Day by Day
Wednesday,
September 1
Introduction & Housekeeping
Wednesday,
September 8
Reading:
Eric Barnouw, Documentary: A History of Non-Fiction Film
Viewing:
Ken Burns, Civil War, Pt. 1
Daniel Mccabe & Paul Stekler, George Wallace
Internet Visit:
Practicum: Getting the Shot
Tuesday,
September 14
LAST DAY TO ADD CLASSES
Wednesday,
September 15
Reading:
Simon Schama, Dead Certainties
Viewing:
Eric Strange, Murder at Harvard
Ken Burns, Lewis & Clark
Internet Visit:
Eric Strange, “Shooting Back”
Practicum: Digitizing Stills
ASSIGNMENT #1: SCENE ANALYSIS DUE
Select a scene from one of the four documentaries that we have viewed. In a 500–750-word blog entry, analyze both “what” documentary does in terms of history and “how” specifically in terms of video does it make the point. Conclude your entry by evaluating how effective the scene is in furthering the documentary as a whole.
Wednesday,
September 22
Internet Visits:
American Memory: Motion Picture Collections
Wednesday,
September 29
Last Day to Drop Classes
Discussion: Treatments/Pitching the Project
ASSIGNMENT #2: TREATMENT/PITCH DUE
Find any academic history article that you believe would be amenable to translation into a video documentary. Include in your TypePad blog in a short, narrative plan (500 words) outlining how you would go about adapting the article to video format. You might look at The Journal of American History, The American Historical Review, or more specialized journals such as the Journal of Social History, Winterthur Portfolio, and so on. The key is to find scholarship that would lend itself to a visual interpretation.
Wednesday,
October 6
Reading:
Mark M. Smith, Hearing History
Internet Visits:
Historical Documentaries for Radio
Practicum: Sound & Music
Wednesday,
October 13
NO CLASS (Open Lab/interviews/Footage)
Wednesday,
October 20
Discussion: Short Videos
ASSIGNMENT #3: SHORT DOCUMENTARY & CRITIQUE DUE
Choose a short historical subject that can be dealt with effectively in 1–2 minutes. Using a selection of stills, transitions, and a sound track (v/o, music, or both), create a video that makes a point or tells a story. Once you have finished your video, export it in QuickTime format at 240 x 180 (or smaller) in a form suitable for the web and upload it to your TypePad blog.
Wednesday,
October 27
OPEN LAB (Open Lab/interviews/Footage)
Wednesday,
November 3
Discussion: Story Boards
ASSIGNMENT #4: STORYBOARD DUE
Using TypePad’s Photo Album feature, put together the storyboard for your project. Each “page” of your storyboard should have an image (still from photograph or still from video), commentary or excerpts from a draft of your script, and some estimate of the section’s duration. The storyboard should not only tell the viewer “what” the history is but also “how” the history will be presented. Be sure that your images are of uniform size and optimized for the web and that the storyboard has a title and introduction that sets out your historical argument or interpretation. If you do not have the necessary image, include a placeholder image (“Picture (or video clip) of X”) and in your commentary suggest where and when the material is (or will become) available.
Friday,
November 10
OPEN LAB
Wednesday,
November 17
Discussion: Rough Cuts
ASSIGNMENT #5: ROUGH CUT DUE
The chief goal for this assignment is to get your video into rough form. To that end, lay out your stills, clips, audio, and so forth in the order of your narrative with rough timing. The rough cut need not have any transitions or a complete sound track but should suggest some idea of the v/o and sound track.
Wednesday,
November 24
NO CLASS–THANKSGIVING
Wednesday,
December 1
OPEN LAB
Wednesday,
December 8
Discussion: History Documentaries
ASSIGNMENT #6: FINAL PROJECT DUE (Preliminary):
The overarching goal for the major project is the creation of a 5–7 digital history documentary. First, the content should be solid and engaging. Second, the video should be clear in its purpose and audience. Third, the video should contain the following elements: stills, video (shot by author), v/o, an interview, sound track, titling, and credits. The video’s should also reflect knowledge of the technical aspects of digital video documentary production: use of images (stills and compositing), sound (music, audio effects, narration, dialogue, and ambience), editing, and the narrative approaches to historical documentaries. Although this is a preliminary assignment, your project should be in the most finished form possible.
Wednesday,
December 10
FINAL PROJECT DUE
SELF-EVALUATION DUE
Once you satisfied with your project and have taken into account class suggestions, burn a DVD or put your project on a mini-DVcassette and drop it off in my office mailbox. In addition, export a web-ready version for inclusion in your TypePad blog. (Because of TypePad’s space constraints, the version for your blog may have to be on the order of a “trailer.”