An introduction to the theory and practice of studio-based video production.  Various program formats are discussed and evaluated in light of particular communication principles and needs.  Students gain experience with stationary video cameras, recorders, switchers and related technologies.  Performance for the camera, studio lighting, audio recording and mixing principles are analyzed and demonstrated.

FORMAT OF WRITTEN WORK
Unless otherwise indicated, written assignments should be typed in MLA format, then submitted as hard copies. Substantiating paperwork (storyboards, lighting plots, scripts, talent releases) tends to be rewarded with higher grades if presented professionally (i.e., typed in easily-navigable folders or binders). Written work submitted by e-mail should be formatted as .pdf (not MS-Word) files.

LATE SUBMISSION AND PENALTIES
The majority of Audio Production coursework will take the form of practical performance and projects. If you are not present in class when your name is called to undertake a task, your work will be considered late. If your work is submitted incomplete or otherwise outside the assignment’s specified format parameters, it will be returned to you for correction. Upon resubmission, it will be considered late work.

Late work can earn no more than a maximum of 64 points. Work is considered late if it is submitted (or, in the case of e-mail, time-stamped) after lecture begins on the due date. If, because of extreme and prolonged sickness, you miss a deadline and are able to substantiate a claim of incapacitation with a note from a reputable doctor or Calvin Health Services, the grades of your remaining assignments will be given greater weight to compensate. Otherwise, you will receive a zero for the assignment. Examinations must be taken when scheduled.

FEEDBACK AND REVISION
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 this recommendation at significant peril to your grade.

QUIZZES
Quizzes may be given without warning to encourage attendance and affirm content mastery throughout the term.

PARTICIPATION
Participation will be evaluated throughout the semester by professor and peers based on student contribution to class community. Assigning the grade, I am chiefly concerned with the following questions:

1. To what degree and in what ways does the student demonstrate respect for his/her audience and co-laborers?
2. To what degree and in what ways does the student model dependability and responsibility?
3. In what ways has the student participated in work load, idea generation, and leadership — apart from the work necessary to complete his/her individual assignments?
4. Of what value are the student’s criticism and suggestions for improvement valued by his/her peers?

GRADE SCALE
Coursework will be weighted as indicated:

Projects		50%
Assignments		25%
Participation		25%

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

Responding to students’ desire for the most immediate feedback on their project work, grades and comments are reported via Moodle. It is therefore the responsibility of students to regularly consult Moodle for the most current report of their grades.

Essential to deciphering the schedule above is this crew and duty list.

	Oct 08	Oct 15	Oct 20	Oct 22	Oct 29	Nov 03	Nov 05	Nov 10
Director	Schroyer	Scheeres	Roorda	Reinisch	Pidduck	Novak	Lyzenga	Huizenga
Camera 1	Vanderput	Schroyer	Scheeres	Roorda	Reinisch	Pidduck	Novak	Lyzenga
Wrangler 1	Veurink	Vanderput	Schroyer	Scheeres	Roorda	Reinisch	Pidduck	Novak
Camera 2	Wogoman	Veurink	Vanderput	Schroyer	Scheeres	Roorda	Reinisch	Pidduck
Wrangler 2	Andree	Wogoman	Veurink	Vanderput	Schroyer	Scheeres	Roorda	Reinisch
Camera 3	Broe	Andree	Wogoman	Veurink	Vanderput	Schroyer	Scheeres	Roorda
Wrangler 3	Campbell	Broe	Andree	Wogoman	Veurink	Vanderput	Schroyer	Scheeres
Floor Mgr	Geertsma	Campbell	Broe	Andree	Wogoman	Veurink	Vanderput	Schroyer
Floor Asst	Huizenga	Geertsma	Campbell	Broe	Andree	Wogoman	Veurink	Vanderput
Audio	Lyzenga	Huizenga	Geertsma	Campbell	Broe	Andree	Wogoman	Veurink
Audio Asst	Novak	Lyzenga	Huizenga	Geertsma	Campbell	Broe	Andree	Wogoman
Record	Pidduck	Novak	Lyzenga	Huizenga	Geertsma	Campbell	Broe	Andree
Graphics	Reinisch	Pidduck	Novak	Lyzenga	Huizenga	Geertsma	Campbell	Broe
Switcher	Roorda	Reinisch	Pidduck	Novak	Lyzenga	Huizenga	Geertsma	Campbell
Flex	Scheeres	Roorda	Reinisch	Pidduck	Novak	Lyzenga	Huizenga	Geertsma

Where’s Brian when we need him? Is it really okay to call him at home in the middle of the night?

