FILMMAKING, LIGHTING and SOUND

'Filmmaking, Lighting and Sound’

Fine Arts Elective - Fall 2023

Instructor: Mr Benedict R. Fancy

Objective: For students to gain an in-depth understanding of the History of Film, the Language of Cinema and the Practical Experiences of the Art of Filmmaking. Class explores production techniques both in film study and later on in practice. Through the study of groundbreaking films and cinematic history teamed with a series of hands-on projects, students will immerse themselves in both critical studies and the production of original video content.

Student Evaluation Policy: Filmmaking is a creative and collaborative medium. Students will be evaluated based on the timely completion of all assignments, the active participation within the class as a whole and successful collaboration within crew assignments for student productions.

In-Class Assignments / Class Discussions 40%

‘Poetry in Motion’ Student Production 20%

‘Short Film’ Student Production 20%

Overall Class Participation / Work Ethic 20% 

                                                         TOTAL       100%

Critical Understandings - National Film Study Standards: At the culmination of this course, students will be able to fulfill the INTERMEDIATE AND ADVANCED elements of literacy in moving images established by The Film Foundation in partnership with The Directors Guild of American (DGA) - NATIONAL FILM STUDY STANDARDS

Assignment Policy: Students should submit assigned work on time. Work submitted late will receive a 10% deduction per school day up to three days per the CFA Late Work Policy. Any work submitted past three days late will not be accepted.

Parent Consent Form: In this class we will be examining many great films spanning time periods, genres and ratings. A small selection of the films contain language and content that warrants an R rating. A SIGNED PARENT CONSENT FORM is required giving approval for your student to view this R rated material over the course of the semester. The form is given out on day one of the class and is required to be returned by the end of the first week of school.

Unit 1 - The Origins  of Cinema / Silent Films / The Talkies

• The Invention of Motion Pictures, the Kinetoscope, the Cinematographe and the meteoric rise of french magician filmmaker George Melies!

  • Film Footage/Screenings

    • The Lumiere Brothers - First Moving Images (1895), The Trip to the Moon (1902 dir. George Melies) and The Great Train Robbery (1903 dir. Edwin S. Porter)

    • Hugo (2011 dir. Martin Scorsese) - Oscar-winning film inspired by the work of George Melies

    • Tonight Tonight (1995) - Music Video by The Smashing Pumpkins

• The Stars of the Silent Movie Era - who was who and the start of the Hollywood Movie Studio System

  • Film Footage/Screenings

    • Charlie Chaplin - The Kid (1921), Modern Times (1936) and The Great Dictator (1940)

    • Harold Lloyd - Safety Last (1923)

    • The Artist (2011 dir. Michel Hazanavicius) - Oscar-winning Modern take on the silent movie era

Unit 2 - The Films of Alfred Hitchcock

• Who was Alfred Hitchcock, his Filmography and his love of Visual Themes?

• The Shot Types and Camera Movements of Alfred Hitchcock - how he established groundbreaking camera techniques that are still used today!

  • Film Footage/Screenings

    • Psycho - The low budget success story born out of television

    • Rear Window - One of the greatest Single location psychological thrillers ever made!

Unit 3a - Independent / Low-Budget Cinema (*schedule permitting)

• What is Independent Film and how does it differ from Studio-backed movies?

• No Budget Success Stories

  • The Blair Witch Project (1999) - How four FSU students became an overnight Hollywood success story.

  • Run Lola Run (1995) - The German experimental Thriller that set the Sundance Film Festival on fire with its Techno Soundtrack and sweeping chase sequences!

  • ONCE (2007) - John Carney's ultra low-budget irish romantic musical

Unit 3b - Big Budget Studio Feature Films (*schedule permitting)

• A Study of ‘Hope’ and the celebration of ‘Life’!

  • The Shawshank Redemption’ (1994)

  • ‘Life is Beautiful’ (1997)

  • Selma (2014)

  • Black Panther (2018)

Unit 4 - The Art of Filmmaking

• The Production Process

  • Scriptwriting and the 3-Act Structure

  • Shot Types, Camera Angles and Movement

  • The Shot List - A foundational plan for filming

  • Editing and the power of pacing with Final Cut Pro

Unit 5 - ‘Poetry in Motion’ Student Production

• Poetry in Motion - Short Experimental Film Projects inspired by Poetry

Unit 6 - ‘Non-Dialogue Short Film’ Student Production

• Non-Dialogue Short Films - Write, Direct and Produce Non-dialogue Narrative Short Films