This assignment asks you to think about the processes of media
translation, specifically the process of translating
descriptive and conceptual writing into a video piece. There are a lot of
components to this assignment you will be required to complete - please
read and follow the descriptions carefully.
For the project, you have two ways to begin:
1) Select a piece of descriptive or conceptual writing by another author that will ultimately inspire a video you create. From there, your main writing assignment will be an analytic essay that critically discusses the elements/themes/concepts you find in the writing and contextualizes them more broadly, both to your project and how this writing and its concepts fits in with a larger body of media production and culture.
OR
2) Write a descriptive or conceptual piece of writing of your own that will ultimately inspire a video you create. This will be your main writing assignment for the project - description below.
For either essay, the initial draft length should be at least one page and the final draft lengths will be 3-5 pages.
Self-Authored Essay, or What to look for in a Previously Authored Essay:
Write a descriptive essay that invokes a conceptual/affective
understanding about the subject(s) you describe. In other words, the
description should somehow suggest or summon
concepts/ideas/meanings/emotions. The subject matter and style (e.g.,
using a linear narrative, etc.) is open - however, your writing should
employ sensory detail and description. These same guidelines for writing an essay should help in the selection of previously authored work - the writing you select should evoke conceptual/affective understanding about its subject and employ description you can work with.
Possibilities for essay subject matter: recall an experience from memory or
observe an experience from your everyday life. If you're stuck, begin
to write about what is going on around you to gain experience at
writing in a descriptive mode. You might also consider looking through
photographs, listening to music, or engaging with other media forms to
help you think about subject matter.
Video Sketch #2: Adjective Assignment
What happens when representational writing is transformed into representational video?
- Choose three adjectives and represent them with video (think about
representing them both auditorily and imagistically). These probably
won't be lengthy pieces - I've seen some that are only ten to twenty
seconds that have been incredibly effective.
- Optional: When you bring the footage into iMovie, add the adjective
as text at some point in the footage for two of the clips: one at the
beginning and one at the end and then we will attempt to guess your
last adjective. Consider how you might construct our experience of the
video footage with the text placement you choose.
- Optional: While you are welcome to choose any three adjectives to
consider the process of translating text to video, you may consider
pulling three adjectives that appear in your essays (particularly ones
that will be important or carry through to your video production) and
attempt to consider their video representation in this sketch
assignment.
Storyboards
Using the template I have provided you, storyboard any six scenes that you plan to shoot for your video production. Include a sketch of some moment in the scene that illustrates camera framing you will employ and below the sketch, include the following:
* the passage from your writing sample or extracted/abstracted concept this scene explores
* indicate the audio that will accompany this scene
* indicate the action that will take place in this scene
* indicate the camera direction for this scene employing the terminology for shots you have been provided
Shot List
Create a list of six or more scenes you want to record for your video using film terminology.
Generally speaking, shot lists can be helpful for filmmakers to
function as a detailed "footage to capture" list while filming. During
filming, however, ideas or circumstances for new shots can always
arise. Therefore, the list does not have to be in the order in which
you think they will appear in the final video and does not have to
include all scenes. An entry in a shot list may look something like
this:
- Tracking shot of main character walking down hallway until she
stops at her locker. Zoom focus into close-up of the lock as she
enters combination. End shot as the lock snaps open.
Reflective Writing:
In this reflective writing, please describe the process of
extraction/abstraction/translation you underwent to move from your
writing to your video by addressing the following:
- Identify the abstracted concepts or themes from your video and analyze their broad significance. You might
consider the shared cultural understanding of the concepts your writing
and video explore.
- Discuss how you decided to represent these concepts in your video, articulating the technical choices you made to construct your representation (e.g., use of narrative, editing effects, point of view, etc.) and how these connect to the conceptual exploration of the piece. What happened in the process from "translating" writing to video.
Minimum length: the equivalent of one, double-spaced page.
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Assignment Due Dates:
Draft of Essays (Analytic or Creative) Due At Beginning of Class 10/7
Video Sketch #2 Due 10/9
Storyboards, Shot List, Final Draft of Essay Due 10/14
Video Due 10/21
Reflective Writing Due 10/28
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