Producers Craft
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This core introductory course outlines the essential roles, tasks and obstacles faced by producers in the entertainment industry. Topics include navigating the studios, television networks and emerging media as well as the relationship between producers and the unions, guilds and talent agencies. From the producer’s perspective, students will discuss and analyze their current projects in development or production. Relevant events in the entertainment industry will be presented and analyzed. Students will be introduced to and trained on the industry-standard software used by producers, Movie Magic Scheduling and Movie Magic Budgeting.
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Directing for Producers I
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Effective producers create a collaborative and artistic production environment that enhances each director’s skills and provides the support needed to make the best possible project. Students will work in collaborative groups to develop and shoot a short film. In addition, each student will direct his or her own individual mise-en-scène. Students will learn the basics of film directing and how to collaborate to tell a visual, narrative story. Students will learn film production standards and practices, working with basic production documents, working with actors and the fundamentals of telling a story through a camera.
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Cinematography, Lighting & Editing
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Students will learn the basics of live-action motion picture cinematography in a hands-on workshop environment. They will gain an overview of working with film and video cameras, lighting, image construction, and composition. Students are instructed in the basic techniques of digital editing. They will learn the basics of motion picture editing and post-production techniques. They will gain an overview of nonlinear editing, post-production audio, basic visual effects, and professional post-production workflow.
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Producers Craft II
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This course continues the study of the essential roles of and obstacles faced by film and television producers. Topics include optioning and developing material, film festivals, networks and ratings and analyzing U.S. and international tax incentive and rebate programs. Students develop professional-caliber resumes, cover letters and lists of references. They will formulate a plan to secure an internship and participate in a supervised internship for academic credit.
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Introduction to Screenwriting
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Producing students will gain firsthand knowledge of fundamental screenwriting techniques and will develop strategies in communicating with the producer’s key collaborator in story development, the screenwriter. Each student will develop and write a five-page original narrative script to be produced in the Short Film Production I course.
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Producing Documentaries
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This course offers producing students an introductory exposure to documentary storytelling and filmmaking. Working in small collaborative teams, students will pitch, develop, and shoot a short documentary.
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Sound for Producers
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Motion picture sound is often overlooked and taken for granted. In this course, students will learn about the fundamentals of both production sound and post-production sound and gain an understanding of how sound can enhance their stories. In a studio environment, students will get hands-on experience working as sound mixers as well as boom operators. They will also gain knowledge in how to add sound effects, music, and dialog replacement to their films.
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Entertainment Law & Business Practices I
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This course is an overview of contract law and how it impacts the entertainment industry. Producing students will study legal issues regarding television, films, recordings, live performances, and other aspects of the entertainment industry. Topics include copyright law, intellectual property, and talent representation. Students will be introduced to finance, marketing, and distribution models for both studio and independent films.
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Producing Reality Television
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Students will learn the basics of producing for reality television, and the genre’s relationship to other platforms and formats through the analysis of existing successful reality programming. Students will develop, create, and pitch an original reality television proposal.
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Short Film Production I
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Producing students will develop, prep, and shoot their own individual short films. Students will receive instruction in a workshop setting on the fundamentals of sound recording. Working in teams, students will function as crew on each other’s productions. Scripts will be developed in Introduction to Screenwriting and finalized in this course. In the early part of Semester Two, students will edit and prepare their projects for a final screening.
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Pitching , Business Plans, & TV Show Bibles
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Through in-class examples, students are introduced to effective pitching styles and instructed on how to pitch to investors and development executives. Students will develop a brief and effective pitch of the material they choose to pitch at the Producers Pitch Fest. Each student will practice and gain critical and fundamental pitching skills. Through lectures and analysis of case studies, students will learn the critical skills to develop effective feature film business plans and television show bibles. The feature business plan or television-show bible developed in this course will be presented at the Producers Pitch Fest.
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Business Affairs
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Students analyze and discuss legal topics such as contract negotiations, marketing projects to financiers and distributors, and audience and research testing.
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Writing the TV Pilot Treatment
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Students will revisit how the television industry operates and how television programs are pitched and developed. Each student will develop and write an original television pilot treatment.
