Dr. Joe Flickinger
Office: Porterfield 188/189
Office Hours: 1:00-1:50 PM M and F
10:00-10:50 AM T and R
Secretary's Phone: 831-5531
E-mail:jflickin@radford.edu

Course Description: Co-requisite: MSTD 346. Introduction to analog and digital editing and video effects, theories and techniques. Training in the use of analog and computerized video editing systems and digital video effects programs. Exploration of hardware and software issues relating to 3-dimensional graphics manipulation, video compression and recording. Students must enroll in MSTD 346 and MSTD 347 concurrently. Formerly MSTD 447: Students cannot receive credit for both MSTD 347 and MSTD 447.

1. To obtain an understanding of and be able to use the basic vocabulary of post-production editing and graphics.
2. To acquire a basic working understanding of linear and non-linear editing.
3. To be able to design a variety of effective three-dimensional graphics.
4. To be able to demonstrate proficiency of basic video post-production skills, including recording, mixing and interconnecting various pieces of equipment.
5. To be able to demonstrate proficiency in using a digital video effects (DVE) system.

Textbook & Supplies:

• Medoff, Norman J. and Tom Tanquary, Portable Video: ENG and EFP, 4th Ed., Focal Press, Boston, 2002. This text is used in both MSTD 346 and MSTD 347.
• Supplies: One S-VHS, one standard VHS tape, and two 60 or 63 minute (SP) mini-DVC videotapes for digital camcorder and editing. One pair of headphones with miniplug and miniplug to ¼-inch adapter.

Attendence:In the media world you must be dependable. With many people vying for a few jobs, anyone exhibiting chronic absenteeism will be fired without hesitation. While you do not get “paid” in the normal sense for carrying out your assignments, you should think of your grade as a managerial evaluation of your performance. Consequently, you should exhibit the same sense of professionalism in this class as you would working for a media corporation. The following policy is meant to implement this workplace philosophy by placing the responsibility for achieving success in your hands. Outside job commitments are not considered valid excuses for coming late, leaving early, or missing class. This intensive course requires all of your attention to pass it. If you think your job will conflict with your ability to pass this course, then you must either drop this course or make arrangements at work. Otherwise, you will suffer the consequences.

Academic Difficulty: If you need to obtain a certain grade in this class or if you are having difficulty with the labs or assignments, it is your responsibility to discuss this with me as soon as practicable. This way we can work together during the remainder of the semester. Remember, you are probably not the only person who may be having problems with some of the terminology or theoretical concepts discussed in class, and you are certainly not the only person who may be having trouble working with the equipment in the lab. Please do not hesitate to contact me for help. The only foolish question is one that is not asked.

Assignments: Because meeting deadlines is extremely important in all media corporations, you are expected to turn in all assignments by the due date. Furthermore, assignments are either acceptable or unacceptable to your employer. While you probably will not be given the opportunity to re-do an unacceptable project when you are working for a media corporation, you must redo any project that fails to meet the minimum standards of acceptability set by the instructor of this course in order to receive credit for it. All projects must be accepted by the second submission to count. The instructor will explain the criteria for each project at the time the project is assigned. It is your responsibility to make sure you understand the requirements prior to undertaking a project. If the instructions are not clear, ask questions. Claiming that you did not understand the project requirements after it is evaluated and handed back is not a valid argument!

Lab Schedule: Because there is a limited number of cameras and editing systems available at any given time, students must work outside of normal class time in order to complete their projects by the indicated due dates.

You will sign up for two hours of editing time per week. You are assigned these times for the entire semester. More time is available on a first-come, first-served basis; however, students from other Media Studies courses may be using the lab as well. I strongly recommend that you spend as much time as possible in the lab in order to familiarize yourself with the equipment and computer programs before you actually begin work on your projects. The instructor may limit extra hours allowed each student per week in order to ensure that everyone has an equal opportunity to finish her or his assignment on time.

If the door to the postproduction room is locked, please get the Media Studies Lab Coordinator, work-study student, or Media Studies secretary to open the door for you. You must leave your student ID with the Lab Coordinator or secretary while using the lab. You may pick it up when you are finished. You must be finished and out of the lab before the lab coordinator’s office closes at 6:00 PM. If you refuse to leave when asked, campus security will be called and judicial charges may be filed.

Sign-up sheets will be posted on the bulletin board outside the post-production area each week. You can sign up for no more than two hours per day on any single piece of equipment. This two-hour per day maximum lab time includes your two hours of reserved time if it occurs on the same day.

Any exceptions to this policy and any other Media Studies Department equipment policies must be OK'd in writing by the course instructor and the Media Studies Department Lab Coordinator. Students are responsible for the equipment they check out. Any equipment that is damaged or lost will be repaired or replaced at the student’s expense (see back of equipment checkout forms for specific checkout rules).

The post-production room (PF-176B) will be open from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM Monday through Thursday and 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM on Friday. The equipment will be turned on by the Media Technician or Work-Study Students, who will be responsible for turning it off at the end of the day. If the post-production room is locked, please see the Media Technician (PF-183). The room is not accessible on the weekends or after normal lab coordinator office hours.

•  The entire class is held responsible for the condition of the labs. Periodic checks will be made of the lab. Any time that it is found unclean, everyone's project(s) done in that particular lab will be deemed unacceptable for that week. This may directly affect final grades.
• Eating or drinking in any of the labs is not permitted. If you bring any type of food or drink into the labs (including gum or candy) and refuse to leave when asked by a faculty member, the Media Lab Coordinator, a Work-Study student or the Media Studies secretary, security will be called, and it will be considered a J-Board offense.

