Pla docent

Academic year 2013-14

Audiovisual Production Laboratory

Degree:	Code:	Type:
Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science	21488	Optional subject
Bachelor's Degree in Telematics Engineering	22589	Optional subject
Bachelor's Degree in Audiovisual Systems Engineering	21624	Compulsory subject, 4th year

ECTS credits:

Workload:

100 hours

Trimester:

1st

Department:	Dept. of Information and Communication Technologies
Coordinator:	Manel Jiménez
Teaching staff:	Jordi Arqués , Manel Jiménez and Sebastián Mealla
Language:	Catalan, Spanish and English
Timetable:
Building:	Communication campus - Poblenou

Introduction

Audiovisual Production Workshop is both a theoretical and practical course which aims to teach students in Audiovisual Systems Engineering all processes of production in the image and sound industry. The approach stands at the crossroads between the acquisition of technical skills devoted to the implementation of media projects and the development of artistic skills applied to this purpose.

The discipline is divided into two branches at a theoretical level. The student explore, on the one hand, the dynamics of media production related to audio, and, on the other hand, those related to image. In parallel, the course has two types of practical sessions, seminars and practical classes. In them, students will face several audiovisual productions, according to the contents studied throughout the theory. All the infrastructures of the university will be used in this respect: studios, editing rooms, video and audio post-production areas. Therefore, the students will develop the skills needed to confront the technical tools used in the broadcasting industry.

Throughout the term, the students will participate in the development of several short movies, all of them associated with fiction genres. Moreover, they must develop a larger and final project within the documentary genre. These exercises will be made by groups as a simulation of real processes in media production .

Prerequisites

No extra-requirements needed, beside the ones related to the Degree curricula.

Associated competences

General skills

Instrumental

1. Capacity of generation and creation of audiovisual projects to a professional level.

2. Ability to confront and interrogate the technique to explore the artistic possibilities that can give.

3. Mastery of the tools that enable the technical development already mentioned.

4 . Dexterity in the creative and artistic work, and promotion of the audiovisual aesthetic skills.

5. Assumption of the visual grammar and narrative, from the construction of the plot and the shooting, to the editing and postproduction.

6 . Analytical reflection, synthesis and organization of information.

Interpersonal

7. Ability to manage and develop work in group and generate synergies between the team and its collaborators.

8. Disposition and suitability in solving technical problems arising from the artistic group.

9. To be critical and self-critical about the processes and outcomes.

Systemic

10. Understanding the basics of media production, from all phases of construction and from a technical and artistic perspective.

11. Adaptation to both visual language and tools.

12. Ingenuity in the application of theoretical principles to practical projects.

Specific skills

1. Ability to produce a media project at all levels and in different stages.

2. Skills for the integration in the dynamic of image and sound industry, and assimilation of its workflow.

3. Learning the specific audiovisual language allowing the students to communicate, as engineers , with the crew of any creative project.

4 . Empathy with the different roles that are part of any audiovisual project and acquisition of a multi-task condition that will allow to understand the jobs in the industry.

Assessment

The final assessment of the competencies consists of several parts:

- A theoretical exam.

- Several exercises derived from practical sessions and seminars.

- Final work, consisting in a production of a 10-minute documentary movie.

To be graded at the end of the term, students must submit all assignments and do the exam of the course.

Details of Assessment

Activity	Exam	Final work	Studio practice	Outdoors practice	AVID Edition	AVID Postproduction	ProTools Edition	ProTools Post-production
Assessment value	30%	40%	5%	5%	5%	5%	5%	5%
Assessment criteria	A grade of 5 is at least necessary to pass the exam.	A grade of 5 is at least necessary to pass the final work.	This practical work must be delivered according to the instructions given in the workshops and seminars to pass assessment.	This practical work must be delivered according to the instructions given in the workshops and seminars to pass assessment.	This practical work must be delivered according to the instructions given in the workshops and seminars to pass assessment.	This practical work must be delivered according to the instructions given in the workshops and seminars to pass assessment.	This practical work must be delivered according to the instructions given in the workshops and seminars to pass assessment.	This practical work must be delivered according to the instructions given in the workshops and seminars to pass assessment.
Minimum requirements to pass the course (ordinary assessment)	Exam must be passed as a prerequisit to get an average for assessment.	Final work must be passed as a prerequisit to get an average for assessment.	Attendance and active participation during the course. Delivery of the finished work at the end of the course.	Attendance and active participation during the course. Delivery of the finished work at the end of the course.	Attendance and active participation during the course. Delivery of the finished work at the end of the course.	Attendance and active participation during the course. Delivery of the finished work at the end of the course.	Attendance and active participation during the course. Delivery of the finished work at the end of the course.	Attendance and active participation during the course. Delivery of the finished work at the end of the course.
Minimum requirements to aim for remedial assessment	It is mandatory to deliver all the activities of the course to aim for a remedial exam. In case some of the activities is missing, the student can’t make the remedial assessment.
Remedial activity	Theoretical exam	Correction of the delivered audiovisual movie or shooting of a new one
Minimum requirements to pass the course (remedial)	A grade of 5 is at least necessary to pass the remedial exam.	A grade of 5 is at least necessary to pass the remedial, final work.

