Portfolio Requirements for AVTF III Draft Mode
Welcome to AVTF III
This class is an independent study class. You have completed AVTF 1 & 2 so you should
have all of the basic skills needed to be able to work independently or in a group to complete
high end video projects with very little help from me. This is the year you get to show me and
possible future employers what you got.
An independent study requires you to be self-motivated, be a team player, be able to think
outside the box, and be a problem solver. Although I am here to help, it will be limited to
equipment and technical issues that are beyond your control. All other aspect of production is up
to you to address and find a solution.
At times I will need you help level 1 or 2 students when needed. This will only be asked of you
when you have down time from you own projects. This should be a rare situation because you
should be very busy with your own projects most of the semester. At times I will give you an
assignment of not of your choosing but of mine (school related) based on your particular
abilities. When you are given one of these assignments, it is expected that you complete in
the timeframe given. But these will count toward your portfolio grade under “School
Appointed Assignments”.
The main focus of your study is creating a portfolio of all of your video work from
this year. Within that portfolio you will update your resume and create a resume reel
(second semester). This is how you show people that you truly prepared yourself for college
level education or entry level work in the industry.
Any assignments I give you will either be on paper or digitally through a link on my
website but you must list it in your notebook so you get credit for it. I will not keep up with your
assignments. I should be able to take your notebook and view your projects and know exactly
what I am grading whether it be a documentary, new package, short film, etc.
You have made it to AVTF III because you are capable to handle the workflow and you
decided to stay in AVTF III for the third year because you are passionate enough about the field
that you view it as a possible career choice. For these reasons, your very best is expected of you.
All assignments will be graded by the highest standards. I will meet with you periodically as you
move through a project. I will be glad to critique your work prior to the turn in date so you can
make revisions. But once an assignment is turned in, I will expect the best from you.
I am at your disposal and will help with issues beyond your control but I am simply here
to facilitate your journey to self-teaching and real world experiences. The rest is up to you and I
look forward to seeing how you develop this year.
Sincerely
Ms. Booker
Portfolio Requirements for AVTF III Draft Mode
Must Include:
 Title for each entry
 Category of each entry
 Credits at the end of each entry (who did what)
Must include one of each of the following:
Individual only assignments
 2 After Effects demos that can be used in a future
assignment **
Individual or Group Assignments
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SkillsUSA Commercial
SkillsUSA PSA
Digital Short/Narrative story (any genre)
Documentary (will not be due until sometime in 2 semester)
News Package*
An interview that goes with a news package
School Appointed Assignments (video work for the school Usually
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appointed by the administration)
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Community Assignments (video work for a local business or institution)
Video Contests
o Southeast Emmy Awards
o http://www.teendrive365inschool.com/teens/video-challenge
o http://www.gpb.org/sports/football/stop-the-drop
*A commercial may be substituted for the Feature story.
** AE demos may be included as part of a project
Portfolio Requirements for AVTF III Draft Mode
PORTFOLIO WILL INCLUDE:
All written pieces (research, script storyboards, etc) printed and
together
All Final Video portions that are uploaded to the classroom.
Portfolio Requirements for AVTF III Draft Mode
Student(s) will present their project ideas to the instructor a preproduction
meeting that you schedule. At that time you must have a “treatment” and
“storyboard” of the project. At that time a due date for the project will be
decided on. It is suggested that you have more than one project going at a
time. This way if you have down time on the main project, you can work
on some aspect on another project (i.e. graphics, SFX, VFX, etc.) You can do
the projects in any order you wish, as long as deadlines are met.
Remember, you must meet the deadline once it has been approved.
