Read the Article and Watch The Clips

Untouchables: Shot by Shot Breakdown

Editing: Thelma Schoonmaker: What I Have Learned From Years of FIlmmaking

No Film School: Roger Deakins

Short Film Projects

Juniors:  We will continue to shoot the single shot sequences. 

Due Monday:          Continue shooting of single shots.  Actual shoot (if time).

Due Wednesday:     Power Point of shot sequence that includes the following:

Photo of shot                                

Photo of slate (1/4 size of shot)

Shot info (scene, shot type, etc)

Camera info (shutter speed, aperture, ISO, lens type, lens focal point in mm)



Seniors:  We will start shooting films on Friday and will continue on Tuesday.

Filmmaking Overview: Videos @ Vimeo

Here are some filmmaking videos that will be of value to you:


OVERVIEW

Video 101

Who's Who On a Film Crew

Directing 101

Editing 101



NUTS and BOLTS

Shutter Speed and FPS

Aperture

Depth of Field: Bokeh

Behind the Glass (Part I--An Intro to Lenses)

Behind the Glass (Part II--Focal Length)

Behind the Glass (Part III--Depth of Field)

Crop Factor

Film Aspect Ratio



SHOOTING

Rule of Thirds

Framing and Composition

Framing (shot types)

What is B-Roll

Camera Movement (article and video)



OUT IN THE FIELD

DSLR Camera Prep

Six Things to Check

Slating 101



HOW TO...

How to Wrap a Cable

Quick Focusing Tips

Tripod Trix

Monopod Mania

Zoom VS Moving Camera



LIGHTING

DSLR: Do More With Available Light

Bounce Lighting

Three Point Lighting Explained

Three Point Lighting (Basic)



STORY

Celtx Tutorial

Celtx Tutorial (Part II)

Celtx Tutorial (Part III)

The Origins and Formatting of Modern Screenplays

Storyboarding

Storyboarding (Part II)





You will have an assessment over this material.  You should know this material and have it mastered so you will be successful in the field and in the editing room.

ALL JUNIORS: Producing the Screenplays

This week both 4th and 5th period juniors need to do the following:

WATCH THIS VIDEO and take notes.  You will be responsible for the content.

Finalize your scripts by making adjustments associated with the aforementioned video.

Using the three act guideline handout, fill it out according to your plot.

Print out all production forms on the blog.  Also print a copy of the Portfolio: Markband Descriptors

Prepare to present a one minute pitch to your class.  This will be graded.

If you don't know how to make a pitch:  Read: How to Pitch a Screenplay and Watch This Video and Follow the Format!  Finally, read the Do's and Dont's of Pitching (bottom of page)

Your paperwork (one page, typed, 12pt, courier) will include:  Name, title, genre, log line, setting, three act statements, ending, and theme/idea.


Then, on Wednesday, after the pitches are done, your classmates will vote on which screenplays will be produced.

Team selections will follow.  Once teams are selected, screenwriters will add their team members to their Celtx project.  A contact sheet will be created for each team member.

WATCH THIS VIDEO BEFORE FRIDAY (CREW)  Take notes!
Know what each job is and its responsibilities.

WATCH THIS AS WELL...(DIRECTING)  Take notes!
Know what the major points of directing are.


Friday will involve work assignments, scouting locations, shooting schedule, equipment needs and other pre-production needs.

Seniors: Update With Due Dates!

Due to IB submission deadlines our due dates are as follows:

April 8th     Final Portfolio due
April 10th   Schiessl's projected grades submitted to IB
April 10th   Films burned and delivered to Bradshaw
April 15th   Oral Presentation and Independent Study submitted

Therefore, the cover sheets will need to be completed and turned in on April 8th.

By Friday April 4th you need to email Mr. Schiessl with the request for the cover sheet forms (for all three assessments).

An email will be sent with file attachments and with the following instructions:

Print the cover sheet.  You can either hand write or type out the info requested.

Look at the exemplar (sample A).

Make sure you look over the Clerical Issue document as well as the Production Overview document and Checklist PDF.  These will ensure that you have everything included in your documentation.

Once finished with your documentation, compare your portfolio with the exemplar.  You can also go to the IBO website and look at the last HL portfolio exemplar (50/50).  That should give you an indication of what is needed to have an excellent product for both the internal (mine) and external (IB) assessments.

Friday's class will involve cover sheet submissions and candidate slates (5 second slide with name, candidate #, etc.).



Good luck!

