In the current media technology landscape, the production of audiovisual content has been democratised. The consumers became the producers. All over the world, countless examples of fortuitous soundbites and YouTube© clips are making the headlines in major media publishers. Nonetheless, to achieve a professional standard quality, it is important to master media-specific practices, techniques and workflows, which go beyond the mere technological proficiency.
The goal of this module is to introduce students to standard audiovisual production techniques, from preproduction to post-production stages, covering photography, film and audio production.
Year 1 Bachelor
In this module students explore the aesthetics of photography through digital imaging. It emphasizes composition and creative artistic expression. Students engage in the emerging theories and practices within digital imaging. They are expected to critically explore both the technical and aesthetic issues involved in the creation and critique of still digital images. Students will be given projects to further their development as visual artists while utilizing new tools in a creative and conceptual fashion. Course readings, discussions, lectures and critiques will provide a scaffold that will guide students’ understanding of the artistic process involved in creating a digital image. Furthermore, the module will develop students’ understanding of the historical contributions and cultural dimensions of photography throughout the 19th and 20th centuries.
Digital Photography & Video - LAT203 / LAR221
This module introduces students to processing images using a computer. General technical issues related to image representation and manipulating images, such as filtering, coding, noise suppression, image compression, two-dimensional sampling and quantization, edge detection and feature extraction algorithms, and high-pass and bandpass spatial filters are explained, and the human visual system is reviewed. In addition, graphic and aesthetic issues related to images are discussed in depth. Students also learn to use a popular image manipulation system and use it to complete several image manipulation projects.
Art Digital Photography & Video module provides an introduction to the principles and practices of single-camera field production. Students will work in small production teams and gain hands-on experience in planning and producing a short video documentary project. The main goal of this module is to provide students with both applied skills and critical knowledge about the field of video production. Art Digital Photography & Video module lectures challenge the students to think about different storytelling conventions in documentary filmmaking.
"The principal objective is to provide students with the knowledge and the skill to produce documentary projects of high artistic and cultural value. The program focuses on developing a documentary project from an original idea, the proposal, to the final product: the audiovisual narrative. The main emphasis lies on developing theoretical and practical knowledge, experience and specific technical on the following subjects:
• Pre-production of documentary projects: logistics, organizing the shooting, authorisationism dos and don’ts
• Research and development for the producion of documentary proposals and ideas
• Developing specific skills for directing and producing documentary
• Learning to produce aesthetical treatments for documentary projects
• Developing skills in the art of producing images and recording sound for documentary
• During the course students will research, write and develop all the pre-production of a documentary project which will be produced on the program Production of Documentary Cinema."
Video Editing is designed to promote positive learning experiences while teaching the editing techniques of cinematography. The course is designed to involve students in the technological environment of video editing processes. It is a practical course that aims to involve active participation of the students working under time constraints of editing deadlines for video production. Students will learn how to create a final movie sequence in Final Cut Pro and Adobe Premiere. They will learn the main elements of the editing process (Trimming, Cuting, Framing), the importance of the sound and the meaning of rhythm and pace in the edit. The class will provide practical knowledge for the student as well as problem solving skills, teamwork, and showcase creativity. At the end of this course it is expected that students understand the workflow process of editing.
"The principal objective is to produce documentaries written and developed during the program Pre-Production of Documentary Cinema.
The following subjects will be addressed:
• Directing and producing documentary.
• Filming documentary: composition, camera movement and cinematography.
• Narrative construction: editing image and sound for representing reality.
• Marketing and distribution: film festivals and television and other means for exhibition."
"The purpose of this course is to offer students an introduction to Journalism and Public Relations, and an opportunity to practice it.
Journalists today have a variety of story-telling tools but this course will focus on the written word and on the news world, special on TV and press.
The professors will assess students to media language skills and familiarity with the basic tenets of Journalism and Public Relations.
This will be followed by a detailed exploration of journalistic articles written by journalists and professors, looking both at its impact and how it works.
The students have to report journalistic stories. Each story will be comprised of multimedia elements, such as a combination of text, photos, maps, graphics, video and audio. Topics can range from politics to business to human interest to arts and cultural issues.
