NOTE: CANVA (AS WELL AS ANY OTHER TOOL THAT USES AI) IS NO LONGER AN APPROVED TOOL FOR THIS CLASS. DO NOT USE IT FOR THIS PROJECT.
Project - Producer
This project may be completed by the following students:
3rd Year Media Arts Majors.
Directions
Pre-Production
Note: This is a project that is assigned, not chosen arbitrarily. Every 8th grade student will have at least one turn as a producer, but only one will be a producer at a time. Check with your teacher to see when it is your turn to be the producer.
This is not a project you should be completing on your own. Form a team of up to 3 additional students in your class.
These students will be doing enough work to also earn a grade, so they should be 1st and/or 2nd year majors, NOT 3rd year majors like you. The rubric and criteria for them to follow can be found here, but you will still be responsible for their content.
If a team member is being particularly unhelpful, you are allowed to "fire" them, removing them from the team. They will be responsible for completing their own work for a different project. This will likely not cost them time as the assumption is that they will have already wasted their own time up to this point.
With your team's help, plan out the content for your episode. It should add up to 5-15 minutes TRT and contain the following sections:
Intro - This is a short section where all of the cast are introduced, usually with catchy music and lower thirds.
Section 1 - This should be spearheaded by one of your team members, though you and the rest may participate.
Section 2 - This should be spearheaded by one of your team members.
Section 3 - This should be spearheaded by one of your team members.
Outro - Includes saying goodbye, encouraging the viewers to watch the next episode (which will be made by another team), and rolling the credits.
Guide your team through the planning process, including use of permitted assets (graphics, music, b-roll, etc.).
Post-production should NOT be the first time a team member is thinking about what graphics will be used.
Using the same or similar graphics and music in each section will help tie the episode together. As the producer, it's your job to coordinate efforts between team members.
Guide your team through the rehearsal process.
This is the most commonly skipped step, and you will have limited studio time for recording. You do not have the luxury of putting this off until someone's in front of a camera and unsure of what to say when.
What will the rest of the team be doing when one person is on camera? It's best to have a plan for who will be working on each role.
Production
Unlike other projects, studio time can be made available after school.
Check with your teacher first. They will likely have a specific day in mind where they can stay after to facilitate making use of the studio. If you cannot attend on the recording day, you will need to have a plan for getting the recordings done anyway. Your local news show does not ask for deadline extensions.
Remember that while the teacher will be there to supervise, managing the team is still your responsibility. You're in charge of making sure all team members are productive and stay on task. If a student is unwilling or unable to do this, it's your responsibility to step in and fill their role.
Some segments may be recorded in advance by a team member, depending on the content of the segment. This can be encouraged as it will provide more time in the studio for the remaining segments.
Make use of the studio equipment to record any segments that have not been prerecorded.
Team members who are not actively on-screen talent should be assisting you with equipment operation, as many hands make light work.
Before you leave, make sure all recordings are backed up to a location that can be accessed outside of the studio.
Do not depend on your teacher to revisit the studio to collect recordings the following morning.
Do not assume that any recordings left on a camera will still be there later. Yours is not the only class that uses the studio.
Post-Production
Each of your team members should edit, export, and share their segment with you in a format that allows you to keep everything coherent.
Make use of this time by editing the Intro and Outro.
Add in the team segments as they're shared with you.
If it becomes clear that a segment will not be finished by the team member, it will fall on you to complete it.
Look over the near-finished product for typos, work without a citation, and any other errors that can be fixed before publication.
Export your edited work as an mp4 file and submit it along with your planning documents.
Rubric
25% Evidence of planning (Assigned roles for talent/crew, scene list, shot lists) is included with the project.
25% Project is 5-15 minutes total run time (TRT).
