CMGT 586
Entertainment Media: Content, Theory, and Industry Practices
Fall 2015
Professor:
Email:
Office:
Office hours:
David Craig
[email protected]
Annenberg/ Ste. 321A
Tbd/ email to schedule appt.
Section:
Room:
Days:
Times:
COURSE DESCRIPTION: By 2016, the entertainment and media industries will represent over
$2 Trillion in value. But what does entertainment actually mean? Should it be defined as an
industry, content, reception, or communication strategy? And why should it matter? In this
class, we will address these concerns through examination of the emerging industry, content,
and practices of digital entertainment. We will discuss, and students will conduct industry case
studies, about online video platforms (YouTube and Vimeo), over-the-top TV (HBO and CBS
Mobile), SVOD (Netflix and Amazon), and multi-channel networks (Full Screen, and
Maker). These companies and sites are competing with traditional media industries, launching
a wave of innovative companies and content creators generating their own online empires. But
their future remains unclear with continued technological disruption, captured regulatory
policy, limited revenue models, ineffectual marketing, and the precarity of digital labor and
management. Nonetheless, this emerging industry, content, and practices provide an
opportunity for us to theorize the meaning and value of entertainment.
COURSE GOALS
 To cultivate a theory of entertainment through the lens of digital.
 To conduct original case study research of a digital entertainment organization.
 To conduct graduate-level research, generate state-of-the-art media presentations, and
build a network of relationships with media professionals and scholars.
REQUIRED TEXTS
 Havens, T. and Lotz, A.D. (2012). Understanding Media Industries. Oxford.
 Keating, Gina (2013). Netflixed. New York: Portfolio.
 Levine, Robert (2011). Free Ride. New York: Anchor Books.
 Meikle, G. and Young, S. (2012). Media Convergence. UK: Palgrave MacMillan.
 ADDITIONAL READINGS will be posted on Blackboard and are subject to change.
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SYLLABUS (Subject to Change)
Class Topics/ Class Projects
1/14
1/21
1/28
Introduction
Documentaries;
Professor Robinson
Sample case study
2/4
Media Convergence
2/11
2/18
Hollywood 3.0
Case Studies; prezumes
Choose groups and projects
2/25
Guests
3/4
Guests
3/11
Guests
3/18
Spring Break
3/25
Guests
4/1
4/8
4/15
Group Projects
Group Projects
Case Studies
Case Studies
4/22
Case Studies
4/29
Case Studies
5/6
Final Essay Due
Reading/Assignments (due before class)
Documentaries due
Media Industries/ 1-5
Media Industries/ 6-11
Essays due
Media Convergence/ Introduction-4
Media Convergence/ 5-8
Prezumes Due
Meager/ Internet Trends
Multichannel Networks
Fulgoni/ Online Video
Netflixed/ Prologue -7
Auletta/ Outside the box
Netflixed/ 8-15
Quali/ TV goes online
Free Ride/ 1-5
Google and YouTube and Evildoers
Free Ride/ 6-10
Sutter/ Google Copyright
Deuze/ Work in Media
Turner/Google and Burning Man
Caldwell/ Hive-sourcing
Netflix Culture 2
Gill/Technobohemians
Bates and Ferri/ Defining Entertainment
Hall and Zwarum/ Online Entertainment
McKee/ The Power of Art/Entertainment
McKee/Pornography as Entertainment
Turnbull/ Crime as Entertainment
Raney/ Morality in Media Entertainment
Shusterman/ Entertainment v Art
Klimmt/ Modes of Entertainment Experiences
Vorderer/ Enjoyment
Vorderer/ Entertainment Theory
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COURSE GRADING and ASSIGNMENTS
20% Blog, Documentary, and Essay
20% Course Project (Group)
40% Case Study
20% Final Essay Exam
PREZUME (Prezi + resume)
 Go to Prezi.com, sign up for a free educational account, take the tutorial and get started.
 “Show me” 5-7 things I should know about you: where you are from, where you went to
school, your work experience, the reason you picked this course, etc.
 BE SURE to include your favorite online entertainment website, channels, content creators.
 Use images, pictures, logos, video. Limit your text as much as possible. Be creative.
BLOG
 Find a news article online from THAT WEEK that relates to the reading.
 Write a brief description (2-3 lines) of the article and HOW IT RELATES to the reading.
 Make certain to cite the reading properly and provide a working hyperlink.
 Sources may include the following, although you are welcome to look elsewhere.
o Blogs: Cynthia’s Cynopsis/ Deadline Hollywood/ The Wrap/Mashable
o Trades: Hollywood Reporter/ Variety/Broadcasting and Cable
o Press: New York Times/LA Times/ Entertainment Weekly
ENTERTAIMENT DOCUMENTARY: The class will be divided into groups and each group will
produce a short documentary.
 Length: between 2:30 and 3 minutes.
 Content: Interview at least 3 people answering the question “What is entertainment?”
 Location: up to you, whether on campus or Hollywood Blvd.
 Equipment: use/find your own camera. Editing software is available on Adobe Cloud.
 Production quality: just make sure we can see and hear clearly.
 Upload on a site of your choice and post the link on Blackboard.
CLASS ESSAY:
 Question: How would YOU theorize and define entertainment?