Production Forms

Throughout your production, you will need to fill out some forms to document what you are doing.  These forms will help each of the job positions articulate what they did during the shoot as well as help the editor make sense of the the footage as you head into post-production.

Below are some links (in brown bold) to the production forms that you will need while producing your films:

Journal
You need to continually write in your journal based on what you are planning and/or what you just finished executing when on location.

Contact List
This is a form that you will need to make so that you can contact anyone associated with your production.  This will include the cast and crew's name, phone, email, and other contact info so that you can get a hold of them and they can contact you.

Equipment Received
This is a form that you will need to complete and turn in to me before you check out any equipment.  You will need to list what you are checking out and using on your shoots.  This will also serve as a log of equipment so you can document that information in your portfolio.

Storyboard Template (6 frame)
This is a good template that has a frame in which to do your illustration and below it you can document the shot, action, movement etc.
Storyboard Template (3 frame) 
This is another good template that has three frames instead of six frames per paper.
Storyboard Template: SOUND
This is a template for sound notes (mostly for director and sound designer).

Camera Shot List
This is a form that will break down every shot that you intend to make when shooting.  The information on this form will coincide with your shooting script and your storyboards (all will have the same info regarding scene, shot, etc).  Once you complete this shot list, you can start identifying how you are going to schedule your shoot (see Shooting Schedule for more information).

Shooting Schedule
This form will document what scenes will be shot in what order, location, time, cast members, special equipment, etc.  This will take the information that your shot list has, and give these scenes a particular order in which they will be shot.  For instance, if you have three scenes in a kitchen that occur throughout the film, you may want to shoot all of those scenes at one time.  That way you are maximizing your time with camera setups, actors, or even the time allowed for your particular location.

Digital Camera Report
This form will be closely related to your shot list.  It will identify what scene is being shot and what was set up for each take (and additional notes based on each take)

Digital Camera Log 
This form documents how the camera is set up for each scene.  This includes lens type, f-stop (aperture), FPS settings, ISO, etc.
 
Equipment Returned 
This form will document what equipment you have returned after your shoot.  This form will protect you from any situation where something has gone missing between you returning your equipment and someone else checking the equipment.

Location Permission Form
This form will need to be used if you need to shoot on a location other than your own property or school property (during class hours).

Camera and Equipment Shooting Checklist 
This is a good checklist to ensure that you have covered everything leading up through your shot setup:

Nearly all of these forms come from the following website:
http://www.davidelkins.com

This site has lots of forms (in Word and PDF formats), links, apps and additional information about the process of shooting films.  It is worth navigating through to see what the site has to offer.


One more thing:  If you want to see an collegiate example of a similar production paperwork setup, check this out:

EXAMPLE: UNC School of Film: Sample Production Packet

SENIOR PORTFOLIO: Important Info

You have TWO WEEKS to finish your PORTFOLIO project.  Here is a checklist to ensure that you will be successful in the completion of this project:

1. Look at the project requirements (IBO and Breen sites)
2. Revisit all of the rubrics and assessment models
3. Ensure that your JOURNAL is up to date...DAILY (starting Feb. 1)
4. Have a copy of the production screenplay (on my desk Friday 2/28)
5. Storyboard the entire script (Due Friday 3/7)
6. Shooting schedule complete (Due Friday 3/7)
7. Equipment list (to check out from SEHS) submitted to me by Friday 3/7
8. Shoot the film.  Footage captured and shoot completed by Thursday 3/13
9. Edit the film.
10. Portfolio, complete DVD, and cover sheet due Friday 3/21
11. Compile your Portfolio and bring it to class on Wednesday 4/2.
12. Print out the Grading Markbands 4/2 (see below) to assess your portfolio.
13. Turn in final draft of Portfolio by Friday 4/11.

As you can see, you have a very busy schedule ahead of you.  It would be in your best interest to either follow this checklist/timeline or be "ahead" of the timeline by completing these things days before their due dates.  There is no room for mistakes, procrastination, or indecision.  Get to work!

You should be spending quality time looking over these links (especially the ones in BOLD).

Production Portfolio: Overview (On the Road): THIS IS A MUST READ!
Production Portfolio: Grading Markbands (for assessment)

Production Portfolio Assessment Rubrics (PDF)


Production Portfolio: Overview (IBO)
Production Portfolio Checklist (IBO)
Production Portfolio: FAQ (IBO)
Requirements (IBO)
Production Portfolio: Treehouse: Exemplar--SL (IBO)
Production Portfolio: Karma: Exemplar--SL (IBO)

Storyboarding

As mentioned in class, there are some options for you as far as free apps and storyboarding.

