72595 - Theory and Technique of Audiovisual Production: Laboratory

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, students have acquired basic but necessary tools for audio-visual productions, they will be capable to analyse the main issues related with audiovisual market (publishing schedules, methods of research and editing of the footage, rights management image and marketing, etc..).

Course contents

The students will be provided with an overall training on the world of audio-video and on the main techniques of audiovisual production, both concerning the different media (the internet, television, cinema) and the various possible forms that the product may take (meaning its format: it could be a documentary film, an investigative report, a news report and so on). The course will not only focus on providing the students with practical abilities. On a more analytical level, it will teach them how to understand and use the basic elements of the audiovisual language – relating to the media in general, but with a focus on the specific communication needs of the political world.

Alongside a theoretical introduction, the students will be guided towards the practical stage of the course. Firstly, they will learn how to use the filming equipment provided, such as cameras, audio tools and editing stations.

The students, appropriately organized in an initial rotation over the departments,will join the MMPWebTV (the WebTv of the Forlì Campus) editorial team, which will devise and curate the entire schedule.

Moreover, they will be asked to produce some audiovisual products themselves - which they will hence analyse with the teacher - and to participate in a class project. The collective project will concern the creation of a television format focused on the concept of “leadership”, but there will be some news.

This is a compulsory attendance course. The minimum level of participation at classes is 70%.

Readings/Bibliography

Hardcopies of the handbooks on how to use Panasonic cameras and on Final Cut Pro are available in the laboratory, while pdf versions of the manuals can be found in the online cloud-drive. The students will be provided with access credentials after the first class. In the could-drive, they will also be able to access the slides of the lessons in class as well as a number of video tutorials on how to use cameras and video editing tools.

Readings

Mandatory texts for mid-course written test and for the possible oral exam (completing the slides provided by the teacher):

L'ABC del digitale. Le nuove tecnologie di ripresa, di G. Conversano, Dino Audino Editore, 2013

Introduzione al linguaggio del film, di M. Ambrosini, L. Cardone, L. Cuccu, Carocci editore, 2017

 

In addition to the two above mentioned books, one of the following texts is compulsory for the speaking examination:

Screenwriting

Story, di R. McKee, Omero, 2010.

Manuale di sceneggiatura cinematografica. Teoria e pratica, di L. Aimeri, UTET Università, 2012.

Directing

Manuale di regia cinematografica, di G. Chiesa, UTET Università, 2011.

L'ABC della regia, 2 voll., di D. Arijon, Dino Audino Editore, 1999.

Cinematography

Parole illuminanti. I linguaggi del cinematographer, di E. Visconti, UTET Università, 2010.

Editing

Manuale del montaggio. Tecnica dell'editing nella comunicazione cinematografica e audiovisiva, di D. Cassani, UTET Università, 2006.

Tv Series

Complex TV, J. Mittell, minimum fax, 2017.

Scrivere le grandi serie tv, di P. Douglas, Dino Audino Editore, 2006.

TV

I generi televisivi, di G. Grignaffini, Carocci, 2012.

Televisione e radio nel XXI secolo, di E. Menduni, Laterza, 2016.

Documentary

Il film documentario. Forme, tecniche e processo produttivo, di A. Giannarelli, S. Savorelli, Dino Audino Editore, 2007.

Introduzione al documentario, di B. Nichols, Il Castoro Editore, 2009.

Production

Corso breve di produzione audiovisiva, di C. Biondi, Dino Audino Editore, 2014.

Web and New Media

Fare webserie, di C. Bressa, Dino Audio Editore, 2015.

*-*

Recommended (but not subject of examination):

L’immagine-movimento. Cinema 1, di G. Deleuze, Einaudi Editore, 2016.

L’immagine-tempo. Cinema 2, di G. Deleuze, Einaudi Editore, 2017.

Teaching methods

Lectures and practice exercises, video projections, analyses of audiovisual products and lab activities related to audiovisual production (writing, shooting, editing and circulation of the products).

Assessment methods

The students will undergo frequent written, spoken and practical tests.

At the end of the theoretical section of the course, they will all take a written examination.

Before the end of the course, each student will individualmente have to create an audiovisual product individually

At the end of the course, each student will be given an overall evaluation, which will take into consideration a number of factors:

• the written exam grade (5 multiple choice questions and an open-ended question about the analysis of an audiovisual product);
• the tests evaluations (development and screenwriting, directing and shooting, editing and post-production, production, promotion and distribution);
• the level of attendance,  participation in class and lab activities;
• the individual end-of-course product.

In case a student is not satisfied with his or her result, they will be able to improve their grade by undergoing an additional oral exam.

Teaching tools

The equipment available in the lab mainly consists in Panasonic cameras AVCHD, support tools (such as tripods, wireless microphones, boom mikes and so on) and Final Cut Pro editing stations.

It is highly recommended for the students to be equipped with personal portable Hark Disks (and format them to be Mac compatible) or pendrives with at least 16 Gigabytes of memory.

Office hours

See the website of Matteo Lolletti