As the semester winds down and student productions are in the final leg of post, we reflect back on all the creative projects we’ve seen. We are impressed more and more with the quality of short movies that the students produce.
In the Digital Studio Production course, the students are finishing up their combined group project, which is a short movie that they have to write, produce, and edit. They were given rough five weeks to complete. There will be a total of three movies from the Mon-Wed AM, Mon-Wed PM, and Tues-Thurs AM classes.
This project pushes the students to think creatively while working in a group setting. They utilize all the skills they learned from their first studio project, the second project (a script project), and field production skills they learned along the way.
The Digital Film Production classes are finishing up the final edits of their movies. Each of the student groups have shown impressive footage so far. The genres range from comedy, thriller, suspense, and action. It is a wide field in terms of what the students are creating. This might be one of the most exciting semesters in terms of output. Viewings of their final projects will be on Wednesday and Thursday of this week.
Last day of classes at FCC will be May 18th, and commencement will be May 24th. Be sure to put those dates on your calendar, especially if you plan on attending the graduation ceremony.
FCCTV’s final show for the semester will be airing this week so keep an eye out on local Comcast Channel 23 for some great segments. There will even be some student intern segments on the show!
A collective sigh of relief for many of the Digital Media Design Television Production students has been let out as they make their way into the fifth week of classes.
The Digital Studio Production students have finally had their scripts approved for production and are now working on their informercials. There are a lot of creative ideas as usual. It’s nice to see a mix of film/television production-concentration students mixed with graphic design students. The blend of video and design makes for some interesting products being pitched.
The upper level classes, Digital Film Production, are still working diligently through their scripts so they can move onto the pre-production and then production phases of their semester-long projects. As the title of the blog suggests, it is the first draft of the script that is always the hardest. Many of the groups are learning how challenging it is to not only write a movie, but to work in groups. But that is the collaborative nature of filmmaking.
The Editing courses are working on a new project themselves. The instructor, has come up with a revamped curriculum that involves a little more production/shooting. This will give the students the chance to come up with their own footage instead of using stock footage like in the past. Also, it will teach the students to “shoot for the edit;” a concept that involves being selective in your shooting method. Kind of like pre-editing the movie in your head. The students have found it challenging, but a nice change of pace from previous classes.
A new show has just been launched on FCCTV Channel 23 for the month of February. It will run until the third week of March. Please be sure to tune in. You can always view individual segments on FCCTV’s website: http://www.frederick.edu/fcctv
Welcome back, everyone. It is a new semester here at the Digital Media Design program at Frederick Community College.
The first week of classes is in the books. While there are a lot of familiar faces, we also have a lot of new students, eager to learn about digital media and television production.
Digital Studio Production classes are prepping for their first project, an infomercial. All of the classes were given an hour-long presentation on screenwriting, which will help them as they get started on their scripts.
Digital Film Production classes are still in the idea phase of their semester-long projects. We are excited to hear what concepts they will have for their movies.
The editing courses are undergoing a few changes, which we will be eager to announce once they have developed further.
On the FCCTV front, after a brief winter hiatus, new segments are being produced for a show that will air some time in the middle of February. Stay tuned for further news on when the show will be on local Comcast Channel 23.
It’s that time again where we say goodbye to the semester and welcome a nice break before we start back up again. Just like semesters in the past, this one has had its share of highs and lows.
One thing we can honestly say is that the quality of projects coming from the students have risen. A lot of that has been due to the increased number of HD equipment and the introduction of Final Cut Pro X into the classroom. The workflow has made it easier for the students to focus on the creative aspects of the movie-making process rather than having to worry so much on the technical side of things.
The CMM 152 - Digital Studio Production classes have put the final touches on their final movies. From what we have seen, they have really grasped the techniques taught in class, all the while, adding their own personal styles to their movies. We have enjoyed seeing their creative decisions.
Once again, the upper level CMM 252 - Digital Film Production classes have really shown that they are ready to take on their own productions. Given the free range with the productions, they have turned, not only great-looking movies, but well-written projects as well.
December 5th capped off the last class for the Editing courses. Their final combined project was a collaboration between the intro and upper level classes. It was a fun project where they shot a bank heist movie on a green screen and had to digitally create the backgrounds and some of the props.
We plan on posting some of the projects to the Vimeo page soon.
The final show of the year for FCCTV Channel 23 will be airing before the winter break so stay tuned for that.
Last, but not least…we hope everyone has a very happy holiday.
Only a few more weeks left of the Fall 2011 semester, and things are starting to pick up. All of the CMM 152 Digital Studio Production classes have been working hard on their third, and final, projects. After giving specific requirements for the last two projects, they were surprised to hear that they were given full creative control on their third assignment. All of them have decided to stick with a narrative, short movie.
While observing their productions, we can definitely say that we are curious to see what their final products are going to be. Let’s just say, one student group is incorporating that school’s mascot costume in their movie. Should be entertaining none-the-less.