Assessment Table

Final Exam:

Assessment by a text where the student should be asked about the course theoretical contents. The answers will be mainly “discoursive”. The “multiple choice” model is ruled out.

Period: throughout the last two weeks devoted to the assessment of the course, at the end of the term.

Value: 30%

Assessment: by lecturers.

Final Work:

Production of an audiovisual short documentary about 10 minutes long.

Period: From the 4^th to the 11^th week of the term. Delivery and public exhibition the last week of the course in a date to agree.

Groupal assessment.

Value: 40%

Assessment: by lecturers.

Features: planning, shooting, edition and post-production of the short movie. This exercise reproduces the whole process of an audiovisual production. Both technical and artistic results will be taken into account, along with creativity, risk and internal coherence of the product. The minimum crew will be integrated aproximately by six students.

Studio practice:

Period: 3^rd week .

Groupal assessment.

Value: 5%

Assessment: by lecturers.

Features: production of a multi-camera sequence and a single-camera clip in studio.

Outdoors practice:

Period: 5^th and 6^th weeks.

Groupal assessment.

Value: 5%

Assessment: by lecturers.

Features: outdoors sequence production.

AVID edition

Period: 7^th week.

Groupal assessment.

Value: 5%

Assessment: by lecturers.

Features: edition of the outdoors sequence.

AVID post-production

Period: 8^th week.

Groupal assessment.

Value: 5%

Assessment: by lecturers.

Features: post-production of the outdoors sequence.

ProTools Edition

Period: 7^th and 8^th week.

Individual assessment.

Value: 5%

Assessment: by lecturers.

Features: edition of a film musical clip and a documentary sequence.

ProTools Post-production

Period: 9^th week.

Individual assessment.

Value: 5%

Assessment: by lecturers.

Features: post-production and creation of ambiance sound for a movie clip.

All practices are mandatory.

40% of assessment is individual.

A) Pre-production processes

1. Video pre-production processes

1.1. Screen script and shooting script. Celtx

1.2. Grammar and visual narrative . Planning, storyboard and floor of locations

1.3. Production breakdown

1.3.1. Artistic elements: casting, directing actors, art direction, locations

1.3.2. Technical elements: image design and lighting, audio design, technical elements of production (permits, financial resources, etc.).

1.4. Organization of the team and the workflow

1.5. Production plan

1.6. Shooting plan

2. Audio pre-production processes

2.1. Reading the script

2.2. Breakdown of the script from the point of view of the audio

2.3. Filming locations and sets

2.4. Planning technical elements

2.5. Organization of the team

B ) Production Processes

3. Video Production Processes

3.1. Recording techniques and formats

3.2. Digital recordings and film shoots

3.3. Camera and optical equipment

3.4. Lighting Techniques

3.5. 3D Image

3.6. Creating effects from production

4. Production processes audio

4.1. Capture: Microphone techniques

4.1.1. Recording dialogues film / tv

a) Recording live sound: Field recorders

b) Recording wildtracks and ambience in location

4.1.2. XY stereo recording techniques, M / S, ORTF, NOS, AB

4.1.3 . Multi-microphone recording.

