Syllabus & Course Description

Week 10: Computer Animation

Mon, 6/14 

AM Session:

• Watch/Take notes on:

  • Pixar: The Story Behind the Studio *This video is basically a breakdown of the documentary "The Pixar Story" which you can watch (in full) on Amazon Prime if you have it.

  • How Pixar's Movement Animation Became So Realistic

  • Pixar's Secret Formula For Making Perfect Films

  • "Hair Love," which won the 2020 Academy Award for best Animated Short Film. Think about the elements of storytelling and CG animation that go into this particular short film.

Announcements & Reminders:

• There will be a short written assignment on animation during class on Wed.  

Tues, 6/15

AM Session:

• Watch/Take notes on:

  • "The Present," the award-winning animated short by Jacob Frye.  *Frye was hired by Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios after the success of "The Present." *Think about the elements of storytelling and CG animation that go into this particular short film.

• ...Then watch/take notes on these two pieces on "Spiderman: Into the Spider-Verse," which is probably the most cutting-edge example of computer animation to date.  

  • How Animators Created The Spider-Verse 

  • This interview with Production Designer Justin Thompson

Announcements & Reminders:

• There will be a short written assignment on animation during class tomorrow.  

Wed, 6/16

AM Session:

• *You do not have to log into Teams today.  Just complete ONE of the following as your final assignment:

  • Either Option A: write a reaction essay for something your learned about computer animation (very important to follow the guidelines and include your own thoughts, ideas, and insights rather than just recycle a few facts).

  • ...Or Option B: Complete this quiz on Computer Animation in the Lego Batman Movie.

Week 9: Animation

Mon, 6/7 

AM Session:

• Quiz on Costume, Props, Casting, & Performance (Due by 12 PM).

Tues, 6/8 (Classic Animation)

AM Session:

• Read/Watch & take notes on:

  • Before Walt Disney: 5 Pioneers of Early Animation from "The Atlantic."

  • Walt Disney's "Steamboat Willie," the first appearance of Mickey Mouse and the first cartoon with synchronized sound.  Then watch (and hear) it here.

  • The Making of Snow White (the first full-length animated film) *There will be time to finish this tomorrow.

Announcements & Reminders:

• Late-submission deadline for Film Review is 11:00 AM Wed.

• Reaction Essay for Animation due 11:00 AM Friday (Thurs for Seniors).

Wed, 6/9 (Classic Animation Cont'd)

AM Session:

• Watch & take notes on:

  • The Making of Snow White continued.

  • Walt Disney on The Multiplane Camera.

  • Behind The Scenes, The Making of "The Lion King"

Announcements & Reminders:

• Today is the Late-submission deadline for Film Review.

• Reaction Essay for Animation due 11:00 AM Friday (Thurs for Seniors).

Thurs, 6/10 (Stop-Motion Animation)

AM Session:

• Watch/take notes on these Academy Originals videos:

  • Daniel Anderson, Stop-Motion Animator of "Kubo & The Two Strings"

  • Georgiana Hayns, Head of Puppetry for "Para Norman"

  • Deborah Cook, Stop-Motion Costume Designer

  • Then choose one or two of these behind-the-scenes videos from Laika Studios.

*As always, be sure to make note of useful terms that help us describe processes, materials, and methods used by stop-motion animators.

Announcements & Reminders:

• Reaction Essay for Animation due 11:00 AM Tomorrow (Today for Seniors).

• Monday is the last day to submit Film Review for late credit.

Fri, 6/11 (Review/Discussion: Classic & Stop-Motion Animation)

AM Session:

• Review/Discussion/Notes: Animation: Here's the link to our discussion notes.

Announcements & Reminders:

• Reaction Essay for Animation due 11:00 AM Today.

Week 8: Casting & Performance

Tues, 6/1 (Casting & Auditioning)

AM Session:

• Familiarize yourself with:

  •  the casting process,

  • ...what a casting director does,

  • ...and what the auditioning process is.

• Watch/Take notes on "The Story of Casting Elliot in ET"

• Then watch/take notes on ANY TWO of the other Academy-Original Shorts on casting (choose among the the six videos at the top).

PM Session:

• Student-Teacher Conferences 2:10 PM (Mason)

Announcements & Reminders:

• Reaction essay for Costume & Props due Today.

• Film Review due Friday.

Wed, 6/2 (Emotional Performance)

AM Session:

• Watch/take notes on:

  •  Viola Davis's performance in this scene from "Fences," 

  • this interview where she talks about doing this scene, 

  • ...and this one where she talks about her acting process.

• (Optional): Watch this extended conversation between Viola Davis and Tom Hanks on acting.

Announcements & Reminders:

• Reaction Essay for Casting & Performance Due 11:00 AM Friday.

• Film Review Due Friday.

