M EDIA CAREER PREPARATION - FILM 5312 - SYLLABUS (a.k.a.

"Get a Job") Southern Methodist University Spring Term 2012 Umphrey Lee room 107, Tuesday and Thursday, 9:30 10:50 am Professor Carolyn M acartney Office: 204 Umphrey Lee Tel: 214-768-1742 Email: cmacartn@smu.edu (best way to contact me) Office hours: Tuesday 11:00 to 12:00pm, Wednesday 3:00-5:00pm, and by appointment. Pre-requisite: Minimum two intermediate or advanced level production courses; Senior standing. Recom m ended Texts: Chris Gore's Ultimate Film Festival Survival Guide, 3rd Edition Shaking the Money Tree, Morrie Warshawki Required m aterials: An external hard drive with at least 250 Gig capacity, ideally buss powered. Course Description: Students prepare themselves to enter the professional media industry; refine their films and enter them into festivals; and create an online portfolio of their work. Students learn to brand themselves and as creative, skilled artists. They develop their resume, create a business card and create a professional website, incorporating examples of their work. Students learn to navigate the film festival process, prepare press kits of their projects and begin submitting their films and/or scripts to Festivals. Guest speakers and field trips to local professional film/video/audio facilities will provide networking opportunities and insight into the various areas of employment within the film industry. LEARNING OBJECTIVES Class participation and homework are vital aspects of this class. Your involvement and contribution are expected, will be graded, and will enrich your learning in the following ways: 1. You will discover and focus your specific strengths, skills, needs and talent. By beginning to understand filmmaking as a potential livelihood, you will become familiar with a myriad of possibilities. You will discover your assets and preferred work methods, which will better enable you to find your place in the filmmaking industry per your specific skill set. 2. You will learn to market yourself and your skills through preparation of a professional PR package and online presence. As want ads are virtually unheard of in the film business, you will need to get your name out there in order to get hired. Starting with creating your business card and your demo-reel, you take the first step in the long and continual journey of networking. 3. You will learn the art and business of freelancing. Much of the work in the film business is freelance. Therefore, knowing how to negotiate rates, network, and take care of paperwork are fundamental to your success. 4. You will enter your films into film festivals. Films exist to be screened for an audience. Getting your films onto the big screen begins with the film festival. Now that your film is finished, your work has just begun as you start to navigate the film festival process. 5. You will improve your critical and analytical skills. You will be required to critically analyze fellow student work and verbally articulate your resulting thoughts. This will enhance your capacity for critical thinking and better your understanding of the art of filmmaking, editing and sound. 1

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Through discourse you will develop your verbal skills so that you are better able to articulate your ideas. You will improve your films, graphic images and writing through feedback and critique. Providing criticism is often easier than receiving it. However, receiving objective, constructive criticism is extremely valuable and useful. You will learn to make the most out of the reactions of your peers and Professor, while maintaining a direction true to your original intent. Your writing skills will improve. The ability to communicate your ideas in the written word is critical. Through numerous assignments you will be required to describe and articulate yourself, your experience, and your creative work. Professionalism in your writing is expected. Therefore you will exercise correct grammar, spelling and punctuation, and will be graded thereupon. You will become a better communicator. Mentally and verbally engaging in class is the first step to understanding and being understood. We will take this to the next level as you listen to and speak with professionals in the industry. Discussion with guest speakers, during field trips, and through your individual job/internship research with local production and post-production facilities will work to enhance your capacity to communicate effectively. You will be prepared to enter the film/TV/media industry. Upon completion of this course you will have prepared yourself on multiple fronts for beginning your career in the film/TV industry. Armed with a resume, business card, demo reel, online presence, press kit, festival entries, at least one interview, and exposure to the local professional filmmaking community, you will be well on your way to that all important goal, a job in the film/TV industry!

***Important note: There is a heavy homework element to this class. Students must be prepared to hand-in assignments on a weekly basis. Assignments more than two weeks late will receive a zero. COURSE SCHEDULE Week 1 Tues. Jan 17 Course Introduction: Honing your work and getting ready to get a job! Critique, research, film festivals, guest lecturers, Dallas production/post production facilities. HW: Read Laying the foundation: Your career pp 1-6 from Shaking the Money Tree, by Morrie Warshawski (on BB) Careers in the media industry what do you want to do? Creating and formatting an effective resume Likes, wants, skills and talents DUE: Resum e due, 1 st draft Critique/Lab honing your existing films

Thurs. Jan 19 Week 2 Tues Jan 24 Thurs. Jan 26 Week 3 Tues. Jan 31

Networking & Film/video organizations joining, benefits, contacts, screening and job opportunities. Marketing yourself step one: Design your business card DUE: Revised Resume Guest speaker/field trip