Meet CELTX:

Free Scriptwriting and All In One Production Studio

Free Screenwriting Download for Windows and Mac 
(this is an excellent resource for writing screenplays and planning out your scripts)
I recommend if you have not already become comfortable with Adobe Story to download the free CELTX script writing software.  Whatever you create on the desktop/laptop program can be synced to your android or i-device (when you have the appropriate apps). 

Celtx has apps for both Android and i-devices.  Although the scriptwriting app (Script) is $4.99 for i-devices, it is completely free for Android devices.  Celtx Script provides an easy way to format your screenplays and it will allow you to save to the cloud if needed so you can access the file from anywhere.


Celtx Shots:

iTunes App for quick and easy STORYBOARDING
(This is actually pretty cool and it a quick, free way to storyboard for those of you who can't draw well)

Celtx Shots: A quick review

Video: How to use Celtx Shots

Using Celtx Shots for Storyboards on the iPad


Unfortunately, there is not an Android app for Shots.  It is only for your i-device and Macs.

There are also Celtx Sides (for scheduling and planning) and and Celtx Scout (for location scouting).  Both can be useful to any filmmaker during pre-production.

Free App This Weekend: Screenplays

This article from Nofilmschool.com has supplied a link for an app that makes it easier to view screenplays on your iphones and ipads.

I just downloaded it.  It gives you two screenplays (Big Fish and Go) to check out.  These can serve as guides as far as screenwriting format.

Check it out here:  Article and App Link here!

Weekend Read App

Here is the FilmRiot YouTube episode that we watched in class regarding screenwriting:
FilmRiot Screenwriting Part I

DSLR Cinematography Guide

I am asking all of you navigate to the following website:  No Film School

When there, I would like every student to sign up to receive a copy of the DSLR Cinematography Guide.  At the top of the Nofilmschool.com website, you will see a link for the guide.  Click on that.

At the start of the article, click on "SUBSCRIBE HERE" which will take you to a page that will ask for your name and email address.  When you sign up, you will start receiving weekly emails that will provide links to the No Film School articles (which are good to read).  You will also receive the DSLR Cinematography Guide as a PDF (via a link sent to you via email).  I would suggest that you can access that via your phone or computer (whatever you take to class regularly) so you can read it during class if necessary.

This needs to be done by the end of this weekend (registered and PDF proof provided to me by 2/18).  You will have assignments/assessments based on this information upon the return of our three day weekend.  Take notes on anything that you feel like would help you recall for assessments or work in the field.

Read Chapters (online version):  1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18, 19, 20.  Do not rely on this version (only if your PDF is NOT available).  This does not have the same amount of information that you will need as the expanded PDF version.

Read Chapters (PDF version):  1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 13. 14. 15. 16. 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30.  This is the version you will need to have access to in class.  Proof of this version will be required for the first class session next week.


OUR FILMMAKING TECHNOLOGY:

When reading about the various cameras/lenses, please focus on the Canon specific items.  We are using an evolved version of the T2i.  We have the Canon EOS Rebel T4i and T5i available to you.

Rode Videomic (shotgun microphone)

Zoom H4N (digital sound recorder)

Tripods and Monopods

LED lighting/stands/clips

Adobe Creative Suite 6 (editing software)


Below are two sites that will help you with using a DSLR to make movies:

No Film School: DSLR

What is Aperture?

What is a DSLR? How do I make movies with it?

DSLR for Dummies Cheat Sheet

Techhive

Shot Types

This information will be important to know and utilize not only when shooting with a camera, but also when writing your INDEPENDENT STUDY and PORTFOLIO scripts.

Please use the following links to make informed choices.  The expectation is to use this information and apply them to your scripts.

For your film journal, you will need to write down each of the following camera shots (stop at 3:00, their abbreviations and define them in your own words.  Your shot list/definitions will be due Wednesday (period 5) and Thursday (period 4).

ASSIGNMENT:  Please view the following video (first three minutes) and document (take notes) each type of camera shot:

Video Examples of Various Camera Shots 


In order to gain more understanding of each shot and rules of composition, please look at the following two articles:

Videomaker: An article on types of shots and composition

Descriptions and illustrations of different shot types and composition


Here is a resource for all of you that will help with terminology, definitions and abbreviations.
FILM VOCABULARY


If you have any questions on this material, please raise those questions in class before Friday, January 31.

