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Media Arts Majors, 12-01-2025 – Q2P2: Festival Entry 2: Production PUT OUT FIRES DAY

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TODAY'S VIDEO OVERVIEW IS HERE!

  1. Objective:
    1. Students will hand in a rough cut of their Film Festival projects to reinforce the good planning that has been done so far.
  2. Warm-Up: 2025-12-01: Post-Production Activities
    1. List as many activities that belong in the "Post-Production" phase of video production as possible.
    2. Warm-Ups are usually a 5 point Independent Work grade if a written response is expected, or a 5 point Assessment grade if the Warm-Up is a quiz. They are due at the start of class and not eligible for late submission or re-submission.
  3. Announcements:
    1.  December's Arcade Day is scheduled for Friday, December 19th (Provided it is not preempted by other activities).
      1. You will need to have a 70% OR HIGHER in this class to be eligible.
      2. This does not change any deadlines.
      3. This will also be a T-Shirt Printing Day.
    2. Darnall's Chance House Museum
      1. The Historians will be visiting us on January 6th.
        1. You will be working on this project as a group. (Mr. Smith is picking the groups.)
        2. Each group will be producing 3 videos, each with its own separate thumbnail image:
          1. 60 second video
          2. 30 second video
          3. 15 second video
        3. Target Audience: PG County Students & Residents (of all ages).
        4. Focus: Darnall’s Chance & the Community Engagement & Visitation in regards to the 250th Anniversary of the American Revolution.
          1. Sub-Foci:
            1. Freedom Suits
            2. Signing of Declaration of Independence (Darnall's Chance was decades old at that point.)
            3. Where do you see your place in community?
            4. What does it mean to be an American?
            5. How do you see yourself in stories of the colonial period (Shared Experience)
            6. “Past Port” to History, visit all sites to win a trip to a Historic Trust location.
      2. Last year's selected projects can be found here.
      3. Media Assets and Guidelines are here.
      4. Selected projects will be showcased at the Film Festival AND another event. (This does not count against our total number of Film Fest entries.)
    3. Computer Buying Guide | Camera Buying Guide | Project Suggestions | "Portable" Software | PGCPS Amplify Awards & PGCPS Film Festival | Shot List Template
    4. PGCPS Digital Photography Club

      1. December Theme: Light in the Darkness

        As days shorten and nights grow longer, December invites us to explore how light emerges from—or fights against—darkness. Whether it’s holiday lights glimmering in deep twilight, twinkling reflections on wet pavement, candlelit portraits, or snow-lit scenes at dusk, this theme asks photographers to focus on how light defines mood, reveals texture, and transforms nighttime spaces. It’s an opportunity to push beyond daytime comfort zones and experiment with low-light skills, creative exposure, and the magic of contrast.

        • Shoot during the “blue hour” (just after sunset) when the sky retains some ambient light while artificial lights begin to glow.
        • Turn off flash when capturing holiday lights or ambient glow; let the existing light sources shape the scene.
        • Use a tripod (or stable surface) and slow shutter if using a camera; if using a smartphone, lock focus and exposure and stay very still.
        • Use wide aperture (small f-number) or raise ISO carefully to capture light, but watch for noise/digital grain. Canon Ireland+2Photography Life+2
        • Experiment with reflections (wet streets, windows) or use backlit subjects (lights behind silhouettes) for atmosphere.
      2. Student Resources:
        • “How to Photograph Holiday Lights” — step-by-step tips for capturing decorative lights and low-light scenery. Longwood Gardens+1
        • “Top 11 Low-Light Photography Tips: Take Great Pictures Without a Flash” — practical camera settings and strategies for photographing in dark environments. Posterjack USA
  4. Q2 Project Deadlines:
    1. Q2P2: Festival Entry 2: Production , Due 11/24
      1. Official Rules & Rubrics
      2. 11/18, Pre-Production
        1. If you aren't recording in class, you're doing something else to make your end product better.
          1. Shot Lists
          2. Title Cards
          3. Credits
          4. Finding properly licensed music
          5. Finding B-Roll (Don't go over the limit for how much you can add!)
          6. Rehearsing
          7. Helping (not just talking with) a classmate.
        2. If you have nothing to do, you have engineered this problem. Change your plans so you have something to do.
        3. Use THIS LINK to hand the work in.
        4. Use THIS LINK to make sure you handed the work in correctly.
      3. 11/20, Production
      4. 11/24, Post-Production (Arcade Day)
      5. 12/01, "Put Out Fires" Day
        1. Use THIS LINK to hand the work in.
        2. Use THIS LINK to make sure you handed the work in correctly.
        3. Students who are finished should be working on their Final Cut (Q2P3).
      6. 12/03, Critique Day!
      7. 12/14, Re-Submits Due!
        1. Remember, if the first deadline was missed, you CAN'T re-submit! (Also, the next project will be extremely hard to complete as you'll have no in-progress feedback to help you improve.)
    2. Q2P3: Festival Entry 3: Post-Production, Due 12/09
      1. Official Rules & Rubrics
      2. 12/05, Pre-Production
      3. 12/08, Production (ALL-MAJOR DAY)
      4. 12/09, Post-Production
      5. 12/11, "Put Out Fires" Day
      6. 12/15, Critique Day!
      7. 12/26, Re-Submits Due!
        1. Remember, if the first deadline was missed, you CAN'T re-submit!
    3. Q2 Amplify Awards, Due 12/19
      1. Official Rules & Rubrics
      2. 12/17, Day 1 of 2
      3. 12/19 Day 2 of 2 (Arcade Day)
    4. Winter Break: 12/20-01/04
    5. Projects are 100 point Classwork grades, and are not eligible for late submission.
    6. Feedback from the critiques is provided in the Canvas assignment for that project.
    7. Projects are eligible for re-submission, but only once. They must be resubmitted using the same form as before, and no later than 10 days after feedback has been shared with them in Canvas. The 4th project of each Quarter is not eligible for re-submission due to its proximity to the end of the Quarter!
    8. Deadlines for future projects are not adjusted. Students are encouraged to not put off starting Project 4 because they've decided to work on redoing Project 3 from scratch.
  5. Exit Ticket
    1. Exit Ticket: Q2 Week 5
    2. 4 pts Proofread your work.
      3 pts What did you accomplish in Media Arts this week?
      3 pts What did you learn in Media Arts this week?
  1. Exit Tickets are always 10 point Classwork grades and not eligible for late submission or re-submission. They are due during the last 10 minutes of the last class of the week.