The classroom setting is such that not all needs can be met within it. I encourage you, therefore, to visit my office often. It is my pleasure to discuss grades, attendance, notes, lectures, or anything else which will make you a better student. Your grades can only benefit from regular communication with your professors. I will gladly work with you to arrange meeting times convenient to us both. Feel free to contact me:

• by e-mail at [email protected] [good].
• by phone or voicemail at 616.498.4336 (49.VIDEO) [better].
• in person [best].

Can I leave early to get to my next class across campus? What happens when I miss a class?

If you write a good essay or fail a math exam, you do so as an individual. But the success of a video production is often a collaborative endeavor that begins with attendance. You jeopardize any group project for which you show up late (or not at all). Reflecting the emphasis Media Production professors place on collaboration, strict attendance is required. Students will be penalized for late arrivals and early departures.

I’ve got tickets to leave early for spring break. Can I reschedule work to accommodate my travel plans?

Classes will not be held on holidays officially recognized by the college. 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? 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.

Oops. My phone started ringing in class. Probably Mom calling…

The professor reserves the right to answer any cell phone call received by a student during class time. From a practical standpoint, you’d hate to ruin an otherwise fabulous take on location with a Justin Bieber ringtone.

I’ve heard there’s a dress code for this class.  Could that possibly be true in the 21st century?

As a matter of safety, bare feet and open-toed shoes (sandals, flip-flops) are not allowed on the studio floor. As a matter of practical modesty, the wearing of skirts and dresses is discouraged (since you never know when you might be on a ladder twenty feet above the set). Class members will dress professionally (ties, pressed shirts, dark socks, polished shoes) on shooting days.

I downloaded a great new song on iTunes. Can I use it in the soundtrack of my class film project?

The current edition of our college Code of Student Conduct notes that “the student-faculty relationship is based on trust and mutual respect which can be seriously undermined by the suspicion or reality of academic dishonesty.” It elsewhere defines plagiarism as “the use, by paraphrase or direct quotation, of the published or unpublished work of another person without full and clear acknowledgment.”

Though expected to abide by the document as a whole, Media Production students may benefit from specific awareness of conduct proscribed by Article IV of the Code:

• Cheating, plagiarism, or other forms of academic dishonesty.
• Unauthorized possession, duplication or use of keys or other access devices to any College premises or unauthorized entry to or use of College premises.
• Use of computing facilities and resources in violation of copyright laws.

The standards of honesty and the penalties of dishonesty apply equally to words, ideas, visual images, auditory images, and all electrochemical means of storage and communication.

I will vigorously pursue prosecution of academic dishonesty to the very limit of sanctions allowed by the college (Article V, Sections D and E), up to and including failure of the course and expulsion from the college. I will just as vigorously work with student to prevent even unintended lapses of integrity. If you are uncertain about how to avoid plagiarism or other forms of academic dishonesty, please consult a member of the English faculty, the most recent edition of The Little, Brown Handbook,or (preferably) ask me.

While student media producers retain copyright ownership of their respective work, enrollment in this course constitutes your permission to let the college, the department, the professor, their representatives, and successors, exhibit and distribute for promotional purposes those media projects submitted in fulfillment of course assignments. 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 course’s drop date.

How do I arrange to borrow equipment for this weekend’s shoot? Can I borrow equipment to shoot my cousin’s wedding?

Media Production lab aides are available in DeVos 025A (hours posted there) to check out equipment for class projects. It is often advantageous to alert them to your equipment needs several days in advance.

The Media Production Faculty approved the following equipment loan policy in March 2009.
Governed by the following priorities, equipment and facilities are available to those students currently enrolled in Media Production classes:

1. Priority shall be given to equipment loans which support class project assignments and faculty scholarship initiatives.
2. Production equipment will support in-class instruction as well as out-of-class project work. Return deadlines will be carefully monitored.
3. Certain equipment is designated for use by each class. Thus, cameras, lighting, and grip equipment set aside for advanced instruction may not be available to students in introductory-level courses (and vice versa). Not even Production Lab Aides should assume free access to all equipment.
4. Understanding that Media Production majors may not be enrolled in production classes each semester, those declared majors are nevertheless encouraged to engage in project work for their continued improvement (video festivals, competitions, a senior capstone piece, even personal projects). Requests for equipment to support such projects must be made in advance to the Chief Engineer. As a rule, equipment and facilities tend to be more readily available early in the semester. Requests must include (a) a project summary; (b) a detailed equipment wish list; (c) crew list; and (d) desired loan dates.

As in the regular semester, instruction, scholarship, and maintenance, regulate equipment use over breaks, vacations, reading recess, interims, and summer. Exceptions follow the same guidelines enumerated above.