25% Edited work is a single timely (up to date as of when it is expected to "go live") episode for a weekly video news & variety show focused on:
School events, past and present, including but not limited to sports, field trips, and guest speakers
Staff and student interviews
Editorial content
25% Citations for all content not owned by the student are included in the credits, including the media name, creator's name (if known), and where the media is from. (Remember, TikTok doesn't give permission for reuse elsewhere. Google is a search engine, not a citable source for anything, and AI summaries are plagiarized poorly.)
Anchor Standard 1: Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work.
I:6-8:1: Formulate variations of ideas, goals, and solutions for media artworks by practicing focused creative processes.
E:6-8:1: Work independently to create a visual representation of formulated ideas.
E:6-8:2: Act on creative ideas to generate artistic goals.
E:6-8:3: Predict potential obstacles and generate possible solutions.
Anchor Standard 2: Organize and develop artistic ideas and work
I:6-8:1: Organize, design, propose, and evaluate artistic ideas, models, prototypes, and production processes for media arts productions.
E:6-8:1: Refine brainstormed ideas into a production plan.
Anchor Standard 3: Refine and complete artistic work.
I:6-8:1: Experiment with multiple approaches to produce content and components for determined purpose and meaning in media arts productions.
I:6-8:2: Evaluate, improve, and refine media artworks by intentionally emphasizing particular expressive elements to reflect an understanding of purpose, audience, or place.
E:6-8:1: Improve production plan to include decisions about content and production processes.
E:6-8:2: Make judgments and decisions to refine the media production plan to set a purpose and act on creative ideas.
Anchor Standard 4: Analyze, interpret, and select artistic work for presentation.
I:6-8:1: Integrate multiple contents and forms into unified media arts productions that convey consistent themes or ideas.
E:6-8:1: Curate and analyze multiple types of media (video, sound, still pictures) with academic content to produce one media product that has a consistent theme.
Anchor Standard 5: Develop and refine artistic work for presentation.
I:6-8:1: Develop, design, and exhibit a variety of artistic, design, technical, and soft skills through performing various assigned roles in producing media artworks.
I:6-8:2: Develop, demonstrate, and exhibit a variety of creative and adaptive innovation abilities.
I:6-8:3: Demonstrate adaptability in using tools and techniques to construct media artworks.
E:6-8:1: Be self-directed learners to define artistic/technical skill sets and roles for media production plan.
E:6-8:2: Develop and act on a variety of creative skills to produce new media.
E:6-8:3: Apply and adapt use of tools and techniques to construct media content.
Anchor Standard 6: Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work.
I:6-8:1: Analyze and design various presentation formats for the tasks and processes of the presentation and/or distribution of media artworks.
I:6-8:2: Analyze results of and improvements for presenting media artworks.
E:6-8:1: Manage the presentation and potential distribution of the media product(s).
E:6-8:2: Analyze and critique presentation. Develop a list of potential improvements for future presentations.
Anchor Standard 10: Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art.
I:6-8:1: Evaluate and use personal, cultural, and/or external resources to create media artworks.
I:6-8:2: Explain and show how media artworks form new meanings, situations, and cultural experiences.
E:6-8:1: Make judgments and decisions on which resources (personal, cultural, and/or external) will be used to create media products.
E:6-8:2: Communicate clearly how decisions change elements of media (meanings, situations, and cultural context).
Anchor Standard 11: Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural, and historical context to deepen understanding.
I:6-8:1: Research and show how media artworks and ideas relate to everyday life.
I:6-8:2: Analyze and interact appropriately with media arts tools and environments.
I:6-8:3: Describe the relationships of media arts to theatre, dance, music, the visual arts, and other disciplines.
E:6-8:1: Research and synthesize how media relates to everyday life.
E:6-8:2: Apply technology safely and effectively considering media literacy.
E:6-8:3: Analyze how response to media arts is influenced by understanding the time and place in which it was created, the available resources, and cultural uses.
Resources
"Portable" Software - A collection of tools that can be used on Windows computers without needing admin accounts.
3rd Year Media Arts Majors.