Thurs. Feb 2

Week 4 Tues. Feb 7

The Freelancing World and surviving in it Finding work, networking, health insurance Business invoicing, accounting, taxes DUE: Business card design/logo, 1 st draft Critique/Lab Photoshop basics

Thurs. Feb 9 Week 5 Tues. Feb 14

Film Festivals part I Which ones, when, why Importance of online web presence look at filmmaker websites, film websites. DUE: Invoice form Critique/Lab honing your existing films/working in Photoshop

Thurs. Feb 16 Week 6 Tues. Feb 21 Thurs. Feb 23 Week 7 Tues. Feb 28

Film Festivals part II Application, screeners, strategic approach DUE: Revised business card design Guest speaker/field trip

Film and production stills protocol pulling stills from your film Assign interview with media industry individual, facility or company. DUE: Film festival research Critique/Lab honing your existing films

Thurs Mar 1 Week 8 Tues. Mar 6

Your work Films vs. Demo reels. Producing effective DVD and online versions of both Assign: website online portfolio DUE: Printed Business cards m inim um quantity 200 Guest speaker/field trip

Thurs Mar 8

NO CLASS SPRING BREAK March 13 through 18 Week 9 Tues. Mar 20

Developing a press kit Cutting an effective trailer Designing an effective cover for your DVD, poster for your film, etc. DUE: Synopsis of your film, your Bio Critique/Lab focusing on your trailers/reels/web pages

Thurs Mar 22

Week 10 Tues. Mar 27 Thurs Mar 29 Week 11 Tues. Apr 3

Deliverables what are they, why are they so expensive? DUE: Film m aker, production and film stills Critique/Lab focusing on your trailers/reels/covers/web pages

Legal issues LLC's, licensing, releases, other important paperwork you need to know about and deal with DUE: W ebsite online portfolio - in progress Guest speaker/field trip

Thurs. Apr 5 Week 12 Tues. Apr 10 Thurs. Apr 12

Distribution strategies for your film DUE: W ritten report on m edia industry individual, com pany or facility Critique/Lab authoring DVD's with DVD studio pro; codecs, resolutions and encoding for the web.

Week 13 Tues. Apr 17

Next project idea, long range planning HW: re-read Laying the Foundation: Your Career (on BB) DUE: Trailer(s) of your film(s), to be screened in class Guest speaker/field trip

Thurs. Apr 19 Week 14 Tues. Apr 24

Grant world, a job in of itself finding money for your films DUE: Treatment of next film project idea DUE: Evidence of at least three film festivals entered Final Critique/lab last chance for feedback No class follows Friday schedule

Thurs Apr 26 Tues. May 1 Week of May 2-8

Presentation of Final Projects *NOTE: Students can expect to spend up to $300.00 on an external firewire hard drive, blank DVD's, cases, printing costs, etc. Field trips and guest speakers may include (but not be limited to) the following: Producer Director Director of Photography Writer 4

Editor Supervising sound editor Production Manager Production Designer Production Stills Photographer Production studio/camera facility Post production facility (Editing, animation, effects) Sound Mix/Design/Recording/Scoring facility Music and Copyright Lawyer Film festival curators My As expectations of you, the student, are: To be an engaged and active participant in the class. To be responsible for your studies, homework and assignments. To be responsible for the information laid out in the syllabus, assignment sheet and on Blackboard. To be clear and prompt with communications and responses, be they via email, telephone or office visit. To be professional in your behavior and attitude to your Professor, your TA, your classmates and to Film staff. your Professor, m y responsibilities to you are: To give you respect and to encourage you to reach your fullest potential. To make of you a better artist, craftsperson and media maker. To impart to you the technical knowledge and skills necessary to enable you to express your ideas on motion picture media. To be professional.

PROFESSOR M ACARTNEY'S COURSE POLICIES: Communications: I will respond to emails during regular business hours, Mon Fri, 9am to 5pm. I use email to communicate with the class. Hence I expect you to check your own email regularly and be responsible for any communications therein. Please do not text me or call me on my cell phone. Attendance: Attendance and punctuality are factored into your grade. Lateness of more than 20 minutes counts as an absence. For classes that meet twice per week: Students will be dropped from the course after their 6th unexcused absence. After 5 excused absences your grade will drop by one full letter. After 7 excused absences you will fail the course. For classes that meet once per week: Students will be dropped from the course after their 4th unexcused absence. After 3 excused absences your grade will drop by one full letter. After 5 excused absences you will fail the course. Sorority and Fraternity functions do not constitute excused absences. Assignm ents: Assignments are due at the beginning of class on the due date. Excuses for absence/lateness will only be accepted with some form of written documentation. (ie: note from Doctor, traffic report from accident, etc.) For every class day late, your grade for that assignment will drop by one full letter. Any submitted media that is improperly labeled will be marked off accordingly. Exam: If you miss the exam date, you will have class time the following week to make it up. If you miss this date, you will receive a zero for the exam. Equipment Checkout: Students must fill out and sign an Equipment and Facilities Liability Agreement at the beginning of the semester before being allowed to check out or use equipment. This 5