Thurs, 6/3 (Method Acting & Physical Performance)

AM Session:

• Read/take notes on Studiobinder's piece on Method Acting (you don't have to watch all of the videos embedded in this article, but it would be good to browse through some of them).

• Watch/take notes on these two videos featuring Eddie Redmayne on playing Stephen Hawking:  this one ...and this one.

• Watch/take notes on Tony Zhou's How to do Action Comedy ...and  Robin Williams In Motion.

PM Session:

• Student-Teacher Conferences 2:10 PM (Sam Keir)

Announcements & Reminders:

• Reaction Essay for Casting & Performance Due 11:00 AM Friday.

• Film Review Due 11:00 AM Friday.

• Quiz on Costume, Props, Casting & Performance on Monday.

Fri, 6/4

AM Session:

• Discussion/Review: Casting & Performance (class notes will be recorded here).

PM Session:

• Student-Teacher Conferences 2:10 PM (Aydan)

Announcements & Reminders:

• Reaction Essay for Casting & Performance Due 11:00 AM Today.

• Film Review Due 11:00 AM Today.

• Quiz on Costume, Props, Casting & Performance on Monday.

Week 6: Special Effects

Mon, 5/17

AM Session:

• Quiz on Light, Shadow, & Color *Due in Turnitin by 12:00PM.

PM Session:

• Student-Teacher Conferences 2:10 PM (Ambar)

Tues, 5/18 (Practical & Optical Effects)

AM Session:

• Watch/take notes on:

  • Crash Course's video on Georges Melies

  • This short video on Silent Movie Special Effects 

  • This CBS piece on Hollywood movie backdrops.

  • This CineFix video on making the the hallway dream fight in "Inception."

PM Session:

• Student-Teacher Conferences (During Class, Carly)

Announcements & Reminders:

• Reaction essay for Special Effects due 11:00 AM Fri.

Wed, 5/19 (Practical & Optical Effects Cont'd)

AM Session:

• Watch/Read/take notes on: 

  • Crash Course's video on Special Effects

  • CBS's The Art of Hollywood Special-Effects Makeup

  • Roger Ebert on "The Effect of Effects"

Announcements & Reminders:

• Reaction essay for Special Effects due 11:00 AM Fri.

Thurs, 5/20 (Digital Effects)

AM Session:

• Watch/take notes on: 

  • Kevin Baille's commentary on the 2020 Visual Effects Oscar Nominees

  • Inside ILM: Creating the Razor Crest

  • The Virtual Production of "The Mandalorian"

*When you watch these last two, about the Mandalorian, think about how ILM blends both PRACTICAL AND DIGITAL EFFECTS TOGETHER for an even more effective look and feel for the audience.

PM Session:

• Student-Teacher Conferences 2:10 PM (Ashley)

Announcements & Reminders:

• Reaction essay for Special Effects due 11:00 AM Fri.

• There will be a quiz on Special Effects on Monday.

Fri, 5/21 (Review)

AM Session:

• About the Film Review: Assignment details available here.  *Due June 4th.

• Discussion/Review: Special Effects (discussion notes available here).

PM Session:

• Student-Teacher Conferences 2:10 PM (Kyle)

Announcements & Reminders:

• Reaction essay for Special Effects due 11:00 AM Fri.

• There will be a quiz on Special Effects on Monday.

Week 5: Light, Shadow, & Color

Mon, 5/10

AM Session:

• Quiz on Sound *Due in Turnitin by 12:00PM.

PM Session:

• Student-Teacher Conferences 2:10 PM (Vinh)

Tues, 5/11 

AM Session:

• Read/Take notes on: Reading The Silver Screen, Art Without Color.

• Watch/Take notes on: So You Don't Want to Watch a Black-And-White Movie. 

PM Session:

• Student-Teacher Conferences 2:10 PM (Conner)

Announcements & Reminders:

•  Reaction essay for one of this week's reading/viewing assignments on Light, Shadow, & Color is due in Turnitin.com by 11:00 on Friday.

Wed, 5/12 

AM Session:

• Watch/Read & take notes on:

  • The Stunning Evolution of Color in Film.

  • Studiobinder's Film Lighting Techniques (this is more of a how-to guide for movie makers, but the content and vocabulary is good for us).

  • CineFix's Top 10 Uses of Color.

Announcements & Reminders:

•  Reaction essay for Light, Shadow, & Color Due 11:00 AM Friday

Thurs, 5/13

AM Session:

• Watch/take notes on:

  • The Godfather Explained: The Cinematography of Shadows.

  • Light & Shadow: The Greatest Cinematographers in the World.

• Prepare comments for tomorrow's discussion (consider key terms, ideas, & concepts).