1st Project Discussion Date:_______ Due Date:________
Project ________________________________________________
2nd Project Discussion Date:_______ Due Date:________
Project ________________________________________________
3rd Project Discussion Date:_______ Due Date:________
Project ________________________________________________
4th Project Discussion Date:_______ Due Date:________
Project ________________________________________________
5th Project Discussion Date:_______ Due Date:________
Project ________________________________________________
6th Project Discussion Date:_______ Due Date:________
Project ________________________________________________
7th Project Discussion Date:_______ Due Date:________
Project ________________________________________________
8th Project Discussion Date:_______ Due Date:________
Project ________________________________________________
Missed deadlines will result in reduction of grade
Portfolio Requirements for AVTF III Draft Mode
Possible Group Project Topics:
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Mini-drama (short dramatic scene)
Video Yearbook
Commercials for real for fictitious product
Safety and anti-drug messages
A "People's Court" type TV show
Science experiments
Students’ school news broadcast
Historical account of an event that has happened in your town
Audio Mixing Project
The Movie Short
Trailer (real or fictitious)
Studio Public Service Announcement
Highlight a business in the community
Sporting event
Historical perspective of the community
Veteran Testimonials
New teacher orientation/ training
Introduction to school rules
Academic competition
Club competition
Meetings: school board, PTA, club, athletic
Club induction
Community events: Veteran’s Day, Labor Day, Memorial Day,
Snellville Day
 Video highlighting a specific within the school system
 Overview of the school system
Portfolio Requirements for AVTF III Draft Mode
Possible Individual Project Topics:
 Talk Show Style Interview
 The Campus Story
 Person at Work
 Post Production Public Service Announcement
 Autobiography
 Video tour guide for new students
 CTAE Program Orientation
 Time-lapse projects(plant growth)
 Career spotlight
 School event
 Video book report
 Faculty meetings
 Video essay
 Record field trips
 Video special school programs or speakers
 Job interviews for practice and evaluation
 Technical skills demonstrations
 Tape CTSO orientation videos
 Fashion shows and modeling
 Class promotion
 Orientation for substitute teacher
 Chorus, and Band Performances
 Human Interest/Interview stories
 Sporting events
Portfolio Requirements for AVTF III Draft Mode
AFTER EFFECTS ASSIGNMENT
Assignment
Find, Learn, create, and demonstrate video graphical manipulations/visual
effect using Adobe After Effects. These can include visual effects or title
pieces.
How:
1. Use internet (Lynda.com, Video CoPilot.net, Creative Cow.com) or text (
“Classroom in a Book”) resources
2. Determine which effect you are interested in creating.
3. Write a brief description of the proposed effect and which project it will be
used in.
4. Use the online tutorial, text book, and guidance from the teacher/peers, to
teach yourself how to do the effect and create it on your own
You will be responsible for collecting all the materials need to compete it
(video, pictures, sounds, etc..)
Once completed it is to be included on portfolio DVD as an individual effect
and but also as part of one of the other projects
EFFECT # 1________________________Project Used:_______________________
EFFECT # 2________________________Project Used:_______________________
Portfolio Requirements for AVTF III Draft Mode
Digital Video Short Film Assignment
Create a 5-10 minute Digital Video Short Film that tells a story in the narrative style.
This is a fictional story of that must have a beginning middle and end.
You have liberty to write and create his/her own storyline for the film and make use of any
genre drama, comedy, animation, action, western, horror, sci-fi, fantasy, film noir, etc.).
Requirements
 School-appropriate.
 Must be a recognizable genre
 must be between 4 and 7 minutes in length
 Script must be submitted.
 Storyboard which covers ALL the shots in your project.
 must use at least 5 camera angles
 Must have 3 editing techniques we have covered in class (transitions, L & J cuts, B-roll,
multi camera, time remapping etc..)
 Title and Credits
MATERIALS YOU CAN USE
 Self- created (e.g., music you create, pictures you take),
 Materials for which you have written permission (e.g., snapshots that interviewees give
you, music that your friends make),
 Royalty free web sites that have open-source licenses (Aircraft, SoundBible,
Freesoudn.org, etc..)
 You may also make use of our library here at school.
Portfolio Requirements for AVTF III Draft Mode
VIDEO DOCUMENTARY/REALITY TV
ASSIGNMENT
"The length of a film should be directly related to the endurance of the human bladder." Alfred Hitchcock
The Assignment
Create a 7-10 minute video documentary that tells a story of interest to a larger audience
and that speaks persuasively about some issue at Mountain View High School, in your
community, or your own life.
WHAT?
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Identify an issue that you know something about, and to which you have considerable access
(e.g., interviews with individuals, attendance at events, access to advertisements and/or
documents).
Creating a video is to document a story (about a person/place/event) that will extend/expand
the general public's understanding of the community itself or an issue that confronts the
community.
Your audience for this video is the general public.
For your video, use video clips of interviews or events; music; voice-over commentary; sound
effect; still images; scanned photographs, headlines, or news stories.
HOW TO GET STARTED
1. Identify an issue within Mountain View High School, Lawrenceville/Bifpr, or Your own life that is
of interest to you or that you know something about.
2. Watch some documentaries for ideas of format – SCHOOLTUBE.COM, etc..
3. Find 3-4 outside sources that deal/relate to the topic – these will be used as support for your
opinion.
4. Think about how you want to structure your video or story board it
INTERVIEWS
1. Re-read the news articles that you have researched. They should provide you some excellent
ideas for your video and your interviews.
