Course Title: Dance on Film/Video
Credits: 3:3
Prerequisites: Dance or BCN major or permission of instructor
For Whom Planned: Students in dance and film.
Instructor: Jan Van Dyke Michael Frierson
334 3043 334-3768
jevandyk@uncg.edu frierson@uncg.edu
Catalogue Description Introduction to working with dance and video, including composing for the camera, recording dancers in action and editing footage to document and record dance works.
On completion of this course, the student will be able to
1. Use a video camera to shoot dances and dancers in different kinds of environments.
2. Utilize a computer editing system (Final Cut Express or Final Cut Pro) to edit footage of dance on video for continuity and flow and to carry out individual projects.
3. Select camera angles and editing strategies to enhance concepts, lines and motion within the composed or restaged work
(Assignment 4)
4. Conceive projects with increased comprehension of the possible interactions between video and dance. (Assignment 4)
5. Articulate ideas about transferring dance to video as well as the possibilities and liabilities created by this process. (Assignments 1,5 for undergraduates; 1,4,5 for graduates)
Teaching Strategies:
To enable student achievement of the learning outcomes, I will
á Guide students in learning to use a video camera. (Assignments 2,3,4)
á Demonstrate, explain, and analyze how the computer-based editing system works. (Assignments 2,3,4)
á Guide students in conceptualizing both the technical and the aesthetic ideas to be considered in transferring dance to video. (Assignment 2,3,4)
á Provide opportunities for viewing and discussing seminal work in the field of dance for the camera. (Assignment 1, 5)
á Provide opportunities for students to discuss and assess their own and their peers' progress toward the achievement of the learning outcomes. (Assignments 2,3,4,5)
Assignments/ Basis for Undergraduate Student Evaluation:
Detailed instructions for assignments will be discussed in class. Assignments are due in class on the day indicated. Late work will be deducted one letter grade for each class period that it is late.
1. 10% Class participation including promptness and readiness for class work and discussion. The in-class discussions and presentations are designed to help you develop skills in critical thinking and speaking necessary for successful work as a dance/camera artist. Assessment criteria: regularity of participation in discussion, evidence of thorough preparation, pertinence of contributions, demonstration of ability to draw together information from various sources to form a coherent point of view or a question, clarity and fluency of speech, projection of confidence and professionalism.
2. 20% Completed Ex. #1 3-minute Multicamera Video. Dancers in performance under stage lights. Use of formal elements of cinema to reinforce concept will all be assessed
3. 20% Completed Ex #2 Portfolio of Tests. BCN/DCE team creates a portfolio of 10 formal elements of cinema to reinforce a dance phrase. These are SHOOTING tests: no more than 1 formal element "test" can be done in post. Each test must be separate source footage. (E.g., you can't slap a blue tint and an orange tint on the same shot and call it 2 formal elements.)
4. 30% Completed Ex. 3 Final Project --- writing a proposal for and crafting a final video of a dance created or restaged for the camera. Use of formal elements of cinema to reinforce concept and interaction of dance and video capabilities will be assessed. Undergraduates produce a film of five minutes or less.
5. 20% Three journal entries on three films/performances. DCE students see movies; BCN students see dance concerts.
6. P/F Student (or Group) Presentation on Film relevant to your final film (Ex. 3)
Assignments/ Basis for Graduate Student Evaluation.
Detailed instructions for assignments will be discussed in class. Assignments are due in class on the day indicated. Late work will be deducted one letter grade for each class period that it is late.
1. 10% Class participation including promptness and readiness for class work and discussion. The in-class discussions and presentations are designed to help you develop skills in critical thinking and speaking necessary for successful work as a dance/camera artist. Assessment criteria: regularity of participation in discussion, evidence of thorough preparation, pertinence of contributions, demonstration of ability to draw together information from various sources to form a coherent point of view or a question, clarity and fluency of speech. projection of confidence and professionalism.
2. 10% Completed project #1 -- a 3-minute multicamera video of dancers in performance under stage lights. Use of formal elements of cinema to reinforce concept will all be assessed.
3. 10% Completed project #2— a Portfolio of Tests. BCN/DCE team creates a portfolio of 10 formal elements of cinema to reinforce a dance phrase. These are SHOOTING tests: no more than 1 formal element "test" can be done in post. Each test must be separate source footage. (eg, you can't slap a blue tint and an orange tint on the same shot and call it 2 formal elements.)
4. 40% Completed final project --- writing a proposal for and crafting a final video of a dance created or restaged for the camera. Use of formal elements of cinema to reinforce concept and interaction of dance and video capabilities will be assessed. Graduates produce a film 6-10 minutes long.
10% An 8-10 page reflective paper on the final project: Describe what you learned in the process of combining dance and film.
5. 20% three journal entries on three films/performances. Dance students see movies; BCN students see dance concerts.
6. P/F Student (or Group) Presentation on Film relevant to your final film (Ex. 3)
We encourage you to:
1. Back up your production projects periodically: buy blank DVD or CD media and back up your project AND MEDIA FILES using the burners in the machines.
2. Purchase your own external 7200-rpm Firewire drive to back up and store your own work during your studies here.
Be sure to backup your work. A firewire drive is preferable as you can work directly off of it, but otherwise, there are USB based drives that are fairly cheap for making backups. At the very least, buy yourself several DVDs so that you have some method of backup.
REQUIRED BOOK (available at Addams Book Store)
Envisioning Dance on Film and Video. Judy Mitoma, Elizabeth Zimmer, and Dale Ann Stiebe (New York: Routledge) 2002.
Recommended Books
Video Basics 4. Herbert Zettl, (Los Angeles: Wadsworth) 2004
Sight, Sound and Motion (any edition, but 3rdis the latest)
Herbert Zettl (Los Angeles: Wadsworth 1999.
REQUIRED MATERIALS
YouÕll probably need at least 3 or 4 DV videotapes (without memory chips) this term - buy the best grade you can afford. Only 589 materials may be on these tapes.
ATTENDANCE POLICY
Attendance is required. Every student will be allowed to miss two classes without penalty. After the second (2nd) absence, the course grade will be reduced by one-third letter grade (3.33 points on a 100-point scale) for each absence. Documented medical absences and family emergencies may be excused from grade penalty. After the (6th) sixth absence, whether excused or not, you will be automatically dropped from the course.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY POLICY (see university website for more details):
Academic integrity is founded upon and encompasses the following five values: honesty; trust; fairness; respect; and responsibility. Supporting and affirming these values is essential to promoting and maintaining a high level of academic integrity. Each member of the academic community must stand accountable for his or her actions. As a result, a community develops in which students learn the responsibilities of citizenship and how to contribute honorably to their professions.
If knowledge is to be gained and properly evaluated, it must be pursued under conditions free from dishonesty. Deceit and misrepresentations are incompatible with the fundamental activity of this academic institution and shall not be tolerated. Members of the UNCG community are expected to foster in their own work the spirit of academic honesty and not to tolerate its abuse by others.
First responsibility for academic integrity lies with individual students and faculty members of this community. A violation of academic integrity is an act harmful to all other students, faculty and, ultimately, the university.
For students with documented physical or learning differences and/or disabilities, appropriate arrangements will be made for completion of all class and assessment experiences. However, documentation of these differences and/or disabilities must be made available to the instructor prior to the first assessment experience. Information regarding disabilities and/or differences will be kept confidential. If you are unsure whether or not you need special accommodations, please contact the UNCG Office of Disability Services, 336-334-5540 or ods@uncg.edu.