended

·         CDs/DVDs or an 8gb (or larger) USB Flash Drive for turning in work

·         Notebook / sketchbook.  Please keep complete and detailed notes on each project for this class.

 

Objectives:

In this class you will be introduced to digital video as practiced by artists from the 1960s to the present.  You will learn about the history and current applications of video within an art context, as well as learn the technical skills necessary to produce meaningful work in the medium.  You will gain experience in capturing video footage, editing in Final Cut Pro 7, using sound effectively, and producing and exhibiting video.  You will also be expected to strengthen your vocabulary and knowledge with respect to video and film, and to apply critical thinking to each of your assignments.

 

Attendance/Participation:

Hands-on lab practice and in-class group critiques are essential components of this course.  Specific instructions for each assignment will be presented in class.  Missing such information will negatively impact a student’s performance.  Roll will be taken on lab days as well as lecture days, and attendance on lab days is mandatory, as it is on days when we have lectures and critiques.   Please come to class fully prepared to participate.  Students are expected to complete readings as assigned and to make full use of the computer lab outside of class meetings in order to complete assignments and projects on time.  After three unexcused absences each subsequent absence will drop your class grade five points (one-half a letter grade), and may result in your failing this class.  The same standards apply for excessive tardiness.  Missing more than two class critiques (whether you are showing work or not) or missing the final critique may result in your failing this class.  If you miss a class meeting, you are responsible for getting the missed information from a classmate.  If any circumstances arise that will cause you to miss multiple classes, please make sure you let me know and stay in contact with me.  Your decision to register for this class constitutes a contract, and remaining in the class means that you agree to its terms. 

 

Assignments:

Each assignment in this course employs elements of video making that you will be introduced to throughout the semester.  Concepts presented in lectures, readings, and lab exercises will inform each assignment.  Details of assignments will be provided in class.  Plan to spend an average of one hour outside of class on assignments and projects, homework, reading, research and writing for each hour we meet during the week (an average of six hrs. per week).

 

Assignments which will be critiqued in class will integrate the following elements:

 

1)      Capturing video, transcoding files and editing a rough cut (FCP settings, camera capture and transfer, working with the viewer, canvas and timeline); simple exporting; color, composition and time.  One-minute video without sound.

2)      Camera exposure (light to dark); basic sound; sound and image together (reinforcing meaning; changing meaning); abstraction.  Two-minute video with sound.

3)      Working with sound and with duration constraints; Fine-tuning editing.  Two-minute (exactly) video with  multiple transitions and mixed sound.

4)      Final project: Five-minute video with sound, output as a Quicktime movie.  Production will be undertaken in groups of three.

 

Students will also research and write a (minimum) five-page paper on a video artists chosen from the list I will provide to you.

 

In addition to these assignments, please keep detailed entries in your notebook/sketchbook covering your progress through the course.

 

Critiques:

Your completed assignments in this course will be part of in-class critiques.  This exercise is intended to build each student’s ability to articulately discuss their own work as well as the work of their peers.  Participating in class critiques is mandatory and will help students develop the ability to think and speak about art and images.  The creative and technical principles we will explore throughout this course will serve as the foundation for these discussions.

 

Individual Meetings:

You are required to meet for an individual conference regarding your work, prior to beginning your final projects.  These meetings will take place during class lab time on the days noted on the course schedule.  I will also be available by appointment for additional consultations.  E-mails are welcome and you should feel free to contact me with any questions you may have about the course.

 

Grading:

 

Assignments 1-3	15% each
Artist paper	15%
Final Project	20%
Participation (incl. quizzes & attendance)	20%
Total	100%

 

 

 

Revisions to Syllabus:

The standards and requirements set forth in this syllabus may be modified at any time by the course instructor.  Any changes will be announced in class.

 

Disability Accommodation, academic honesty, “core beliefs,” etc:

Student must inform me the first week of class of any special needs they may have.  Academic accommodations are granted for all students who have qualified, documented disabilities.

From the Weber State University Policies and Procedures Manual, rev. 6-22, sec. IV, Student Code:

D. In addition to the foregoing, as members of the Weber State University academic community, students shall:

1. “Maintain academic standards including institutional, school, departmental, program, and individual course standards; 2. Maintain academic ethics and honesty. To this end, the following activities are specifically prohibited: b. Plagiarism, which is the unacknowledged (uncited) use of any other person’s or group’s ideas or work. This includes purchased or borrowed papers;

9. Determine, before the last day to drop courses without penalty, when course requirements conflict with a student's core beliefs. If there is such a conflict, the student should consider dropping the class. A student who finds this solution impracticable may request a resolution from the instructor. This policy does not oblige the instructor to grant the request, except in those cases when a denial would be arbitrary and capricious or illegal. This request must be made to the instructor in writing and the student must deliver a copy of the request to the office of the department head. The student's request must articulate the burden the requirement would place on the student's beliefs.”

Cell phones texting:  Cell phones should be set to “vibrate” during class, and you should not make calls or text while in class.  If you must take a call (emergency or family issues) please step outside the classroom.  All students should register their cell phone number with Weber State’s Code Purple alert system, to be informed of emergency University closures, etc.

 

Supplies:

HD Video cameras and digital SLRs (DSLRs) will be available locally and on the web.  Please make sure yours meets the specifications outlined above.  New equipment and supplies available locally:

 

•    Best Buy and COSTCO

•    Inkley’s

1660 Washington Blvd Ogden, UT 84404

801.394.9163

•    Pictureline

305 W 700 S Salt Lake City, UT  84101

            801.364.1200

 

 New and used equipment on the web:

·         Cameta Camera (good source of used cameras – NY state)

·800.991.3350;   http://www.cameta.com/

·         B&H Photo (NYC)

www.bhphotovideo.com

·         Calumet Photographic (IL, etc.)

http://www.calumetphoto.com/

·         KEH (new and lots of used equipment – GA)

http://www.keh.com/

 

NOTE: If you will order your supplies from the web, please do it during the first week of class so that they will arrive promptly.