TELEVISION PERFORMANCE ComSt 351

Instructor: Dr. Richard F. Taflinger
Phone: 335-1530
Office: Murrow 241
Office Hours: MWF 12:00 - 1:00 OBA
E-mail: taflinge@wsu.edu (office); richt@turbonet.com (home)
Home page: http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~taflinge/index.html

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this course is to train you in the techniques and tricks of appearing on television. It is not an acting class, although any time you appear on TV you're acting. What you will be is yourself -- only better (at least in terms of the special conditions imposed by TV). The two major areas we will be examining are Appearance and Performance.
Appearance includes every aspect of what you look like on the screen. Thus, we will cover the fundamentals of make-up, hair, clothing, and accessories. In case you're wondering, nobody on television really looks like that -- they're all sculpted and coiffed for the best appearance possible. This part of the course may be a bit difficult on your self-esteem and/or sense of style, so don't be offended when I tell you what's wrong with your face (which I'm going to do). The purpose is not to belittle you, but you tell you what you need to fix. And I will tell you how to fix it. You may also think punk is the height of fashion, but your average employer wants standard, not unique, and unless you're only going to send applications to MTV, standard is what you better be. That's what I will be teaching you. So be prepared to change your style, if only during the assignments.
You will be doing make-up, so be prepared. You will be required to dress appropriately for some assignments, so be prepared. You will have to do your hair for some assignments, so be prepared.
Performance includes every aspect of what you do on the screen. Thus, we will cover the fundamentals of voice, diction, gesture, and facial expression. You will be reading various news stories and be critiqued on how you say the words and what you do while saying them. A major part of this course will be oral interpretation, the way you say things. If you don't say it correctly, you haven't said it at all. And, of course, your facial expressions or gestures can completely reverse the meaning of what you say. Everything has to match.

ASSIGNMENTS
This is a lab with lecture course. The class will be divided in two lab sections, one meeting on Mondays and the other on Wednesday. In these labs you will do your on-camera performances (100 points each) and be critiqued immediately after your performance. The lectures will be on Fridays, as will the weekly script-marking exercises (100 points each). The final will include all aspects of the course: anchoring (50 pts), make-up (50 pts), dress (50 pts), script analysis and marking (300 pts), readings (250 pts) and cold reading (total=700 points).

GRADING
Although I know none of you are in here for the grade, but rather for the sheer joy of learning, I suppose I should mention grading. Because of the nature of a course like this, the grading is totally subjective: that is, it is strictly my opinion of how well or poorly you do, in either your on-camera performance or your choices in the script-marking exercises. For example, a script exercise is worth 100 points; you lose one point for each (in my opinion) error in marking. The performance grades are actually letter grades converted to percentages (1%=1 point). A = no errors; A- = a small error; B+ = two errors or one major error; B = 3 errors; B- = 4 errors; C+ = 5 errors; etc.. Minor errors include falling into monotonous vocal patterns, poor and/or erroneous eye contact, wrong pronunciation (per instance), poor posture, etc.. A major error would include losing it on camera, inappropriate emphases, lack of energy, poor enunciation, no eye contact, chewing gum, wearing a hat, etc.. I will be taking improvement into account, but I will also get more critical as time goes on, getting pickier about small things, and remembering past mistakes -- the more often I have to tell the same individual about the same error, the greater weight that error will receive. Thus, I would advise not making the same error over and over. I will expect improvement, not be pleased by it.
Please note that about the only way to get an F is to not show up for either an exercise or a performance; just showing up is worth points. Thus, this class is tough to flunk, but it can be done -- don't.

COURSE OUTLINE
Week 1 8/26-30: Introduction to the course; script analysis and marking.
Week 2 9/2-6: Monday is Labor Day: no class Mon.; anchoring.
Week 3 9/9-13: First performance -- where are you now?; mark 1; discussion of first performances.
Week 4 9/16-20: Second performance -- anchoring; mark 2; word pronunciation.
Week 5 9/23-27: Third performance -- getting very picky (this will probably be the most irritating and frustrating of the assignments; as you perform, I will stop you every time you make an error, which may be every other word. Then you will go back and do it again until you do it right. Then you will do the entire piece. See what I mean about frustrating?); mark 3; name pronunciation.
Week 6 9/30-10/4: Third performance (continued)-- getting very picky; make-up.
Week 7 10/7 - 11: Doing make-up (we will meet in the Daggy Hall make-up room; bring your makeup and be prepared to put it on); mark 4; cold reading.
Week 8 10/14 - 18: Fourth performance -- cold reading; mark 5; Dress and hair. What to wear, how to wear it. Accessorizing; doing standup.
Week 9 10/21 - 25: Fifth performance -- standup (dress appropriately); mark 6; doing weather and sports.
Week 10 10/28 - 11/1: Sixth performance -- second standup (dress appropriately); TBA
Week 11 11/4 - 8: Seventh performance -- final dress; come in make-up and appropriately dressed; TBA
Week 12 11/11 - 15: Monday is Veteran's Day: no class Mon. or Wed.; doing the final.
Weeks 13, (Thanksgiving Break), 14 and 15: Final presentations.

You can reach me by e-mail at: richt@turbonet.com

This page was created by Richard F. Taflinger. Thus, all errors, bad links, and even worse style are entirely his fault.

Copyright © 1996 Richard F. Taflinger.
This and all other pages created by and containing the original work of Richard F. Taflinger are copyrighted, and are thus subject to fair use policies, and may not be copied, in whole or in part, without express written permission of the author richt@turbonet.com.

Disclaimers
The information provided on this and other pages by me, Richard F. Taflinger (richt@turbonet.com), is under my own personal responsibility and not that of Washington State University or the Edward R. Murrow School of Communication. Similarly, any opinions expressed are my own and are in no way to be taken as those of WSU or ERMSC.

In addition,
I, Richard F. Taflinger, accept no responsibility for WSU or ERMSC material or policies. Statements issued on behalf of Washington State University are in no way to be taken as reflecting my own opinions or those of any other individual. Nor do I take responsibility for the contents of any Web Pages listed here other than my own.