 3 pages MAX. No title page or abstract required.
 Cite examples of forms of entertainment that support your claims and provide proper
citations BUT DO NOT use references, Wikipedia, or academic texts.
 Use WORD and APA Format. I will deduct a full point for failing to use APA format.
 The essays should be emailed to me by 6pm.
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FINAL ESSAY EXAM: the questions and instructions will be posted on Blackboard towards the
end of the semester. This exam requires that you have attended class, performed the
readings, completed your assignments and synthesized the knowledge from the lectures,
reading, presentations and speakers. On this last note, I recommend taking notes on speakers.
OR
The final essay exam may be waived if you provide content for the MCM network. The content
means a minimum of 1 blog entry between 300 and 500 words, 1 video entry between 1:30 and
2:00, and 10 photographs. The nature of the content and deliverable schedule must be
approved by Olivia Auxier, our digital content strategist for the MCM network. Contact me if
you wish to pursue the waiver no later than February 1st. If you fail to deliver approved
content and/or on the approved schedule, you will still be responsible for the final essay exam.
GROUP PROJECTS: The class will be divided up into three groups, which will be responsible for
discussing one of these topics: technology, regulation, economics.
 Length: 45-60 minutes
 Each group will have to sort out how each member will contribute, whether working
together or separately. I will provide further direction in class.
 ECONOMIC: map the digital entertainment economy through the various components,
online or mobile, original or syndicated content, streaming or download, advertisersupported or subscription. Describe the various business models and revenue streams.
 REGULATION: discuss the most current information about online piracy legislation, net
neutrality, ownership/conglomeration, and the digital divides.
 TECHNOLOGY: discuss the latest in online and mobile technology to make online
entertainment available through your devices, whether computers, phones, or television
screens, e.g., Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Google Chromecast, Roku, Google glasses, etc.
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CASE STUDIES: every student will conduct and present a case study on one of these topics:
 OTT: Apple, Facebook, Google, Limelight, Microsoft, Netflix, Nimbuzz, Tencent, Yahoo.
 VOD/SVOD: YouTube, iTunes, HBO Go, Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, Yahoo, Vimeo.
 MCNs: Fullscreen, Maker, Awesomeness, Machinima, Defy.
 Topics: nature, mission, history (BRIEF!!!), business model, competition, financing and
investment, sample products and services, organization, management, and culture.
 Interview: you must secure an interview with someone currently employed at the company
you are studying. I will need to approve their name(s) in advance. We will discuss how to
secure these interviews in class.
 Length: 45 minutes
 Schedule:
o Once assigned, start your research immediately.
o 1 month before you present, meet with me to present what you’ve learned AND
bring 3 names you would like me to approve for you to interview.
o 1 week before presenting send me a rough cut of your Prezi.
o After you present, make any changes and then post on the blog.
 Grade: you will be graded both content and style. Content describes the depth and
relevance of your research and completion of your interviews. Style describes the design
and clarity of your Prezi AND your performance in the room.
 More details and sample case studies will be presented in class.
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Late assignments/Emergencies: No late assignments will be accepted. If you have a legitimate
and verifiable emergency that makes it impossible to turn in your assignment you must:
(1) email me before the beginning of class the day the assignment is due to notify me of
your emergency,
(2) provide official proof (doctor’s note or other evidence) and
(3) arrange to email the assignment at a time to be determined.
Academic Conduct
 Plagiarism – presenting someone else’s ideas as your own, either verbatim or recast in your
own words – is a serious academic offense with serious consequences. Please familiarize
yourself with the discussion of plagiarism in SCampus in Section 11, Behavior Violating
University Standards https://scampus.usc.edu/1100-behavior-violating-universitystandards-and-appropriate-sanctions
 Other forms of academic dishonesty are equally unacceptable. See additional information in
SCampus and university policies on scientific misconduct, http://policy.usc.edu/scientificmisconduct.
 Discrimination, sexual assault, and harassment are not tolerated by the university.
 You are encouraged to report any incidents to the Office of Equity and Diversity
http://equity.usc.edu or to the Department of Public Safety
http://capsnet.usc.edu/department/department-public-safety/online-forms/contact-us.
 This is important for the safety of the whole USC community. Another member of the
university community – such as a friend, classmate, advisor, or faculty member – can help
initiate the report, or can initiate the report on behalf of another person. The Center for
Women and Men http://www.usc.edu/student-affairs/cwm/ provides 24/7 confidential
support, and the sexual assault resource center webpage http://sarc.usc.edu describes
reporting options and other resources.
Support Systems
 A number of USC’s schools provide support for students who need help with scholarly
writing. Check with your advisor or program staff to find out more. Students whose primary
language is not English should check with the American Language Institute
http://dornsife.usc.edu/ali, which sponsors courses and workshops specifically for
international graduate students.
 The Office of Disability Services and Programs
http://sait.usc.edu/academicsupport/centerprograms/dsp/home_index.html provides
certification for students with disabilities and helps arrange the relevant accommodations.
 If an officially declared emergency makes travel to campus infeasible, USC Emergency
Information http://emergency.usc.edu will provide safety and other updates, including
ways in which instruction will be continued by means of blackboard, teleconferencing, and
other technology.
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