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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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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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 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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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Post for Producers
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This course will explore the entire post-production workflow for both film and digital formats. In addition to the technical aspects of physical post-production, the artistic and managerial aspects will also be addressed. Post-production for all current exhibition venues, including theatrical, DVD, satellite and streaming will be reviewed. Students will also learn more advanced post-production sound techniques to enhance their films.
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Cinema Studies
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Cinema Studies introduces students to the evolution of the motion picture art form as a visual storytelling medium and the motion picture industry from their inceptions. Students will be given a thorough creative, technological and industrial view of the filmmaking art. Students will be prepared for more advanced academic and production related studies and practice of filmmaking. The approach is historically developmental. Students will understand why a film creatively works or doesn’t work and why. The course considers primarily American film development though the impact of international filmmakers is given due analysis.
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Thesis Development 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.
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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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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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Advanced Directing Workshop
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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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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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Thesis Option C
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Through in-class study and critique, MFA students wrap the final stage of project development and prepare for the pre-production phase of their projects. Topics include a critical review of prep/shoot/post calendars; set up and review of spending procedures, required documentation, and cash flow; and script, schedule, and budget lock. Through exercises and in-class review, students will maintain an active presence on the film’s production company website, including project updates.
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Feature Prep
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Through supervised independent work and in-class check ins, MFA students undertake casting, hiring crew, securing locations and preparing and executing all pertinent agreements, contracts and other documentation required to receive a green light to shoot their feature films. Supervised steps include an all-cast and all-crew table read and production meeting; review and discussion of contract negotiations and deals undertaken; cast rehearsals; tracking spending during the pre-production phase; hiring and managing crew workflow for all departments.
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Feature Production
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Through a supervised production period, MFA students begin and complete principal photography of their feature films. Through on-set visits and consultations, students undertake the daily shooting schedule; troubleshoot delays on set; work with actors; and maintain open communication with department heads regarding footage shot and budget adherence.
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Feature Post-Production
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Through supervised independent work and in-class check ins, students undertake and complete post production on their feature films. Post deliverables include raw footage and two rough cut reviews and discussion; ADR prep and completion; final sound mix, picture lock and color correction; music score; and main and end titles.
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Feature Marketing & Distribution
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Through examples and in-class discussions, students prepare and execute the initial steps of their marketing campaign. Marketing deliverables include a detailed marketing calendar including festival deadlines and materials prep deadlines; regular uploads and updates on the film’s production company website. Financial deliverables for distribution preparation include a reconciliation of petty cash expenses; trial balance with outstanding deposits; a final cost report, detailing remaining amounts still to spend. Students will develop and create a distributor-ready inventory of production elements, documentation and pertinent paperwork including a thorough reconciliation of all production documents, including call sheets, production reports, script supervisor notes, deal memos and releases and financial documents itemized above.
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