Week 14: Next Steps

Media Industry and Next Steps Throughout the semester, producers work very hard on the details of production from script revisions and location scouting (preproduction) to camera settings and actor performance (production) to color balance and sound design (postproduction). At the end of our semester-long journey, where will projects go? In this blog, author Cristina Pomales… Continue Reading Week 14: Next Steps

Week 13: Symbolism

Symbolism and Meaning A great deal of time is spent crafting story during preproduction, shots during production, and rhythm during postproduction. But what about symbolism? When and how should teams pause to examine the deeper meaning coming from their creative design work? In this blog entry, author Amaris Manning gives us a glimpse at her… Continue Reading Week 13: Symbolism

Week 12: Props

Props without brand labels Filming with low/no budget can be challenging, but it’s is what we do in Producing and Directing. Still, sometimes scenes seem to look like paid product placements simply because producers forget to frame out logo designs and visible brands. In this blog, author Zoe Sohenick talks about product placement – and… Continue Reading Week 12: Props

Week 11: Editing

Postproduction Strategies As soon as the first filming day wraps, it’s time to officially begin the editing process. Cinematic stories are shaped through careful editing. In this blog entry, author Leslie Lopez discusses postproduction in relation to Jillian Holt’s article Intuition in creative film editing practice: using phenomenology to explain editing as an embodied experience.… Continue Reading Week 11: Editing

Week 8: Characters

Characters drive the story At the heart of a good story is the character(s) who drive it forward. In this blog entry, author Wes Marshall talks about the protagonist of his project in relation to Jason Mitell’s Complex TV: The Poetics of Contemporary Television Storytelling. At the Heart of Character by Wes Marshall There’s lots… Continue Reading Week 8: Characters

Week 7: Directing

Directing with Subtext Directing is not a solitary craft but one done in collaboration with actors. Here, author Paige DiFebbo talks about directing and taking inspiration from Judith Weston’s The Film Director’s Intuition: Script Analysis and Rehearsal Techniques. Directing Crestwood by Paige DiFebbo This semester I worked on Crestwood, a mockumentary style comedy pilot episode.… Continue Reading Week 7: Directing

Week 6: Working with Actors

Tips for working with actors The table read is an exciting time when actors who will be working together get to meet each other for the first time. Directors lead this event, which is both a first rehearsal and the first all-team production meeting with both crew and cast. In this blog, author Aaliyah Pope… Continue Reading Week 6: Working with Actors

Week 5: Locations

Scouting locations (and reflecting on their meaning) The preproduction process includes many tasks, and one of them is scouting and ultimately securing filming locations. In this blog, author Leslie Grossman talks about her experiences choosing locations as well as the meaning of cinematic spaces in connection to the article Cinematic Landscapes by Chris Lukinbeal. More… Continue Reading Week 5: Locations

Week 4: Teamwork and Crews

How Production Teams Work Together Teamwork is essential to narrative production. But how do teams work efficiently? What makes a team successful? In this blog entry, author John Tyrrell reflects on teamwork inspired by the article Notes on collaboration: Assessing student behaviors by Ted Hardin. The Secret to Effective Teamwork: Understanding Roles and Encouraging Each… Continue Reading Week 4: Teamwork and Crews

Week 3: Sound Design

Notes on recording and designing sound Sound design is an essential element of cinematic storytelling. In this blog, author Corinna Boeck reflects on how her project will use sound design in relation to the article The Labour of Breath by Liz Greene. Sound design will enhance performance, establish a sense of place, and immersive the… Continue Reading Week 3: Sound Design