PM Session:

• Student-Teacher Conferences 2:10 PM (Chris)

Announcements & Reminders:

•  Reaction essay for Light, Shadow, & Color is due in Turnitin.com by 11:00 Tomorrow.

• Quiz on Light, Shadow, & Color on Monday.

Fri, 5/14 

AM Session:

• Discussion/Review: Light, Shadow, & Color (key terms, ideas, & concepts). *Bullet Points available here.

PM Session:

• Student-Teacher Conferences 2:10 PM (Alyssa)

Announcements & Reminders:

•  Reaction essay for Light, Shadow, & Color is due in Turnitin.com by 11:00 on Today.

• Quiz on Light, Shadow, & Color on Monday.

Week 4: Sound

Mon, 5/3

AM Session:

• Quiz on Camerawork *Due by 12:00PM.

PM Session:

• Student-Teacher Conferences 2:10 PM (Brooklyn)

Tues, 5/4 (Sound and Silence)

• Read "Silence is Golden" from David Foster's "Reading The Silver Screen."

• Watch & take notes on: 

  • Crash Course Film History "Breaking the Silence"

  • "Gary Hecker, Veteran Foley Artist"  

  • Tasos Frantzolas's "Everything You Hear on Film is a Lie."

PM Session:

• Student-Teacher Conferences 2:10 PM (Maggie)

Announcements & Reminders:

• Reaction essay for sound due 11:00 AM Friday.

Wed, 5/5 (The Effects of Silence & The Score)

AM Session:

• Watch & take notes on:

  • Every Frame a Painting's "Art of Silence"  

  • Sound editor Tina Hirsh on using silence in Dante's Peak.

  • Steven Spielberg's remarks from John Williams' AFI Life-Achievement Ceremony 

  • ...and this CNN piece on Williams and his  49 Oscar-Awards.

Announcements & Reminders:

• Reaction essay for sound due 11:00 AM Friday.

Thurs, 5/6 (The Score Cont'd)

AM Session:

• Watch & take notes on this short CBS this Morning piece on score composer Ramin Djawadi.

• Watch & take notes on this CBS this Morning piece on the 2017 documentary called "Score."   That documentary, in its entirety, is available here.  You don't need to watch the whole thing, but I recommend browsing through at least some of it.

• Prepare questions/comments for tomorrow's review session.

PM Session:

• Student-Teacher Conferences 2:10 PM (Sam Keir)

Announcements & Reminders:

• Reaction essay for sound due 11:00 AM tomorrow.

• There will be a quiz on sound on Monday.

Fri, 5/7 

AM Session:

• Review Session on Sound (Bullet-Points Available Here)

PM Session:

• Student-Teacher Conferences 2:10 PM (Ethan)

Announcements & Reminders:

• Reaction essay for sound due 11:00 AM today.

• There will be a quiz on sound on Monday.

Week 3: Camerawork

Mon, 4/26

AM Session:

• *Today's Quiz on Editing is postponed to tomorrow.  We'll briefly review key terms & concepts today (here, again are the collaborative notes).

• Read this excerpt on camerawork from David Foster's  "Reading the Silver Screen."  

• Review & take notes on this studiobinder.com article on camera angles (ignore the video at the top on how to make shot list; that's not relevant for us).

PM Session:

• Student-Teacher Conferences 2:10 PM (Samantha)

Announcements & Reminders:

• Quiz on Editing tomorrow.

• Reaction essay for camerawork due by 11:00 am on Fri.

Tues, 4/27 

AM Session:

• Quiz on Editing (Due in Turnitin by 11:40 AM).

• Watch & take notes on Tony Zhou's video essay on Stephen Spielberg's use of the long take, AKA the continuous shot, AKA the oner.  

• Review & take notes on this studiobinder.com article on tracking shots.

PM Session:

• Student-Teacher Conferences 2:10 PM (Gianna)

Announcements & Reminders:

• Reaction essay for camerawork due by 11:00 am on Fri.

Wed, 4/28

AM Session:

• Camerawork: Watch & take notes on this CBS Sunday Morning feature on Garret Brown, inventor of the steadicam.  If you're into it, you can watch this piece (optional) where Brown talks at greater length about using the steadicam to shoot Rocky.

• Watch & take notes on  this famous clip from "Silence of the Lambs" where FBI trainee Clarice Starling first visits the notorious psychologist/serial killer Hannibal Lector to ask for his help  profiling another murderer.  Then watch Tony Zhou's video essay on the effect of camera angle on this scene.  *(The first of these two clips is rated R and features explicit language & content.  If you or your parents object to you watching this clip, you can skip it). 

Announcements & Reminders:

• Reaction essay for camerawork due by 11:00 am on Fri.