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Writing the Feature Film Treatment
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Through in-class instruction and critique, students will develop storytelling skills within the industry-standard format of the film treatment. In a workshop setting, each student will develop and write a detailed feature film treatment. Students will also have the option of beginning the screenplay writing process in the last part of this course.
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Short Film Production II
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Students will further develop critical line producing skills. Working with NYFA filmmaking students, producing students will line produce a filmmaker’s Year One Film.
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Industry Speaker Series
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These informative sessions feature discussions with producers and other industry professionals. Each session includes a Q&A, providing each student access to first-hand impressions of real world circumstances faced by working industry professionals.
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Writing the TV Pilot Screenplay
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In a collaborative workshop setting, each producing student will develop an original drama or situational comedy pilot.
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Budgeting & Entertainment Accounting
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This course provides an overview of production budgeting and financial, cost and managerial accounting functions specific to the film industry, with application to other areas of media production, including television. Students analyze techniques and control procedures for accurate preparation and presentation of budgets and financial statements. Topics include budgeting, cost reporting, and film accounting terminology.
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Thesis Development Workshop I
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Students begin to conceptualize and develop their Thesis Projects. Topics include executive summary, logline, synopsis, story and character development, researching and analyzing comparable films or televisions shows, and developing effective comparisons. Students will view and critique sample teasers for creative style and effectiveness. Through lectures and examples, students will learn the critical skills to develop effective feature film business plans and television show bibles. Students will participate in a supervised internship for academic credit, benefiting from real-world application of their proposed thesis projects.
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Producing Alternative Media
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It is essential for the producer to keep abreast of evolutions in new media technology and the many new outlets for distribution that continually emerge on an increasingly rapid basis. iPods, webcasts, the dynamic possibilities of multimedia tie-ins, and Alternate Reality Games, and the anti-piracy aspirations of digital 3D projection are a sampling of topics presented. Through in-class discussion and samples, students will be exposed to trends in these arenas. In this course, students will pitch, develop, and create an original piece of new media.
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Acting for Producers
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In a workshop setting, students will develop a critical understanding of the acting process and what each actor brings to the collaborative process of filmmaking.
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Writing the Feature Screenplay
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In a workshop setting, each student will develop and write a first draft screenplay. Structure, style, character development, and arcs are some of the topics that will be discussed and put into practice throughout this course.
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Script Collaboration I
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In this course, students will be instructed and supervised in seeking and securing an ongoing collaboration with a screenwriter for the purpose of developing an original script. Students will employ their creative producing skills to communicate script notes and desired changes, and developing a positive working relationship with his or her screenwriting collaborator.
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Thesis Development Workshop II
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Students continue to refine and finalize their Thesis projects. Option A candidates will prepare for their production green lights, while Option B candidates will finalize multiple components of their required thesis documents. Students will participate in a supervised internship for academic credit, benefiting from real-world application of their proposed thesis projects and they will create and maintain a production company website.
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Entertainment Law & Business Practices II
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This course offers a deeper analysis of contract law and critical issues raised in contract negotiations. Copyright law and the protection of intellectual property are further analyzed. Focusing on domestic, international, and independent finance, marketing and distribution, and using case studies of actual campaigns, this course focuses on successful strategies for each of these vital aspects of producing.
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Script Collaboration II
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Students will continue with their screenwriter collaborations for the purpose of completing a fully developed second draft of their scripts.
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Thesis Development Workshop III
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In this course, students troubleshoot and finalize their entire written thesis presentations.
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Advanced Pitching Workshop
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This course exposes students to a variety of successful pitch styles and formats in a workshop setting. Students will acquire advanced techniques in developing and executing effective pitches and they will develop and master an effective written pitch.
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Directing for Producers II
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Through in-class exercises, students will gain a deeper understanding of the director’s integral creative role and directing craft. In a workshop setting, students learn advanced camera techniques, lighting concepts, and production sound. Working with the Thesis Option A equipment package and through a series of exercises, students will develop a deeper understanding of cinematography, lighting, and sound needs and how to creatively meet those needs.
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