a) Supporting microphones

b ) Problems associated with multi-microphones

4.1.4. Multichannel recording

a) Different types of arrays

b) The format Ambisonics and its application in multi-channel recording

C) Post-production processes

5 . Video post-production processes

5.1. Narrative and philosophy of edition

5.2. Tools and editing functions.

5.3. Post-production equipment. AVID DS Nitris

5.4. Correction and effects

5.5. Formats, final cut and exhibition

6 . Audio post-production processes

6.1. Exchange between audio and video systems

6.1.1. Issues related to filming in 24 and 25 fps

6.1.2. Exchange Formats: OMF, AAF, etc.

6.1.3. Workflow

6.2. Sound design

6.2.1. Editing dialogue and ADR (dubbing)

6.2.2. Embedding Wildtracks direct sound

6.2.3. Editing and creating ambience sound

6.2.4. Design and creation of sound effects

6.2.5. FX Room (Foley)

6.2.6. Music edition and its link to effects and ambiance

6.3. Feature and exhibition. Multichannel

6.3.1. 5.1. Film and DVD formats: Dolby Digital, DTS, SDDS, Dolby EX

6.3.2. Expansion of 5.1. systems for digital cinema other formats : 10.2 , 22.2, Wave Field Synthesis, ImmSound Dolby Atmos

6.3.3. The binaural system and transmission of multichannel formats

6.4. Mixing

6.4.1. Technical and aesthetic criteria when mixing

6.4.2. Mixing mono/stereo

6.4.3. Multichannel mixing

6.4.4. Mixing 3D

6.4.5. Compatibility 3D/multicanal/estéreo/mono. Mastering

Practical tasks

The list of theoretical topics are put into practice through two types of exercises developed as follows :

- Seminars and practical lessons: development of activities related to the production of audiovisual fictions:

- Recording a sequence in studio (TV multicamera set)

- Recording a sequence outdoors (outdoor location)

- Editing a short audiovisual (AVID editing)

- Post-producing a short audiovisual (post-production with AVID )

- Editing an audio sequence (ProTools editing )

- Post-producing an audio sequence (post-production ProTools )

- Final exercise: making a documentary of approximately 10 minutes by groups of students.

Methodology

The course includes lectures with several learning activities conducted during the practical sessions (workshops) and seminars, as specified. The participation and involvement of students in each of these activities will allow them to achieve the specific skills defined previously as well as reinforce general skills targeted before.

The methodological development of these sessions will be broken down as follows:

1. Theoretical sessions divided into two interconnected fields : image and audio.

They will be developed as lectures, seeking a strict connection with real examples and, obviously, the practices to run throughout the year. They request from student:

- Regular attendance.

- Active participation in the explanations and exercises.

- Capacity for analysis and reflection , and skill of application and abstraction.

2. Groupal workshops (only one group at the same time) aimed for transfering theoretical contents to praxis through concrete cases which don’t require technical infrastructure of its own production. They request from student:

- Regular attendance.

- Active participation in the explanations and exercises.

- Interaction with the group.

- Creative initiative.

3. Seminar sessions developed into several groups at the same time. The working method varies depending on the practices and the suggested locations. They will be done following the natural process of a real audiovisual production. They request from student:

- Regular attendance.

- Active participation in the explanations and exercises.

- Preparation before and after the exercises.

- Discipline in within the team workflow.

- Hardworking attitude.

4. Final work, where students must be able to work independently, with the supervision and mentoring of teachers. The student must provide:

- Responsibility and autonomy.

- Order and planning of the work.

- Maturity when facing a real project.

- Risk and artistic commitment.

- Technical quality, giving evidence about what they have learned throughout the term.

The purpose of this structure is to get a constant and mutual transfer of knowledge acquired in lectures and practices.

Classroom Activities

HORAS	GRUPOS DE CLASE
THEORY 18 h / group	T1
PRACTICAL WORKSHOP 10 h / group	P101		P102
SEMINARIS 8 h / group	S101	S102	S103	S104

Week

Day X

(2 hours)

Day Y

(2 hours)

Day Z

(2 hours)

Theory 1

Video

(Theory classroom)

Theory 2

Video

(Theory classroom)

Theory 3

Audio

(Theory classroom)

Practice 1 (P101)

Sreen script

(Theory classroom)

Practice 1 (P102)

Screen script

(Theory classroom)

Theory 4

Audio

(Theory classroom)

Practice 2 (P101)

Work on documentary ideas

(Theory classroom)

Practice 2 (P102)

Work on documentary ideas

(Theory classroom)

Theory 5

Audio

(Theory classroom)

Theory 8

Video