The following should be interpreted as a general timetable governing the subjects to be covered in this course. Class discussion, pace — even fluctuations of student attendance and enrollment — often dictate additions, deviations, and omissions.  Students are advised to frequently consult the most recent version of this schedule; assignments, lecture topics, and links to resources, will be detailed and added throughout the term.

DATE	TOPIC/ACTIVITY
HISTORY & THEORY
M Aug 17	Discuss & Demo: Orientation to Video Conferencing; Required Equipment; Class Aspirations; Formal Analysis of the Moving Image
W Aug 19	Participation (0300p): Each student will present a practical analysis of one short, non-fiction film from the BBC Reel site. Students should choose a film they feel most closely aligns with their current production resources.
M Aug 24	Discuss & Demo: Non-Fiction Film – Pioneers; Stock Footage Libraries Assignment (0300p): Tabletop Actuality I. Using the Lumière Brothers' earliest films as inspiration, use your phone or camera (with manual focus, exposure, and ISO settings) to shoot a simple task that can be completed on a table or counter. Shooting in 4K will give you more post-production options. Assignment (0300p): Formal Analysis. An essay (1000-word maximum) that defends your positioning of Robert Flaherty's Nanook of the North on the film theory spectrum. Submit to D2L as a .pdf.
M Aug 24	Last Day to Drop-Add
W Aug 26	Discuss & Demo: Non-Fiction Film – Explorer & Reporter
M Aug 31	Discuss & Demo: Non-Fiction Film – Artists & Continental Realism Analytical Screenings: (15 minutes total viewing) Kino-Nedelya, Kino-Pravda, One-Sixth of the World or Turksib. Assignment (0300p): Leader. Prepare a project in Adobe Premiere Pro. Begin your timeline with a standard leader. Project (0300p): Tabletop Actuality – Footage. If you're not satisfied with the quality of footage submitted for a previous assignment (see 0824), reshoot it, paying more attention to technical and aesthetic matters. During class, we'll import it to your project (see "Leader" above).
W Sep 02	Analytical Screening: View They Shall Not Grow Old in its entirety. Choose two representative scenes for formal analysis in an essay not to exceed 750 words. Submit to D2L as a .pdf. Project: As demonstrated in class 0831, organize actuality footage for editing (1) on your computer and (2) in an Adobe Premiere Pro project.
M Sep 07	Labor Day Recess
PRE-PRODUCTION
W Sep 09	Discuss & Demo: Non-Fiction Film – Grierson, Lorentz, and Patriot Advocates Analytical Screening: In-class selections from Night Mail (1936) and The River (1938). Project: Artistic Actuality (0300p). Be prepared to share with the class (via Zoom) a 30-second edit of your actuality footage in a properly formatted Adobe project and sequence.
F Sep 11	Assignment: Wish List (1201p). Email your professor a list of links to desired Motion Array assets (stock footage, music, sound effects, and Premiere graphics packages).
M Sep 14	Project: Pitches & Research (0300p). Be prepared to pitch six ideas for your final film. Each pitch presentation should include at least one salient, researched fact intended to hook your audience. Please come to class ready to demonstrate your curiosity and enthusiasm for your classmates' film proposals. A reliable Zoom connection for both video and audio is necessary. Assignment: Color (0300p). Use the "Basic Correction" panel in Premiere's Lumetri Color workspace to automatically color correct the clips in your Artistic Actuality timeline. We'll further finesse the color grading in class. Discuss & Demo: Interview Prep
PRODUCTION
W Sep 16	Discuss & Demo: Post-Production. Effect Controls, Nested Sequences, Lumetri Color, Audio Level Adjustment, Media Encoder Exports.
F Sep 18	Project: Vimeo Upload (0500p). After correcting color and audio levels, upload your actuality to Vimeo. Embed the url in a .doc or .pdf. Upload the document to the 0909 Artistic Actuality assignment folder.
M Sep 21	Discuss & Demo: Non-Fiction Film – Wartime Buglers Analytical Screenings: Education for Death, The Negro Soldier, Sex Hygiene, The Battle of Midway, Let There Be Light Assignment: Record narration for your Artistic Actuality.
POST-PRODUCTION
W Sep 23	Project: (0300p) Interview Questions. Make a list of the people you'd most like to interview for your documentary. Make a list of the questions you'd like to ask each of them. Share the lists with your assigned partner and improve them with feedback (preferably via video conference, not e-mail). Submit the revised drafts as a .pdf to D2L.
M Sep 28 W Sep 30	Workdays: Shooting; Logging & Transcription
M Oct 05	Assignment: (0300p) Logging & Transcription Discuss & Demo: Paper Edit; Synchronize & Merge
W Oct 07	Conferences: (0300p) Having problems with your Paper Edit? Consult with your professor during today's regular class meeting hours.
M Oct 12	Project: (0300p) Paper Edit. Highlight the relevant sections of your transcript. Copy and arrange the highlighted dialogue (with timecode) into a Paper Edit. Submit the Paper Edit as a .pdf to D2L. Discuss & Demo: Rescue Strategies for Video & Audio; Multi-Cam Editing; Window-Burning Timecode.
W Oct 14	Workday & Individual Conferences
Sa Oct 17	Virtual Class Day
M Oct 19	Assignment: (0300p) A-Roll Assembly Edit Discuss & Demo: B-Roll and Stock Footage
W Oct 21	Critique: (0300p) A-Roll Assembly Edit (cont'd)
F Oct 23	Last Day to Withdraw (1159p)
M Oct 26	Assignment: (0300p) Rough Cut (A, B, Stock, and Graphic Placeholders)
W Oct 28	Project: (0300p) Visual Lock. Instruction in film is cumulative. Lessons in post-production presume the completion of previous work. But the work of documentary filmmakers often must accommodate the schedules of interview subjects. Consequently, work due today (in the form of a Vimeo link submitted to the appropriate D2L folder) is necessary for class, but will incur no late penalty until 0630p 11 November.
M Nov 02	Assignment: (0300p) Color. Instruction in film is cumulative. Lessons in post-production presume the completion of previous work. But the work of documentary filmmakers often must accommodate the schedules of interview subjects. Consequently, work due today (in the form of a Vimeo link submitted to the appropriate D2L folder) is necessary for class, but will incur no late penalty until 0630p 11 November.
W Nov 04	Project: (0300p) Graphics. Instruction in film is cumulative. Lessons in post-production presume the completion of previous work. But the work of documentary filmmakers often must accommodate the schedules of interview subjects. Consequently, work due today (in the form of a Vimeo link submitted to the appropriate D2L folder) is necessary for class, but will incur no late penalty until 0630p 11 November.
M Nov 09	Project: (0300p) Audio Mix. Instruction in film is cumulative. Lessons in post-production presume the completion of previous work. But the work of documentary filmmakers often must accommodate the schedules of interview subjects. Consequently, work due today (in the form of a Vimeo link submitted to the appropriate D2L folder) is necessary for class, but will incur no late penalty until 0630p 11 November.
W Nov 11	Flex Day - As a working producer, I add a buffer of 15% to both the estimated budget and calendar of my films. Something is going to surprise us. Something is going to to go wrong. Here's the intentional wiggle room in our schedule to cushion the blow.
M Nov 16	Project: (0300p) Completed Non-Fiction Film
W Dec 02	Final Exam: (1230-0230p) Review; Distribution & Marketing
F Dec 04	Final Exam (1230-0230p)