The projects will require identifying a story idea, researching the topic, arranging and conducting interviews, identifying and collecting the multi-media elements, and writing/editing/assembling the story.
Students will write several journalistic articles on selected themes, and for these works the critical importance of clearly defining the purpose and audience for a work and the need for revision and rewriting is emphasized.
The second part of this course will focused on the Public Relations world. The primary objective of this course is to familiarize students with the basic concepts and principles of Public Relations. It is the foundation course for other courses in Public Relations and a supplemental course for students majoring in communications studies."
Year 2 Bachelor
This module lets students explore TV as a means of communication and as a business, and as part of the module students undertake work for the university’s Internet TV station. Students are exposed to station finances and management, content selection and programming, intellectual property ownership, technical operations and on-air performance from both theoretical and practical perspectives. The relationships between the business and the wider community are considered.
This course module introduces students to basic theories and techniques for digital video recording, editing, and mixing. Instruction covers the fundamentals of lighting and camera usage, recording and mixing console operation, and digital editing. A heavy emphasis is put on laboratory work that focuses on the computer based production of short video works that include movement, voice and music to develop and improve engineering and production skills. Students are also expected to participate in the video recording, editing and mixing of live performances.
"This module provides students the theory fundamentals and formal aspects of story outline, structure and character, which are essential to all forms of screenwriting, namely fiction film. Along the lectures, students will examine each step of the screenwriting process: from the initial premise through character exploration and treatments, to writing the first draft.
By the end of this module, students will be able to develop their own scripts achieving solid grounding knowledge skills on fiction film pre-production stage. Likewise, students will be ready to take it into the next stage of post-production and distribution."
Directing and Casting Actors is a module dedicated to explore the processes and techniques involved in choosing the best actors and actresses for a certain role (part) in a movie and how to optimize their performance according to the script and director’s intentions. The module addresses the fundamentals of acting theory introducing a broad range of pioneering theoretical approaches, all of which questioning the fundamental conceptions of “act” and “actor” that support both popular and academic notions of performance in moving image culture. The module will also make use of practical exercises and inter-subject curricular projects to apply the theoretical concepts.
"This module provides students an introduction to the major principles and practices of single-camera field production. The students will work in small production crews to achieve hands-on experience in planning and filming the script previously developed and produced in pre-production stage.
Therefore, by the end of this module, students will achieve solid grounding in the field of fiction film production. The students will be able to think and develop different storytelling conventions within the scope of narrative digital filmmaking. "
"Post-production is the essential process of completing digital cinema production, which comprehends editing; mise-en-scène and sound; narrative; genre; and theoretical frames.
Within the scope of narrative and cinematic representation, this course provides students both applied skills and critical knowledge through the essential editing process at visual media post-production stage.
From start to finish, students will learn the core elements of aesthetic choices and the technological workflow, addressing the following key module contents:
• Post-production workflow;
• Editing and interface;
• Final Cut Pro X ;
• Color grading concepts;
• Davinci Resolve UI;
• Delivery of the digital master.
This module, thus, provides students a converged understanding of post-production workflow, editing and interface, along with color correction major concepts. "
Video Practice (LCM 208) course provides an introduction to the principles and practices of single-camera field production. In other words, students will work in small production teams gainning hands-on experience in planning and producing two in-class assignments and a final video short-fiction project. The main goal of this course is to provide students with both applied skills and critical knowledge about the field of video production.
Year 3 Bachelor
This subject aims to introduce different literary genres. Students are expected to be conversant with some of the most pertinent literature of and for our times. Even though we disavow the relative merits of fixed lists of works considered classics, we do affirm the intrinsic value of communal reading and theorizing. Reading lists will be defined and evolve through proposals from faculty and students.
Year 4 Bachelor
This module focus on the importance of telling stories with photo essays and prepares students on photojournalism pre-production having in focus their final project. This module has a strong practical component.
This module focus on the importance of telling stories with photo essays and prepares students on photojournalism pre-production having in focus their final project. This module has a strong practical component.
