philip lelyveld The world of entertainment technology

Can you teach ceramics and theater on Zoom? Yes, and here’s how

Professors who reworked instructional plans to move courses online could learn lessons from professionals working in the film and television industries, said David Isaacs, professor of screen and television writing and interim chair of the John Wells Writing Division in the USC School of Cinematic Arts.

To work in the entertainment industry, “you need to adapt to survive,” he said. “You need to adapt to create.”

Isaacs, whose writing credits include Cheers and Mad Men, described the sudden shift to online classes as “a great object lesson in adaptation” for the school’s students. That especially applies to those working on USC Comedy Live, the university’s sketch comedy show. The Saturday Night Live-style program is typically broadcast live in front of a studio audience in the Zemeckis Center for Digital Arts on the University Park Campus. But the pandemic spurred students to write “Zoom sketches” and create short films at home to air during the show, Isaacs said.

Even though students now live many time zones apart, cinematic arts faculty strive to structure their online classes so they still feel familiar to students, Isaacs said. Students who feel uneasy because of the pandemic may find that focusing their creative energy on class provides an outlet, he added.

See the full story here: https://news.usc.edu/169785/usc-online-classes-ceramics-theater-architecture-arts-remote-teaching/