Coursework will be weighted as indicated:

Projects		60%
Quizzes & Assignments		20%
Participation		20%

Assignment grades will be based on the following scale:

93-100	A		73-76	C
90-92	A-		70-72	C-
87-89	B+		67-69	D+
83-86	B		63-66	D
80-82	B-		60-62	D-
77-79	C+		< 60	F

Syllabus deadlines are the date and time an assignment is due in its final version. The nature of filmmaking is such, however, that you should plan on soliciting your professor’s feedback on at least two intermediate versions of each project. While this is not a requirement, you ignore the Academy’s proven “draft-and-revise” rhythm at significant peril to your grade.

Responding to students’ desire for the most immediate feedback on their project work, grades and comments are typically reported online, usually within seven days of submission. It is therefore the responsibility of students to regularly consult D2L, Edinboro’s classroom management software, for the most current report of their grades.

Substantiating paperwork (storyboards, lighting plots, scripts, talent releases) tends to be rewarded with higher grades if presented professionally.  Written work submitted electronically should be formatted as .pdf files.

Edinboro University and its faculty are committed to assuring a safe and productive educational environment for all students. In order to comply with the requirements of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and the University’s commitment to offering supportive measures in accordance with the new regulations issued under Title IX, the University requires faculty members to report incidents of sexual violence shared by students to the University’s Title IX Coordinator. The only exceptions to the faculty member’s reporting obligation are when incidents of sexual violence are communicated by a student during a classroom discussion, in a writing assignment for a class, or as part of a University-approved research project. Faculty members are obligated to report sexual violence or any other abuse of a student who was, or is, a child (a person under 18 years of age) when the abuse allegedly occurred to the person designated in the University protection of minors policy.

