Syllabus
Dr. Alexandra Hidalgo, Assistant Professor
Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and American Cultures
Office: 265 Bessey Hall
Office Hours: Wednesdays 12:00-1:30 am and by appointment
Email: [email protected]
Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and American Cultures
Office: 265 Bessey Hall
Office Hours: Wednesdays 12:00-1:30 am and by appointment
Email: [email protected]
Course Goals And Outcomes
This course teaches you how to make short documentaries and video essays on a shoestring budget: with nothing but a camera, a tripod, a shotgun mic, and one fellow filmmaker by your side. Although big film studios provide a wealth of resources to mainstream filmmakers in exchange for control of the films, most documentary filmmakers and all video essayists—especially at the beginning of their careers—work with limited equipment and negligible budgets. In this course you will learn to work under those conditions while still creating work that has something of meaning to say. In order to learn to make such work, you will do the following:
- Become familiar with the history and current creative trends in short documentaries and video essays by watching and analyzing award-winning work from around the world.
- Learn to record effective images and sound without using professional lighting or shooting in a studio setting.
- Become familiar with Adobe Premiere editing, including sound and color correction.
- Work through various drafts of your own documentary by taking into account the feedback of others and provide feedback to others on their work.
- Make arguments about the value and intent of your work by creating social media pages for your documentary and a scholarly introduction for your video essay.
Required Texts and Technology
All our required texts and documentaries are online, on our course Google Drive, on Netflix, or free of access to MSU students when using your MSU ID at our library website. You will find the listings of the film databases on the right column here. Just click on the right database and search for the film title you’re looking for.
You will be asked to purchase a 1-Terabyte external hard drive. They cost around $50.
Important: If you have own a Mac and you don’t have Premiere on it, please purchase a hard drive that can be formatted for use on both Macs and PCs. The option is called Ex-Fat.
You will be asked to purchase a 1-Terabyte external hard drive. They cost around $50.
Important: If you have own a Mac and you don’t have Premiere on it, please purchase a hard drive that can be formatted for use on both Macs and PCs. The option is called Ex-Fat.
Projects
Documentary Scene Presentation (10%)
For this 8-10 minute Powerpoint/Prezi presentation, you will screen a 3-5 minute scene from a documentary we are not watching in class and analyze how it succeeds at one of three purposes: to inform, to persuade, or to emotionally move the audience. In order to make your points about that scene, you will discuss three of its filmmaking elements (cinematography, sound, soundtrack, editing, character development, and graphics and titles).
Short Documentary or Video Essay (80%)
You will work with a classmate on an 8-12 minute documentary or video essay about a topic of your choosing. You will create Twitter and Facebook pages for the documentary and a short introduction for your video essay. For the documentary you will have a festival submission plan and for the video essay a rationale about what peer-reviewed journal you want to submit it to.
There are three drafts of your documentary and video essay due throughout the semester. This is how they break down:
Draft 1 (20%)
Draft 2 (20%)
Final Draft (25%)
Twitter/Facebook Page or Introduction (10%)
Distribution Plan or Journal Submission Rationale (5%)
For this 8-10 minute Powerpoint/Prezi presentation, you will screen a 3-5 minute scene from a documentary we are not watching in class and analyze how it succeeds at one of three purposes: to inform, to persuade, or to emotionally move the audience. In order to make your points about that scene, you will discuss three of its filmmaking elements (cinematography, sound, soundtrack, editing, character development, and graphics and titles).
Short Documentary or Video Essay (80%)
You will work with a classmate on an 8-12 minute documentary or video essay about a topic of your choosing. You will create Twitter and Facebook pages for the documentary and a short introduction for your video essay. For the documentary you will have a festival submission plan and for the video essay a rationale about what peer-reviewed journal you want to submit it to.
There are three drafts of your documentary and video essay due throughout the semester. This is how they break down:
Draft 1 (20%)
Draft 2 (20%)
Final Draft (25%)
Twitter/Facebook Page or Introduction (10%)
Distribution Plan or Journal Submission Rationale (5%)
Reading and Watching Assignments
For almost every class period I will assign readings, documentaries and/or video essays. You will not succeed in this course if you don’t keep up with the readings and watch the documentaries and video essays we’ll be discussing in class.
Reading and Watching Quizzes (10%)
Quizzes will take place at the beginning of each class for which readings, documentaries, and/or video essays have been assigned. The questions will be easy to answer if you read/view the assignment and pay attention. Quizzes will be worth one point each. You will start the semester with 10 points. If you don’t miss any quizzes, you will have 10 points at the end. If you miss half a quiz, you’ll have 9.5 points, if you miss a whole quiz, you will have 9 points, and so on. The quizzes’ role is to give you an incentive to engage with the texts we discuss in class, since without understanding the assigned texts, you will not profit from this course.
Reading and Watching Quizzes (10%)
Quizzes will take place at the beginning of each class for which readings, documentaries, and/or video essays have been assigned. The questions will be easy to answer if you read/view the assignment and pay attention. Quizzes will be worth one point each. You will start the semester with 10 points. If you don’t miss any quizzes, you will have 10 points at the end. If you miss half a quiz, you’ll have 9.5 points, if you miss a whole quiz, you will have 9 points, and so on. The quizzes’ role is to give you an incentive to engage with the texts we discuss in class, since without understanding the assigned texts, you will not profit from this course.
