Senior Seminar Information Communications Department Spring 2018 Faculty: Staci Baird Stephen Chavez Valerie Cummings Danielle Eubank Mike Laponis Randy Miller Don Pollock Morgan Sandler Elizabeth Zwerling
I. Project Proposals and Registration Since Senior Seminar J/R/TV 499 is the culminating experience for students, only seniors in their final spring semester at the University of La Verne will be allowed in the course. Prior to registration for this class, seniors must present a one-page written summary proposal to their assigned project advisers for approval. Upon approval students are allowed to register for the course. The proposal should be a description the project, how it relates to the student s major and the project s expected use. 2 II. Contracts Contracts are due on the first day of class, Feb. 5, 2018, for Broadcast and Broadcast Journalism Students, and on Feb. 7, 2018, for Journalism, Public Relations, and Multimedia students. As soon as your project proposal is approved, you should begin work on your project contract. Expect to make multiple revisions, as directed by your project adviser, before a final draft of the contract is approved. The instructor and the student should each have a copy of the final contract with each of their signatures. Contracts Must Include: A description of the project, i.e., a themed blog, a script, a public relations campaign, a feature-length video, etc.; Exactly what elements go into the project, including its size (the number of pages, word count, or number of minutes, etc.); A detailed budget and how the project will be funded; A timeline, or schedule, including due dates and deadlines for completion of the various elements of the project as well as the final due date; How the project relates to your past work at ULV, and your goals for after graduation; A place for student and adviser signatures. Note: You must have an approved contract by Wednesday, February 21, 2018. Should you fail to have an approved contract by that date, you should plan to drop the course and take it in Spring 2019. III. Senior Projects Project Planning The senior project is a culmination of your work at ULV. The project must relate to your major and past experience and should go beyond work already done. It is not acceptable, for instance, for a journalism major with one class in video production, to propose a senior project involving the creation of a three-camera television soap opera. Group projects are encouraged for television production students. Group or team projects are acceptable in the other disciplines only with instructor approval. The project should be of sufficient rigor to merit four upper division units (400 level). The project should not be so large that it cannot be completed by the end of the semester. All projects are term projects, in that they must be completed by the conclusion of the semester. Failure to meet the criteria of the contract, or failure to complete the project by the final deadline, will earn students an F grade. Students who fail the course will have to retake the course, undertaking a completely new project, in spring semester 2019, which is the next time the course is offered. Creating a project that has a practical application and actually gets used is the goal. The senior project 2
cannot be used to fulfill the requirements of any other class, internship, or independent study project. It may be an extension of a previous project, if the scope of the updated project meets with the instructor s approval. The senior project cannot be combined with an ongoing internship project. Students are strongly encouraged to undertake projects that are for the good of society, such as a public relations campaign for an animal shelter. Students who would like to do projects for businesses or other such or entities, should consider non-profits first. Projects cannot be an internship-type experience and may not be for pay. Project updates will be held throughout the semester to view and discuss student progress. Work in progress must be shown. All projects will involve keeping project notebooks. The contents of the notebook will vary depending on the nature of the project. 3 IV. Projects Below is a list of possible Senior Projects and the minimum course requirements necessary to undertake them. Projects will be due before the end of the spring semester, so there will be an opportunity for feedback from instructors. Additional projects may be acceptable per individual project advisers. Video Projects To crew on a video as a senior project, a student must have completed TV 320. Videos can take different forms: dramatic, instructional, documentary, experimental or musical. Videos should be more challenging than projects you have worked on before at ULV such as the eightminute drama and the five minute documentary. Projects should not exceed 20 minutes in length. More complex projects may be shorter. Proposals Project Proposals should be submitted by Oct. 31, 2018, the semester before students plan to enroll in TV 499. Project proposals should include a two-page statement about the project including: The position the student plans to perform on the project (produce/direct/operate camera/light/edit/sound record and design) What the project is about (a 20 minute comedy about a girl who..., a 20 minute documentary about...) A copy of the script must accompany the proposal. A list of potential crew members should accompany the proposal. Any special production challenges should be addressed in the proposal (such as use of schools, police, guns crowd scenes, class rooms full of students, party scenes, special effects etc.) Some but not all proposals will be approved for production. Students who plan to edit a senior project should have completed TV 330 Television Editing. Editing proposals should also include a statement about what the student has done to qualify for this position, and how serving in this position will help him or her achieve his or her career goals. The contract Students must have the script approved prior to finalizing the contract. A script with numbered scenes must be attached to the contract. A marked script and script breakdown must be completed. 3
