Content Creator Lab
MDA10018
Assignment Three – Team Production Sprint
2-minute short documentary
Due: Sunday 26th May 2024
Aim
Working in pairs, you will produce a 2-minute short documentary recorded on your mobile phones or videocamera, with audio from the Rode Go recorders and editing done in Adobe Premiere Pro.
The documentary must be between 1:55 and 2:05, or marks will be deducted for going over or under this time. The ‘10% rule’ does not apply in this assignment.
Theme
The documentary theme is ‘ My Community’ . You can tell any story relating to something around the concept of community and the concept is quite broad. Some ideas are:
A hidden part of your community.
Gathering places.
Local profiles.
The best place togo for … ..
A current affairs or news story relating to an issue in your community.
Something unique or interesting about a group of people.
NOTE: The community must be something that is NOT based online.
Footage
Student pairs must shoot ALL footage themselves, with the following exception:
Up to 10 seconds (maximum) of your documentary may comprise still photos, full-screen graphics like maps, or archival vision, as long as you have the copyright owner’s permission to use it. You must not rip material from YouTube or similar for this assignment. If you can’t contact the owner and get permission, you must not use material without permission. This does not count as a B-Roll shot/s.
We recommend that you shoot about 40 shots for your documentary, and estimate that you’ll include about 24-30 of these in your final cut (3 short interviews, 1 piece to camera (PTC) and 20+ B-roll shots)
Documentary structure
The documentary structure must include:
-3xshort interviews (three questions or less) as described in lectures and practiced in tutorials produced in a vox-pop style. and a piece to camera (PTC)
-The piece to camera (PTC) must be framed as a down-the-barrelshot as described in lectures.
-At least 20x B-roll shots including EWS, wide shots, mid shots, closeups, ECUs and creative angles like overhead, high and low-angle shots and developing/moving shots. Interviewees must be framed as off- camera interviews in MCU shots as demonstrated in lectures and practiced in tutorials.
-Audio including correctly recorded dialogue, diegeticand nondiegetic sound.
-Music is encouraged, and if used, must be royalty-free music that is correctly mixed. -The final mix must have audio levels averaging -12db.
Team structure
Both team members must contribute equally to the production. Please fill out the Team Members’ Tasks document to tell your markershow you divided the work for the assignment. You will be graded individually based on this information.
Submission
Upload your documentary to YouTube and check that it works by using an Incognito Window. Also embed the video on your portfolio.
Download the Video Assignment Template Folder and rename all the folder contents to include both students’ surnames.
Fill out the documents in the template folder and save your video file in the correct folder. Zip the folder and upload it to Canvas.
Both students should submit everything to Canvas individually (with separate documentation) so you can be marked individually.
Tech specs
You should aim to shoot in 1920x1080 and deliver in 1080HD.
Sequence settings: should match your export settings for resolution and frame. rate:
Export settings:
Preset: High Quality 1080p HD (with manual changes below) Format: H.264
Frame. size: 1920x1080
Frame. rate: 25fps (you will have to change this manually) Field Order: Progressive
Aspect: Square Pixels (1.0) VBR Encoding: VBR 2-pass Bitrate Target: 12Mbps Bitrate Maximum: 20Mbps Audio Codec: AAC
Audio Sample Rate: 48000Hz Channels: Stereo Bitrate (kbps): 320
Audio levels mixed at an average of -12db
Marking criteria
Each student will be separately marked based on the below criteria, as applied to the work they say they did.
Production and Execution (45%)
-For shots: composition, stabilisation, lighting, exposure, clear audio, focus, etc. -For human subjects: correct framing and eyeline.
-For PTC performance: clarity, eye-contact, polish of delivery.
-Application of RoT, conventional composition & camera positions, conventional pacing, conventional camera moves, narrative-driven choices.
-Coverage of moving subjects that deploys the line of action to enhance audience experience
Pre and Postproduction Elements (45%)
-Evidence of comprehensive pre-production leading to sufficient high-quality material for structured narrative development in the edit.
-Attention to quality in the gathering of footage, interviews, audio, music, supplied materials, etc. -For scripted elements: coherence, grammar and correct use of language.
-For post-production elements: adherence to norms of audio levels, exposure, stable shots, smoothedits, etc.
-Use of montage theory to create meaning
-Transitions from diegetictonondiegetic sound in support of narrative intention -All elements of the assignment brief are in the final production.
Presentation and submission (10%)
-For final delivery, compliance with tech specs and full delivery of all material including embedding in your portfolio.