Make a short video portrait of "A Day in the Life of ______." This project will be completed in three stages.
Preproduction
You will have two weeks to write your script and prepare to shoot your project. The style and look of your movie is up to you. You may use direct address (by looking at and speaking to the camera) but you are not required to do so.
Your script and shooting plan must include at least one FX sequence. You can also plan on a minimum of four hours of help from two of your classmates as cast and/or crew.
Please note that your script should not call for any stunts that endanger you or anyone else, and that your finished movie should not portray you in the act of breaking any laws. Also note that the completed movie should not exceed the guidelines outlined by the MPAA for an "R" rated film.
At the beginning of class on the date indicated on our schedule, turn in your finished script (formatted in screenplay format), complete breakdowns of every scene, a shooting schedule, and a storyboard for your FX sequence.
Production
Before doing anything else, record your entire tape black (with the lens cap on), so that the timecode does not break.
You will have two weeks to shoot. Remember that your video will cover the course of a single day, so pay attention to continuity issues like wardrobe, daylight, and the weather. I will not be looking at your raw footage, but keep in mind that minimum shooting ratios range between 5:1 and 10:1.
Postproduction
You have two weeks to edit together your footage into a coherent portrait of a single day in your life. Start by importing your footage into iMovie on your assigned computer. (You should use the online tutorials to teach yourself how to import and to edit using this basic software package. Use the link in the blue bar on the left.) The completed film should be between eight and ten minutes long, and it should include at least thirty different shots.
Important: The finished movie's emphasis should be on what's happening in the scenes, rather than on the editing. Keeping that in mind, you may use non-diagetic music, sound effects, and nonlinear sequencing.
Include opening titles that credit you as Writer-Director and Editor, as well as the names of anyone with speaking parts. The opening credits also must indicate that this is "A CMS 4410 Production." Credits at the end of the movie must be comprehensive, including copyright information for any material that you borrow from other sources (e.g. music). Leave your finished project on the Macintosh.