The Spectacular

What:  During the first 4.5 weeks of winter Ready Camera One will be collaboratively producing and writing a long-form program or special based on your research completed in fall quarter.  The concept and content will be generally about Television History, 1948-68.  How we will do this re: design and implementation will be up to you. Conceptually, you must find a way to imbue the production with elements from your research report. Your individual contributions to this endeavor will probably be quite complex.  You should plan to work from your strongest areas of expertise, however.

Some parameters:

1.    WE are working now with a hybrid style: live production, live to tape and some remote production if applicable.  However, most of the material will be produced in the CCAM Studio although you will be able to edit sequences and choose best takes.

2.    The length of The Spectacular has not been determined but the program concept will require some consideration of continuity and intent.  This means that we are not simply producing a series of sketches that are casually linked together.

3.    The Spectacular is a working title; the class will come up with a final production title during the production period.

Important Dates:

7 January, Thursday: Preliminary Concept Development

15 January, Friday:  Working Script Finalized; Studio production design finalized

21, 22, 25, 26, 27, 28 January:  Studio production days

29 January, Friday: Editing Rough Cut and Critique

2 February, Wednesday: The Spectacular is completed and screened.

SEE THE WINTER QUARTER SCHEDULE FOR MORE DETAILS.

Your responsibilities:

1. you must contribute to at least one MAJOR sketch/scene/element for The Spectacular as a writer, performer, designer, or director.

2. you must be available as crew or cast for any production in any capacity; no request of your time should be perceived as too small (within reason: because some of the production times are on Monday or Tuesday).

3. you will meet with Sally at least once to review your script, role or contribution while we are in production.

1. visual design that is reflective of your research topic (in the banner, background or where ever else you can manage),

2. you need to have separate Pages for your Research Report, your Annotated Bibliography, and visual elements (stills, videos etc.),

[Note: you may need to edit your paper and bibliography once you upload these to make sure you have appropriate citation formats etc.]

3. if you already have your own personal blog at Evergreen, you will need to modify it to meet this requirement,

4. you need to incorporate an RSS feed back to the Ready Camera One website (http://blogs.evergreen.edu/readycamera1/feed/),

5. consider adding an About page that provides a brief overview of the research project as well as some information about your own work,

6. you should consider that the “website” is not a blog at this point but a way to share your research. Make it accessible, visually interesting, and inviting,

7. all of your blogs will be linked to the original RC1 website,

8. we will talk about naming strategies with Amy in the workshop,

9. and you will be presenting and utilizing this site during your oral presentations in Week 8 or Week 9.

1. Surrealism and DADA
2. Montage Theory (primarily Sergei Eisenstein)
3. HIGH BROW, MIDDLE BROW, LOW BROW (Russell Lynes, “ High Brow, Middle Brow, Low Brow…Which Are You?” Harper’s Magazine, 1949)
4. Counter-Distinction  (Pierre Bourdieu, Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgement of Taste, 1984)

This week’s playlist:

from The Best of Ernie Kovacs (1997)
Ernie Kovacs Monologue
1812 Overture
Kovacs on Music
Hospital Sketch
Swan Lake of Gorillas
Musical Spaghetti
Eugene

Additional source:  Ferguson, Bruce. “The Importance of Being Ernie:  ”Taking a Close Look and Listen.” Illuminating Video: An Essential Guide to Video Art. Edited by Doug Hall and Sally Jo Fifer. San Francisco, CA: Aperture, 1991.