A production and post-production schedule including casting, locations, shooting, rough cut, fine, cut, picture lock, sound and titles/effects dates. A budget of projected camera, editing, material and labor costs must be included. (A final budget should be included on completion of the project) Include a timeline/schedule of when you plan shoot, edit and work on sound No equipment will be checked out until the above paperwork is complete. 4 Finishing the project It is expected that you plan for equipment time, editing time, crew size, etc., to complete the video by the project due date. All rights and releases must be gathered prior to the acceptance of the project for final grading. Failure to obtain rights and releases will result in an F grade for the project. Completion of video projects should be planned for the beginning of the last month of the semester to avoid equipment/editing conflicts with television production classes. A production notebook must accompany each project. The notebook should include drafts of the script, breakdown sheets, projected budgets and final budgets, releases, location agreements, music releases, correspondence, head shots of actors, edit logs, mix sheets, and production stills (photos). Radio/Audio Projects Students should have completed RTV 112, Radio 230, Radio 240, and at least one semester of Radio 426. Radio projects that qualify for consideration are programs, which will be written, produced and aired on the campus radio station, LeoFM, audio production projects, and podcasts. These include special types of weekly shows that are produced and pre-recorded, documentaries, or other special programs. It is best if there are several segments/shows, which will air throughout the semester. The senior project is designed to allow a student to gain advanced production experience, and programming experience by producing programming content that is more comprehensive in nature than just an air shift. A treatment/proposal should be completed and submitted with the contract, followed by scripts for each show/episode. You should include a budget of projected studio time, materials, and labor. A timeline should be included, showing production and post production deadlines with time for instructor/adviser critique that then needs to be incorporated into the show/project. All rights and releases must be included. Scripts To write a script as a senior project, the student must have completed TV 235 and the screenwriting class. A two-page description of the script must be included with the proposal and contract. Scripts can be for features, sit-coms, dramas, comedies, documentaries, instructional videos or interactive multimedia. For features, students should complete character profiles, a detailed outline/treatment of the entire script, and at least the first 30 pages (first act) of the script. For shorter works the entire script must be completed, along with the supporting material mentioned previously. Journalism Projects Journalism Projects include themed blogs, in-depth magazine stories, newsletters and other projects for news media publication and production. To do a journalism senior project, students must have completed JOUR 300, 320, PHOTO 230 and JOUR 115, at minimum. Photojournalism majors may do a photographic essay of extended nature, or other substantive projects per 4
the project adviser. A student intending to do a photojournalism senior project must have completed JOUR 115, PHOT 327, and preferably have been photo editor for one of the department s publications. The subject matter or theme, along with a list of story ideas and illustration plans must be approved as part of the contract, and must not compete with the Campus Times, La Verne Magazine, or other Communications Department news outlets. Print or online journalism projects should be equivalent in breadth and depth to 12 blog entries of 500-1,000 words each, or three in-depth magazine-style stories of 2,000+ words each. All journalism work must be multiply sourced. The publication/production outlet or outlets (or target outlets) must be pre-approved by the project adviser. A budget must be projected to reflect travel, technology, materials, freelance pay (per word or per hour) etc. Production and publication deadlines must be written into the contract and strictly adhered to. Newsletters To do a newsletter as a senior project, the student must have completed JOUR 115, PHOT 230, JOUR 220, JOUR 300, and JOUR 320, at minimum. Subject matter or theme must be approved with the contract, and the newsletter s use (for a nonprofit organization, business, or government agency) must be secured for project to be undertaken. A minimum of two 8-page newsletters will be required. A list of story ideas must be submitted with the contract. The student is responsible for completing all copy and photography for the project. The editor must perform full layout and production of the newsletter. A budget must be prepared not only for the actual printing, but also for projected computer use time. A log must be kept of all computer time including writing, layout and scanning of photographs. The newsletter must serve a purpose beyond that of a portfolio piece. Public Relations/Public Service Campaigns To do a public relations campaign as a senior project, the student must have completed JOUR. 100 and JOUR. 330 and completed or be enrolled in JOUR. 430. Students concurrently enrolled in JOUR 430 may not use the same project for both the senior project and the public relations course. All Public Affairs and/or Public Relations Projects must be single-person projects (no group projects) and should be designed to promote an organization (company or non-profit) or major event by utilizing advanced