David West
Full Year Course
Room E 107
Advanced Media
David.West@mpls.k12.mn.us
Website:
http://southwest.mpls.k12.mn.us/West_David.html
Available daily by appointment
7:30-8:00
3:00-4:00
Course Description/Purpose
A Fine Arts course, Advanced Media is designed to give students an academic
understanding of the art form, its history, theory and current practice.
Course Goals/Learning
Objectives
I can evaluate and synthesize film theory as it applies to a specific film in an oral
presentation. I can analyze and deconstruct the film in a coherent and thoughtful
manner.
I can apply knowledge of film history to the independent research, development
and writing of a documentary script that compares at least 2 films from different
countries.
I can apply knowledge and comprehension of film technique and theory by
participating in the making of an original film as director, cinematographer, editor,
scriptwriter, or sound designer.
I can demonstrate:
 A variety of ways film creates meaning.
 The effective use of film language.
 Originality and creativity in developing an idea though the stages of
filmmaking.
 Technical skills appropriate to our available technology.
 The skills to evaluate film texts.
 A critical understanding of the historical, theoretical, cultural, economic
and institutional contexts of film in more than one country.
 The ability to reflect upon and evaluate film production processes and
completed film texts.
Prerequisites/Technology Use
Students must have successfully completed Media Arts 2 to enroll in the class
The use of technology in class will be extensive. Students need computer literacy
to edit projects and present them. Students will frequently be using cameras and
projectors.
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Required Textbooks/Equipment
Classroom Procedures/Policies
Students will need regular internet access to participate in this course.
Students will need a flash drive to save film-editing projects and
headphones/ear phones.
Students will need regular access to You Tube.
Students are expected to participate in the class via EDMODO.COM. This
gives students the opportunity to communicate with classmates as well as
the students taking the class in other hours and of course your instructor.
The assignments are posted there, as well as a discussion log where one can
respond to questions and discussions we are having in class. Students are
responsible for all assignments posted on EDMODO.COM. Students can
also turn in many of the writing assignments there. To enroll in the online
class go to www.edmodo.com and enter the group code provided by
instructor to register for this class.
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Assignments
And
Assessments
This class involves a lot of experiential learning. Missing class whether
excused or not, will hamper your ability to get the most out of it. It is
imperative that you come and come on time. If you miss class it is your
responsibility to find out what happened and make up what you
missed. It’s best first to check edmodo and with another student before
asking the teacher.
All assignments are to be turned in by the due date unless cleared
ahead of time by the instructor or in cases of severe and unusual
extenuating circumstances. Failure to do so will result grade point
penalties.
Differentiated Instruction: the class has some intrinsic differentiation just
by nature of its emphasis on the theoretical and the practical and because
it’s an arts class and we expect artists to differ widely in their approaches
to the subject matter. If there are issues specific to your situation that the
instructor is not addressing or accommodating please make him aware as
soon as possible.
Absolutely no food or drink in the classroom.
MYP Assessment Categories and Grading
25% Knowing and Understanding
25% Developing Skills
25% Thinking Creatively
25% Responding
7-8 on the MYP rubric= A
5-6 on the MYP rubric= B-A3-4 on the MYP rubric= C-C+
1-2 on the MYP Rubric=D to C-
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List of films, concepts and
directors to be covered:
FILM NOIR
 Psycho (Hitchcock)
 Devil in a Blue Dress (Franklin)
 The Third Man (Carol Reed)
 Citizen Kane (Welles)
GERMAN EXPRESSIONISM
 Nosferatu (Murnau)
 Passion of Joan of Arc (Dreyer)
NEWWAVE
 400 Blows (Truffaut)
 Loves of a Blonde (Forman)
 Two in the Wave Documentary
OTHER FILMS, GENRES, DIRECTORS, TOPICS
 Television
 The Fast Runner (2001) Kunuk
 Indigenous Filmmaking
 The Long Take
 Visions of Light Documentary- Cinematographer vs. Director
 Life is Beautiful (Begnini)
 Hollywood’s Big 3: Spielberg, Lucas, Coppola
 Short Films
 Film Theories-Auteur, Realism, Formalism, Gender, Marxist, Genres
 Grading Scale – traditional
 Extra credit is not given. Students are expected to complete all of
assignments made in class to the best of their ability
PROJECTS
 60 second one take film
 Directorless Film (Scripting, Shooting and Editing round robin)
 Mona Lisa (frame for frame copy of a professionally made scene)
 Shoot 1st Script Later
 4-7 minute original short film
 Oral Presentation of a 5 minute clip from a feature film
 A research project on some element of Film Theory or History
 SWan Song (Last project of the year.)
Student Code of Conduct
All students are expected to adhere to the Southwest High School and
Minneapolis District Citywide Discipline Policy, designed to promote a
safe and respectful learning environment. For more information about your
rights and responsibilities consult your Southwest Student/Parent Handbook
Academic Integrity:
Plagiarism/Consequences
It is expected that members of this class will observe strict policies of
academic honesty and will be respectful of each other. Any instances of
cheating, including plagiarism and unauthorized use of copyrighted
materials, computer accounts, or someone else’s work, will be referred to
Student Services and will be investigated to its full extent.
