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JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "EXP 1012"
COURSE NAME: "Directing the Long Take"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Spring 2017
SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Tijana Mamula
EMAIL: [email protected]
HOURS: FRI 2:00PM 6:00PM (Class meets on: January 27,February 24, March 10& March 24)
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS: 15
CREDITS: 1
PREREQUISITES: Prerequisite: COM 230
OFFICE HOURS:

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Grading: This course will be graded on a PASS/FAIL scale
The primary aim of this course is to advance students’ film-making skills through the development and realization of a single, complex exercise. The long take, or “sequence shot” as it is also called, is an uninterrupted take of longer than usual duration: typically, long takes will last a few minutes, but there are many examples that run for much longer than that, and sometimes, as in the case of Sokurov’s Russian Ark, for the length of the entire film. Though some long takes use static cameras, they are more often comprised of many and complex camera movements, lighting changes, focus racks, and carefully choreographed staging (i.e. actors’ positions and movements). For that reason, shooting a successful long take depends on extremely careful planning and preparation, and tests the filmmaker’s ability to control all aspects of mise-en-scene and cinematography at the same time. Learning to manage a long take therefore necessarily leads the filmmaker to a higher level of competence, and prepares her/him for the complexities of planning and shooting an entire film.
In addition, the course serves to hone students’ writing skills — condensing a meaningful narrative into a single take is no easy feat — as well as to advance their understanding of a widespread cinematic form with a long and varied history.
SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:

The course starts with one purely scholarly session — comprising lecture and viewings — in which students are introduced to the history of the long take and the many, diverse forms that it has assumed over the years. This session intends both to familiarize students with the technical and conceptual complexities of planning and shooting a long take, and to open up creative possibilities by highlighting the myriad directions in which this exercise can be taken. The second session is reserved for pitching and planning: students will, at that point, have each come up with an idea for a long take, and the session will be spent breaking down the development process, including scripts, scheduling, equipment needs, crew formations and, where necessary, budgets. For the third session, students are expected to bring in their long take scripts and production plans; the session is spent doing practice runs of the various long takes, in a process marked by collaboration and troubleshooting that should iron out concerns and fully prepare students for actually shooting their respective long takes — which they are expected to do the third and fourth sessions. The fourth and final session is dedicated to color grading, sound mixing and screening the finished (or almost finished) products.

NB: This course is centered on the notion that each student will pursue a unique creative path requiring different kinds of technical knowledge. Therefore, you are expected to take the initiative to learn techniques and manage equipment as needed to meet the goals you set for yourself with the assignment. Support and resources will be offered to you, of course, but responsibility for your own learning is a crucial element of this class.
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
Students will:

— Be introduced to the long take as a transhistorical, transnational cinematic convention
— Acquire awareness of the multiple ways that the long take has been and can be approached
— Learn to plan and shoot a complex film scene involving camera movements, lighting changes and carefully choreographed staging
— Develop their technical film skills and abilities, particularly in working with lights, mobile cameras, directing actors
— Develop their skills with foley sound and dubbing
— Test their screenwriting skills by condensing an entire, self-contained narrative into a single take
— Learn to think about “internal montage,” i.e. all the relationships that can be set up and made to evolve on screen without cutting
— Gain awareness of the extent to which careful planning is indispensable to successful shooting; long takes are 90% planning
— Advance their understanding of film form and history, and their ability to apply that understanding to their own practice
TEXTBOOK:
NONE
REQUIRED RESERVED READING:
NONE

RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:
NONE
GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:
AssignmentGuidelinesWeight
AttendanceAttendance of all 4 course sessions. 30
Long takeSubmission of a long take, 3-7 mins long.50
Critical analysisSubmission of a 750 word critical commentary on the long take.20

