Summer Development Leave Report, 2008
Writing a Film Textbook
by Diane Howard, Ph.D.
Copyright © 2008
During the summer of 2008, I worked on a textbook for UMHB film courses. Since 2004, I have been producing curriculum and teaching materials for students in our UMHB film classes. This textbook has been intended for submission for publication to McGraw-Hill Inc., which has published my other three textbooks for UMHB Communication and Media Studies courses.
In 2002, the first, high-profile movie was shot on digital video. Since then, a digital film revolution has been emerging from the grassroots up. I collaborated with UMHB’s computer graphics design professor, Donna Teel, to develop a film program at UMHB, using digital technology resources and talent at our university. Donna has been teaching computer graphics design in the College of Business and I have been teaching Performance Studies in the Dept. of Comm. & Media Studies in the College of Humanities. Together we designed a film program and minor. See http://dianehoward.com/curricula.htm.
The UMHB Film Minor consists of 18 semester hours and must include the following requisites:
COMM 3340- Screenwriting
COMM 4391- Acting for the Camera
BCIS 3335- Digital Video
BCIS 4335- Post ProductionIt includes two electives from the following:
BCIS 3370- 3D Modeling
BCIS 3391- Animation, Film and Multimedia Production
BCIS 4370- Applied Systems Development
BCIS 4395- Internship
COMM 4395- Internship
COMM 3390- Film Studies
COMM 4370- Distance Communication and Performance
COMM 4191-4491- Seminars
COMM 4190-4490- Independent StudiesSince the beginning of our UMHB Film Program, Donna Teel and I have been keeping records and developing materials for UMHB film projects and courses. We have been collating our documents for a multi-purpose textbook to guide our film students in our classes and through the processes of developing digital films from script to screen.
During the summer of ’08, I worked on my chapters and addenda that I plan to contribute to this co-authored work. In the past, I have used summer development leaves to produce three performance studies textbooks for McGraw-Hill. Our UMHB performance studies students have used these textbooks in the communication courses that I have taught. These books have also been used by other educational and professional personnel in performance communication fields around the world.
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