Attendance
Students will be expected to show up for every class and pay attention, but I realize that illnesses and other complications do occur. Therefore, you may miss three classes without penalty. After that, two percentage points will be deducted for every unexcused absence. If you miss more than six classes, whether your absences are excused or not, you will receive a failing grade. For extended absences due to medical or family emergencies, you should consult me upon return, if not sooner. A student who attends class but is not participating or paying attention may be counted as absent. Tardiness disrupts the class and everyone’s learning experience, so every tardy equals half an absence. The same applies for anyone who leaves class early. Bonus points will be awarded to students who miss fewer than their allotted three absences and who participate responsibly in class. You will receive an extra credit percentage point per each class you attend beyond your allotted three absences, i.e. if you miss no classes and have no tardies, you will earn three percentage points of extra credit.
Late Work
An assignment received after the due date is considered late (unless prior arrangements have been made). Late work is penalized 20% for each day it is late. After five days, including weekends, late projects receive a 0.
Grading
Your final grade is made up of 100 points. Here is the breakdown:
Your final grade is made up of 100 points. Here is the breakdown:
Quizzes (10 points)
Due: Throughout the semester
Documentary Scene Presentation (10 points)
Due: You will sign up for a date to present
Short Documentary/Video Essay Draft 1 (20 points)
Due: 3/19 by class time.
Short Documentary/Video Essay Draft 2 (20 points)
Due: 4/9 by class time.
Short Documentary/Video Essay Final Draft (25 points)
Due: 4/28 by 11:59pm.
Short Documentary/Video Essay Twitter/Facebook Page or Introduction (10 points)
Due: 4/28 by 11:59pm.
Short Documentary/Video Essay Distribution Plan or Journal Submission Rationale (5 points)
Due: 4/28 by 11:59pm.
I will use the following scale to determine your grades:
94-100 = 4.0
87-93 = 3.5
80-86 = 3.0
75-79 = 2.5
70-74 = 2.0
65-69 = 1.5
60-64 = 1.0
< 59 = 0
Your final grade is made up of 100 points. Here is the breakdown:
Quizzes (10 points)
Due: Throughout the semester
Documentary Scene Presentation (10 points)
Due: You will sign up for a date to present
Short Documentary/Video Essay Draft 1 (20 points)
Due: 3/19 by class time.
Short Documentary/Video Essay Draft 2 (20 points)
Due: 4/9 by class time.
Short Documentary/Video Essay Final Draft (25 points)
Due: 4/28 by 11:59pm.
Short Documentary/Video Essay Twitter/Facebook Page or Introduction (10 points)
Due: 4/28 by 11:59pm.
Short Documentary/Video Essay Distribution Plan or Journal Submission Rationale (5 points)
Due: 4/28 by 11:59pm.
I will use the following scale to determine your grades:
94-100 = 4.0
87-93 = 3.5
80-86 = 3.0
75-79 = 2.5
70-74 = 2.0
65-69 = 1.5
60-64 = 1.0
< 59 = 0
Services and Resources
MSU Writing Center: http://writing.msu.edu. 432-3610. 300 Bessey Hall. The MSU Writing Center is the primary writing resource on campus. You’ll also find satellite centers in several campus locations including the main library.
MSU ESL Lab: http://www.elc.msu.edu. 353-0800. 714 Wells Hall. The ESL Lab assists international students with writing in a second language.
MSU Learning Resource Center: http://lrc.msu.edu. 202 Bessey Hall. This center offers individualized assistance to help students develop successful learning strategies and study habits.
MSU Libraries: http://www.lib.msu.edu.
Purdue OWL: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl. Purdue’s Online Writing Lab provides information about writing, such as how to use MLA and how to plan and structure your texts.
MSU ESL Lab: http://www.elc.msu.edu. 353-0800. 714 Wells Hall. The ESL Lab assists international students with writing in a second language.
MSU Learning Resource Center: http://lrc.msu.edu. 202 Bessey Hall. This center offers individualized assistance to help students develop successful learning strategies and study habits.
MSU Libraries: http://www.lib.msu.edu.
Purdue OWL: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl. Purdue’s Online Writing Lab provides information about writing, such as how to use MLA and how to plan and structure your texts.
Americans with Disabilities Act
In order to receive any accommodation for any disability, students must first register with the Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities (RCPD). The RCPD will request appropriate documentation and make a determination regarding the nature of the accommodation to which a students is entitled. The RCPD will then give the student a “visa” that specifies the kind of accommodation that may be provided. It is then the responsibility of the student seeking accommodation to present the visa to his/her instructor.
Mandatory Reporting
Michigan State University is committed to fostering a culture of caring and respect that is free of relationship violence and sexual misconduct, and to ensuring that all affected individuals have access to services. For information on reporting options, confidential advocacy and support resources, university policies and procedures, or how to make a difference on campus, visit the Title IX website.