CMM 252 Digital Film Production students are winding down on post production for their movies. A few glimpses at their rough edits show reveal their vast improvement in camera and editing techniques.
Just like in the past, the editing couses, Principles of Film and Video Editing and Digital Post Production, are combining their efforts for a greenscreen/special effects short movie.
On a side note: we are happy to announce that Dillon Baird, a Digital Media Design student, recently won the Frederick County Recycling Video contest. The production team over at FCCTV Channel 23 has even produced a video profile on him. You can view it here: http://vimeo.com/32218561
Also, the November show for FCCTV Channel 23 will be airing beginning next week, some time between November 21-23.
As we get close to the three-quarter mark of the fall semester, students have been busy with their video projects.
The Digital Studio Production classes have been working eagerly to finish their second projects; a short movie based on a generic script where they have to come up with unique locations, characters, and dialogue. It’s an exercise in being creative within a structured set of rules.
The students in the Digital Film Production courses have been working diligently through the production phase of their movies. Some groups have already moved onto the post production phase. A few peeks at their initial cuts have revealed some interesting work so far. We look forward to seeing the final cuts.
We have seen a surprising number of students switch from using Final Cut Pro 6/7 to Final Cut Pro X. The user-friendly interface has made editing more creative-driven rather than technical-driven. Even the production staff at FCCTV has made the switch, using it as their primary NLE system of choice.
We are also proud to present our new promo for the Digital Media Design: Television Production program. You can view it here: http://vimeo.com/31214896
The October show for FCCTV is now airing on Frederick Comcast Channel 23. The newest segment is the Chef’s Table; a new cooking show, where a guest chef is brought in to demonstrate a recipe.
One-third of the semester is in the can and things are going well.
Students in the Digital Studio Production classes have finished shooting their first project, an infomercial, and are in the midst of post production. After a brief introduction into Final Cut Studio (FCP 6), the student groups are making rough cuts of their videos. Getting their feet wet with shooting a video in a group will prepare them for their next project. We have something new this semester to change things up. We hope it’ll help spark new forms of creativity.
The Digital Film Production students are still in the pre-production phase of their projects. After a lot of rough drafts and revising, they are tightening up their scripts and will be getting into the production phase of their projects. If their scripts are indication of how the final movies will turn out, there should be some really good projects.
One of the things we are really proud of this semester is that we have been able to fully integrate the use of Final Cut Pro X into the production AND editing classes. While we initially had some reservations because of the negative feedback it was getting from consumers, after using it with our own projects, we have a more positive outlook for the editing software, and because of this, we felt that students should be exposed to this new way of editing. A good number of students actually like the new version of Final Cut Pro over the older version, choosing to utilize the new program to work on their projects.
FCCTV Channel 23 is back from summer hiatus and the first show started airing Thursday, September 22. Local Frederick Comcast subscribers can view the show now. For those outside of the Frederick area, you can view the individual segments on our FCCTV website at: http://www.frederick.edu/about_fcc/fcctv/index.aspx
We’re slowly finishing up our first week of the fall semester here at Frederick Community College’s Digital Media Design program. Things are looking very positive. We have a lot of new faces in the Digital Studio Production classes. A few who are interested in the art of film and video, and a few who are just taking the class as a required credit (mainly graphic designers…but we hope to sway them to rethink their majors and to join “the dark side”). The other classes (Digital Film Production and Editing I and II) are getting started as well. We believe there will be a lot of creative projects this semester.
Returning students were in for a surprise when they returned from the summer as we had replaced our old computers with new ones. While the old ones were great systems; Mac Pros, the new computers are near-top of the line iMacs. For the tech nerds out there, they are 27” 2.7ghz Quad-core Intel core i5 with a 256GB SSD and a 2TB regular HD and AMD graphics. We are also making the move to teach the new Final Cut Pro X to the students. They seem pretty stoked with the new hardware.
After a short summer hiatus, FCCTV Channel 23 will be airing new segments in late September. Also, if you have local Frederick Comcast cable television, be sure to keep your eye out for the two 30-second promo spots that are airing now as a part of the new fall campaign for the college.
Looks like another semester is in the can. After all the hardwork and extra lab hours, students were able to finish their final projects and turn them in. A lot of good work was shown. We are always surprised by the level of work being created by the students.
The Digital Studio Production and Digital Film Production classes learned a lot about collaborating with others and it shows. A few of the student projects will be up on ourVimeo site soon.
Commencement came and went, and quite a few Digital Media Design students received their Associate Degrees. We couldn’t be prouder of the achievements. You can view the entire commencement on Frederick Community College’s website or you can go here.
The summer is upon us and soon classes will begin again. We have a five-week summer course that consists of Digital Studio Production and Digital Film Production. We can’t wait to see what the students will produce then.
FCCTV has a new program up on Frederick Comcast Channel 23. Check it out if you can. Their website should be live soon so you will be able to view current and past segments there as well. Some of the segments for this show include a promo for the Monroe Center, an off-site location that consists of building trades, culinary arts, and healthcare career classes.
