Film Business, Marketing, and Distribution

Modality: MDC Live
Lectures: Tuesdays and Thursdays
3:10 PM - 6:30 PM
Blackboard Collaborate Synchronous

Professor Agustin Gonzalez

Office: North Campus Room 2235

Best way to reach me: Agonza29@mdc.edu

*If you reach me with a question answered in the syllabus, I will reply with a link to the syllabus.

Office Hours

Mondays 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM (Remote)

Mondays 4:30 PM - 6:30 PM (Remote)

Wednesday 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM (Remote)

Wednesday 4:30 PM - 6:30 PM (Remote)

Office hours help students seek clarification and support on assignments, discussions, lectures, and projects. Office hours are not, however, a substitute for missed classes. Though these are my official office hours, the remote environment affords me much additional flexibility throughout the week; if these hours do not work, please contact me, and I would be happy to accommodate you at a different time.

You can schedule an appointment using the following Calendly link: Schedule an appointment

I am here to help you and support you. Please talk to me should you have problems keeping up with the class.

Course Description and Competencies

An introduction to the business of film. Students will learn about motion picture packaging, production, marketing, and distribution.

Competency 1: The student will comprehend industry-standard practices in setting up a professional film production.

Competency 2: The student will understand the contributing factors involved in film marketing.

Competency 3: The student will comprehend successful film distribution strategies.

Through the academic disciplines and co-curricular activities, MDC provides multiple, varied, and intentional learning experiences to facilitate the acquisition of fundamental knowledge and skills. MDC's Ten Learning Outcomes foster effective citizenship and life-long learning.

In addition to the competencies listed above, this class will require that you:

Learning Outcome 1: Communicate effectively using listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills.
Learning Outcome 3: Solve problems using critical and creative thinking and scientific reasoning

Textbook

There is no textbook for this class. Students will be assigned readings throughout the term and will be reading various trade magazine websites for current industry news.

Technology

For this class you are required to have a computer with an internet connection in order to access Blackboard .

In addition, we will be meeting synchronously every week of the term. Though a camera is not needed, it is appreciated if I could see you every once in a while. A microphone, however, is mandatory.

Attendance

Attendance is mandatory. This class is online synchronous with blended elements. We will meet weekly on Blackboard for lecture and you will complete additional assignments online on a weekly basis.

Generally, absences in 3 or more classes result in a course failure.

With the pandemic still being of concern, you must inform the institution should you become ill. Please register with MDC's contact tracing website upon obtaining a positive test result. Please do this before contacting me about potential absences. The school will inform me of your positive status, and I will follow up with you about the class.

Report your virus case

Course Withdrawal

It is your responsibility to withdraw from the course. However, I reserve the right to withdraw students from the course if:

They are absent more than three times before July 5.

They have not completed the majority of the required work before July 5.

Students who meet the above criteria will receive an email stating that they will be withdrawn from the course by July 15.

Academic Dishonesty

Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated. If students are suspected of classroom cheating, plagiarism, or otherwise misrepresenting their work, they will be subject to procedural due process as laid out in the Student Rights and Responsibilities Handbook.

Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, the following:

• cheating on an examination;

• receiving help from others in work to be submitted, if contrary to the stated rules of the course;

• plagiarizing; that is, the taking and claiming as one's own the ideas, writings, or work of another, without citing the sources;

• submitting work from another course unless permitted by the instructor;

• stealing examinations or course materials;

• falsifying records;

• assisting anyone to do any of the above.

Disability Statement

Students who have a disability that might affect their performance in the class are encouraged to contact Access Services in confidence as soon as possible. The office will aid in appropriate accommodations for the student. This is in accordance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Please inform me during the first week of classes if you need special accommodations due to a disability that might otherwise affect your performance in our class.

Success In This Class

Be present: This class is not difficult, but the material can sometimes seem intimidating. Being in class to ask questions is imperative to doing well.

Turn in all assignments: You have three weekly assignments, not doing them adds up over the length of the course.

Complete your exams: You will have every tool to do well on the exams, but you must be consistent about how you prepare.

Exams

There will be two exams; a midterm and a final. The exams will cover the lectures. Students will take the exams on Blackboard, and you will have a specific period to complete them. Exams are timed to 3 hours and you must complete them in one session.

Weekly Assignment #1: Exam Questions

In this class, you will be designing your examinations. After every class, you will turn in 3 possible test questions for that day's lecture through Blackboard.

The questions must:

1) Attempt to engage in higher-order thinking. (Avoid questions that ask a definition. Use terms in scenarios).

2) Not be of the true or false variety.

3) Must be answered correctly.

4) Questions must be turned in on a Word Document.

I will select the best questions from all course sections and place them in a pool from which your exams will draw. You will have access to this pool throughout the semester.

This assignment will be graded on the following criteria.

1 point for each correctly answered question.
1 point for following instructions.
1 Point for spelling and grammar.

Questions must be turned in by 11:59 PM after every class day.

This assignment cannot be made up if missed.

Weekly Assignments # 2: News Recap

Every class day of the term, you will post a film business news article accompanied by a summary of that article written by you. The summary must be at least 100 words long to receive credit.

- The article must be from that week.

- You cannot repeat a story already provided by another student, even if it is from another publication. (We are using a forum format, you will be able to see what everyone has turned in to ensure you are not duplicating information.) Duplicate stories will not receive credit for the assignment.

We will begin some class sessions with a news recap, time allowing. Some of you will present your articles to the class and face some follow-up questions from me. Everyone will present a couple of times throughout the term.

You can post articles from several publications, including:

Variety

The Hollywood Reporter

Deadline Hollywood

Any trade-specific publication or reputable blog.

You may NOT post:

Casting notices or hiring notices.

Reviews of any sort.

This week will be graded on the following criteria.

1 point for following instructions
1 point for spelling and grammar

This assignment must be turned in 11:59 PM after every class day..

This assignment cannot be made up if missed.

Weekly Assignments # 3: The Business Podcast

Every week, you are going to listen to The Business with Kim Masters.

You will complete short weekly reflections on the 30-minute podcast to be turned in by Thursday at 11:59 PM.

These reflections must highlight 3 things you learned from the podcast and must be at least 100 words long.

This assignment will be graded on the following criteria:

1 point for following instructions
1 point for spelling and grammar

This assignment must be turned in by 11:59 PM Thursdays.

This assignment cannot be made up if missed.

On my various syllabi you will find pictures and trailers for the films that defined my love of cinema. The Lion in Winter (1968) by Anthony Harvey is wickedly funny film. Based on a play by the same name, this is a story of a dysfunctional family told with a dark wit that is masterfully delivered. The performance won Katherine Hepburn her third Academy Award. Her performance is a masterclass in camp delivery.