Students with Disabilities: If you are seeking classroom accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act, you are required to register with the Disability Resource Office (DRO). The DRO is located in room 32, Tyler Hall and the phone is 831-6350. To receive academic accommodations for this class, you must obtain the proper DRO forms and meet with Dr. Flickinger at the beginning of the semester.

Honor Code: Students’ adherence to the University Honor Code is presumed in this course. The University Honor Code reads as follows:

By accepting admission to Radford University, each student makes a commitment to understand, support and abide by the University Honor Code without compromise or exception. Violations of academic integrity will not be tolerated. This class will be conducted in strict observance of the Honor Code. Refer to your Student Handbook for details.

Copyrights & Plagarism: The recording of images is an art; therefore, the presentation of images created by someone other than you will be considered plagiarism. Each project must be your own work. Fair use of pre-recorded images and sound is allowable for research and teaching on a one-time, non-commercial basis under the 1976 Copyright Act as long as proper attribution is made. If you plan on using the material over again or plan to broadcast it, you must first have written authorization from the copyright holder. If you have further questions regarding this topic, please see me.

1. Grades & Assignments: The following is a statement of what is required for you to earn a passing grade in MSTD 347 this semester. You will note that, with the exception of the Media 100 iFinish Tutorial project and Boris FX Exercises in this course and the Digital Still Camera Storyboard project in MSTD 346, all post-production assignments are directly related to the field production assignments in MSTD 346: Electronic Field Production. Failure to finish a production assignment in MSTD 346 means you will not be able to complete that assignment successfully in this course, and your project grade in this course will reflect this.
2. Final Grade for the Course: The following criteria are what you must do to earn a passing grade (i.e., “A”, “B”, “C”, or “D”) in MSTD 347.

• Everyone who earns a passing grade in MSTD 347 must have fulfilled the Project and Written Test obligations. Pay special attention to the impact these can have on your final grade! It is possible that you could fail this course because of missed project deadlines and/or inability to succeed on the written tests.
• Everyone must actively participate in all areas of video field and post-production in order to earn a passing grade in MSTD 347. This includes completing the Media 100 iFinish Tutorial, all parts of assigned news stories and the Boris FX exercises on time and participation in the television news productions. The number of video productions approved by Dr. Flickinger and Dr. Waite will determine your final project grade. An approved production is assumed to be of professional media “on-air” quality. Any production requiring resubmission must be given to Drs. Waite and Flickinger no later than the Second Submission date for that project as noted on the course “Production Schedule.”
• Everyone must attend all production critique sessions in order to earn a passing grade in MSTD 347. If you miss a production critique session, you are responsible for writing a full critique of each production viewed during that session. This means you: a) First request Drs. Waite and Flickinger to approve your absence from the critique session. b) If they approve the absence, they will give you evaluation forms to use in writing your critiques of the missed productions. c) You are then responsible for acquiring copies of productions you are to critique. d) You then must write a full critique of each missed production and submit them to Drs. Waite and Flickinger. e) Your written critiques must be submitted to Drs. Waite and Flickinger no later than one week after the missed production critique session. f) If you miss this deadline or if you do not submit written critiques of the missed productions, you will receive an “F” in both MSTD 346 and MSTD 347.
• You must at all times conduct yourself as a professional, meet all deadlines, adhere to all policies, and must actively participate in all of the assigned course productions and assignments to receive a passing grade in this course.
• While you may receive different grades (“A” through “D”) in MSTD 346 and MSTD 347 based upon test scores and other grading criteria, if you receive an “F” in EITHER MSTD 346 OR MSTD 347, you WILL receive an “F” in the other course, because these courses are co-requisites. You will need to retake BOTH of these courses in this case.

Project Grades:

• To receive a project grade of “A”: You must complete all six projects listed on time. All of these projects must be approved the first or second time they are submitted. Any project that must be redone for approval must be submitted by the revision date listed in this syllabus.
• To receive a project grade of “B”: You must complete all six projects listed on time. Five of the six projects must be approved the first or second time they are submitted. Any project that must be redone for approval must be submitted by the revision date listed in this syllabus.
• To receive a project grade of “C”: You must complete all six projects listed on time. Four of the six projects must be approved the first or second time they are submitted. Any project that must be redone for approval must be submitted by the revision date listed in this syllabus.
• To receive a project grade of “D”:You must complete four of the six projects on time and these four projects must be approved by the end of the term. Any project that is redone for approval must be resubmitted by the revision date listed in this syllabus.
• Final grade of “F”: Because MSTD 346 and 347 are separate courses, you may receive a different grade (A-D) in this course than you receive in MSTD 346. HOWEVER, if you receive an “F” in this course, you will receive an “F” in MSTD 346 as well and vice versa. IT IS IMPORTANT THAT YOU UNDERSTAND THIS. You will have to retake both courses to improve your grade. This situation occurs because the same projects are used for both courses (courses are co-requisites).

Tests: Your working knowledge of the technical and theoretical aspects of video post-production editing and effects will be evaluated several times during the course of the semester. Students are responsible for all material covered in the text as well as information covered in lectures and videotape presentations. Videotapes used in the class can be found in the University library and may be checked out by students for review. Understanding the vocabulary terms used in each chapter as well as practical applications of the theories discussed in the text are important for anyone planning a career in the media, whether you plan to be in front of the camera as talent or behind the scenes.

Summary Of Grading:
Project Grade: 50%
Tests: 50%