2. Brainstorm about possible people to interview.
3. PREPARE FOR INTERVIEWS – Read the “How to Interview” portion of portfolio
4. Write a list of questions for your interview
5. Contact your subjects and plan/confirm recording times
a. Make sure the people you are planning to video record are willing to participate, and be
sure to have them sign an informed-consent/release form before you record anything.
b. Do not interview or record anyone who has not signed such a form. If the person you
want to interview is younger than 18 years of age, their parents need to sign the
Informed Consent Release form.
2. If you are video recording in a public place, you must contact the person/authority responsible
for that location and receive their permission to do so. You must also post visible notices about
the recording so that anyone who enters the public place is notified of what is going on.
Portfolio Requirements for AVTF III Draft Mode
3. Be sure to shoot some shoot secondary footage and still photographs that add texture and
further detail to your story (B-roll).
DOCUMENTARY /REALITY TV GRADING:
Is the documentary intellectually engaging?
Does it help the audience extend/expand their understanding loft particular community or a
particular issue facing a community?
Does the video project help the audience relate to the interviewee/the community in a respectful
and positive way?
Does the documentary tell a good story?
Is there good B-roll material?
Is the production criteria high? (images, shots, sound quality, editing)?
Requirements
 School-appropriate.
 Must be a recognizable genre
 Must be between 5 and 10 minutes in length
 Must have a variety of media sources
o Video clips of interviews or events; music; voice-over commentary; sound
effect; still images; scanned photographs, headlines, or news stories.
 Must have 3 editing techniques we have covered in class (transitions, camera tricks,
ADR, etc..)
 Title and Credits
MATERIALS YOU CAN USE
 Self- created (e.g., music you create, pictures you take),
 Materials for which you have written permission (e.g., snapshots that interviewees give
you, music that your friends make),
 Royalty free web sites that have open-source licenses (Aircraft, SoundBible,
Freesound.org etc..)
 You may also make use of our library here at school.
Portfolio Requirements for AVTF III Draft Mode
FEATURE STORY ASSIGNMENT
Feature Story:
 Intended for news broadcast.
 Appeals to a broad audience (an audience with a wide range of ages, education, and
socio-economic backgrounds).
 Subject can be a distinctive individual with special abilities, hobbies, talents, occupation,
recognition/honors, etc. Subject can be a distinctive group or organization.
 Subject can be a distinctive pet or animal with special abilities, physical attributes, or
breed.
 Subject can be a distinctive inanimate object such as an automobile, a bicycle, handicap
vehicle, an aluminum baseball bat, etc.
Watch the evening news feature stories for format ideas.
Project: Project can be no longer than 2 minutes in length
The project should demonstrate proper planning, development and execution.
Project must be presented on the due date.
If it is a feature story it needs to be shown in a timely manner.
Start this project with a decided purpose in mind.
The project can be individual or a two person production.
1.
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Technical Requirements:
No more than two minutes in length. One-point reduction for every three seconds over the
limit of two minutes.
Five second black preliminary and five second black trailer
Must be properly edited.
No title and or credits. The person giving the report will introduce him
of herself on the tape.
Must be a factual or real story.
Portfolio Requirements for AVTF III Draft Mode
INTERVIEW ASSIGNMENT
You will shoot a short 2-4-minute interview
Can be any topic or subject
Can be in Studio or Remote
Grading:
- Quality of questions
- Quality of camerawork
- Quality of Editing/Audio
- Overall interest
INTERVIEW TERMINOLOGY
IV
Interview
Guest The person being interviewed.
One-Shot -Shot of a single person, either
interviewer or guest. mid-shot or tighter.
Two-Shot -Shot of two people, e.g.
interviewer and guest.
Back-Cut Question-Shot of the
interviewer asking a question
Noddy Shot of the interviewer nodding
or showing an appropriate facial
expression.
HOW TO CORRECTLY SHOOT AN INTERVIEW
Materials from www.mediacollege.com
Preparation
This is a situation in which you must get everything right first time and make the job flow
smoothly and comfortably for everyone involved.
Preparing for an interview involves:
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Contact and make arrangements with the guest(s)
Choose a location
Prepare equipment (right cameras. Mics, etc..)
Set up
Final briefing and technical checks
Before you begin shooting, double check everything
INTERVIEW STRUCTURE – How to put it together
- A video interview can be thought of as a conversation involving three types of people:
 The interviewer is the facilitator- chooses the topic, asks questions and guides the
discussion.
 The guest is the subject of the interview- most of the talking and gets most of the
camera shots.
 The viewer is a silent observer who has been invited into the conversation.