Assignment: Independent Study

BELOW IS INFORMATION REGARDING FORMAT AND CONTENT REQUIREMENTS (FROM IBO website--link at bottom of this blog entry):

General guidance

The independent study is worth 25% of the final mark. This component is based on part 2 of the course (film theory and history), but will also draw to some extent on part 1 (textual analysis). The aim of the independent study is to encourage students to engage in some depth with a cinematic tradition that is unfamiliar to their own culture.
Students must produce a script for a complete short documentary production exploring an aspect of film theory or film history, based on the study of films from more than one country. The documentary should be targeted at an audience of film students in the 14 to 18 years age range. Among the topics students may choose to investigate are:

• genre
  
• theme
  
• direction
  
• use of sound
  
• colour
  
• editing
  
• lighting.
  

The topic should be discussed primarily in cinematic terms.

The prime voice of the documentary must clearly be that of the student, who is represented as the narrator, on-screen host and/or voice-over. Students must ensure that any comments or ideas they attribute to celebrities or others, such as experts, are fully supported by detailed references in the annotated list of sources.

Students at SL must make reference to a minimum of two films while students at HL must make reference to a minimum of four films from different countries. The chosen films must originate from more than one country.

The independent study must be presented in the form of a written dossier composed of the following three items.

• Rationale
  
• Script
  
• Annotated list of sources.
  

The rationale must offer a brief, reasoned explanation of the concerns explored by the topic in no more than 100 words.

The script must clearly indicate the relationship between the audio and visual elements of the documentary, employing an established documentary format such as “side-by-side” columns for video and audio components. All descriptions of video and audio elements must be both detailed and specific. Scripts must be 8–10 pages long at SL or 12–15 pages long at HL, using an accepted size of paper (for example, A4 or US letter) and must use 12-point Courier font (not in block capitals) and single spacing. It is important that the student treats a topic of film history/film theory in cinematic rather than literary terms.

The annotated list of sources should refer to all materials used in researching the topic and all materials used in the documentary itself, including films from which extracts will be shown in the documentary and quotations from experts or academics. Annotations should give the source and/or location of the reference. A comment on the relevance of the source must be included.
Assessment of this component is based solely on the written script and the rationale. Actual films or film sequences are not acceptable.

The materials produced for this component must not be submitted for internal assessment as part of the production portfolio. As part of the learning process, teachers can give advice to students on a first draft of the independent study. Advice on improving the work can be given, but this first draft must not be heavily annotated or edited by the teacher. Constant drafting and redrafting is not allowed, and the next version handed to the teacher after the first draft must be the final one.


Here are some important dates and corresponding tasks for your Independent Study:


1/7-8      Rationale Due (typed, under 100 words, and titled).
               See exemplars for template/suggestions.

1/16-17  Rough Draft due (typed, 12pt font, SL=8-10pg, HL=12-15pg).
              This will be assessed for your semester final.

1/30-31  Final Draft due.
               Ensure that you have adhered to all requirements (see exemplars, checklists)
               Cover Sheet, Rationale and Script will be submitted on the last class in January.


1/7 thru 1/24 we will watch "The Story of Film" examining not only how cinema has evolved over the years, but also note how the documentary series combines narration, interviews, sound and film clips.  This will work as a model for all of you as you write your IS documentary scripts.

Other documentaries to view to help get a sense of how to put your ideas/images/sounds together:

Man on Wire
When We Were Kings
One Day in September
The Fog of War
Roger and Me
Murderball
Hoop Dreams
Hearts of Darkness:  A filmmaker's Apocalypse

Here are some good top lists that will serve as a good starting point.

Rotten Tomatoes: Top 100 Documentary Movies

The Guardian: Top 10 Documentaries

Time Out: The Best 50 Documentaries


IBO EXEMPLAR PAGE:  Look at examples 5-8.  Note that there are exemplars AND examiner's notes.

Template, checklist and other guidelines

Enjoy!

Screenwriting!

Screenwriters for the Production Portfolio will need to navigate to the following address:

MIT Writing Course 

Senior Screenwriters:  Scripts are due Thursday, 2/26.
Junior Screenwriters:
Each week ALL STUDENTS will look at the playwriting exercises and follow this schedule

Week Of:
2/17     PE 1     One page.  Part 1 of MIT lesson.  2 characters, extreme needs.  3 Acts.
2/24     PE 1     One page.  Part 2 for Juniors.  SENIORS:  SCRIPT DUE 2/27.
3/10     PE 2     One page.  2 characters, 1 object.  DUE 3/12.
3/17     PE 3     Two pages.  Focus on the action of one character.  Due 3/21.


