MEBU 3280 Summer 2021 Fundamentals of Creative Adaptability Syllabus PDF

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Syllabus for MEBU 3280...

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FUNDAMENTALS OF CREATIVE ADAPTABILITY IN THE MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT BUSINESS MEBU 4490/01 (CRN 88222) Course Syllabus The course syllabus is a general plan for the course; deviations announced to the class by the instructor may be necessary.

INSTRUCTORS Dale Raphael Goldberg Filmmaker / Creative Director [email protected] Office hours by appointment only

Robyn Ellis Kranz Founding Partner, Brownieland Pictures [email protected] Office hours by appointment only

Keith Perissi Director/Senior Lecturer [email protected] Office hours by appointment only

COURSE PREREQUISITES Credit hours of a rising junior Minimum cumulative GPA of 2.8 Permission of MEBU Director Permission of Program

CLASS MEETING ROOM & TIME Online Zoom Classes T / R: 5:00 pm – 7:45 pm

OFFICE HOURS BY APPOINTMENT ONLY Contact the MEBUS Program Coordinator to schedule an appointment.

CLASS SCHEDULE Classes will meet twice a week on Tuesday and Thursday, 5:00 pm – 7:45 pm. Class materials will be presented using a combination of lectures, discussions, studio demonstrations, and hands-on in-class projects.

COURSE ENROLLMENT POLICY Students are solely responsible for managing their enrollment status in a class; non-attendance does not constitute a withdrawal. Students who officially withdraw from courses before the last day to withdraw without academic penalty will receive a grade of “W” and receive no credit. Students who officially withdraw after the last day to withdraw without academic penalty and before the last week of classes during the semester or who have exceeded the maximum number of withdrawals will receive a grade of “WF,” which will be counted as an “F” in the calculation of their grade point average.

CAMPUS CARRY LAW Information about HB280: Campus Carry legislation can be found at the USG website http://www.usg.edu/hb280 and the KSU website: http://police.kennesaw.edu/campuscarry.php.

FACE MASKS IN THE CLASSROOM As mandated by the University System of Georgia, the university requires the use of face masks in the classroom, wherever that may be located, and in KSU buildings to protect you, your classmates, and instructors. Per the University System of Georgia, anyone not using a face covering when required will be asked to wear one or must leave the area. Repeated refusal to comply with the requirement may result in discipline through the applicable conduct code. Reasonable accommodations may be made for those who are unable to wear a face covering for documented health reasons. Please contact Student Disability Services at [email protected] for student accommodation requests.

SHIFTING MODALITIES Please note that the university reserves the right to shift teaching modalities at any time during the semester, if health and safety guidelines require it to do so. Some teaching modalities that may be used are F2F, Hyflex, Hybrid, or online, both synchronous and asynchronous instruction.

STAYING HOME WHEN SICK If you are ill, please stay home and contact your health professional. In that case, please email the instructor to say you are missing class due to illness. Signs of illness include, but are not limited to, the following:

• • • • • • •

Cough Fever of 100.4 or higher Runny nose or new sinus congestion Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing Chills Sore Throat New loss of taste and/or smell

SEATING PLAN Students will sit in the same seat for every F2F class so that the instructor can use a seating plan for contact tracing if a student contracts Covid-19.

COURSE DESCRIPTION Creative Adaptability is designed to equip students to work as creative professionals in a dynamic environment by producing a creative project. The goal of this class is to teach students critical skills that will enable them to adapt to changing conditions when working on a creative endeavor. Students will learn this, in part, from in class discussions and presentations led by the instructors but primarily through hands on experience working on their own creative storytelling pitch for Disney. The unique offering of this course will be to challenge students to think of a way to deliver a story to an audience when there are limitations brought on in the environment (for ex- ample, when a pandemic limit your ability to produce content through traditional means). Through this endeavor, students will be given an inside look into how video production works, learn how to adapt to changing conditions when working on a creative endeavor, and learn how to apply those lessons to their own future work as professionals. This course is three credit hours. (2 Class Hours + 1 Laboratory Hour = 3 Credit Hours).

