STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES PROGRESS REPORT
Annual Progress Report Form: Academic Year 2009-2010 Due: June 15, 2010
Each year, schools and departments analyze the state of their outcomes. The SLO Progress Reports document program improvements in regards to student learning at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.
Department Mission Statement: The School of Filmmaking at UNC School of the Arts has its own mission statement:
SoF Mission Statement:
The School of Filmmaking is first and foremost an arts conservatory, preparing both our undergraduate and graduate students for careers in the moving image arts and industries.
Measurable Student Learning Outcome:
1. Professional Readiness
- Ability to work in the professional environment with a broad-stroke understanding of how movies are made and the individual specialty skills involved.
- Ability to create a compelling reel or portfolio to profile themselves for specialized industry opportunities.
Assessment Measures:
X Final projects X Skill exams
X Written faculty assessments X One-on-one conferences
Other: hands-on practical workshops; course projects that involve creating portfolio/reels
Assessment Results:
- hands-on practical coursework (learning by doing) continues to help our students achieve this SLO.
Measurable Student Learning Outcome:
2. Professional Communication
- Ability to communicate using industry terminology.
- Understanding of research required for film projects and professional presentations.
Assessment Measures:
X Final projects X Skill exams
X Written faculty assessments X One-on-one conferences
Other_________________________________________________________________________
Assessment Results:
- lecture/lab-based courses with these goals in mind continue to help our students achieve this SLO.
Measurable Student Learning Outcome:
3. Creative Collaboration
- Ability to assemble and work effectively with a team on film projects.
Assessment Measures:
X Final projects X Skill exams
X Written faculty assessments X One-on-one conferences
Other_________________________________________________________________________
Assessment Results:
- Our students continue to achieve this SLO.
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Measurable Student Learning Outcome:
4. Visual Storytelling
- Understanding of story and how it is advanced through the arts of story development and screenwriting, as well as acting, directing, art direction, cinematography, picture-editing and sound design.
- Ability to tell a compelling visual story.
- Ability to conform written concepts and stories to the visual medium, beginning with storyboards.
Assessment Measures:
X Final projects X Skill exams
X Written faculty assessments X One-on-one conferences
Other_________________________________________________________________________
Assessment Results:
- Given feedback from last year’s course evaluations, we revamped our series of “Visual Storytelling”
classes to better help our students achieve this SLO. We also added other classes with course content directly pertaining to story development and 2-dimensional sequential design.
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Measurable Student Learning Outcome:
5. Critical Analysis
- Understanding of film history, aesthetics, and technology.
- Ability to apply understanding of film history, aesthetics, and technology to identify and solve contemporary filmmaking problems.
Assessment Measures:
X Final projects X Skill exams
X Written faculty assessments X One-on-one conferences
Other_________________________________________________________________________
Assessment Results:
- Our Cinema Studies classes, in conjunction with hands-on production, continue to help our students achieve this SLO.
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Measurable Student Learning Outcome:
6. Technical Skills
- Ability to properly set up and operate all basic grip and lighting equipment.
- Ability to operate properly all production equipment, such as the Panasonic DVX video camera and Sound Devices sound mixer.
- Understanding of and ability to implement Final Cut Pro editing software.
Assessment Measures:
X Final projects X Skill exams
X Written faculty assessments X One-on-one conferences
Other_________________________________________________________________________
Assessment Results:
- Our workshops and other lecture/lab courses plus hands-on projects continue to enable our students to achieve this SLO.
In support of achievement of Professional Readiness, etc., if this is helpful, here is a list of School of Filmmaking students’ film festival achievements, professional internships, plus alumni creative work in both film and television:
FESTIVAL ACHIEVEMENTS:
- In August 2009 we sent early films of alums Danny McBride, David Gordon Green to a Sundance Special Screening called “Downtown and Dirty Short Films” – a prestigious event featuring films from three of our alumni. This screening also gave us entry waivers to Sundance Film Festival for the first time ever.