means that you are financially responsible for any equipment that you use. Checkout is located in room 104 Umphrey Lee. To check out equipment, fill out a reservation form electronically and email it to me. You will find the link to the form on BB. I then forward the request to Edward and cc you. ****Reservations m ust be received by the cage during regular business hours (10 -6) no later than 48 hours before you wish to pick-up the equipm ent. **** Advanced classes may checkout gear for one or two day periods. There are no back-to-back checkouts, please do not ask. Please report any troubles with equipment so that the problems can be solved/repaired/rectified, etc. Please be professional in your dealings with checkout staff and equipment. Facilities Access: STUDENTS ARE REQUIRED TO PURCHASE THEIR OWN EXTERNAL FIRE WIRE HARD DRIVE to store their media on. This will greatly facilitate your editing. Advanced students may also sign up for the McFarlin Studio. You will need to organize this through Prof. Edward Trevino: Please email him no later than 48 hours in advance and he will set it up if it is available. McFarlin access is M-F, 7am to 11pm, Sunday noon to 8pm. After hours (7-11pm and Sunday) require the physical presence of a TA, which has to be organized in advance. Grading: Grading is based upon: Fulfillment of assignment requirements and stipulations Quality of work produced and submitted Effort expended and time committed Effective and thorough use of available equipment Collaboration Professionalism Poorly/insufficiently labeled and packaged materials will result in a lower grade. Grading and equipment checkout: Failure to schedule equipment within sufficient time to do your shoot is not an acceptable excuse for incomplete or late assignments. Failing to cancel w/in 24 hours, or not picking up reserved equipment will result in your failing that particular assignment. Lateness of return of equipment of more than one hour will lower your grade for that assignment by one letter. Lateness of 24 hours or more will result in your failing that assignment. Failure to report lost or damaged equipment will result in your grade being lowered by one full letter for that particular assignment. Lack of professionalism in treatment of the equipment and/or check out protocol will adversely affect your grade. Note: Grading artistic or creative work is inherently subjective. If you are not comfortable with this you should not be taking this class. Subject matter: Please remember that your film/video/art is how you choose to represent yourself to the world. Consent of release By taking this class you grant a non-exclusive license to the Division of Film Media Arts, the Meadows School of the Arts, and SMU to use your likeness, your voice, any works created collaboratively by the class, and any audiovisual works created by you to fulfill the requirements of this class for current and future publicity or other purposes through print, online, broadcast, screenings, and other media, with the single exclusion that the Division, School, and University may not post online any of your audiovisual works in their entirety before either obtaining your explicit consent or waiting a period of three years after the conclusion of this course. You retain sole ownership and rights to original works created by you in this course; the rights to works created in groups of less than four are owned in equal portion by the members of the creating group, while the rights to works created by larger groups (including the entire class) are owned by the Division. 6

UNIVERSITY POLICIES * Academic Honesty and Misconduct: You are bound by the Honor Code and the SMU Student Code of Conduct. For complete details, see: http://www.smu.edu/studentlife/PCL_01_ToC.asp * Disability Accommodations: Students needing academic accommodations for a disability must first contact Ms. Rebecca Marin, Coordinator, Services for Students with Disabilities (214-768-4557) to verify the disability and establish eligibility for accommodations. They should then schedule an appointment with the professor to make appropriate arrangements. (See University Policy No. 2.4.) * Religious Observance: Religiously observant students wishing to be absent on holidays that require missing class should notify their professors in writing at the beginning of the semester, and should discuss with them, in advance, acceptable ways of making up any work missed because of the absence. (See University Policy No. 1.9.) * Excused Absences for University Extracurricular Activities: Students participating in an officially sanctioned, scheduled University extracurricular activity should be given the opportunity to make up class assignments or other graded assignments missed as a result of their participation. It is the responsibility of the student to make arrangements with the instructor prior to any missed scheduled examination or other missed assignment for making up the work. (University Undergraduate Catalogue)