LEARNING OUTCOMES & OBJECTIVES

• • • • • •

Demonstrate practical knowledge of the film / video production process. Demonstrate an understanding of the Disney brand and key subsidiary brands. Demonstrate an ability to create unique storytelling experiences. Demonstrate an ability to come up with a unique concept pitch. Demonstrate an ability to create a presentation that sells a concept pitch. Gain a deeper understanding of the creative process and how to adapt to changing conditions on the ground

REQUIRED MATERIALS Students will need to acquire the following items (follow links to purchase): • iWork or Microsoft Office • A subscription to Disney+ - $7.99 / month (note that this is free if you are a Verizon Unlimited subscriber - click here to learn more) • A reliable computer with internet access and a webcam

OTHER RECOMMENDED TOOLS (NOT REQUIRED) It is recommended that you acquire some of the tools below as they may provide value to your creative process but they are not required. At the very least, we suggest you check them out and consider them as some of them are free and all are relatively inexpensive. • Adobe Creative Cloud - $19 for students • Storyboarding Software • Storyboarder (Free)

ACADEMIC HONESTY Every KSU student is responsible for upholding the provisions of the Student Code of Conduct, as published in the Undergraduate and Graduate Catalogs. Section 5c of the Student Code of Conduct addresses the University’s policy on academic honesty, including provisions regarding plagiarism and cheating, unauthorized access to university materials, misrepresentation/falsification of university records or academic work, malicious removal, retention, or destruction of library materials, malicious/intentional misuse of computer facilities and/or services, and misuse of student identification cards. Incidents of alleged academic misconduct will be handled through the established procedures of the Department of Student Conduct and Academic Integrity(SCAI), which includes either an “informal” resolution by a faculty member, resulting in a grade adjustment, or a formal hearing procedure, which may subject a student to the Code of Conduct’s minimum one semester suspension requirement. ! All Federal, BOR and KSU Student Policies: ! https://curriculum.kennesaw.edu/resources/federal_bor_ksu_student_policies.php

DISABILITY POLICY Any student with a documented disability needing academic adjustments is requested to notify the instructor as early in the semester as possible. Verification from KSU disabled Student Support Services (470-578-6443) is required. All discussions will remain confidential. ! KSU Student Resources: ! https://curriculum.kennesaw.edu/resources/ksu_student_resources_for_course_syllabus.php !

LAPTOP AND CELL PHONE POLICY Absolutely NO cell phone use, (texting, emails, Facebook, Twitter, etc.) allowed during class. Phones should be silenced before class begins. Laptops are allowed ONLY for taking notes during class and working on class lab assignments. We expect you to listen, participate, and take notes. Respect this policy for the instructor and our guest lecturers.

CLASS POLICIES 1) 2) 3) 4)

Be there and be on time. Attendance and tardiness are monitored. Always come prepared for class and lab activities. Office hours are by appointment only. Communication with professors outside of class will take place over email only unless otherwise specified by the professor (see above for contact info).

ATTENDANCE POLICIES No more than 2 absences allowed. Attendance and tardiness are monitored. Students should log into the Zoom meeting promptly at class time or before. Students joining after posted class start time (or leaving before the end of class) will be marked absent for that day. No sleeping in class. If you sleep in class or attend without your camera turned on you will be marked absent for the day. An absence incurred for any reason is counted. Unless prior approval is obtained from MEBUS Director, no absence is considered “excused”. If you have any concerns about your absences, please schedule a meeting with the MEBUS Director to discuss a plan for success. Attendance means attending class lectures online in Zoom or Microsoft Teams conferences with your camera on and your face well lit. Attending with your camera turned off does not count! Please come prepared to be seen and to engage with the class in a professional manner. Students should be dressed and presentable as if they were in class or a business meeting. Attending in your pajamas while laying on your bed, for example, is not something any working professional would tolerate. Be professional. 5.0 points will be deducted from the final grade for each missed class beyond the two allowed absences. A student who misses more than 25% of the scheduled classes of a course will receive a failing grade. Since there are 15 class days in the semester, 4 absences would exceed the allowable limit (27%). Missed Classes