You should have a composition book or a three prong binder that will include all of your writing.  This will be checked periodically through notebook checks or in class presentations.

Watch me for fun! 


Structure:

THE HOLY GRAIL OF STORYTELLING TROPES:  Periodic Table of Tropes

THE THREE ACT STRUCTURE:  The Hero's Journey: Star Trek

THE STORY OF STORY:  How I learned to love structure]

DRAMATICA:  12 Essential Questions 
 

SAMPLE SCRIPTS (INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION--AKA DOCUMENTARY SCRIPT):

Click here for examples (Breen O's Site)

#1  Click on the site and look at the CHECKLIST section at the bottom of the page.

#2  Click on the site and look on the EXEMPLARS column.  Click on "HL Ind Study" & "Sample Script"

#3  Watch this video:  Filmmaking: How to Write a Documentary

Advice from Hunger Games Screenwriter

Advice from Alan Ball (FSU/Asolo): Creator of True Blood and American Beauty

Advice from MULTIPLE OSCAR WINNING screenwriters

For others links go to:  NOFILMSCHOOL.COM and type "screenwriter" in the search (screen right)

NARRATIVE SCREENWRITING (PORTFOLIO--AKA FILM PROJECT):

Here are some articles regarding SCREENWRITING that will give you some insight and tips to use when creating a script:  CLICK HERE FOR SCREENWRITING TIPS AND INFO!


WRITING PROGRAMS:

As we transition from the Oral Presentation to the Independent Study and the Portfolio, you will need to begin to start investigating screenwriting programs.  Here are a few that you will need to take a look at and explore before selecting one to use for the remaining two assessments.  Here are your options:

WRITER DUET:
As you will discover, WD is a web based screenwriting website that can provide real-time collaboration with co-writers, colleagues and/or teachers.  Other programs allow collaboration, but not in real-time.  That could be advantageous, especially when working on your Portfolio Assessment. 

Writer Duet
Writer Duet Article
Writer Duet Website: Free Program!


ADOBE STORY:
Adobe Story: Article
Adobe Story: Short Article w/video
Adobe Story: Website


CELTX:
Celtx: Everything You Need to Know...
Celtx Website


RAWSCRIPTS.COM
Rawscripts.com

Of course you could use paid programs to write your scripts.  There are a number of Apple and PC programs out there.  However, these three sites/programs have a great deal to offer for free.  Not to mention that the benefit of collaborative opportunities could push these options to the top of your list.

Oral Presentation: Weekly Progression

The following films have been selected for analysis:

The Night of the Hunter

Toy Story 2

A Separation

Now that they have been announced, you need to do the following (Suggested timeline.  Look at the previous posts regarding template and timeline--timeline/template) :


11/15-22/13:  VIEWINGS
Go to RUBRIC LINK and click on PRESENTATION SL (under Rubrics) and click on PRESENTATION (under checklists).  Save each of these downloads.  Copies of these two documents need to go into your student portfolio folder before 11/18/13.

Watch each of these films and select the one that will be the subject of your analysis.


11/23-24/13:  BEGIN PRIMARY RESEARCH
Research any publications/reviews about film.  These resources should be from reputable publications and critics, NOT from laymen writers or fanbois (think these:  List of critics  NOT  iluvmovies93845).

Look at IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes as a launching off point.  You can also go directly to major publications/websites (Variety, New York Times, or industry specific publications--even the film/filmmaker's site).

Also, look at any available DVD commentaries and/or documentaries on the film.  The DVD/Blu-ray disc is a good first source.  After that, look around for additional documentaries from the same production company/director from other sources (also look at YouTube, and other video streaming/broadcasting sources)


11/25-30/13:  BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT:  Genre & Audience/Historical/Sociocultural
Select specific FIVE minute clip from the film of your choosing.

Take notes on how the selected clip relates to the film as a whole (how does the clip's FORM articulate the entire films UNITY and COHESION).

Take notes on:  Genre and audience; historical and institutional factors; socio-cultural context; critical and commercial success (list of critics); begin analysis (narrative aspects and structure of the film).

By 12/2/13 every student should have their BACKGROUND and CONTEXT outline completed.


