Sound and Motion Syllabus

36-2609-01– # credits

Tues 12:30 – 3:20 PM

623 S. Wabash, Rm. 411

Columbia College Chicago

Department of Interactive Arts and Media

600 S. Michigan Ave. Chicago IL

http://iam.colum.edu

Instructor Name: Annette Barbier

Office Phone: (312)369-8684

Dept. Phone: (312) 369 7578

E-Mail Address: abarbier@iam.colum.edu

Office/ Mailbox: 624 S. Michigan, 600G

Office Hours: Th. 10-12 and by appt.

Class website/Wiki:

http://imamp.colum.edu/mediawiki/index.php/Sound_and_Motion

Credit Hours: 3

Introduction: Because the interactive arts include and contain many previous media, it is important for interactive artists, designers, and technologists to be familiar with linear production, which is frequently embedded in interactive media such as web pages.

This semester, the course will work with the theme “War and Peace”.

Course Description/Rationale:

This course introduces production techniques related to time-based media including sound, animation and video, and projects emphasize these media types. It is required for IAM majors.

Prerequisite: Media Theory and Design II 36-2000

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES:

• To create projects in which sound and image work effectively together.
• To use technical controls in sound and moving image to achieve aesthetic goals
• To further an understanding of structural issues in linear media.
• To explore alternative distribution.
• To develop a firm grasp of the concepts underlying the theory behind sound and motion:
• Intermediate sound design
• DV Camera operations
• Intermediate editing and special effects in video
• Post-production strategies
• Critical analysis of one’s own work and that of others

COURSE WORK and GRADING:

Your performance in this class is judged on production assignments and projects, participation, writing and critique assignments, exams.

Assignments and Projects: Assignments and Projects are to be submitted via your web page, and in the \\Siam2\ClassFolders\<Sound&Motion>I “Drop” folder. If you do not submit the assignment at the time it is due, your grade on that assignment will be reduced as follows: 10% of your final grade on the assignment, per day. No assignment will be accepted over 1 week late. THIS IS A HARD AND FAST RULE -- NO EXCEPTIONS. On the due date of the assignment, you must show work in progress to be considered for an extension. No assignments will be accepted after the end of the last class. Problems with computers (printers or emails) do not suffice as explanation for late assignments.

Course Work Percentage Breakdown

Projects 85% (850 points) Attendance/Class Participation 15% (150 points)

Assignment Due Points

<Asn. 1: 10 shots> <9/16> 50

<Asn. 2: 10 shot narrative> <9/23> 100

<Asn. 3: Graphical Match> <10/7> 100

<Asn. 4: CompositionCombo> <10/28> 150

<Asn. 5: InterviewInterpretation> <12/16> 300

<Asn. 5 interview element> <11/11> 50

<Asn. 5 treatment element> <11/18> 50

<Asn. 5 storyboard element> <11/25> 50

Participation/Attendance -- 150

Please note that grades are assigned as follows:

A = 93 % and above (930 points+)

A– = 90 - 92% (900 - 929 points)

B+ = 87 - 89% (870 - 899)

B = 83 - 86% (830 - 869)

B– = 80 - 82% (800 - 829)

C+ = 77 - 79% (770 - 799)

C = 73 - 76% (730 - 769)

C– = 70 - 72% (700 - 729)

D = 60- 69% (600 - 699)

F = 59% and below (599 points and below)

The instructor is the final arbiter of all grades for the class.

Grade Requirements for Major: You are required to finish with a “C” grade or better if this class is required for your Major, or is a prerequisite for a class required by your major. If you do not, you must take this class again before you can advance to the next required class.

Incomplete Grade: An Incomplete Grade (I) can only be issued for an undergraduate student who has met the following criteria: The student has successfully completed all course requirements to date but is faced with unexpected circumstances during the final weeks of the semester resulting in the inability to complete course requirements by the end of the semester. The student must have, in the instructor’s estimation, the ability to complete missed course requirements outside of class and by the end of the eighth week of the following semester. The instructor must agree to evaluate the student’s work and replace the Incomplete grade before the end of the following semester. An agreement specifying work to be completed and a due date must be signed by both instructor and student and approved by the Department Chair. In the event that an instructor is no longer employed by the College, a program Coordinator, Director, or the Department Chair can evaluate the work and assign the course grade.

Course Readings:

Suggested Texts –

Sight Sound Motion, Applied Media Aesthetics, Herbert Zettl, Wadsworth Publishing Company, ISBN: 0-534-07952-0.

Exploring Sound Design for Interactive Media, Joseph Cancellaro, Thomson Delmar Learning. ISBN:1401881025 Required Reading –

• You will find weekly reading handouts in the Classfolders/Sound&Motion directory

Additional Materials:

• Storage devices: DVD’s, Hard Drives (firewire – highly recommended, as fast as possible), and a sketchbook (provided by student). 3 DVD’s (provided by the department)

CLASSROOM POLICIES:

Email: All students are assigned a @loop.colum,edu email when they first register. This is the only email that instructors use to contact you about assignments, scheduling, or other classroom issues. It is your responsibility to check this email regularly for information. You can access you @loop.colum.edu email via a link at the bottom of the left hand column of the Oasis portal. (http://oasis.colum.edu ) We recommend that you either check that email daily or forward it to an email account that you do check daily.

