modules :: projects :: activities

Writing with Video is organized into three discreet modules that follow a logical sequence of skill building. Simple activities and challenges lead into work that is progressively more ambitious and complex. The information below gives a general timeline and outline of learning goals and coursework. Each module includes assigned readings/viewings, directed writing, classroom acitivities, short production exercises, and at least one larger video project. Students receive a grade for each module, that assesses their performance and participation in all assigned activities according to the following rough breakdown:

33% electronic journal
34% finished video project
33% class participation + personal skills

Students will receive more specific information on daily and weekly schedules, due dates, etc. from their section instructor. For more detail on each module, use the links below.

weeks 01-05 :: module 01 :: some basics
Lots of introductions: Mac laptops, electronic journals, camcorders, iMovie. Literacy, visual literacy, semiotics (remember, basic). Thinking, creating, making. Seeing, hearing, paying attention. Video as a language for expression and communication.

weeks 06-09 :: module 02 :: the art of the real
Video as a research tool: searching and exploring, hunting and gathering. The art of the interview. Making direct contact with your subject. Improvisation (being prepared, but thinking on your feet) and rehearsal (rough cuts and multiple drafts). Rehearsing effective creative video production: pre-production (reflecting, brainstorming, conceptualizing, proposals, storyboards, shot lists), production (logging raw footage, paper edits, rough cuts), and post-production (critique, analysis, more reflection, finding an audience).

weeks 10-15 :: module 03 :: this I believe
Manifestos. Self-reflection and self-knowledge. Transforming the personal into the social. Using your values as a compass to identify a subject. Engaging the world, and ideas that matter. Becoming a sophisticated media author: using everything you've learned about video to make a visual argument that is clear, compelling, and memorable. Becoming a sophisticated media consumer: reflecting on, and analyzing how, we read and digest media everyday.