It is worth noting that there can be no copyrighted material included in your
original films at all, even if permission is secured. This holds for both
images and music.
The following is excerpted from the IB Film Guide
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Part 1: Textual analysis
Rationale
It is essential that students are able to understand how meanings are constructed within and through film texts, and to view the
production of these texts in a broader framework. Students should be able to identify how film uses a range of devices to
represent experiences and stories, as well as to convey meanings and values. They should be able to acquire and use the
appropriate tools for analyzing films from various countries and place these within wider sociocultural perspectives. Students
should develop both their own enjoyment of film and lifelong habits of critical inquiry.
Content
Students should move between close textual analysis of specific scenes and analysis of films as a whole, contextualizing
meanings within a larger framework.
Students should use the key concepts of film language, genre, audience, institution, narrative and representation to generate
initial questions about the texts they are analyzing.
Textual analysis involves commenting upon the following elements, and on relationships between them.
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Construction according to narrative or other formal organizing principles
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Representation of characters and issues
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Camera angles, shots and movement
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Editing and sequencing
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Lighting, shade and color
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Sound
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Location and set design
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Features determining genre
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Target audience
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Historical, economic, sociocultural and institutional factors
Part 2: Film theory and history
Rationale
Film is influenced by and is in part a product of its own history and tradition, as well as the social, economic and institutional
forces that surround it. Similarly, film is influenced by the observations and research of practitioners and scholars.
Content
Students are expected to learn about films from more than one country to enhance their understanding of films familiar to them
and also of films from other countries that may be less familiar to them.
Aspects of film theory and history can be introduced to students by asking such questions as:
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Who made this?
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Why?
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What can we tell about the film-maker(s)?
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For whom was it made? How does it address its audience? What is the nature of our engagement with film?
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What outside influences can we perceive in terms of finance, ownership, institution and sociocultural context?
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What tradition is it in (for example, American gangster film, Bollywood musical)?
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To what other works might it be connected?
The most important question to ask after discussing each of these questions is: “How did you know?” This leads students to
expect that they must carefully justify all their arguments and be able to explain their own thought processes. The question of
how we know what we know is a central question of theory of knowledge.
Part 3: Creative process—techniques and organization of production
Rationale
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Students will have the opportunity to develop skills in film production. This is a complex process that requires creative and
analytical skills as well as meticulous organization, and almost always involves close collaboration with others. Teachers need to
guide students through initial creative exercises, gradually leading them towards more substantial projects.
Students should learn the overall structure of film-making, the nature of the relationships in a production team, and the need for
discipline and protocol on set or location. Students should be encouraged to work in a variety of roles to enable them to explore
their skills and aptitude in different fields. According to the nature of their project, students may work alone or in production
groups containing a maximum of four people.
Content Initial planning
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Finding the idea
Research
Treatment and script development
Pitch and approval
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Developing the proposal
Negotiating the proposal with the teacher
Receiving approval to proceed
Technical planning
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Conceptualization—interpretation of the script in terms of theme, genre, purpose, style, mood and overall structure
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Visualization—definition of shot selection, camera position and movement, lighting, color, set design, costume and makeup, supported, where appropriate, by the creation of a storyboard containing key images of relevant scenes
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Production scheduling—definition of responsibilities, task lists and organization, time frames and deadlines
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Editing and sound strategies—outlining the preliminary concepts of editing and sound as dictated by the chosen genre
and by the individual project
Physical production
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Pre-production—selection of crew members, scouting for and determining locations, acquiring costumes and props,
casting of actors (if applicable), definition of technical needs, finalizing script, storyboard and production schedule
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Production—principal photography and sound recording, execution of storyboard, overview of production planning
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Post-production—various phases of editing (assembly, rough and fine cuts), sound editing, selection of music, titles and
visuals, and final mix
Production journal
Each student, whether working alone or in a group, should maintain an individual journal recording key information throughout
the entire production process. The journal should note decisions made, issues raised and solutions reached. Students should
include reflections and lessons learned, as well as objective evaluations of their own and others’ performance and the finished
productions. Although this journal must not be included in the portfolio in its entirety, relevant excerpts should be included
where appropriate as supporting evidence to clarify the individual student’s work and thinking on the project. This may include
selections from storyboards, screenshots, script excerpts or excerpts from other production documents.
The processes of producing (construction), and deconstructing and evaluating the finished production must be informed by an
understanding of how meaning is constructed through film language.
Retention of materials
All materials associated with a production should be kept in a safe place. Students will need to refer to production files in order to
select documentation for assessment.
Copyright statement—important
Student work must not contain any third party copyright material. The intention of the film course is that students, especially in
the production portfolio component, will be the original creators of, or have a significant role in the creation of, any audio or
visual material that they use in their work. Audio work may involve collaboration with local musicians or other students to help
create original material for a soundtrack as part of a creative dialogue rather than merely “finding” a piece that would fit.
Copyright-free software may also be used as appropriate.
Even if copyright material is legally obtained, this is a violation of the course’s intended outcomes.
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