Information regarding the reporting of sexual violence and the resources that are available to victims of sexual violence is set forth online here or in-person at

Office of Social Equity
Reeder Hall, Third Floor, 219 Meadville Street
Edinboro, PA 16444
814-732-2167

Can I leave early to get to my next class across campus?  What happens when I miss a class? Students are expected to attend each class meeting in its entirety, and will be penalized for late arrivals and early departures.  Class absences are excused for medical reasons, university activities approved by the appropriate vice president or designee, and/or for personal exigencies. University activities appropriate to be considered as an excused absence include but are not limited to: scheduled athletic events, cultural events, academic competitions, etc., in which the student is a participant. Other appropriate situations include: military duties, auto accidents, death in immediate family, medical emergencies. Verification of such absences may be required by the instructor, and the student is responsible for make-up work as required by the instructor.

I’ve got tickets to leave early for  break.  Can I reschedule work to accommodate my travel plans? Classes will not be held on holidays officially recognized by the university. All other days of the term are fair game for lectures, quizzes and assignments. Those students who plan to leave early for or return late from holiday breaks may not reschedule exams or other work.

Can I take class notes on my iPad?  Can I film a lecture?  What are the professor’s expectations for electronic etiquette? You’re encouraged to use smart phones, tablets, and laptops in disciplined ways which accomplish the work of the course.  It’s considered rude, however, to engage in private communiqués (facebook, twitter, IMs, texts) during class.

The classroom is a protected space where together students and faculty rehearse ideas that are often not yet ready to be shared with the wider world.  Effective teachers adapt course content for a narrow audience of students, tailoring discussions on the fly to circumstances of the moment.  Exchanges are necessarily fraught with controversy, challenge, and misunderstanding.  Please safeguard the learning enterprise from surreptitious audio and video surveillance.  Do not film, record, or share, audio or video images of anyone without a signed personal release.  This legal warning applies explicitly to video conferences, class lectures, and studio activities.

Oops.  My phone started ringing in class.  Probably Mom calling… Silence your phones during class meetings and project work.  You’d hate to ruin an otherwise fabulous take on location with a Kanye West ringtone.

I downloaded a great new song on iTunes.  Can I use it in the soundtrack of my class film project? It is expected that all work submitted through this course is the student’s original work, generated for the express purpose of completing the requirements of this course. Students are to be aware that academic dishonesty is not tolerated in this course and should be familiar with the following definitions:

• Cheating. Behaviors including, but not limited to, use of unauthorized notes or reference materials during examinations; copying answers from another student’s paper during an examination; the unauthorized possession of academic materials, including exams; the unauthorized exchange of course assessment materials, including exams; the unauthorized exchange of information or collaboration regarding tests, or other course assignments; aiding another to engage in cheating; and/or all other acts of academic dishonesty that any member of this academic community would reasonably understand to be a breach of this academic integrity statement will be considered cheating and an act of academic dishonesty.
• Plagiarism. Plagiarism may be defined as the act of taking the ideas and/or expression of ideas of another person and representing them as one’s own. This includes, but is not limited to, using ideas or passages from a work without properly attributing the source, paraphrasing the work of another without giving proper credit, and/or the sale, purchase, or exchange of papers or research. It is the student’s responsibility to know what plagiarism is and to properly cite the work of others. If a student is in doubt, it is their responsibility to resolve any ambiguity prior to submitting the work. Plagiarism is nothing less than an act of theft, and, as such, is subject to University disciplinary action.
• Copyright.  While plagiarism involves appropriating someone’s ideas without credit, copyright infringement is taking or altering someone’s original created work without paying.  Copyright enforcement is subject to a number of variables including the lifespan of the creator and his/her heirs as well as corporate ownership of works made for hire.  Fair warning:  burgeoning filmmakers often wrongly believe they must pay other creators for work used only if their film turns a profit.  Not true.

The standards of integrity and the penalties of dishonesty apply equally to

• ideas, words, and speech
• visual images, recordings, performances, and files
• audio recordings, performances, and files
• all electrochemical means of storage and communication
• use of computing facilities and resources in violation of copyright laws

I will vigorously pursue prosecution of academic dishonesty to the very limit of sanctions allowed by the university, up to and including failure of the course and expulsion from the university.  I will just as vigorously work with students to prevent even unintended lapses of integrity.

While student media producers retain copyright ownership of their respective work, enrollment in this course constitutes your permission to let the university, the department, the professor, their representatives, and successors, exhibit and distribute for promotional purposes those media projects submitted in fulfillment of course assignments.  Your enrollment further implies consent to be photographed in class or while working on class projects.  Without any effect on your grade, you may withhold or limit such permission by indicating your wish to do so in a note to your professor signed, witnessed, and dated, before the university’s last day to drop-add.