12/2-6/13:  FOCUSED ANALYSIS:  Narrative and Film Language/Representation
By December 4/5th you should have your entire outline completed.  Everyone will be participating in peer editing on the 4-6th.  Familiarization with the rubric and having a printed out, completed, easy to assess analysis will be required for completion (graded) this week.


12/9-13/13:  Practice, practice, practice...
The next week will be devoted to practicing your oral presentation, creating five note cards, devoting amounts of time to each section, and fine tuning.  By the end of the week I will be checking how much time you are devoting to each of your sections as well as your note cards.

ADDITION (12/8/13):  Practice Week!!!

Go to Presentation Template Page and print out the PRESENTATION MARKSHEET and FEATURES OF CLOSE FILM ANALYSIS.

Also, if you want an alternate template check out this version:  ALTERNATE TEMPLATE

You will use this for your PEER ORAL PRESENTATION on TUES/WED and THURS/FRI classes.

Again:  YOU WILL BE PRESENTING YOUR ORALS THIS WEEK!  BE PREPARED.


12/16-20/13:  Oral Presentations
We will create a list of who is presenting when.  Your assessments will be audio-recorded.

IB Oral Exam: Prescribed Films for Assessment 2014

Removed for Frau Hatchner's sake...

IB ASSESSMENTS: Oral Examination, Independent Study, Portfolio

Overview of IB Assessments (includes examples):

Support materials: Assessments, examples, rubrics

THE BEST COMPREHENSIVE SITE REGARDING RUBRICS AND EXEMPLARS




Planning of IB Film Orals (Textual Analysis):

Oral Presentation Template

Oral Presentation Outline and Checklist




Examples of IB Film Oral Presentations:

Exemplars: Sound File Links

Assignment: Due This Week

In order to consolidate your assignments, this entry will be devoted to what you will need to turn in every week:


Due Date:                              Points:           Assignment:                                                

11/19-20/13                                               Toy Story 2 Screening

11/15-18/13                         100                Narrative Screening Questions:  Hoodwinked!

11/13-14/13                         100                 Screening Questions:  Little Freak
                                                                                                     Spy vs Guy
                                                                   Select IB Oral film

11/6-12/13                            100                Unit 2:  Questions (on "Looking at Movies" site)
                                             100                Director:  Bergman
                                             130                Unit 2:  Quiz

10/28/13                               100                Director:  Welles
                                             100                Preview/Review:  Sixth Sense
                                             0                Red Balloon: Unit One Screening Questions
                                             0                Tempo: Unit Three Screening Questions

10/22-23/13                          100                Director: Ford
                                                                   EQ: Sixth Sense
                                                                   Concept of the Week
                                                                   Films to Compare

10/17-18/13                                               "Cloverfield" Preview/Review

10/14-15/13                                               Director: Renoir

10/9-10/13                              x                   "Metropolis" "Vincent" "One Winter's Night" viewing/analysis

10/7-8/13                                x                   "Once Upon a Time in the West" viewing/analysis
                             
                                              100               Director: Lang
                                               
                                              100               EQ: Experimental Film

ASSIGNMENT: The Directors

The Directors:

What:               You will explore and research the backgrounds and influences of this diverse group of filmmakers.  After doing so, you will type/print the following:

                        Name; time of life; one paragraph on his personal background; one paragraph on education/training; one paragraph on how he influenced later films/filmmakers; listing of significant films (5+) and date made.  Finally, bibliographical listing of sources (3+) using MLA format.

Where:             You will have each Director Bio located within your portfolio/journal.  Each will be dated and titled in order (Starting with Chaplin and ending with Spielberg)

When/Who:      Below is a listing of directors that you will research and the date of the assignment.

Due:                Assigned on the WEEK OF date.  Due the first day of the following week.
Italics indicates director assignments that have been turned in.
Bold Face indicates director of the week.

Week Of:            Director:

9/1                         Charlie Chaplin

9/9                         Carl Dreyer

9/16                       Sergei Eisenstein

9/23                       Robert Wiene

9/30                       Fritz Lang

10/7                       Jean Renoir

10/14                     John Ford

10/21                     Orson Welles

10/28                     Ingmar Bergman

11/4                       Federico Fellini

11/18                     Alfred Hitchcock

11/25                     Jean-Luc Godard

12/2                       Francois Truffaut

Break:  Due to Oral Presentation preparation, we will take a break from the director assignments

                             Akira Kurosawa

                             Sergio Leone

                             Stanley Kubrick

                             Martin Scorsese

                             Francis Ford Coppola

                             Woody Allen

                             Steven Spielberg

(Director Name): (time of life)   (Assign. Date)

Personal Background:              TEXT………………(all indented)

Education/Training:                   TEXT………………(all indented)

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ASSIGNMENT: Vocabulary List

Vocabulary Cheat Sheet

Below is a listing of vocabulary that IB expects all IB Film students to understand and master.

