COM 202: Visual Rhetorics

////// spring 2017 //////


////// instructor information //////

Dr. Steven Hammer
301 Bronstein Hall
shammer@sju.edu
office hours: 1-3pm, Monday-Wednesday, or by appointment
for appointments: hammer.youcanbook.me

////// course info && policies //////

Learning Objectives
In this course, students will:

Course Description
This course examines the role of aesthetic, sensory-based experience in digital environments. The course focuses on contemporary ways to understand sensory perception (especially sight and sound) and its relationship to meaning making.  Students will come to understand aesthetics as a mode of complex communication intricately related to social and cultural influences. Students will apply this understanding to a variety of hands-on projects involving graphic design, photography, sound design, and digital film production.

Academic Honesty:
Please familiarize yourself with the University’s Academic Honesty Policy.

Accessibility and Disability Support:
If you have any concerns as we begin–or throughout–the semester in regard to the accessibility of course materials or presentation, please contact me as soon as possible.

In accordance with state and federal laws, the University will make reasonable accommodations for students with documented disabilities. For those who have or think that you may have a disability requiring an accommodation (learning, physical, psychological) should contact Services for Students with Disabilities, Room G10, Bellarmine, 610-660-1774 (voice) or 610-660-1620 (TTY) as early as possible in the semester for additional information and so that an accommodation, if appropriate, can be made in a timely manner. You will be required to provide current (within 3 years) documentation of the disability.

For a more detailed explanation of the University’s accommodation process, as well as the programs and services offered to students with disabilities, please see the Student Resources Page. If you have any difficulty accessing the information on-line, please contact Services for Students with Disabilities at the telephone numbers above.

Attendance:
Attendance (being in class, on time) and participation (engaging with us while you’re in class) are vital to your success in this course. You are allowed two for the semester without penalty, so use them wisely. If you miss three to four classes, your final grade will be lowered by 10%. If you miss five classes, 15%. If you miss six, you will automatically fail the course. If you do miss class, you are responsible for the content you’ve missed (please don’t email to ask me if we did anything in class on the day you missed). If you miss days in which your group requires you, your grade for that project will likely suffer.

Revision
Revision, in most cases, is vital to both producing quality work and engaging in the process of learning new practices. Expect to revise your work, and know that I am nearly always open to considering multiple drafts of a project prior to assigning your final grade. If you wish to revise, I will expect revisions within one week of posting your original grade.

Gear
You will learn to produce media with a range of equipment and software this semester. I do require you to use the software and hardware I teach in class. This means that using your iPhone for audio recording or iMovie for video editing is highly discouraged and subject to penalty. I want you to begin learning tools that you will likely encounter after college. Luckily, the COM department has gear available to check out. For availability, procedures, and policies, please visit: http://sjucom.net/av-gear-checkout/

////// required materials //////

////// course requirements //////

(click HERE for requirements/rubrics)

Audio Postcard: 10%
Sound Design for Video: 40%

Film Scene Re-Shoot: 20%
Class Tasty Video Series: 30%

////// our schedule //////

WEEK ONE: DIGITAL AUDIO BASICS, AUDIO POSTCARDS

1/17 – Introductions, Syllabus/Website

1/19 – Audio Postcard Assignment Workshop
listen: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=3137033

WEEK TWO: RECORDING & SAMPLING

1/24 – Sampling Audio
listen: http://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2015/04/24/haircut-columbus-ohio

1/26 – Field Recording Gear & Techniques
listen: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4189321

WEEK THREE: MIXING & EDITING

1/31 – Adobe Audition Basics
watch: https://helpx.adobe.com/audition/tutorials.html (Overview + Essentials for Beginners)

2/2 – Editing Workshop
bring: field and studio recordings

WEEK FOUR: REVISE + RESUBMIT: ¡FULL DRAFTS DUE IN CLASS!

2/7 – R/R

2/9 – R/R

2/11: AUDIO POSTCARD DUE, 11:00PM

WEEK FIVE: SOUND DESIGN FOR VIDEO

2/14 – Introduce Assignment, Noise/Sound, Sound and Affect

2/16 – Sound Effects for Video

WEEK SIX: SOUND DESIGN FOR VIDEO, CONT.

2/21 – Music for Video

2/23 – Dialogue for Video

WEEK SEVEN: COLLABORATIVE STUDIO

2/28 – Studio (no class, self-directed)

3/2 – Studio

WEEK EIGHT: REVISE & RESUBMIT: ¡FULL DRAFTS DUE IN CLASS!

3/7 – R/R

3/9 – R/R

3/10: SOUND DESIGN FOR FILM DUE, 11:00PM

 

WEEK NINE

// SPRING BREAK, NO CLASSES //

 

WEEK TEN: DIGITAL/WEB VIDEO BASICS, SHOOTING

3/21 – Shooting Video: Techniques
read: http://filmanalysis.yctl.org/
watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSOJiSUI0z8

3/23 – Shooting Video: Equipment
references: T5i Video QuickGuide ; T5i CheatSheet

WEEK ELEVEN: EDITING VIDEO

3/28 – Adobe Premiere Pro, pt. 1
watch: any 3 tasty videos: https://www.buzzfeed.com/tasty
find: family recipe

3/30 – Adobe Premiere Pro, pt. 2

WEEK TWELVE: ReShoot STUDIO

4/4 – Studio

4/6 – Studio

4/9 – Scene Re-Shoot Due, 11:00pm

WEEK THIRTEEN: TASTY WEB SERIES

4/11 – Pre-production
watch: any 3 tasty videos: https://www.buzzfeed.com/tasty
find: family recipe

4/13 – Pre-production
watch: any 3 tasty videos: https://www.buzzfeed.com/tasty
bring: family recipe

WEEK FOURTEEN: COLLABORATIVE STUDIO

4/18 – Studio/Post/Production

4/20 – Studio/Post/Production

WEEK FIFTEEN: REVISE & RESUBMIT: ¡FULL DRAFTS DUE IN CLASS!

4/25 – R/R

4/27 – R/R

WEEK SIXTEEN: REVISE & RESUBMIT: ¡FULL DRAFTS DUE IN CLASS!

5/2 – R/R

FINAL EXAM: SCREENING