-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
AWork of this quality directly addresses the question or problem raised and provides a coherent argument displaying an extensive knowledge of relevant information or content. This type of work demonstrates the ability to critically evaluate concepts and theory and has an element of novelty and originality. There is clear evidence of a significant amount of reading beyond that required for the course.
BThis is highly competent level of performance and directly addresses the question or problem raised.There is a demonstration of some ability to critically evaluatetheory and concepts and relate them to practice. Discussions reflect the student’s own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture andreference material. The work does not suffer from any major errors or omissions and provides evidence of reading beyond the required assignments.
CThis is an acceptable level of performance and provides answers that are clear but limited, reflecting the information offered in the lectures and reference readings.
DThis level of performances demonstrates that the student lacks a coherent grasp of the material.Important information is omitted and irrelevant points included.In effect, the student has barely done enough to persuade the instructor that s/he should not fail.
FThis work fails to show any knowledge or understanding of the issues raised in the question. Most of the material in the answer is irrelevant.

-ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:
ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS AND EXAMINATION POLICY
You cannot make-up a major exam (midterm or final) without the permission of the Dean’s Office. The Dean’s Office will grant such permission only when the absence was caused by a serious impediment, such as a documented illness, hospitalization or death in the immediate family (in which you must attend the funeral) or other situations of similar gravity. Absences due to other meaningful conflicts, such as job interviews, family celebrations, travel difficulties, student misunderstandings or personal convenience, will not be excused. Students who will be absent from a major exam must notify the Dean’s Office prior to that exam. Absences from class due to the observance of a religious holiday will normally be excused. Individual students who will have to miss class to observe a religious holiday should notify the instructor by the end of the Add/Drop period to make prior arrangements for making up any work that will be missed. The final exam period runs until ____________
ACADEMIC HONESTY
As stated in the university catalog, any student who commits an act of academic dishonesty will receive a failing grade on the work in which the dishonesty occurred. In addition, acts of academic dishonesty, irrespective of the weight of the assignment, may result in the student receiving a failing grade in the course. Instances of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Academic Affairs. A student who is reported twice for academic dishonesty is subject to summary dismissal from the University. In such a case, the Academic Council will then make a recommendation to the President, who will make the final decision.
STUDENTS WITH LEARNING OR OTHER DISABILITIES
John Cabot University does not discriminate on the basis of disability or handicap. Students with approved accommodations must inform their professors at the beginning of the term. Please see the website for the complete policy.

SCHEDULE

NB: Screenings and readings are still subject to change


Session 1: Variations on the Long Take

Screening:

1) Weekend (Jean-Luc Godard, 1967), clip.
2) Rope (Alfred Hitchcock), clip.
3) Satantango (Bela Tarr), clip.
4) News from Home (Chantal Akerman, 1976), clip.
5) Russian Ark (Alexander Sokurov, 2002), clip.
6) Touch of Evil (Orson Welles, 1958), clip.
7) Panic Room (David Fincher, 2002), clip.
8) Hard Boiled (John Woo, 1992), clip.
9) PTU (Johnnie To, 2003), clip.
10) Wavelength (Michael Snow, 1967), clip.
11) The Earrings of Madame de… (Max Ophuls, 1953), clip.
12) Snake Eyes (Brian de Palma, 1998), clip.
13) The Sacrifice (Andrej Tarkovsky, 1986), clip.
14) The Player (Robert Altman, 1992), clip.
15) Timecode (Mike Figgis, 2000), clip.
16) Others TBD.


Readings:

TBD


Session 2: Pitching and Planning

Workshop:

— Pitches and group discussion (strengths and possible weaknesses/difficulties)
— Writing the long take
— Planning: location scouting, determining necessary equipment, putting together a crew


Screening:

Any outstanding long takes from Session 1.


Readings:

1) “How to Shoot a Long Take,” Skye Schofield, Videomaker (July 2016)


Session 3: Practice runs

All-session workshop:

— Simulated run-through of each of the long takes: students take turns with roles
— Troubleshooting
— If/where necessary, tutorials on lighting and camera equipment


Session 4: Post-Production and Presentation

— Work on color grading and sound mixing, in Final Cut Pro X
— Screening of completed long takes