COMM 103 - MEDIA AND MESSAGES/VISUAL LITERACY (5
Cr.)
Room L218 Tuesdays and Thursdays 12:30 p.m. – 2:40 p.m.
INSTRUCTOR: Daniel Thornton
OFFICE: R230
PHONE: 425-564-2341
EMAIL: dthornto@bcc.ctc.edu
OFFICE HOURS: by appointment
TEXTBOOKS: available at college bookstore
SIGHT/SOUND/MOTION-Applied
Media Aesthetics
by
Herbert Zettl
MEDIA UNLIMITED
by Todd Gitlin
You must
also pick up Scantron cards, available at the college bookstore.
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
The course presents the mechanics
and aesthetics of media production including lighting, editing, color, and
audio. Through a series of lectures
which include clips from a variety of videos, films, and digital media as well
as guest speakers, the student will gain insight into the aesthetics of media
production and how production skills can make a presentation more powerful and
impactful and the effect of the that impact on the viewer.
This course
will also include discussion of how these now constant messages influence us,
our sense of history, and our sense of being and ethics
COURSE LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:
1.
view
media presentations in a critical manner and analyze
the origin, impact,
and meanings of visual media messages as
they relate to
ourselves
and our culture.
2. describe
how a story's author, content, audience, and
media
work in concert to convey a given message's goal.
3. describe
the production techniques utilized to create
media
images and messages, including: film
editing,
video
editing, digital media editing, audio production
and
editing, lighting techniques, and computer graphic
design.
4. describe
and explain the ability of film and video
editing
to define the pace and flow of a given pro-
duction
and its visual message.
5. describe
and explain how mood and message can be
affected
by the use of light, shadow, and color.
6. Be
able to define a variety of terms including montage,
cameo
lighting, jump cut, accelerated motion, and
emotional
literacy.
7. define
"cultural metaphor" and list three examples
in
which visual media supports the definition and
affects
the content of our culture.
WEEKLY TOPICS AND DISCUSSIONS:
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Week 1 -
INTRODUCTION AND EXPECTATIONS |
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FOR WEEK 2: Read chapter 1 in ZETTL |
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Week 2 –
THE STORY |
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The base of all productions FOR WEEK 3: Read chapters 2 and 3 in ZETTL/Introduction
in Gitlin . |
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Week 3 –
LIGHTING |
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Lighting for Video and Film FOR WEEK 4: Read chapters 4 and 5 in ZETTL/Read
Section 1 in Gitlin (pp. 12-70) ASSIGNMENT DUE NEXT THURS. (10/11): A short essay,
no more than two pages, discussing how light and shadow were used in the most
recent film you've seen. Just describe one scene in the film and note the
director and cinematographer. Email to
dthornto@bcc.ctc.edu
by 9:00pm. |
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Week 4 –
COLOR PERCEPTION |
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The Extended First Field - Color FOR WEEK 5: read chapters 6, 7, 8, and 9 in ZETTL |
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Week 5 –
VISUALIZATION |
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Aspect Ratios FOR WEEK 6 - Read Chapters 12 and 13 in Zettl/Read
Section 2 in Gitlin (pp. 71-117) |
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Week 6 –
THE USE OF TIME AND MOTION |
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or images in the fourth dimension FOR WEEK
7: Read Chapters 15 and 16 in ZETTL MULTIPLE
CHOICE EXAM ON WEDNESDAY |
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Week 7 –
EDITING |
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Editing and Motion FOR WEEK 8
- read Chapters 17 and 18 in Zettl |
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Week 8:
THE USE OF SOUND |
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Sound In Film and Television FOR WEEK 9 |
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Week 9 –
F/X |
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F/X History FOR WEEK
10 Final Exam.
Due next Wednesday by 9:00pm: Write an opinion essay - what is Todd
Gitlin's main thesis - do you agree with it? Why or why not? Give examples of
how recent films or television shows have reflected, mirrored, or influenced
society. How, in the long run, do you
think an "unlimited" number of media messages will effect us. Email to dthornto@bcc.ctc.edu |
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Week 10 -
STUDENT PREPARATION OF FINAL PRESENTATIONS - PRESENTATIONS DUE LAST WEEK OF
CLASSES |
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Paperless Class:
This class
will utilize the online space made available to us by the college. There will be no handouts. All supplemental reading materials and
assignment sheets will be posted to the class website at: go.mybcc.net. Log in with your ID and password and then
click on the “My Classes” tab. This
course should be listed on your “My Classes” page. If you
have limited or no access to the Internet, paper copies of online materials can
be provided for you. You must request these documents from the instructor. He has a bad memory and lots of students to
attend to so he needs your help in remembering your requests.
MAJOR ASSIGNMENTS:
There will be two multiple choice
exams covering material gone over in class and in Zettl. There will be One Essay on the Gitliln book
and one essay on Zettl. For the Final Assignment - students will
be put into groups, each of which has to an in-class presentation dealing with
a specific film or television episode and one or two scenes and the techniques
utilized to get the messages across to the audience.
ESSAYs DUE Thursday of week 3 and Thursday of week 10 BY 9:00 PM (PST)
via email (An Assignment Sheet will be posted during week 6):
GROUP PRESENTATION DUE
LAST WEEK OF CLASSES
Work with your
assigned group to create an online presentation dealing with a specific film or
television episode and one or two scenes and the techniques utilized to get the
messages across to the audience.
GRADING: Each exam and essay is worth 100
pts. The final presentation is worth 100
pts. Class participation is also very
important and can add or detract points from the final grade. Grades will be counted the following way:
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500 |
Total Possible |
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475 |
A |
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450 |
A- |
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434 |
B+ |
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417 |
B |
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400 |
B- |
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384 |
C+ |
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367 |
C |
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350 |
C- |
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330 |
D+ |
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317 |
D |
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316 |
Less = F |
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THERE IS NO EXTRA CREDIT OFFERED IN
THIS CLASS.
CLASSROOM EXPECTATIONS AND ETIQUETTE:
1. Arrive to class on time and ready to
work. If you are absent more than three
times twenty points will be taken off your final grade. If you are late to class by more than ten
minutes, you will be marked absent.
2. Bring
all needed materials.
3. Do
not bring children, pets, or other wild animals that can disrupt class or
eat
other students.
4. No
smoking in any BCC building.
5. For each day an assignment is late without
a medical or family crisis excuse,
ten points will
be taken off the grade.
6. Students
caught doing personal work or work for any other class while this
class
is in session will be removed from class.
7. Any excessive talking or disruption of any
kind will cause you to be removed from
the class.
8. Except
for illness, a death in the family, or a particular activity approved prior
to
the activity by the instructor (for instance:
a wedding or job interview) there
will
be no make-ups given and NO EXTRA CREDIT
WILL BE GIVEN.
9. All
students must attend all final
presentations!! To miss the final day of
presentations will cost a full letter grade.
COURSE POLICIES:
More than
three absences will lower your grade a full grade point (a B will be lowered to
a C). Being late to class more than
three times will count as one absence. (students who are late tend to disrupt
the class, particularly during class discussions).
MEETINGS WITH THE INSTRUCTOR will be by appointment, made either after class or through
the Business or Arts and Humanities office.