Course Content

Towards a Career in Digital Media: High School Teacher's Guide

A successful career in Digital Media inevitably means being part of a creative team. Towards a Career in Digital Media prepares students for that reality.

This 12-lesson mini-course, intended to be integrated into existing curriculum, is for grade 12 students in visual arts, language arts and computer science who are contemplating a career in the Digital Media industry. Through the specific learning objectives of each lesson, they come together as a simulated Digital Media team: they gain understanding of their vital individual roles in creating a DM product, and are exposed to the full range of skills needed by the other players on the team.

For the affordable price of $199.99 you can have this excellent resource, including over 180 slides, to open up a career in Digital Media for your students. The price includes a licence for your class for one year to access all these materials.

The Guide is based on CHRC's Interactive Digital Media Team Competency Chart which describes what workers in DM will need to be able to do to work as team players on a DM project.

The 12 lessons include:

• Lesson 1 - Generating a concept
• Lesson 2 - Pre-production
• Lesson 3 - Production
• Lesson 4 - Marketing
• Lesson 5 - Exploring Visual Design: all students will get an overview of basic concepts in visual arts.
• Lesson 6 - The Visual Artist on a DM Team: what the visual artist needs to be able to do to work on a DM Team.
• Lesson 7 - Exploring Writing: all students will get an overview of basic concepts in writing.
• Lesson 8 - The Writer on a DM Team: what the writer needs to be able to do to work on a DM Team.
• Lesson 9 - Exploring Programming: all students will get an overview of basic concepts in programmers.
• Lesson 10 - The Programmer on a DM Team: what the programmer needs to be able to do to work on a DM Team.
• Lesson 11 - Personal and interpersonal skills needed to be a DM Team member. A career in the digital media industry will be explored.
• Lesson 12 - Reflection and Evaluation

This unique high school resource was prepared in collaboration with educators and industry professionals. It will respond to the desires of many students to break into the DM industry. It will also respond to the needs of employers who are looking for their talent and passion, tempered with skills and a realistic understanding of the DM environment they will work in.

The Towards a Career in Digital Media: High School Teacher's Guide is one of a suite of products to help the DM industry, including a competency chart and profile for in Interactive DM Team mentioned above, a resource for "Starting a DM Business", and the recently revised Interactive Zone for students seeking careers in the DM industry.

Check out these valuable teaching resources and let your colleagues know about them too!

Prepared by experienced DM content creator and producer, Ron Lamoureux, this training offering addresses the serious project management skills gap in the DM industry.

The workshop document and PowerPoint presentation explain traditional project management and then expand into the Agile project management approach that is specifically suited to the quick turnaround /decision making processes that characterize DM production.

This material was tested and refined in 4 workshops in Vancouver, Charlottetown, Saskatoon and Ottawa – to very good reviews.

“I enjoyed this training. Thrilled, I explained to some of my teammates, on my return, how we could implement it in our team. My manager really liked it. We will definitely go on with this new approach.”

- Workshop Participant

Table of Contents

• Introduction
  • The Digital Media sector
  • Why is the Digital Media sector so different?
  • Digital Media and the video game industry
  • Managing creativity
  • Managing innovation
  • Managing clients
• The "waterfall" methodology
  • Project Management context elements
  • The project processes: Working successful results
  • Project management: Coordinating project elements
  • Managing the scope or scale of the project
  • Project time management
  • Managing project costs
  • Managing project quality
  • Managing human resources
  • Managing communication
  • Managing risk
• The agile methodology
  • What is Agile?
  • Getting started
  • Creating a project team
  • Creating the skills matrix
  • The process
  • Kanban Board
  • Summary
  • Reporting
  • Why Agile?

Production Accounting 101 is a resource package for purchase by trainers who want to offer workshops or in depth courses on production accounting in the film and television industry. These resources can be directed to accountants wanting to get into the film and television industry; and to those already in the industry who want to get to the heart of it through accounting.

Production Accounting 101 includes a Course Syllabus and Instructor's Guide developed by Charles Zamaria for CHRC in 2009: Production Accounting for Film, Television and Digital Media.

The package also includes the presentation materials based on the Syllabus that were developed and delivered by industry expert John Gaskin, in workshops piloted with WIFT in Toronto and with RFAVQ in Montreal.

Testimonial

"The more these types of courses happen, the better for the industry. The industry is going through a period of intense turmoil. To survive, the sector is going to have to be nimble and think outside of the proverbial box. The course did that. Let's have more of them." – Workshop participant

Learn more about this package

Production Accounting for Film, Television and Digital Media - Course Syllabus and Instructor's Guide

Please note that this is a syllabus: guidelines for trainers to build effective courses.

• Course Description
• Course Design: Multiple Levels of Expertise
• Course Goals and Objectives
• Intended Learning Outcomes
• Proposed Course Evaluation
• Course Structure, Format and Itinerary: Teaching Guide
  • Breakdown of Course Delivery Options
• Lesson Modules
  • Ecology of a Production and Overview of Production Accounting
  • Operation and Structure of a Production Project
  • Pre-production Accounting Responsibilities
  • Budgeting: Overview
  • Budgeting: Details
  • Revenue and Funding to Cash Flow Statement
  • Other Pre-production Considerations
  • Legal Requirements and Considerations
  • Review of Bookkeping Basics and Application to Production Accounting
  • Accounting Processes and Procedures during the Production Phase
  • Cost Reporting and Other Reporting
  • Auditing: Internal and External
  • Wrap, Post-production Accounting and Afterward
• Glossary of Production Accounting Terminology
• References, Resources and Supporting Material
  • General Industry Snapshots (Statistics, Noteworthy Publications, Special Interest Groups)
  • A Guide to the Key Players (Regulators, Guilds/Unions, Major Industry Associations)
  • Financing, Sectoral Assistance and Training Programs
  • Tools and Other Resources for the Production Accountant
  • Other Production Accounting Course Material

Presentation materials

• Day 1
  • Pre-production Accounting Responsibilities
  • Budgeting: Overview
  • Budgeting: Details
• Day 2
  • Revenue and Funding to Cash Flow Statement
  • Other Prep Considerations
  • Review of Bookkeeping Basics
• Day 3
  • Accounting Processes/Procedures During Production
  • Cost Reporting & Other Reports

Convergence Media - Course Syllabus

"The line between segments of the entertainment industries are beginning to blur as screens proliferate beyond cineplex and living rooms. CHRC's Convergence Media Project is a bold step towards navigating the future of Canadian entertainment."

Ryan FitzGerald, Convergence Media Training Coordinator

Teachers and trainers interested in delivering this unique and timely workshop are asked to contact info@culturalhrc.ca.

Table of Contents [PDF format]