The Fall 2014 Client Project Begins!

We are very excited to begin work on short promo teaser for Arjun Shankar of UPenn's camra center! Tomorrow in class we will listen to individual pitches for the projects, critique the pitches and choose the ideas, then break into teams and then generate a production calendar.

Below, please find notes regarding both camra and the Center for Curiosity.

camra: promo, 90 seconds - 2 minutes

• UPenn resource organization with support from faculty, run by graduate students to provide support, technical and otherwise, for professors, graduate and undergraduate students

• fields of communication, anthropology, social policy practice, medicine, education, and others

• how use animation to represent the idea of “multi-modal” research (film, interactive media, audio, etc.). Aimed at those seeking to move beyond text-only practice in the creation of dissertation and research projects.

• promo piece that pitches to undergrads: “This is camra, this is what we do.”

• Screening Scholarship Media Festival: annual event open to non-UPenn community

Center for Curiosity: promo, 90 seconds - 2 minutes

• New York-based NGO whose founder is our client’s client

• need promo piece that explains what the organization is to potential funders

• goal is to explore the question “What is curiosity?” finding ways to foster it in innovative ways in students in a variety of learning environments

• “Make a Difference” (sample project): storytelling, Curiosity Box

• Achievement for School Network

-        African-American, Latino demographic, 6-8^th grade, Crown Heights School

-        Creating a software platform for teachers to upload lesson plans and portfolios

-        20 teachers design a curiosity lesson and record the learning experience over the course of a six-month period to gauge its success

Students Pitch Ideas

• each pitch lasts 3 minutes and includes indication of choice of project, specific goal of piece in terms of the client’s needs, aesthetic and technical approach, and a storyboard walk-through.

Using a scale of 1-5 (“1” being most positive, “5” being least positive) for each item below, critique the pitch based on the following:

• goal of piece clearly and persuasively communicated

• idea pitched demonstrates understanding of client’s needs and communication goals

• feasibility of producing the piece within 1 ½ month timeline (duration, technique, complexity)

• presenter created excitement for the idea and made you want to work on it, using clarity of verbal expression, body language, and eye contact with their audience

• storyboard panels were easy to read and presented a coherent, visual storyline using composition, perspective, and camera angles

Vote for strongest ideas for camra and Center for Curiosity promo pieces

• DEBATE top two pitches on partisan teams

I will be the producer for all teams, and each team will be comprised of individuals filling the following roles:

Production Manager: responsible for client communication, setting production calendar with producer, coordinating between team members (keeping everyone on task), producer, and client; responsible for compositing and editing timeline, final output.

Lead Artist: responsible for design choices, setting the “look” of the piece, including characters and backgrounds/environment; draws model sheets, storyboards, keys and backgrounds.

Assistant Artist: in-betweens, traces, and colors, based on lead artist’s and producer’s direction; other responsibilities may also include sound design.

After breaking into teams, you need to:

• discuss your project and verify roles.

• create a blog for your team so the client may review your weekly progress.

• create and post your production calendar.

~ Chris