writing skills to plan and create a variety of content. We encourage PR Projects that support nonprofit organizations over for-profit businesses, and discourage on-campus PR projects (except in very rare and compelling circumstances), or any projects that may be an extension of the students' already inplace internships, job, or extra-curricular activities. These projects consist of a 8-point Public Relations Plan, (including secondary research and possibly primary research), implemented to demonstrate the variety of skills required of today s public relations practitioners, including at least three of the following: - News releases, media alerts, bios, fact sheets and/or press kits (includes key message development, proper formatting, etc.) - Newsletter writing/designing (includes project outline, copy points, photography, and may include working with a graphic designer to bring to life) - Brochure writing/designing (includes project outline, copy points, photography, and may include working with a graphic designer to bring to life)) - Website design/writing - Media relations campaign to bring media to an event - Social media campaign (including editorial calendar and sample or actual posts) 5 5
- Special event (includes event logistics, publicity, and writing of speeches) The project presentation should conclude with an evaluation of the campaign and include measurement of outputs, outtakes, outcomes. Give yourself enough time to research, plan, implement, and evaluate your campaign (these are the steps in the PR process.) Consider starting your research and planning during the fall semester and/or winter break so that you can hit the ground running in spring. 6 Multimedia Projects Multimedia students can complete one large project or a combination of smaller projects to satisfy the senior project. They may work for one or several clients. The goals of the project as a whole are to gain advanced design experience, create print and multimedia projects to enhance the student s professional portfolio and gain experience working with clients. A client must be secured before project planning begins. A budget must be prepared for expenses such as professional printing Web site hosting, computer use for design and photography at a rate of $50 per hour, photography expenses and related materials. A timeline must be included outlining weekly milestones of project completion, periodic design reviews with advisor and client. The student should specifically express who will be responsible for copywriting and photography. Multimedia Web Sites The student must have completed JOUR 319. If completing a Web site as the entire project, an acceptable project must be excess of 15 pages (.htm files) in length. The site must be actually hosted on the web at the client s expense and uploaded by the due date of the senior project. A diagram must be included in the student s contract containing the site content, navigation structure and a general list of assets for each page. Multimedia Print Design Projects The student must have completed JOUR 317. If completing a series of print projects for the entire project, an acceptable amount of work depends on the complexity of projects, but a suggested amount may contain a multi-page brochure, newsletter, booklet in conjunction with other, smaller print projects. The student should seek a client who is willing and has the budget to actually have the projects professionally printed. Combination Multimedia Projects It would be beneficial for students to combine Web and print projects. Motion graphics, DVD creation and other types of multimedia projects may also be considered. Broadcast Journalism Projects Seniors in the broadcast journalism concentration who have completed TV 235, TV 345 or TV 408 Intermediate Broadcast Journalism, one semester of TV 307 and an accepted substitute class may serve as producer/senior reporters on Foothill Community News as their senior project. 6
Seniors who are taking TV 307 for the first time in spring will be required to do a senior project that is outside of the Foothill Community News show. 7 FCN Producer/Senior Reporter s responsibilities: Pitching story ideas each week that can be assigned to reporters; Reviewing first drafts of reporters' scripts to make sure they have solid leads, are well-written with no grammatical or factual errors, are balanced, fair and accurately reported; Reviewing first cuts of packages, vos and vo/sots to make certain there are no technical or editorial problems; Determining the show line up; Writing intros, outros, and teases for the show; Collecting and checking the lower thirds for spelling and accuracy; Editing the show onto the timeline and outputting a digital copy for air, and a dvd copy for archives within two days of the show s taping; Collecting the show script and putting it into the show notebook; Reporting, writing, and editing four packages that include a combination of hard news and feature stories as well as vos and vo/sots for the show. Students should include backup story ideas in case the primary story falls through. Senior reporters will also have an opportunity to anchor a show. Requirements - Strong writing and editing ability. Solid news judgement. Attention to detail. Strong leadership skills. FCN Sports Producer s responsibilities: Overseeing the production of each show s sports block; Shooting, writing and editing one package and a vo and vo/sot for each show; Writing the script for the sports block; Anchoring the sports block. Projects outside of Foothill Community News These projects can include one long form news story 6-8 minutes in length or a series of shorter news packages. Students will be required to research, produce, shoot (b-roll), conduct all interviews, write and edit their own stories. Well-researched story ideas are due December 1. Students should include backup ideas in case their initial story ideas fall through. If you have questions, contact your project adviser. 7