My expectations are that you know all of these terms and their meanings by 10/31/13. 

Blocking:                     The planning and mapping of movement of the objects that will be shot by the camera as well as the camera itself.

Deep Focus Composition:    Composition that involves itself with the placement of objects or characters along the Z-axis when framing a scene.  Locations on this axis can depict power, importance, or simply narrative elements.

Film Theory:               Various frameworks developed over time in order to understand better the way films are made and received.  It borrows from disciplines such as philosophy, social science, psychology, art theory, etc.       

Kinesis:                       Movement.  Movement in film can be manifested in two distinct ways:  movement of objects within the frame OR movement of the frame itself.

Kuleshov Effect:        Kuleshov believed that the content of shots is not important but the combination of images.  The implication is that viewers brought their own emotional reactions to this sequence of images.  Kuleshov believed this, along with montage, had to be the basis of cinema as an independent art form

Montage:                    Is a technique in film editing in which a series of short shots are edited into a sequence to condense space, time, and information.

On/Offscreen Space:  Onscreen:  The unoccupied area of space located within the frame.

                                     Offscreen:  The space outside of the frame.  This can be used for surprise/suspense

Open/Closed Framing:  Open:   Objects can enter/leave the frame freely.

                                       Closed: Objects cannot enter/leave the frame.

Rule of Thirds:           The idea of splitting the frame into three equal sections horizontally and three equal sections vertically.  The end result is having nine equal sections within the frame.  However, the Rule of Thirds also involves the Z-axis.  As a result, filmmakers also need to concern themselves with objects in the foreground extending to the background (deep focus composition).  This “rule” helps filmmakers with composition.

Parallel Editing:         An editing technique that shows events happening at the same time, but not necessarily in the same place with the same characters.  While continuity editing is concerned with what happens next (and then…), parallel editing focuses on what is happening at the same time (meanwhile…).

Shot Type:                  The amount of visual information in the image depends of the distance of the camera from the subject and on the focal length of the lens (Long shot, medium shot, close-up, reverse shot, POV…)

180 Rule:                    The rule that the camera should only be placed on one side of the subject(s) when shooting as to not disorient the audience when watching the end result.  Of course this can be broken for various purposes (disorient the viewer) such as in Potemkin and Joan of Arc.

