BELMONT UNIVERSITY
MIKE
CURB COLLEGE OF ENTERTAINMENT AND MUSIC BUSINESS
COURSE
SYLLABUS
Course Title: Post Production Techniques
Course #: AET 4400
Credit Hrs: 3
Semester: Fall 2006
Class Location: The C room of Belmont Studios (née Ocean Way
Studios – Nashville)
Meeting Time(s): T 2:30-5:00 PM
Final Exam: Tuesday, 12 December 2006 @ 2:00 PM
Instructor: Mr. Ken Landers
Contacts: Phone:
(615) 460-6174 Email: landersk@mail.belmont.edu
Glenda Cones, Studio Manager, Ocean Way
Nashville (615) 320-3900 Email: conesg@mail.belmont.edu
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Prerequisites: AET 3090, AET 3190, and permission of
instructor. Application of audio/studio technology in the production of video
sound design, CD mastering, and post-mix / re-mix sweetening techniques used in
music production.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
In this course,
students will:
GOALS OF THE MIKE
CURB COLLEGE OF ENTERTAINMENT AND MUSIC BUSINESS:
The following objectives will be applied
toward course completion:
· To provide a personalized, career-oriented and practical education that emphasizes leadership, innovation, private enterprise, and entrepreneurship.
HONOR CODE: It is the responsibility of each student to abide
by the Belmont University Honor Code.
“In affirmation of the Belmont University Statement of Values, I pledge that I will not give or receive aid during examinations; I will not give or receive false or impermissible aid in course work, in the preparation of reports, or in any other type of work that is to be used by the instructor as the basis of my grade; I will not engage in any form of academic fraud. Furthermore, I will uphold my responsibility to see to it that others abide by the spirit and letter of this Honor Pledge.”
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
1. Attendance: As per the current Undergraduate Bulletin. Students are encouraged to attend all class sessions. This class moves very fast and covers lots of material. There will be no make-up exams given. If a student has an excused absence (official notice from the provost) and misses an exam, the other exam grades will be averaged without that test.
2.
Materials:
a. Textbook(s)
i. Audio In Media, 7th Edition by Stanley Alten. Wadsworth 2004.
ii. Sound for Film and Television, 2nd Edition by Thomlinson Holman. Focal Press 2001.
iii. Practical Art of Motion Picture Sound, 2nd Edition by David Yewdall. Focal Press 2003.
iv.
Digidesign Pro Tools 7.2
Reference Guide – free download from http://www.digidesign.com.
1.
You will
have to create a myDigi account – free.
Download Pro Tools 7.2 Mac OS X or Win XP documentation. You will get an installer for your system
that is OS X or XP specific. Remember that our class will be based on an OS X
system, the XP installer may be XP centric only- I don’t know, I do not have an
XP system to check this documentation on.
Documentation is available on the OWN-C system as well.
v.
Dolby Surround Mixing
Manual (part no. 91536, issue no. 2) – free download from http://www.dolby.com/assets/pdf/tech_library/44_SuroundMixing.pdf
vi. (Optional - highly recommended) 5.1 Surround Sound: Up and Running by Thomlinson Holman. Focal Press 1999. This is a terrific guide to surround sound from one of the renowned masters of motion picture surround. If you don’t purchase this book, I suggest checking it out of the Belmont library for the readings.
b. CD-Rs and DVD-Rs as needed (for backup and turning in projects)
c.
Web Access. Students will be required to access various
informational sources on the internet.
WebCT access (via BIC) is also necessary.
d.
(Optional – but suggested) A
Firewire/IEEE-1394 drive (7200 rpm or better) will allow project portability
and speedy methods of backup. Mac (OS X)
formatted drives will connect with no problems, Windows formatted drives require
certain methods be used. See the
instructor before connecting a Windows-formatted drive to the Pro Tools system.
3.
Participation and Prepared
Assignments:
a.
Participation. Students must be prepared for class and
involved in class discussions. Of
course, you do have to be present to be involved!
b. Edit Project. (Solo)
An introductory project introducing students to editing on
ProTools. This will be a stereo edit of
a mix, edited for time. Students will
edit a selected song and create a cohesive edit of a specified length. Project will be bounced to disk and turned in
on an audio CD as well as a data CD containing all session data and audio
files. Students will have 3 hours of
studio time for this project.
c. Mix Project. (Solo)
Students will be provided with raw mix files. Using these files students will arrange and
mix the song. Students will use editing
techniques, plug-ins, automated mixing, and will integrate analog processing
into the Pro Tools mix. A bounced
project mix will be turned in on an audio CD and the entire project will be
turned in on the class drive in a properly labeled and arranged file.
d. Class Project. Students, working as a “mock” audio post company,
will replace all audio on a 4-7 minute segment of a movie or television release. This includes all dialogue, live sound
effects, designed effects, ambiance beds, and music. Professionalism throughout the project is
required. Students will turn in
synchronized audio for supplied video with full documentation of the
project. Students will follow standard
industry practices and conventions.
e. Television Sound Analysis. (Solo)
Students will choose a scene from a television show (current
or on DVD) and breakdown the scene according to sound effects, music, &
dialogue. Students will chart the sound
on a time line (a cue chart or “binkey”) and document their cue chart with no
less than two typewritten pages. Be
certain to document those involved in the sound work analyzed.
f. Movie Sound Analysis. (Solo) Students will choose a
scene from a movie (on DVD) and analyze the scene according to sound effects,
music, & dialogue. Students will
chart the sound on a time line (a cue chart or “binkey”) and document their cue
chart with no less than two typewritten pages. Be certain to document those
involved in the sound work analyzed.
g. Post Interview. (Solo) Students
will contact and interview a professional working in audio post for film or
video. The interview will be turned in
typed in a standard interview format.
