Southern Utah University

Course Syllabus

Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Fall Semester 2025

Personal Cinema (Face-to-Face)

FILM 1100-02

Course: FILM 1100-02
Credits: 3
Term: Fall Semester 2025
Department: ARTD
CRN: 32621

Course Description

Using their personal stories as basis, students write, produce, edit, and screen an individual project aimed at developing their individual voice as an artist. (Fall, Spring, Summer [As Needed]) [Graded (Standard Letter)]

Required Texts

Schroeppel, Tom. 2015. The Bare Bones Camera Course for Film and Video, Third Ed. New York, NY: Allworth Press.

Learning Outcomes

Learning Outcomes

Students will be able to demonstrate the ability to effectively shoot footage for professional/artistic video projects. Students will be able to demonstrate the ability to use creative thinking to generate original ideas for video projects. Students will be able to utilize creative/critical thinking to assess and troubleshoot common problems which occur during shooting. 

Course Requirements

Course Requirements

Video Framing & Message (10%)
 Part 1: Shoot and select a visually clean and composed set of images in one long take, which incorporates all of the standard camera positionings of a film shoot (e.g., extreme close-up, close-up, medium shot, long shot) with 45 degree position changes between some of those.
 Part 2: Create a 15-second video using two images or video clips, two sounds, and one quote (either text on screen or voice-over narration) to modify their meaning through editing.

Technical analysis of camera and editing choices in a favorite film (10%)

Sonic Self-Portrait (5%) in a short film: total film length of 30 to 60 seconds. Record 3 sounds that represent your identity and edit them together. Select a visual image or a series of images that either go with the sound, or are tangentially related to the sound/ your identity. This does not need to be a masterpiece, just have fun collecting some of your favorite sounds and package it into a very short film

Video Montage (5%): total length of 1 minute (if your chosen song or speech goes longer than that, just fade the sound out at around 1 minute)
 Focus on composition and visual sequencing to create a narrative. Build the montage around an existing song (for the purposes of this assignment, it can be copyrighted music), movie dialogue excerpt, interview quote, or speech by someone else. The footage will be found footage or archival footage utilized under “Fair Use” principles (i.e., footage you can legally use for your own creative projects, under certain limitations and parameters which will be covered in class).

Film Pitch for the final “Short Essay Film” (10%)

Short Essay Film Rough Cut (10%)
 Part 1: Write an original script and get feedback.
 Part 2: Shoot and edit a 3-10 minute rough draft.


 Short Essay Film Final (40%)
 Finalize the 3-10 minute film, incorporating feedback. Focus on visuals, sound, and effective storytelling.


 Attendance & Participation (10%)

Course Outline

Course Outline

1. Introduction to Course & Assignments
 Overview of the syllabus, assignments, and class objectives. Introduction to the first project: Video Message Assignment.
 2. Short Essay Film Overview
 Viewing and discussing examples of short essay films to explore their structure, themes, and visual storytelling techniques.
 3. Basics of Short Essay Films
 Introduction to the fundamentals of short essay films, focusing on narrative, theme, and visual composition.
 4. Structure & Ideas in Short Essay Films
 Exploring the structure of short essay films and how ideas are developed and presented visually.
 5. Story Development and Script Writing
 Workshops and exercises to develop story ideas for short essay films, with an emphasis on writing and refining scripts.
 6. Camera Techniques and Composition
 Discussing technical aspects like shot composition, camera techniques, and how they enhance storytelling in short films.
 7. Aesthetics and Meaning in Shots
 Analyzing how shot composition, lighting, and framing can convey deeper meaning and emotion within a scene.
 8. Editing Techniques
 Introduction to film editing using Adobe Premiere Pro in the Mac lab, including structuring a film in post-production and using editing to craft the story.
 9. Sound Design and Music
 Exploring how sound effects, music, and voiceover can complement visuals and enhance storytelling.
 10. Critiques and Feedback
 Regular viewing and critique of student projects (Video Message, Montage, Rough Cuts), providing feedback on visual storytelling, pacing, and editing.
 11. Final Project: Essay Film
 Students shoot, edit, and finalize their short essay films, incorporating feedback from previous critiques. Emphasis on refining ideas, sound, visuals, and overall narrative.
 Throughout the course, students work on developing their technical skills in camera work, editing, and sound design while refining their creative storytelling abilities. Each lecture and lab session builds towards producing a final short essay film.

Instructor's policies on late assignments and/or makeup work

INSTRUCTOR’S POLICIES ON LATE ASSIGNMENTS AND/ OR MAKEUP WORK

If you are unable to submit assignments on the scheduled day and time, students should contact the professor right away by e-mail and schedule a time during his office hours the following week to submit the assignment. If his office hours do not work for you, e-mail the professor and arrange to take it another time the following week, during regular business hours (Mon-Fri, 9 am to 5pm). If the assignment needs to be delayed further, students are required to see the Dean of Students. The Dean will ask for documentation that helps to explain your situation (e.g., a doctor’s note, etc.), but the Dean is here to support you, and to validate absences that should be excused by professors. In many cases, the Dean can keep the reasons for your absence confidential. 

