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Unit of study_

MECO2602: Media Production: Video

Semester 2, 2022 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

This unit introduces students to the history, theory and practice of video production. The unit will equip students with practical skills in planning and researching a video, as well as skills in digital camera operation, video recording, lighting, sound and digital non-linear video editing. The unit emphasises factual, non-fiction video.

Unit details and rules

Unit code MECO2602
Academic unit Media and Communications
Credit points 6
Prohibitions
? 
None
Prerequisites
? 
18 credit points at 1000 level in Media and Communications including MECO1004
Corequisites
? 
None
Assumed knowledge
? 

None

Available to study abroad and exchange students

No

Teaching staff

Coordinator Blue Lucine, blue.lucine@sydney.edu.au
Demonstrator(s) Jeremy Elphick, jeremy.elphick@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s) Blue Lucine, blue.lucine@sydney.edu.au
Tutor(s) Oliver Heath, oliver.heath@sydney.edu.au
Anna Georgia Mackay, anna.mackay@sydney.edu.au
Type Description Weight Due Length
Assignment group assignment 80 second news story
Students research, shoot and edit a factual news story
30% Week 06
Due date: 09 Sep 2022 at 23:59
1200 words
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO5
Assignment Production Pitch
Write and present a pitch for the major video project
25% Week 08
Due date: 23 Sep 2022 at 23:59
1000 words
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO5
Assignment Major video project
In groups, students research, shoot, and edit a 6 minute factual video
45% Week 13
Due date: 04 Nov 2022 at 23:59
2300 words
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
group assignment = group assignment ?

Assessment summary

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

You must submit all assessments to pass this unit. 

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a high distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name

Mark range

Description

High distinction

85 - 100

High distinction projects demonstrate outstanding levels of creativity, storytelling, technical competency and publishing ability. These productions have a sophisticated approach towards creativity and storytelling by understanding their audience and drawing on outstanding engagement techniques. The technical capacity demonstrates outstanding skills by correctly recording, capturing, manipulating and exporting the production that adheres to industry standards. The work exceeds the requirements of this assignment and could be commissioned by existing media publications. 

Distinction

75 - 84

Distinction projects demonstrate excellent levels of creativity, storytelling, technical competency and publishing ability. These productions have a sophisticated approach towards creativity and storytelling by understanding their audience and drawing on excellent engagement techniques. The technical capacity demonstrates excellent skills by correctly recording, capturing, manipulating and exporting the production that adheres to industry standards. The work exceeds the requirements of this assignment. 

Credit

65 - 74

Credit projects demonstrate good levels of creativity, storytelling, technical competency and publishing ability. These productions have a well-rounded approach towards creativity and storytelling by understanding their audience and drawing on satisfactory engagement techniques. The technical capacity demonstrates good skills by correctly recording, capturing, and manipulating the production, which may have a few minor problems. The work demonstrates the requirements of this assignment. 

Pass

50 - 64

Projects that pass demonstrate minimal levels of creativity, storytelling, technical competency and publishing ability. These productions have some understanding of creativity and storytelling but have been masked by errors and problems in comprehensive production. The technical capacity demonstrates some skills by correctly recording, capturing and manipulating the media, but also demonstrates some technical problems and errors. The work minimally meets the requirements of this assignment.

Fail

0 - 49

When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see sydney.edu.au/students/guide-to-grades.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

  • Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
  • After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

5 % per day

Academic integrity

The Current Student website  provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.  

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

You may only use artificial intelligence and writing assistance tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator, and if you do use them, you must also acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section.

Studiosity is permitted for postgraduate units unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission.

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

WK Topic Learning activity Learning outcomes
Week 01 Introduction to the unit & production planning Lecture (2 hr)  
Week 02 The 80-second news package Lecture (2 hr)  
Vox pops and basic camera operation Workshop (2 hr)  
Week 03 1. Copyright and ethics; 2. The shot and action; 3. Working on location Lecture (2 hr)  
Pieces to camera, coverage, & lighting Workshop (2 hr)  
Week 04 The Power of the Edit Lecture (2 hr)  
Intro to Adobe Premier Pro Workshop (2 hr)  
Week 05 Modes of Documentary Lecture (2 hr)  
The Art of the Interview & writing to pictures Workshop (2 hr)  
Week 06 Structure and storytelling Lecture (2 hr)  
Adobe Premier Pro Workshop (2 hr) LO2
Week 07 The Studio Lecture (2 hr)  
TV Studio operations Workshop (2 hr)  
Week 08 Producing a major video Lecture (2 hr)  
Pitch presentations & group work Workshop (2 hr)  
Week 09 Working with sound Lecture (2 hr)  
Major Project production & 3 point lighting Workshop (2 hr)  
Week 10 Major project production Workshop (2 hr)  
Week 11 Major Project production & post-production Workshop (2 hr)  
Week 12 Major Project post-production Workshop (2 hr)  
Week 13 Major Project post-production, final week Workshop (2 hr) LO1 LO3 LO4
Major Project Screening Old Geology Theatre Presentation (3 hr)  

Attendance and class requirements

  • Attendance: According to Faculty Board Resolutions, students in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences are expected to attend 90% of their classes. If you attend less than 50% of classes, regardless of the reasons, you may be referred to the Examiner’s Board. The Examiner’s Board will decide whether you should pass or fail the unit of study if your attendance falls below this threshold.
  • Lecture recording: Most lectures (in recording-equipped venues) will be recorded and may be made available to students on the LMS. However, you should not rely on lecture recording to substitute your classroom learning experience.
  • Preparation: Students should commit to spend approximately three hours’ preparation time (reading, studying, homework, essays, etc.) for every hour of scheduled instruction.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

All readings are on canvas, and will be updated per semester. 

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. demonstrate an understanding of all stages of video production, including: pre production, production and post-production processes, with particular reference to factual video production
  • LO2. understand single camera and video editing techniques to a level appropriate to complete short-form information-based video items
  • LO3. demonstrate the ability to work with others in a video news/production team, understanding the roles and responsibilities of each member of the work group, and taking responsibility for their own value judgements and ethical behaviour towards others
  • LO4. demonstrate skills in critical discussion and analysis of video production, including a visually literate understanding of the ‘discourse’ and ‘grammar’ of the moving image, the relationship of producer to audience, and the concept of mode of address
  • LO5. demonstrate the ability to plan and achieve goals, working to deadlines and within set budgets.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1 Depth of disciplinary expertise

Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.

GQ2 Critical thinking and problem solving

Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.

GQ3 Oral and written communication

Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.

GQ4 Information and digital literacy

Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.

GQ5 Inventiveness

Generating novel ideas and solutions.

GQ6 Cultural competence

Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.

GQ7 Interdisciplinary effectiveness

Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.

GQ8 Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity

An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.

GQ9 Influence

Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes Graduate qualities
GQ1 GQ2 GQ3 GQ4 GQ5 GQ6 GQ7 GQ8 GQ9

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

This unit has been updated to reflect the feedback from the 2021 USS.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.