Ambient sound	Natural background noise on television, film or radio. In the same manner, ambient light refers to natural, available light that is not enhanced in any way.
Audience	All those who receive or interact with any media product. A target audience is the group of people to whom a product is particularly aimed. This may be identified as either “mass” (or mainstream) if it is targeted at a very large number of people, or “niche” if it is targeted at a smaller, more specific group of people.
Camera angle	The position of the camera in relation to the main subject. It could be a high angle, low angle, worm’s-eye view or aerial view.
Cinematographer	The person responsible for camera and lighting. Often referred to as the “director of photography”.
Continuity editing	Sometimes referred to as “invisible” or “academic” editing, this is the unobtrusive style of editing developed by Hollywood that is still the basis of most commercial productions. The basis of continuity editing is to cut on action so that the whole sequence looks natural.
Diegetic/non-diegetic sound	Diegetic sound is that which appears to come from a recognizable source within the narrative world of a film, radio or television text. Non-diegetic sound is that which appears to come from a source unconnected to the narrative world of a text. An example of non-diegetic sound would be a film musical score. Diegetic sound would be the sound of crashing waves on cliffs or birdsong, even though these may be added in post production.
Digital	The conversion of sound and visual to transmit information in a code using the numbers zero and one.
Dubbing	A process whereby sound is added to film. This may take the form of adding music or additional sound to dialogue, or it may refer to the addition of an entire soundtrack, including dialogue.
Editing	The selection of material to make a coherent whole. In film and television an editor uses a variety of methods to move from one sequence to another. This is referred to as a “transition”.
Form	The structure, or skeleton, of a text and the narrative framework around which it is based. For example, a feature film commonly has a three-act structure. Some structures are determined by a genre and its corresponding codes and conventions.
Frame	As a noun, this refers to the single area on a strip of film that holds a single image (or a single still image on video). As a verb, it means to adjust the position of the camera or to adjust the camera lens to compose the required image. An image can be framed to construct a close-up shot, long shot or medium shot.
Genre	The classification of any media text into a category or type, for example: news, horror, documentary, soap opera and so on. Genres tend to have identifiable codes and conventions that have developed over time and for which audiences may have developed particular expectations. Media texts that are a mixture of more than one genre are called “generic hybrids”.
Mise-en-scène	Literally, everything that is “put in the scene”, or put in the frame to be photographed (appropriate to the time and era portrayed). This usually includes production design, set, location, actors, costumes, make-up, gesture, proxemics and blocking, extras, props, use of colour, contrast and filter. Lighting is often included within mise-en-scène. Camera shot composition, framing, angle and movement are also sometimes referred to as mise-en-shot.
Montage	The term is taken from the French “to assemble”. It has several meanings in the context of film and is not exclusively used to refer to “Soviet Montage”. (1) It is used as a synonym for editing. (2) In Hollywood cinema it means to edit a concentrated sequence using a series of brief transitions creating the effect of the passage of time or movement over large distances or for expressionistic moods. (3) Thematic or “Soviet” montage was developed by Sergei Eisenstein by arranging striking juxtapositions of individual shots to suggest an idea that goes beyond meanings within an individual shot. He called this “collision montage”. (4) Any sequence that creates a particularly significant effect mainly through its editing. The shower scene in Psycho would be such an example.
Narrative	The way in which a plot or story is told, by whom and in what order. Flashbacks, flash forwards and ellipsis may be used as narrative devices. Tsvetan Todorov, Bordwell and Thompson and Robert McKee have all presented interesting ideas about narrative development.
Post-production	The period and the processes that come between the completion of principal photography and the completed film or programme. This includes the editing of a film or programme, along with titles, graphics, special effects and so on.
Pre-production	The entire range of preparations that takes place before a film or television programme can begin shooting.
Primary research	Research information or data that you collect yourself. Sources for this may include interviews, questionnaires, analysis of films or television programmes that you undertake yourself. (See also secondary research.)
Production	Either the product itself or the actual process of filming.
Qualitative research	Research undertaken through observation, analysing texts and documents, interviews, open-ended questionnaires and case studies. It is reasoned argument that is not based upon simple statistical information. Overall, qualitative research enables researchers to study psychological, cultural and social phenomena. (See also quantitative research.)
Quantitative research	Primarily, this is statistical data most frequently obtained from closed questions in questionnaires or structured interviews. Quantitative research may calculate how many males in the 15 to 25 years age range watch a particular television soap opera, for example, but qualitative research is necessary to determine why they watch it.
Realism	The dominant mode of representation in television, mainstream films and print. The term usually implies that the media text attempts to represent an external reality: a film or television programme is “realistic” because it gives the impression that it accurately reproduces that part of the real world to which it is referring. However, the concept is much more complex than this brief definition. One suggestion is to think of “realisms” rather than realism.
Representation	The process of making meaning in still or moving images and in words and sounds. In its simplest form, it means to present or show someone or something. However, as a concept for debate, it is used to describe the process by which an image can be used to represent or stand in for someone or something, for example, a person, place or idea. Inherent in this second definition is the notion that there may be a responsibility on the part of the producer of any representation, with regard to accuracy, “truth” and the viewpoints and opinions that such a representation may perpetuate. Representation is used to describe the manner in which segments or individuals in society (for example, women, the elderly, ethnic minorities) are portrayed in the media.
Secondary research	Research information taken from sources other than your own work, such as academic studies, reviews or essays, whether in printed format or from other film texts such as documentaries or interviews.
Stereotype	An oversimplified representation of people, places or issues, giving a narrow and/or exaggerated set of attributes. Stereotypes are frequently thought to be entirely negative but this is not necessarily the case.
Style	The “look” of a media text; its surface appearance. It can be recognized by the use of colour, mise-en-scène, lighting, music, camera angle, movement, framing, dialogue, editing and so on.
Synchronous/asynchronous sound	Synchronous sound is where the sound matches the action or speech in film or television. Asynchronous sound is when there is a mismatch—the most obvious example occurs when lip-synch is out, that is, when the words spoken and the lip movement of the actor on screen do not match.
Teaser trailers	Short film or television trailers shown before a full-length trailer.
Tone	The overall impression that is given by a media text—serious, comic, romantic, sensationalist and so on.