This
is an opportunity for you to visit a local facility that is actually involved
in media production of some sort. It is also an opportunity to meet with
someone who is professionally engaged in the business.
Arranging
the visit:
You
will be provided with a list of available locations and schedules for site
visits. They are all places that have indicated they would welcome student
visits. Sign up for the ones that interest you most. . Of course, the size
of the class dictates that several students wind up going to the same site.
In most cases, you will have to visit the sites in groups. One person from
the group should contact the site directly, identify him/herself, ask to
speak with the contact person, and confirm the time of the visit. If your
host has any questions please refer them to me or to one of the TAs. You
are responsible for arranging transportation to the site.
Pick
your own site?
You
may have a contact or an "in" at some production site not listed among
the sites we know to be open to student visits. If so, tell one of us that
you are interested in using that location for your site visit. If we determine
that the experience is likely to be valuable to you, no problem. In fact,
if you can arrange for some of your classmates to tag along during your
visit, all the better. Just clear the arrangement beforehand.
What
you should ask for:
In
most cases, your hosts already will have been told, in a letter asking
for their help, that we are interested in giving our students a chance
to see an actual professional production facility and to meet with people
involved in the work. We asked if they would be willing to host some visitors
for an hour or two once or twice a semester. With that in mind we have
scheduled the visits at a time when they would be able to show you around
the facility, talk with you about some the projects they have been involved
in, and answer some of your questions. In some cases hosts, because of
last minute project developments, may be too busy with a particular project
to spend much time with you. In that case you may ask to just sit and watch
(if that is what you wish to do) or offer to come back at another time.
If the site is one of your own choosing (not on the official list) please
get a copy of the letter sent to other sites and share it with the chosen
site. That way, they will know what is expected of them.
The
report:
Within
72 hours of your return each member of the group (if you went as a group)
should prepare a report about the site visit. It is essentially a summary
of your experiences and your personal reactions to those experiences. The
first part of the report is to be a diary-like narrative account of the
trip including the steps you went through to arrange it. I am interested
in as much detail as you can provide concerning the who, what, where, and
when of the visit (I already know the why). In the second part of the report
talk about some of your impressions of the quality of the experience. Here,
you should answer such questions as: Was it worth your time? Did the host
spend enough time with you? Were your questions answered? Did you get to
see enough of the facility? What interested you most? Would you recommend
this site for other students to visit? Finally, append any extra material
you wish to share. This could include brochures from the site, diagrams
you have prepared, or anything else you think is relevant.
Write
a letter
to your host organization or to the person who guided you at the site.
Include a copy of the letter with your site report. Of course, you are
expected to actually mail the letter to your host.
Submit
the unbound, typed report on standard 8 1/2 X 11 paper. Use reasonable
margins and type size. While I am not grading on length, I cannot imagine
a very comprehensive and thoughtful document of less than six pages of
text plus whatever appendices you care to add. With that in mind remember
to take notes during the trip and get to work on the report right away.
That way the experience will be fresh in your mind.