Courses
| Special Topics | Advanced Production | 100s | 200s | 300s | 400s | 500s | 600s | 700s and Above |
Selected Communication Arts courses appear below. A complete Undergraduate School course list can be found at UW Catalog Course Descriptions.
Advanced Production Courses - Spring 2010
To apply for an advanced production course, please fill out the application form (you will be prompted to login using your NetID ).
Application deadline: Thursday, November 5th by 5:00 PM
Course rosters and waiting lists posted: Monday,
November 9th at 12:00 PM
(outside 6117 Vilas Hall)
- 465 Editing and Post Production
- 466 Writing for Television and Film
- 467 Cinematography and Sound Recording
- 609, Lecture 1 2D Computer Animation
- 609, Lecture 2 3D Computer Animation
- 659 Advanced Motion Picture Production Workshop
Course Descriptions
465 Editing and
Post Production
Instructor: Professor Bill Brown
Lecture: 4:30 - 6:30pm Mondays and Wednesdays
P: Comm Arts 355 and consent of the instructor
A hands-on, project-based course in which students will investigate a wide range of editing strategies as a means of creating visual rhythms; manipulating space and time; reworking the relationship between sound and image; and communicating stories and ideas with visuals and sound.
466 Writing for
Television and Film
Instructor: Professor JJ Murphy
Lecture: 11:00am - 12:15pm Tuesdays and Thursdays
P: Comm Arts 355 and consent of the instructor
This course provides a basic introduction to the elements that make for a successful dramatic screenplay. Particular emphasis will be placed on the story concept, dramatic structure, character development, dialogue, and visual storytelling. Recent feature films will be analyzed and discussed from the perspective of their scripts. Students are expected to create a 30-page screenplay by the end of the course, with the possibility of scenes from them or the entire script being produced by the CA 659: Advanced Film Workshop class in a future semester.
467 Cinematography and Sound Recording
Instructor: Erik Gunneson
Lecture: 12:30 - 3:30pm Thursdays
P: Comm Arts 355 and consent of the instructor
For students who, after completing Comm Arts 355, are interested in continuing their film production education, this course provides advanced instruction in cinematography, lighting, and sound. Students work together as filmmaking crews to create several short scenes during the semester. There is an emphasis on directing skills, effective grip and lighting techniques, the aesthetics of camera work, and sync-sound recording, using Arriflex cameras and Fostex digital audio recorders. Students work with existing scripts and will find their own cast, locations, and props – the class is designed to improve a student's knowledge of how to light and shoot a dramatic scene.
609, Lecture 1 2D Computer Animation
Instructor: Professor Sabine Gruffat
Lecture: 2:00 - 4:00pm Mondays and Wednesdays
P: Comm Arts 355 or consent of the instructor
This class explores several techniques of digital imaging and 2D animation including: storyboarding and conceptualizing, pencil testing and timing animation, animating simple sequences with Quicktime, experimenting with coloring and materials, and finally compositing in After Effects. Emphasis will be placed on experimental or hybrid practices, combining traditional film animation techniques with digital processes while developing conceptually challenging ideas.
609, Lecture 2 3D
Computer Animation
Instructor: Professor Sabine Gruffat
Lecture: 10:00am - 1:00pm Mondays and Wednesdays
P: Comm Arts 355 or consent of the instructor
This course will introduce students to three-dimensional computer modeling and animation in Autodesk Maya. While the particular focus of the class is 3D character animation and most students will produce a short 3D animation as their final project, students may also explore a broad range of creative applications and avenues for development including special effects, compositing with video, and motion graphics. The possibilities and implications of these digital processes will likewise be considered throughout the term, enabling students to develop a critical and aesthetic basis for the evaluation of their use, both in their films and videos as well as among broader cultural applications.
The first half of the semester the class will focus on learning 3D computer modeling and animation basics through structured in-class tutorials and weekly practice assignments. During this time, students should begin visualizing their individual projects and assessing methods of incorporating 3D graphics into their time-based work. During the second half of the semester, students will pursue individual projects, and class time will increasingly be spent discussing and demonstrating more advanced and personalized working method, critiquing specific works in progress, and finally, presenting final projects.
659 Advanced Motion Picture Production Workshop
Instructor: Professor JJ Murphy
Lecture: 12:30 - 3:30 pm Tuesdays
Lab: 4:00 - 6:00 pm Tuesdays
P: Comm Arts 467 & written consent of instructor
In this class, advanced students work in small groups in a workshop setting to refine their skills through the production of 30-minute narrative film projects, based on scripts written in Comm Arts 465: Writing for Television and Film. There will be a division of labor on each project. The class will be divided into crews consisting of rotating positions: director, cinematographer, assistant camera person, sound recordist, and boom operator. Each crew will produce one film. The main focus of the class involves the cinematic treatment of selected screenplays from script to final edited stage.