Attendance Policy

Attendance Policy

Attendance will be taken at the beginning of each class meeting. Your attendance grade is based on how often you attend (students who miss more than 3 classes will see their attendance grade drop). If you miss 8 or more times (equivalent to missing 1/3 of classes), you will automatically fail the course.

ADA Statement

Students with medical, psychological, learning, or other disabilities desiring academic adjustments, accommodations, or auxiliary aids will need to contact the Disability Resource Center, located in Room 206F of the Sharwan Smith Center or by phone at (435) 865-8042. The Disability Resource Center determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of services.

If your instructor requires attendance, you may need to seek an ADA accommodation to request an exception to this attendance policy. Please contact the Disability Resource Center to determine what, if any, ADA accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

Academic Credit

According to the federal definition of a Carnegie credit hour: A credit hour of work is the equivalent of approximately 60 minutes of class time or independent study work. A minimum of 45 hours of work by each student is required for each unit of credit. Credit is earned only when course requirements are met. One (1) credit hour is equivalent to 15 contact hours of lecture, discussion, testing, evaluation, or seminar, as well as 30 hours of student homework. An equivalent amount of work is expected for laboratory work, internships, practica, studio, and other academic work leading to the awarding of credit hours. Credit granted for individual courses, labs, or studio classes ranges from 0.5 to 15 credit hours per semester.

Academic Freedom

SUU is operated for the common good of the greater community it serves. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. Academic Freedom is the right of faculty to study, discuss, investigate, teach, and publish. Academic Freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research.

Academic Freedom in the realm of teaching is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the faculty member and of you, the student, with respect to the free pursuit of learning and discovery. Faculty members possess the right to full freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects. They may present any controversial material relevant to their courses and their intended learning outcomes, but they shall take care not to introduce into their teaching controversial materials which have no relation to the subject being taught or the intended learning outcomes for the course.

As such, students enrolled in any course at SUU may encounter topics, perspectives, and ideas that are unfamiliar or controversial, with the educational intent of providing a meaningful learning environment that fosters your growth and development. These parameters related to Academic Freedom are included in SUU Policy 6.6.

Academic Misconduct

Scholastic honesty is expected of all students. Dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent (see SUU Policy 6.33). You are expected to have read and understood the current SUU student conduct code (SUU Policy 11.2) regarding student responsibilities and rights, the intellectual property policy (SUU Policy 5.52), information about procedures, and what constitutes acceptable behavior.

Please Note: The use of websites or services that sell essays is a violation of these policies; likewise, the use of websites or services that provide answers to assignments, quizzes, or tests is also a violation of these policies. Regarding the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), you should check with your individual course instructor.

Emergency Management Statement

In case of an emergency, the University's Emergency Notification System (ENS) will be activated. Students are encouraged to maintain updated contact information using the link on the homepage of the mySUU portal. In addition, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Emergency Response Protocols posted in each classroom. Detailed information about the University's emergency management plan can be found at https://www.suu.edu/emergency.

HEOA Compliance Statement

For a full set of Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) compliance statements, please visit https://www.suu.edu/heoa. The sharing of copyrighted material through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, except as provided under U.S. copyright law, is prohibited by law; additional information can be found at https://my.suu.edu/help/article/1096/heoa-compliance-plan.

You are also expected to comply with policies regarding intellectual property (SUU Policy 5.52) and copyright (SUU Policy 5.54).

Mandatory Reporting

University policy (SUU Policy 5.60) requires instructors to report disclosures received from students that indicate they have been subjected to sexual misconduct/harassment. The University defines sexual harassment consistent with Federal Regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106, Subpart D) to include quid pro quo, hostile environment harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. When students communicate this information to an instructor in-person, by email, or within writing assignments, the instructor will report that to the Title IX Coordinator to ensure students receive support from the Title IX Office. A reporting form is available at https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv

Non-Discrimination Statement

SUU is committed to fostering an inclusive community of lifelong learners and believes our university's encompassing of different views, beliefs, and identities makes us stronger, more innovative, and better prepared for the global society.

SUU does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex (including sex discrimination and sexual harassment), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, disability status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or other bases protected by applicable law in employment, treatment, admission, access to educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services.

SUU strives to cultivate a campus environment that encourages freedom of expression from diverse viewpoints. We encourage all to dialogue within a spirit of respect, civility, and decency.

For additional information on non-discrimination, please see SUU Policy 5.27 and/or visit https://www.suu.edu/nondiscrimination.

Pregnancy

Students who are or become pregnant during this course may receive reasonable modifications to facilitate continued access and participation in the course. Pregnancy and related conditions are broadly defined to include pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, and recovery. To obtain reasonable modifications, please make a request to title9@suu.edu. To learn more visit: https://www.suu.edu/titleix/pregnancy.html.

Disclaimer Statement

Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.