Thurs, 4/29 

AM Session:

• Explore Studiobinder's "Different Types of Camera Shots and Angles in Film".  There's a lot of info here, but we don't have time to cover everything.  So you can ignore the sections on "framing" and "lenses," but you should pay attention to "shots," "angles," "focus," and especially "movement" (including the handheld shot) and click on at least a few examples of each for additional details and examples.  

*As usual, take notes on terms and concepts that might help you answer quiz questions on camerawork.  

*Be ready to contribute to the group review session on camerawork tomorrow.

PM Session:

• No conferences today.  Alyssa, you're rescheduled for tomorrow.

Announcements & Reminders:

• Reaction essay for camerawork due by 11:00 am on Tomorrow.

Friday, 4/30 

AM Session:

• Review/Discussion/Notes: Camerawork.  Bullet-points available here.

Announcements & Reminders:

• Reaction essay for camerawork due Today.

Week 2: Editing

Mon, 4/19

AM Session:

• Quiz # 1 (How Movies Happened) *Due in Turnitin by 11:55.

PM Session:

• Sign up for a Student-teacher conference here.

Tues, 4/20

AM Session:

• If you didn't sign up for a student-teacher conference yet, do that now.  *Signing up counts as a grade, calling in for your conference on time and prepared counts as another one.

• Watch  & take notes on Crash Course's "The Language of Film".

• Watch & take notes on "The Cutting Edge: The Magic of Movie Editing" Part 1.  

PM Session:

• Student-Teacher Conferences, 2:10PM (Brianna)

Announcements & Reminders:

• Reaction essay for one of this week's viewing assignments on editing due by 11:00 am on Fri.

Wed, 4/21

AM Session:

• Watch & take notes on "The Cutting Edge: The Magic of Movie Editing" Part 2.

• Watch & take notes on "Alfred Hitchcock's Three Theories of Film Editing" 

• Watch & take notes on CineFix's "Top Ten Most Effective Editing Moments of All Time."

Announcements & Reminders:

• Reaction essay for one of this week's viewing assignments on editing due by 11:00 am on Fri.

Thurs, 4/22

AM Session:

• Studiobinder is a great resource for amateur movie makers, but it can be useful to us too.  Check out some of their posts on editing techniques, and take notes on important concepts, useful vocabulary, etc.  You don't have to get everything down from each of these, but browsing through them and noting at least a few things will help reinforce what we've learned this week:

  • Continuity Editing

  • Transitions

  • Jump Cuts

  • The Eyeline Match 

PM Session:

• Student-Teacher Conferences 2:10 PM (Danye)

Announcements & Reminders:

• Reaction essay for editing due by 11:00 am on Tomorrow.

• Quiz # 2 on Editing is on Monday.

Friday, 4/23

AM Session:

• Let's squeeze in one more video, another one from Crash Course on The Editor.

• Review Session: Discussion/Notes on Editing.  *Each student is expected to contribute to the discussion. 

*Here's a link to our collaborative notes.  

PM Session:

• Student-Teacher Conferences 2:10 PM (Jacob)

Announcements & Reminders:

• Reaction Essay for editing due 11:00 AM today.

• Quiz # 2 on Editing is on Monday.

Week 1: How Movies Happened

Wed, 4/14

AM Session:

• Course Intro (Reviewing The Syllabus) 

• Sign up for Turnitin.com.  Class code and instructions available here.

• Complete this note-taking exercise on Crash Course's "Movies Are Magic." *Due in Turnitin by 11:00 am tomorrow.

PM Session:

• No afternoon session today.  We'll use this time for student-teacher conferences beginning next week.

Thurs, 4/15

AM Session:

• Watch & take notes on Crash Course's "The First Movie Camera." 

• Watch/take notes on this excerpt from Martin Scorsese's 2013 Jefferson Lecture (the section you need to see (4:24-23:06 will start and stop automatically).

*You won't turn these notes in for credit, but they'll be good to have on hand for Monday's quiz.

• Read about writing reaction essays, then write one for one of this week's viewing assignments (Movies Are Magic, The First Movie Camera, or Martin Scorsese's lecture. *Due 11:00 am tomorrow through Turnitin.com.

• Sign up for a student-teacher conference here.

PM Session:

• No afternoon session today.  We'll use this time for student-teacher conferences beginning next week.

Announcements & Reminders:

• Reaction essay for one of this week's viewing assignments due tomorrow in Turnitin.

• There will be a quiz on How Movies Happened on Monday.

Friday, 4/16

AM Session:

• Review Session: Discussion/Notes on "How Movies Happened."  *Each student is expected to contribute to the discussion. 

*Here's a link to our collaborative notes.

PM Session:

• No afternoon session today.  We'll use this time for student-teacher conferences beginning next week.

Announcements & Reminders:

• Reaction Essay for one of this weeks viewing assignments is due today.

• Quiz # 1 on How Movies Happened is on Monday.