Course Syllabus

Video Production 1 – Course Syllabus             Syracuse High School

Katie Stokes – katiestokes@dsdmail.net                                                  

801-402-7900 Ext. 57932

Instructor Office Hours:

A-Day: 8:45 am -12:15 pm

B-Day: 7:15 am - 10:45 am

Wed: 8:30 am – 12:00 pm

(Attention: Contact your guidance counselor to make sure that this course will meet your goals for fulfilling graduation requirements. By taking multiple CTE courses you can complete a CTE pathway as an Emphasis, Minor, & Major in Focused Areas of Study upon high school graduation. For more information contact Mrs. Stokes or Mrs. Hess).    

Course Description: This course is designed to provide students with the basic knowledge and skills related to the video production industry. This includes instruction and hands-on assignments in the following areas: camera operation, audio systems, lighting systems, pre-production, studio operations, control room operations, visual effects and graphics, and copyright laws.

Course Strands:

1. Students will be able to understand and demonstrate the process of pre-production.
2. Students will be able to understand and demonstrate the correct operation of the camera.
3. Students will be able to understand and demonstrate procedures for recording and editing audio.
4. Students will be able to understand and demonstrate knowledge of basic lighting principles.
5. Students will be able to understand and demonstrate knowledge of post-production.
6. Students will be able to understand and practice copyright laws, ethics and legal issues as identified in United States Code Title 17 Chapter 1 Section 101.
7. Students will understand the importance of career readiness skills as it relates to the workplace and outlined in the SkillsUSA Framework – Level 1.

Attendance and Participation: Regular, punctual attendance is critical.  Class member input is an essential element of a successful community of learners. Students should be prepared to reflect, engage, and collaborate regularly in the classroom.  In order to fully benefit from this class, each student should:

• Attend consistently and be on time.
• Listen and contribute to class discussions.
• Participate fully and equally in group activities.
• Refrain from using phones and other electronic devices unless authorized by the instructor.
• Refrain from sleeping, excessively talking with peers, or working on assignments that are not class-related.

Classroom Rules:

1. No food or drink.
2. Keep your hands and feet to yourself.
3. No personal devices in class – except for filming videos and uploading to a computer.
4. Be respectful and have a good attitude: be honest, have an attitude of respect and a willingness to learn.

Ethics and Citizenship: Failure to maintain academic ethics/academic honesty includes cheating, plagiarism, collusion, and falsification. Any of these behaviors will result in a U and possible loss of credit. Any violation of the Syracuse High School student code of conduct may not only result in a U but also a failing grade in the course and/or withdrawal of the student from the class.  Citizenship will be based on behavior. Cooperation, participation, being on time, and following rules will determine a student’s citizenship grade.

Grades: Letter grades will be assigned using the following percentage scale:

Grade Breakdown:

Citizenship:

Hall Passes: Students may leave the classroom to film for Video Production on approval. Students who leave the classroom without authorization or spend excessive time outside of the classroom will be given a truancy. All students must sign out prior to leaving the classroom and sign back in upon return.

Canvas & Other Technology: Student fluency with internet-based applications is highly recommended for this course. Assignments, quizzes, and test will only be accessed and submitted through an online platform called Canvas. All graded assignments are technology based and may require the use of other online applications to create and maintain projects. Students are expected to finish all assignments during class time, however, there may be occasions that require students to work on assignments outside of the classroom. Students are responsible for making their own accommodation to have computer/internet access outside of the classroom.

Acceptable Use Policy: As part of registration, you were required to sign Davis School District’s Acceptable Use Policy. Please review this document. Keep in mind that the use of technology is a privilege – not a right – and will be treated as such. Failure to use computers as directed will result in the loss of computer privileges and/or a referral to the school administration.

Media: Movie clips and TV show clips will not be used as an entertainment medium. There is however some value in using some educational videos and parts of movies to get across certain points and help students “visualize” the point. The portions of movies and TV shows will be edited for content and will never exceed a PG-13 or TV-14 rating. Because this is a Video Production course, movies and video clips will be a part of it. Please let me know if you do not want your student to participate in viewing these movies, and I will gladly offer a replacement activity.

Supplies: Students may wish to have a Flash/USB Drive/Cloud Storage to be used as a backup for assignments. Most assignments will be online, but a pen or pencil may be needed in some cases. Phones may be used to record videos for Video Production assignments.

Cell Phones: To reduce cell phone distraction, we ask that students put their phones away during class time. Students may have phones out during filming or when downloading a video. If a phone is out during instruction time, the student will be expected to place their phone in the phone basket until the end of the class period.

Late Work: Due dates will be posted in Canvas. Late assignments will be penalized if turned in one week after the due date or later by 10%. Please take responsibility and turn all assignments in on time. Absent students will be responsible for finding out what was assigned and will have two days for each excused absence to make up the work for full credit.  All work needs to be turned in one week before the end of the term. Work will not be accepted after that date.

Homework: Most assignments will be completed in class, however, any work that a student falls behind on needs to be completed as homework before the due date. Assignments and due dates can be found in my Canvas course: https://www.davis.k12.ut.us/other/canvas-login. Please check your student’s grade often by going online to: https://mydsd.davis.k12.ut.us/Account/Login?ReturnUrl=%2f.

DMAF (Utah Digital Media Arts Festival): DMAF is a yearly festival showcasing the best work of Digital Media students from across the state of Utah. There are many categories students can compete in. You can check out their website here: https://www.udmaf.org/. The competition will take place on Tuesday, May 6^th, 2025. Students can have an opportunity to compete at the DMAF and showcase their work in Video Production.

504 Accommodations or IEP:

“Davis School District is committed to providing educational and employment opportunities to students without regard to race, color, sex, religion, age, national origin or disability in accordance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title XI of the Educational Amendment of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, and with the Americans with Disabilities Act.”

Group Work

-A large focus of Video 1 is project group work. This is because most of the video industry works through teams, and video projects always turn out better when multiple people come together for them.
-In most cases, students may choose their own project groups so long as their group is effective, non-distracting, and turns in quality work. The teacher reserves the right to ban certain group selections.
-A student may request to work on any assignment on their own, but it is not recommended. Students who are uncomfortable with finding their own group, however, are encouraged to ask the teacher for help where necessary. Don't choose to be on your own just because you don't know who to ask! I am happy to help :)

-Important: Each unit/project, students will be given a teammate evaluation sheet. Students will use this sheet to report the participation and help of each team member. I will then use those reviews to assign students a participation and effort grade for the unit. Students who are absent are still required to do just as much work on projects as their teammates (excused absence or not). Therefore, students who will be absent should work out with their team ahead of time what the absent student will do to do their part. If a student is absent unexpectedly, it is their responsibility to communicate their absence with teammates and work out a make-up game plan as soon as possible.