- MIKE (2009) and MACAWESOME (2009) were Angelus Awards semi-finalists.
- MIKE, MACAWESOME, MILITIES CHRISTI (2009), and NIGHTLIGHTS (2009) screened in Asheville Film Festival.
- MILITIES CHRISTI and MACAWESOME were both finalists in the student narrative category or the Beaufort Kaleidoscope Film Festival.
- NIGHTLIGHTS, a PSA for Partnership for a Drug Free America, and the Music Video ME HAVE FUN screened as part of the Worldfest Houston Festival representing some of our first short films in the categories of animation, public service announcements and music videos. NIGHTLIGHTS was awarded a Silver Remi , the PSA and ME HAVE FUN were both awarded Bronze Remi’s - MIKE was also chosen to screen at the 2010 RiverRun International Film Festival.
- MACAWSOME was chosen to screen at Tel Aviv University International Film Student Festival.
- Conor Maloney, a first year student was name one of ten finalists from the top 12 film schools in the USA in the Coca-Cola Refreshing Filmmaker Contest. Conor was awarded $7500 to make his short film for Coca-Cola which we shot on 35mm film with a loaned Panavision Camera during Intensive Arts.
- Brighton Linge, Jordan Taratoot, and Nick Gonzalez (all class of 2010) formed the core of a team that became our 5th consecutive Book Video Award finalist for their “trailer” for the book THE MAZE RUNNER. Random House books was so pleased with their work that they commissioned the team to create trailers for two additional books and they are still working with them today.
- Three student filmmaking teams were finalists in the Creative Vado Momentum video contest using new VADO HD cameras. First year student Noah Smith was awarded second prize by the expert jury panel.
- GET LOW, a film on which seven of our students were AMPAS interns in Spring 2009, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and went on to screen (including screen credit for our interns) at noted festivals worldwide – including CamerImage in Poland, San Sebastian Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival, Tribeca Film Festival, San Francisco Film Festival etc. and will be released by Sony Pictures Classics July 31.
- B FOR BEEKEEPER from the class of 2007 was chosen to screen as a documentary finalist at NEXT REEL a prestigious international student film festival hosted by New York University at their Singapore campus this past academic year. Faculty member Wayne Crawford was invited to serve on the festival jury.
- TELENOVELA (2009) will screen at film schools worldwide during the summer as part of the FIFTH CILECT PRIZE Competition. (Results in late September 2010).
INTERNSHIPS:
- Alumni David Gordon Green, Danny McBride and Jody Hill invited six UNCSA students to intern in Hollywood, CA at their new production company ROUGH HOUSE.
- Rising Year 4 students Eli-Wallace Johansson and Spencer Goodall were invited to intern on WHAT’S YOUR NUMBER, a feature film shooting in Boston, MA. This is the fourth feature film this same camera crew has invited UNCSA students to intern.
- First student internship with the Cartoon Network.
- First student internship with Paradigm Agency, directly aided by an alumni now working at United Talent Agency.
- First student internship with BBC Worldwide.
- First student internship with Bedford Falls Production Company.
- Current students are interning with the Miami-Dade Film Commission, the North Carolina Film
Commission, the Charlotte Film Commission, the Piedmont Triad Film Commission and the RiverRun International Film Festival.
- Three other alumni have invited student interns to their companies/feature films for the summer.
- 22 students were able to intern this past spring on SMURFS, Dean Jordan Kerner’s new feature film:
students from all disciplines were able to “shadow” the key creative crew member in their discipline as well as live in New York and explore the film industry there for two weeks at a time. Lillian Dawson parlayed her shadowing experience into a paying editing production assistant job on the post
production phase of THE SMURFS MOVIE, making Lillian the first in the class of 2010 to land a job after graduation – though the book video students (Jordan, Brighton, Nick) are still being
commissioned to create book trailers.