Point Deduction

Total Lost Points

1 or 2

No Point deduction from final grade

0

3

5.0 Points deducted from final grade

-5

4

10.0 Points deducted

-10

5

Automatic Failing Grade

Fail

LATE ASSIGNMENT POLICY All assignments will have a specific due date and time. We expect all assignments to be submitted by the due date and time. Plan ahead to avoid submitting assignments at the last minute. Assignments that are submitted late for any reason (even by a few minutes) will still count as a late submission. Assignments submitted after the due date will be graded as normal with the following penalties applied: Amount of Time after Due Date 0-24 hours (within 1 Day) 24-48 hours (1-2 Days) 48-72 hours (2-3 Days) 72-96 hours (3-4 Days)

Point Reduction 10 points (1 letter grade) 20 points (2 letter grades) 30 points (3 letter grades) 40 points (4 letter grades)

96 + hours (past 4 Days)

Assignments will not be accepted after 4 days and a “0” grade will be entered. It is not possible to “makeup” an assignment beyond 4 days.

For example: If you submit your assignment 30 hours late, and your assignment is graded as a 92. Your grade will be calculated as follows: 92 (-minus 20 points late penalty) = 72

ZOOM MEETING PROTOCOLS You will be required to attend Zoom meetings with a working microphone, camera, and your full name displayed. Please be sure to download the Zoom software/app (www.zoom.us). It will be important to monitor your student email and D2L announcements for Zoom invitations and other communication. Using Zoom on a laptop is preferred over mobile phones. Virtual meetings are the new normal for conducting business. This class provides many opportunities for you to become effective virtual communicators and presenters. You will be engaging directly with many entertainment industry professionals. Students are expected to sit at a desk or other professional environment. Take the time to set up your Zoom environment. Lighting should be clear and backgrounds should not be distracting. Professionalism is expected in your personal appearance, behavior, and on-screen environment. Sitting on your couch or bed is unacceptable. Dress as you would to be in public (no pajamas, loungewear, etc). If it’s not appropriate in a FTF classroom or business meeting, it should not be done in a virtual classroom. Keep your video camera on and your audio muted (unless you are speaking or presenting). Be attentive and look into the camera. Please do not walk around, eat, drive, or give your attention to anything non-class related during the meeting. We encourage an interactive, supportive, and engaging class environment in all MEBUS classes. This is especially true in virtual classes. Please ask questions, take notes, and participate. We discourage overuse of the Zoom chat feature. We would prefer you to share your ideas and questions with the entire class. If you have a thought to share in the chat, the entire class will benefit from hearing it. If you are have any difficulties with virtual classroom technologies, please contact the KSU Service Desk for further assistance: 470-578-3555. [email protected].

MEBUS MACLAB AND PRODUCTION STUDIO For the ongoing health and safety of KSU students, faculty and staff, use of MEBUS program technology labs, workstations, production facilities, and audio/video equipment is reserved specifically for students currently enrolled in MEBU 2270, 3370, or 3380. The MEBUS House and production facilities will only be open and available on days and times specific to the coursework of these classes. Any other use of MEBUS production resources must be approved by MEBUS faculty or staff. For any MacLab questions please contact Danny Howes at [email protected].

A NOTE ON HOW TO LEARN Please note that the instructors are here to provide insight into the creative process and to help guide students on their journey to developing a concept of their own. Instructors will provided guidance on proper techniques and help students sidestep pitfalls not covered in the book. Instructors are NOT here to provide technical support or fix broken computers, though. Should students have a need for technical support with their computer, they should contact the customer support number for their respective computer or software application. Plan your work accordingly and build in time to account for technical problems that may arise. Also, please note that there will be some technical training in class lectures intended to provide students with an introduction to the fundamentals and a high level understanding of certain technical details. These lectures are provided to ensure students have opportunities to ask technical questions but are by no means comprehensive. Students should be prepared to do some learning and exploring on their own as professors are not always available to answer technical questions. Many questions can easily be answered on YouTube or Google and students will have a book that provides extensive training in Adobe Premiere. Again, we are here to help if needed but students should be prepared to do much of the technical learning on their own.

