UConn Pre-College Summer

Through lectures, readings, demonstrations, hand-on exercises, and project presentations students will examines the relationships among photography, audio, video, and digital media within the intersectional context of media production. Additionally, this course will provide students with the chance to explore the production of electronic sound and image. The course has an emphasis on video field production, but will include a variety of fundamental aesthetic strategies, including framing, composition and articulation with light and acoustics through the production of digital video and sound exercises. Students will create a final project that establishes a foundation for a basic video production coursework. Emphasis will be placed individual and collaborative work, pre- production, production and post-production techniques as well as the development of conceptual approaches necessary for students to effectively communicate their vision and message.

Students taking this class will:

• Lay a basic foundation of visual and aural aesthetics for the process of media production
• Understand the process of pre-production, production and post-production for creating a media project
• Develop and explore a critical perspective on various approaches and the underlying technical concepts for time based media
• Develop basic skills in planning, lighting, shooting and editing video 
• Develop a proper media production terminology
• Challenge and expand your creative abilities through assigned projects
• Learn to work collaboratively within a creative process

This course is for anyone with or without any experience in video production who wants to learn visual and aural aesthetics and technical concepts of media production, and to produce professional short videos with a digital camera in any preferred genre (narrative, documentary, experimental and music.)

Course Materials Required:

• SD card for audio recording. We recommend students bring a 32GB+ UHS-I or UHS-II SD Card.  Recommended brands: Sandisk, Sony, Lexar 8GB Class 10 (or higher). Suggested cards:
  • https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1275608-REG/sandisk_sdsdxve_032g_gncin_extreme_sdhc_32gb.html
  • https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1282971-REG/sandisk_sdsdxxg_032g_gn4in_extremepro_sdhc_32gb.html
  • https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1245340-REG/lexar_lsd32gcb1nl633_32gb_professional_uhs_i_sdhc.html
• One 1TB (or larger) Portable Hard Drive to store projects. Thunderbolt or USB 3.0 Mac Compatible. Suggested models:
  • https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1322072-REG/wd_wdbuzg0010bbk_wesn_1tb_elements_portable_hard.html
  • https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1129120-REG/seagate_stea1000400_1tb_expansion_portable_hard.html
• A YouTube or Vimeo account (both are free to create)
• A camera will be provided
• Batteries will be provided

Faculty: 

Tanju Ozdemir is a Turkish filmmaker who writes and directs films that study the complexities of human relationships, dreams, memories and the contemporary experiences of life. Tanju received his M.F.A. in Film and Media Art from Emerson College (USA) in 2017. He teaches film and video production courses as an assistant professor at the University of Connecticut. He actively continues writing, directing and producing his films. See his UConn Faculty page here!