- On that note, Sam Dellenbach’s AMPAS internship at OTX Film Research last year lead to two jobs offered to her on the LA trip – she will have a job starting next week as well.
And finally, in keeping up with School of Filmmaking Alumni:
- David Gordon Green, Danny McBride, Jody Hill have formed our first alumni production company, with a first-look deal with Mandate Pictures, a division of Lionsgate.
- David, Danny, Tim Orr, Ben Best, Chris Gibert and more alumni have created YOUR HIGHNESS, a feature film shot on location in Ireland to be released by Universal Pictures next April (2011).
- HBO has ordered a second season of the Danny, David, Jody, Ben Best’s show EASTBOUND AND DOWN, now shooting in Puerto Rico and finishing in Wilmington, NC in the fall.
- Chris Gibert continues to work as production sound mixer on all Danny, David, and Jody’s films, as well as many others.
- Tyler Cook is an editor on the above HBO series EASTBOUND AND DOWN.
- Tim Orr and Matt Petrosky work as cinematographers on YOUR HIGHNESS, OBSERVE AND REPORT, and EASTBOUND AND DOWN.
- Will Files continues to work at Skywalker Sound - Ben Wolf continues to work at United Talent Agency.
- Sheelin Choksey is in his fifth season on THE CLOSER as producer and expects to direct an episode this year.
- Jen Haire is in her fourth season as production coordinator on THE CLOSER. Jen is also a member of Producer’s Guild of America, and principal/officer along with Rebecca Green in UNCSA Alumni Association West – actively spearheading a drive to connect and network all UNCSA grads and keep them working.
- Rachel Wilkin is in her fourth season as set decorating buyer on ONE TREE HILL.
- Glenn Peison is in his second season in the art/greens department on ARMY WIVES.
- Andrea Crampe is in her fourth season as an accountant on ARMY WIVES.
- Aaron Katz, Brendan McFadden and Andy Reed created their third independent feature film, COLD WEATHER, which is also their third feature film to premiere at noted South by Southwest Film Festival
- Martha Stephens created PASSENGER PIGEONS, her first independent feature film with a crew of three or four other alumni. The film premiered at South by Southwest and won the Chicken and the Egg Pictures special “We Believe In You” award for a woman director.
- Craig Zobel’s new feature film script CANARY was chosen to be workshopped at prestigious Sundance Institute Screenwriters Lab.
- Steven Phares is working at In Sync and is winning awards for creating film movie trailers.
- Brad Baker is working for the University of Georgia branch of the Winston-Salem-based company ISP Sports, which is contracted to film all UGA teams and promotions.
- Chris Waild is a writer on the number-one rated TV show NCIS.
- Mark Freiburger is working with Michael Bay’s company, also directing commercials now. In late summer, early fall he will direct his third feature film, shooting in NC and using current students as interns.
- Nick Panagopolus continues to run production company Brainbox in Washington, DC, and also hires fellow alums to shoot NASCAR-related projects in Charlotte, NC.
- Ryen Thomas is working for Halogen Network in Charlotte, NC.
- Multiple alumni are working for Triage Entertainment in LA, the company that created the History Channel series MADHOUSE about Bowman Gray Stock Car Races.
- Mark Goldberg and Purvis Jordan are working for Herzog Entertainment – creating EPK (Electronic Press Kit) packages for multiple feature films and television shows.
- Nick Coviello and Melissa Lawlor are working for Retirement Living TV in Washington, DC.
- Reynolds Anderson works for In Cahoots Productions.
- Justin Hantz is working as a freelance music video director.
- John Roberts opened a second office of his THIRD FLOOR Productions company, and now creates industrials, commercials, training videos, webisodes, web interactive materials for companies in North Carolina and Washington, DC.
- Summer Shelton is an Independent Producer in NY.
- Gilana Lobel is working freelance as a production secretary in NY, and is the principal officer in UNCSA East, beginning to work to connect NY area filmmakers.
