SCCtv Interns Internship Curriculum

Quarter One

You will be required to shoot, script and edit a video. It doesn't have to be perfect. The point of this exercise is to go through the process. We believe you will learn better by doing.

Weeks 1 and 2

The goal of weeks 1 and 2 is to watch several tutorial videos regarding shooting video and then shoot your own video footage which will be used to create a scripted, edited final video product. Several videos, covering topics such as "The Five Deadly Sins of Amateur Video" and "Microphone Basics" are available to view. View these tutorial at http://www.scctv.net/about-us/press/470-scctv-interns.

By watching these tutorials, you will gain basic video production knowledge they will be able to put to use when they shoot their own video. Even if you shoot video on a regular basis, it is good to brush up on these concepts.

You will need to decide what to make a video about. Keep in mind that you will be shooting video, potentially conducting interviews, writing a script and then editing your video. If you can't think of any topic, make a video about something you like to do, like making cookies or watering plants. Maybe you volunteer somewhere that would love to have a video made to promote what they do.

Using any camera available to you or borrowing one from SCCtv, you will need to shoot the video you will use to make your video. Here are some things to consider:

1. If you have interviews to do, you will need to set them up. You should have your interviews sign a release. Click this for a generic release form.
2. Get permission if you are shooting video on private property.

We will discuss your video concept prior to the start of your video shoot(s). At the end of the first week, you need to check in with your SCCtv advisors to let us know how things are going. We can offer suggestions if you are experiencing difficulty with any part of this exercise.

Arrange a meeting time at the end of the second week for SCCtv advisors to review your footage. As a result of this you may want to shoot more video or you may be set to move on to the next set of weeks.

Below are links the links to video tutorials we would like you to watch. Again this information in them pertains specifically to your tasks in Weeks 1 and 2 and seeing them before you shoot any video may be very helpful.

Denver Open Media produced the following videos that explain various camera functions and how they work. Thanks Denver!

• The Rule of Thirds - This video discusses how to frame your shot in the camera.
• Shot Composition - More on how to frame your shots in the camera.
• Common Mistakes Made by Beginners - The title says it all.
• Color Temperature and White Balancing - Great advice for anyone wanting all the colors in your video to match with those in the real world.
• Depth of Field - A great tutorial that will help you focus on your subject.
• Shutter Speed - This tutorial will help you understand how to used the manual shutter speed option.

Videomaker is a magazine with a great online site, aimed at the prosumer video producer. Their website contains a lot of great information and includes video tips for producers.

• The 5 Deadly Sins of Amateur Video - A Videomaker magazine tutorial video that focuses on common mistakes made when using a video camera.

Weeks 3 and 4

During weeks 3 and 4 you will be writing a script for your project. This script will be the blueprint for your video. It will tell your video editor (you are the video editor in this class), all the information, including music information, graphic information, the in cues/out cues (start points and end points) for your sound bites (sections of interview) and more, that the editor will need to create on video what you have envisioned.

Scripts will typically have the instruction information written on one side, left side or right side of the document, while the other side contains the narrator text and the transcript of any sound bites you use.

You can purchase special script writing software, but you can also use a program like Word to achieve the same effect using the tab button. Click here to view an example of a script written using Word. In this case, the direction information for the editor is on the left and the narrator and soundbite text has been tabbed over to about mid-page.

Something to consider before you start writing, or at least early on in the process, is whether or not to have narration in your video. Some projects cry out for someone to lead the viewer along, to join concepts or to crystallize what your interviewees were not in a position to state. Or maybe you don't have interviews included in your piece and someone needs to be a voice for the project. Or you may decide that those interviewed tell the story just fine, as long as you creatively weave the interview or interviews in such a way as to create a complete story for your video. Or maybe the sounds you've captured tell the story. And remember graphics in the form of text can help tell the story too.

Once your script is finalized you can start editing. We will show you methods for recording the audio track of the narrator for instances where narration is called for.

Weeks 5, 6 and 7

During weeks 5, 6 and 7 you will edit your video, based on the script you've created. We will spend time with you, instructing you how video editing systems work and the basics of editing. There are several video tutorials for you to watch, see below, that will help you understand the edit process. The video tutorials are focused on the Final Cut Pro edit platform. While you may decide to you a different edit platform on your own system, many of the concepts and ideas will work on whatever platform you choose.

Zack King - FinalCutKing

Zack King who calls himself the FinalCutKing. He has over 200 videos related to Final Cut Pro. Some of the videos in his series include:

• Basic Editing
• 5 Things You Must Know in Final Cut Pro
• Fundamentals of Final Cut Pro
• Final Cut Pro - Text Tutorial
• Final Cut Tutorial-Rendering
• Exporting in Final Cut Pro

Metacafe

Basic Editing On Final Cut Pro

Once you finish your edit, we'll look at it together and discuss the process, things you'd like to change, suggestion that might improve the project.

Remember: It's Okay to Make Mistakes

Something to keep in mind throughout this entire process... It's okay to make mistakes. It is often said that you learn more from your mistakes than from what you did correctly. This couldn't be any truer than when you're working with video. The great thing is that you always have the ability to re-shoot, re-write and re-edit. You are in a class that encourages you to DO, create and try. In doing so, you will learn that next time you should think about lighting, or using a microphone other than the camera mic. Or you may learn that you didn't make a mistake, but there might be a better way to do the same thing and try that on your next production.

When you turn in your final project, perfection is not what we'll be looking for. We will be looking at what you put into your production and what you learned in the process.