GRADING POLICY Based on your final percentage, grades will be allocated as follows: 90 – 100 80 - 89% 70 - 79% 60 - 69% 59% - 0%

A B C D F

GRADING BREAKDOWN * Brand Audit………………………….10% * Disney Mashup Project…………………………….20% * Disney Concept Pitch…………………………….50% * Rough Draft - 10% * 2nd Draft - 15% * Final Draft + Presentation - 25% * Participation (Based on attendance and contributions to online discussions. Each lecture and lab and corresponding discussion board is worth 2%) ..................20% Brand Audit (10%) Students will be assigned a Disney brand to conduct a brand audit. They will be assigned either Marvel, LucasFilm, Pixar, or National Geographic. Students will evaluate the unique characteristics that define a film, tv show or other digital experience belonging to that brand. In addition to evaluating the unique stylings and characteristics of that brand, students will also evaluate the target demographics for the brand and how the brand fits into Disney’s mission as a whole. Brand audits should be delivered in presentation form (PDF, PowerPoint, or Keynote), be easy to understand and void of spelling or grammatical errors, and be visually appealing while aligning with the style guide of your chosen brand. The presentation should be no less than 5 slides in length but no more than 15. Disney Mashup Project (20%) Students will take the brand they conducted an audit of and partner with another student who audited a different brand. They will then identify a property within each of their chosen brands that have never been combined before and find a way to bring them together as part of a real world, Disney ride experience. The purpose is to see if students can create a real world experience that could exist in a Disney park that might bring fans from two different world’s together. For example, could you create a story / adventure park experience that combined Spiderman with actual spiders (Marvel + National Geographic)? What would happen if Darth Vader met Thanos (Lucasfilm + Marvel)? What would happen if you put the characters from Inside Out inside the head of Captain Marvel (Pixar + Marvel)? You must envision a short story built around your chosen mashup that involves a pre-ride experience and then a ride / adventure experience within a Disney park. You must build and deliver a presentation that shows what this experience would look like and what the story would be. The presentation should be delivered as a PDF, PowerPoint or Keynote document, no less than 5 slides in length but no more than 15. Disney Concept Pitch (50%) For your chosen brand, you must develop a pitch for a short film, tv show, or movie that can live on Disney Plus. The catch, however, is that you must envision a concept that can be produced using tools, techniques, or technologies developed during the Covid-19 pandemic. What is a unique story that is specific to your brand, that can work with the brand’s target demographic and also be produced using recently developed practices that emerged under Covid-19? As part of your pitch, you will come up with: 1. A 3-5 page story “treatment” that outlines what your project is about, the characters involved, and what makes it interesting / entertaining. 2. A production plan that outlines how your story will be produced. It should utilize a recently developed tool, technique, or technology that emerged during Covid-19. 3. A detailed analysis of how your story will fit within the brand you’ve chosen and target the demographics of that brand. 4. A high quality, engaging and imaginative presentation to deliver your pitch. Concept pitches must meet the following criteria: 1. Must be a video / film concept (short film, tv show, movie, documentary, etc). 2. Must be entertaining and appropriate for the target demo of your chosen brand. 3. Presentation must be visually appealing and stylized to match your chosen brand. 4. Students must present their pitch at the end of the semester, and must be able to articulate the reasons why their concept works for their chosen brand. 5. Should incorporate new or recently developed tools, techniques, or technologies. 6. Should include a 3-5 page story treatment (in PDF form). 7. Should include a pitch deck no less than 5 slides but no more than 25 (in PDF, PowerPoint, or Keynote form).

Students may use any tools at their disposal to create their presentations but must always deliver the presentations as a PDF, Powerpoint, or Keynote document. A note on presentations: Typically, pitch decks are delivered as PDF’s when delivered digitally (i.e. over the web as we are doing in this class). Though not required, it is highly recommended that you follow this standard unless your presentation needs to incorporate video or audio elements as part of the pitch. PDF’s ensure compatibility across platforms and help avoid the loss of fonts or other issues that can sometimes arise when using Keynote or Powerpoint. PARTICIPATION (20%) Students will be required to attend class lectures, participate in onl...