Step 1:
Pre Production
As we start a media project, it's important to understand the goals of the assignment.
Review your syllabus or grading rubric, and ask yourself the following questions:
Who is the intended audience of this video?
Do you have any examples to reference?
Do you know what equipment you will need in order to capture this media?
What is the deadline for this assignment?
The easiest way to get an idea of how your video will look is to write a script for it. The script should include the types of locations the scenes take place in, the actions the characters take, and anything they have to say.
There are a number of ways to write out a script but the most important thing is to write it in a way that will be easiest for you to understand. Some people work better with a bulleted list and some find it best to follow the formatting of a screenplay.
Here is an example of how to write a script .
Your project will always be made of many different parts. These parts are your “assets.”
These may include pictures, logos, graphs, or videos that you already have. Before you start making and gathering additional assets, you will want to check if there is anything that already exists.
Once you have a collection of assets, gather them together in one place before you start getting more.
Before you just jump into shooting, you will want to go around and look for the places that either fit the settings in your script, or can be transformed to fit your script.
When looking at these locations, it is good to make note of things like the:
Acoustics: How does the space sound? Is there background noise? Is there an echo?
Lighting: Does the space have enough light? What kind of light? Is more light needed?
The environment could change your choice in audio equipment, and you might need to find ways to either darken or brighten a location.
Knowing what your location will be like ahead of time will help you understand what the restrictions of the space are.
Once you have all of this done, it is time to schedule out your shoot.
When scheduling, you want to focus on shooting what you can as each location and anyone else in the shoot is available.
You will want to set what parts of the shot list you want to focus on each day and set the times that everyone should gather.
Always plan to be there earlier than when you expect to start shooting. For simpler shoots, you will want to give yourself between a half-hour to an hour to set up.
Step 2:
Field Production
Term Hours
Monday-Thursday 10am to 9pm
Friday 10am to 6pm
Sunday 3pm to 9pm
Find us in The Valley Library
On the main floor, by the elevators.
Room 2035