The interview shall be no less than 15 questions and be intelligent and
well planned. Developing a familiarity
with the interviewee’s work prior to the interview is highly recommended. Students will also turn in any unedited
recordings (audio and/or video) made during the interview as well. See magazines such as EQ, Mix, and Electronic
Musician for examples of properly formatted interviews in this genre.
4.
Testing:
a.
Exam 1 - 12 September 2006
b.
Exam 2 – 10 October 2006
c.
Exam 3 – 14 November 2006
d.
Final Exam – 12 December 2006 @ 2:00 PM
“Pop”
or surprise quizzes can be given at the discretion of the instructor. Be prepared for them at any time. Pop quizzes (if given) will be averaged into
the exams grade. Pop quizzes will be
worth no more than 5% of the total grade.
5.
Basis of grade evaluation: Grading
scale as per the current Undergraduate Bulletin.
a.
Item Credit
i.
Attendance/Participation 10%
ii.
Exams 40%
iii.
Music Editing & Mix Projects 20%
iv.
Class Project 20%
v.
Papers 10%
b.
Total Percentages = 100%
6.
Class Schedule: Readings are to be read before the class
meeting! (With the obvious exception of
the readings for the first class meeting!)
|
Date |
Class Topic |
Readings |
Assignments |
|
29 Aug |
Class Intro; History
of DAWs; Pro Tools Intro |
PA Ch. 17 PTG Ch. 2 - 4, 6 – 8 |
|
|
5 Sept |
Advanced Editing – Pro
Tools Mixing |
PTG Ch. 15 – 20, 26 –
28 |
|
|
12 Sept |
Exam 1 – DAWs - Pro Tools History/How it works -
Film Audio |
PTG Ch. 9 – 14; SFT Appendix I &
III |
Edit Project Due. |
|
19 Sept |
History/How it works -
Television Audio |
PA Ch. 20 |
|
|
26 Sept |
History/How it works -
Surround Sound |
PA Ch. 7 - 9; PTG Ch. 29 – 33; DSMM Ch. 2 &
4 (Optional SS Ch. 2,
5) |
|
|
3 Oct |
Location
Synchronization; Assets Management – Project Management |
AiM Ch. 7; PA Ch. 4 & 11; SFT Ch. 6-8 |
Mix Project Due. |
|
10 Oct |
Exam 2 – Film &
Television, Assets & Project Management Techniques for
Location Recording (Dialogue) |
PA Ch. 5 & 6; SFT Ch. 4 & 5 (Optional: SS Ch.
3) |
Television Sound
Analysis Due. Start Class Project. |
|
17 Oct |
Techniques for
Location Recording (Effects) |
PA Ch. 10; PTG Ch. 33 – 35 |
|
|
24 Oct |
Automated Dialogue
Replacement |
AiM Ch. 10-11; PA Ch. 14 –15 |
|
|
31 Oct |
Sound Design
Techniques |
AiM Ch. 15; PA Ch. 12 & 13 |
|
|
7 Nov |
Foley Techniques |
PA Ch. 16 |
Movie Sound
Analysis Due. |
|
14 Nov |
Exam 3 – Audio Techniques Music Recording |
PA Ch. 18 |
|
|
21 Nov |
Mixing Dialogue &
Effects |
AiM Ch. 18-19; PA Ch. 19; DSMM Ch. 5-6 (Optional SS Ch 4
& 6) |
Post Interview Due. |
|
28 Nov |
Music Mixing &
Editing for Film |
AiM Ch. 13 & 17 |
|
|
5 Dec |
Video Games and New
Media |
SFT Ch. 10 – 11; DSMM
Ch. 7 |
Class Project Due. |
|
12 Dec |
Final Exam – Covers
Entire Class |
|
|
AiM = Audio In Media 7th Ed.
SFT = Sound for Film & Television
PA = Practical Art of Motion Picture
Sound
PTG = Digidesign Pro Tools Reference
Guide v7.0
DSMM = Dolby Surround Mixing Manual
SS = 5.1 Surround Sound: Up & Running
(Optional)
ACCOMMODATION OF
DISABILITIES:
In compliance with
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act,
Belmont University will provide reasonable accommodation of all medically
documented disabilities. If you have a disability and would like the
university to provide reasonable accommodations of the disability during this
course, please notify the Office of the Dean of Students located in Beaman
Student Life Center (460-6407) as soon as possible.