Backup and Archival Policy: Students are responsible for maintaining their own backup copies of all digital works. The Interactive Arts and Media department provides each registered student with server storage space (now 5.2 Gb) as a courtesy and convenience, but does not guarantee access to that server space nor does it guarantee the safety of those digital files. Maintain your own electronic backup of your important files.

Additionally, as part of this class, you may be asked to provide all class work, documentation, proposals, and projects in electronic form on a CD or DVD-ROM on the last day of class. Your instructor will inform you if this is required, and of the specifics of the requirement.

Academic Honesty and Conduct: Academic honesty is expected of all students. Any inappropriate use of materials or plagiarism will not be tolerated. (See Academic Integrity Policies on pg. 18 of the Columbia Catalog.)

In line with Columbia’s Student Code of Conduct, students are reminded that Columbia expects students to treat each other, faculty, and staff with respect. Harassment of any kind is forbidden, as is exposing students or faculty to material and images that might be considered offensive.

All work submitted in this course for academic credit must be your own original work, the original work of the group of students cooperating in a project, and/or adhere to all relevant copyright and intellectual property ownership laws. You are all responsible for your own work, and while consultation and discussion of course topics with other students is encouraged, submitting another student’s work as one’s own - in whole or in part - will result in a zero for that assignment for all students involved. Additional penalty for violation of this policy could be extended to include failure of the class or other disciplinary action at the discretion of the instructor, the department, or Columbia College Chicago.

For more information on the use of copyright material please consult the following sources –

Copyright and Fair Use - http://fairuse.stanford.edu/

The U.S. Copyright Office - http://www.copyright.gov/

Digital Millennium Copyright Act - http://www.copyright.gov/legislation/dmca.pdf

Fair Use of Online Video - http://tinyurl.com/5gw89s (American University)

Attendance: Students are expected to attend every session and arrive on time, prepared for the class at the indicated start time. It is the Interactive Arts and Media departmental policy that a student automatically fails the class upon their third unexcused absence. (You are out on the third strike.) Two late arrivals (after the beginning of class) equal one absence. Lateness of more than one-half hour is the equivalent of an unexcused absence. Students leaving class early are considered late for the amount of time missed. Students who do not get to class before mid-class break, or do not return after the break, will be marked as absent for that session. Medical and other emergency leave of absences follow a different policy. Please contact your instructor if such a situation arises.

Students are expected to maintain communication with their instructor regarding their presence in class. Maintaining communication with the instructor allows that instructor the option of marking an absence as excused, rather than unexcused, at his or her discretion. All communication regarding an absence or lateness should occur before the session in question. Contact information for the instructor is at the top of this syllabus.

An absent student is still responsible for turning in all required assignments on time, unless a prior arrangement is made with the instructor. The instructor may, at his or her discretion, require make-up work or assignments in the place of missed class work.

Class Website and Blog Policy: As part of this class, you will be expected to create and maintain a class portfolio website. This website should feature all of your in-class and homework assignments. It is your responsibility to maintain working links to all of these projects. These links will be used for grading the projects and a missing link will be considered the same as a missing assignment. You are responsible for insuring that a posting appears properly after submission. You are also solely responsible for the content of your class website. (See the information on Academic Honesty and Copyrights in a preceding section.)

CONAWAY CENTER STATEMENT

Students with disabilities are requested to present their Columbia accommodation letters to their instructor at the beginning of the semester so that accommodations can be arranged in a timely manner by the College, the department or the faculty member, as appropriate. Students with disabilities who do not have accommodation letters should visit the office of Services for Students with Disabilities in room 520 of the Congress building (312.344.8134/V or 312.360.0767/TTY). It is incumbent upon the student to know their responsibilities in this regard.

WRITING CENTER

Everyone is invited to visit Columbia College's Writing Center. Students may drop in or have a standing weekly appointment. Writing consultants can help a student develop a paper idea, organize a paper, or revise a paper.

http://www.colum.edu/Academics/English_Department/writingcent/index.php

IAM OPEN LAB HOURS:

Computer Studios: 624 South Michigan, 603 and 623 South Wabash, 407

Game Lab: 624 S. Michigan, 604 (limited open gaming hours)

For lab hours and software inventory, see http://iam.colum.edu/facilities/studios.aspx

SEMESTER SCHEDULE

Class Date Lecture/Class Topics Readings/Assignments Due Other/Notes

1 <9/2> Intro. Video controls Bordwell & Thompson On Film Form

2 <9/9> Video equipment,camerawork

3 <9/16> Image/sound relationships,Sound recording,Asn. 1 due

4 <9/23> Discussion/screening of theme: War and Peace Asn. 2 due

5 <9/30> Adobe Premiere & sound editing

6 <10/7> After Effects – masks, compositions Asn. 3 due

7 <10/14> Green Screen

8 <10/21> V/over narration; interviewing

9 <10/28> Foleys Asn. 4 due

10 <11/4> Treatments, Storyboards

11 <11/11> Student Evaluations Asn. 5 interview due

12 <11/18> TBA Asn. 5 treatment due

13 <11/25> TBA Asn. 5 storyboard due

14 <12/2> Alternative Distribution Asn. 5 work in progress due

15 <12/9> Asn. 5 final project due

NOTE: This syllabus is subject to change as the course proceeds. It is your obligation to keep up with changes, which will be posted in the class Wiki.

A copy of this syllabus is available electronically in the section for this class in the Oasis online portal. (http://oasis.colum.edu)