Filmvid 103  Spring 2001
Assignments in Detail

1. Project One is a group project. Prepare an audio work of no more than five minutes length (3 minutes minimum) in which you create a mood, tell a story, offer a description, or otherwise present an audio "picture" to the listener. Use no dialogue or any readily understandable human language. The recorded material should be original and the final product should incorporate some manipulation of the recorded material. You may not use any prerecorded material in this assignment. Work together and use this project to acquaint yourself with recording devices and to learn your way around the work stations and software.

2. Project Two can be either an individual or a group project. It must be four to six minutes in length. In this one you may use some prerecorded material and spoken words. Nevertheless, at least twenty five percent of the material used must be original recordings you have made. The objective is to present a complete work that shows a variety of recording and production techniques. Like all subsequent projects, this one can be about anything and take on any form you choose.

3. Project Three: Two Snapshots. Record a single (discrete) acoustic event of no more than five seconds duration for each snapshot. Use that recording as the sole basis of a 2-5 minute production. You may work in either analog or digital domains. If the sound you chose is from a repeating pattern such as a clock ticking, use only one instance of the sound (a single cycle of "tick tock"). Otherwise, there are no rules. Do not spend a lot of time on this project. You need not have both pieces ready at the same time. End each snapshot with a two second pause followed by the original (unaltered) recording of the acoustic event you chose. This is an individual project.

4. Project Four (Final) is individual effort. It must include at least some originally scripted spoken material (not a transcript). Provide a typed copy of the script. If you have some compelling artistic reason to not include scripted material in the body of your project, see me. We can arrange for you to do a small addendum to the project that would meet the scripting criterion.. This project is five to ten minutes long (timed exactly to the minute]. By this time you should be able to use more complex techniques. I expect your production to reflect all of the complexity demanded by your artistic vision.

5. The Audio Genre Development Foundation is a fictitious funding agency that exists to encourage the exploration of new ways to use the audio medium. It "supports" audio projects ranging from new radio programs to concerts and audio installations. A Request For Proposals (RFP) is available on the web. It is not too early to check it out. The Foundation Center's Proposal Writing Guide is helpful.

6. Research Paper/Advanced Production Option. It is my expectation that most students in the class will complete the Audio Genre Development Foundation proposal. Hovever, students who prefer to do a traditional research paper for this course may do so. The topic of the paper, however,  will have to be negotiated with me in advance. The first step in gaining permission to write a traditional research paper is to submit a brief (one page) proposal. Your greatest likelihood of approval will come from proposals that have a strong theoretical bent. The incorporation of a production component (acoustic examples) is a plus.