1. The interviewer begins by setting the scene.
a. They invite the viewer into the conversation by introducing the location, guest
and topic.
b. At this point the interviewer is probably speaking to the camera to the viewer
2. Interviewer turns to speak to the guest.
Portfolio Requirements for AVTF III Draft Mode
3. Fairly one-sided conversation -the interviewer asks questions; encourages the guest to
talk a lot.
4. The interview is usually concluded by thanking the guest.
a. The interviewer may then turn back to the camera and say goodbye to the
viewer, as well as tidy up any script requirements such as leading to the next
piece in the program.
NOTES:
Personal interview will usually go through a settling-in stage where simple facts are discussed,
then move gently towards the thornier issues.
HOW IT SHOULD LOOK
Facing Direction
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In most cases the subject (interviewer or guest) is facing slightly left or right of the
camera.
This shows that the subject is talking to someone else
 The interviewer and guest should be faced the opposite way.
Avoid severe profile shots — you should always be able to see both eyes.
Common Interview Shots
Shots ranging from wide shot to MCU are best for information delivery, i.e. when the subject is
talking about factual information.
Shots tighter than a MCU are appropriate for when the guest is talking about something
personal or emotional
The Sequence of Shots
Most interviews start with a fairly loose shot of the interviewer and/or guest.
Make sure you leave enough room for a name/title key if necessary.
It's usually best to have similar framing for both interviewer and guest at the beginning of the
interview. As the interview progresses the relative framing can vary.
A common practice is to begin the interview with a mid-shot as the guest talks about the facts,
then slowly zoom in to a close up when the guest begins talking about their feelings.
REMEMBER: Wider shots for information and casual conversation, tighter shots for intensity.
Composition
Set the interview in an appropriate location, perhaps with relevant background features.
The position and framing of interviewer and guest can affect the perceived relationship.
Check the background and make sure there's nothing distracting from the person speaking.
Try to have something in the background which suits or supports the interview (e.g. a landmark,
monument, etc).
Portfolio Requirements for AVTF III Draft Mode
HOW TO SET IT UP
Studio/Sit down Interview Settings
There are many possible settings for conducting interviews. The first one to become familiar with is the
seated interview. Whether it be in a permanent studio or someone's living room, you need to arrange the
interviewer, guest(s) and cameras to achieve the look and feel which best suits your objectives.
There are a number of common floorplans from which you can choose. Often you will be limited by factors
such as space and number of cameras. The guidelines below include options for most settings.
1 Guest, 1 Camera
In this simple case the interviewer and guest are given the
same framing and appear with equal prominence. This is
useful if you aren't sure who will be doing most of the
talking, or if the talk-time is spread evenly between the
interviewer and guest.
It is a fairly casual setting, especially suitable for less formal
interviews.
1 Guest, 1 Camera
Taking the same situation and moving the camera to one side
gives a different feel. Now the guest is much more prominent
and becomes the main focus. The interviewer can face the
camera at the beginning and end of the interview, but not
usually during. This leaves the interviewer with profile framing
so your 1-shots will be reserved for the guest. From time to time
you can zoom out to a 2-shot, then back in to the guest.
If the IV is to be edited, you will probably frame most of the
interview on the guest. At the conclusion of the interview, move
the camera to the other side and shoot the back-cut questions
and noddies (more on this later).
1 Guest, 2-3 Cameras
Adding a second camera facing the interviewer not only provides
a second shot, but allows each camera to reframe its shot while
the other camera is being used. This enables you to cut between
a angle of shots without having to constantly zoom in and out.A
third camera in the middle adds the safety and flexibility of a
permanent 2-shot.
Portfolio Requirements for AVTF III Draft Mode
RESOURCES
http://teachmedigitalmedia.com/ - Online learning center created by Mr. Pasha Souvorin , teacher at Phoenix HS
http://www.videocopilot.net/tutorials/ - Offers clear online video tutorials and instruction on After Effects and
other video components.
http://soundbible.com/ - royalty free sound effects.
http://www.videomaker.com
Site provides a wealth of learning opportunities in all phases of video production as well as information on
equipment updates.
http://www.cybercollege.com
Provides information for on a wide range of video related topics. The site is the basis for the End of Pathway
testing.
http://www.schooltube.com Provides examples of other high school students work.
http://hsbj.org Great resource for students of a broadcast journalism program.
http://www.mediacollege.com/ covers everything in video production from information, terminology and “HOW TO’s” on production and effects
http://freesound.org/ -sound effects (username: southgwinnett, password: comets)
http://www.aircraftmusiclibrary.com/ -royalty free music (username: southgwinnett, password: comets)