DDA 514,
Storyboarding & Storytelling
Form a
team of two students. Together,
select a film, video, or animation that you want to analyze and present. Your
selected film/video/animation can be either animation or live-action or any
combination thereof; it may be digital or non-digital. You will present your selection in class and lead a discussion of it. Each of you will also hand in a short paper
summarizing your own individual opinions about the selection.
Presentation (Team)
The presentation is done as
a team. Together, prepare a short, 10-12 minute
presentation for the class. (Make sure you practice the running time so you don't run over.) From
the film, video, or animation that you selected, select one or two short scenes
to analyze in detail. Maximum combined
running time of your selected scenes should be about 2 minutes. Keep the selection short so there will be
time to go into a detailed analysis.
Study the scene(s) you have selected. Think about what the film-makers
were doing, why, and how well you feel it works. Analyze how the film-makers
accomplished whatever they did – camera angles, transitions, story structure,
story conflict, character development, lighting, sound effects, music, pacing,
framing, etc. Decide on one or a few of these
areas that you want to focus on for your presentation.
Divide up the presentation
so that both students in the team do a portion of the presentation. Prepare
accompanying visuals and text materials to show during your presentation.
Prepare
a set of notes or talking points to guide you in your presentation. Also prepare a set of questions you would
like to have your peers think about as a way of leading a discussion with the
class about the work you present.
On the
day for your presentation, bring to class a DVD, movie file, or link (good
quality, please) of the scene(s) you will be showing. Give a short verbal
introduction to the film -- when it was made, who made it, where it was made, a
very brief (1 minute) summary of the overall story, and how your selected scene
fits into the story. Show your selected clip(s) to the class.
Using your notes or talking points as a guide, convey your thoughts about the selections. Afterward, the class will discuss. If necessary you will use your talking points to help lead a discussion about the film.
Paper (Individual)
Each student in the team should also individually write a short paper summarizing your reactions and thoughts to the research and analysis you did for the film clip you showed. This will be accompanied by a reverse-storyboard of a section of the film clip you showed. (See below for details.)
This paper is done by you
individually -- not with your teammate. This means your paper will be
different from your partner's and may address different aspects of your research. Make sure to include your personal thoughts
and reactions to the material you researched. Do not
spend much time describing the sequence of events; we already know the events.
Instead, write about how the film/video/animation was constructed and made to
work. Be very specific, analyzing your
selection shot by shot. There are no right or wrong answers here, as long as what you
write is thoughtful.
Each
student should also individually reverse-storyboard a short scene from the film clip you showed. The scene you
reverse-storyboard should be directly relevant to the analysis you write about
in your paper. Maximum running time of the scene your reverse-storyboard should be about one minute.
After your presentation,
hand in your paper+reverse storyboard in two formats: A) a hardcopy printout;