weeks 01-05 :: some basics
Lots of introductions: laptops, electronic journals, camcorders, iMovie. Literacy, visual literacy, semiotics (remember, basic). Thinking, creating, making. Seeing, hearing, paying attention. Video as a language for expression and communication.
exercise 1: saints and sinners
Students will be responsible to produce two 30 second videos that express two separate themes chosen from the “saints” and “sinners” lists below. The videos should also work to inspire interesting corresponding emotions (ex. “gluttony” could inspire either hunger or post-pigging out queasiness) in the viewers. Be creative. Only ambient sound is permitted; no dialogue, voiceovers, or any form of extradiegetic sound. DUE DATE: Feb. 2
“SAINTS”: compassion joy serenity innocence generosity
“SINNERS”: wrath greed sloth vanity lust envy gluttony
exercise 2: motifs and manifestos
Students will be responsible to produce one 1 minute (MAX!) video depicting various motifs in concert to support a personal manifesto. Dialogue is still prohibited, but sound effects and brief snippets of music (no longer than 10 sec from a single selection) are allowed. DUE DATE: Feb. 14
weeks 06-09 :: the art of the real
Video as a research tool: searching and exploring, hunting and gathering. The art of the interview. Making direct contact with your subject. Improvisation (being prepared, but thinking on your feet) and rehearsal (rough cuts and multiple drafts). Rehearsing effective creative video production: pre-production (reflecting, brainstorming, conceptualizing, proposals, storyboards, shot lists), production (logging raw footage, paper edits, rough cuts), and post-production (critique, analysis, more reflection, finding an audience).
DUE DATE: March 14 & 16
weeks 11-15 :: through my eyes
We’re going to deviate a bit from the other Writing with Video classes with this last assignment. Instead of giving you all a set prompt, I’m going to provide a set of rules and an end goal. How you explore your project within those bounds is entirely up to you. Basically, the idea behind this module is for you to think critically about how your own viewpoint shapes your perception of the world. When we tell stories – in writing, film, art, music, whatever – we are always a lens through which the world around us is processed and presented. Sometimes we forget how much a part of our work we really are – and how making our work personal really ups emotional affect.
End goal: a 5-8 min. (max) documentary art piece that engages an aspect of the world around you and tells a story that’s somehow personal (and therefore unique) to you
The Ten Rules:
- Be creative and push yourself to abandon what’s safe and easy.
- You must be present in your own video. Interpret as you please and be prepared to defend your choice.
- Show (rather than tell) things as they are to you. No cliches or over-generalizations.
- No violent or sexual acts may be performed on screen. No acts of vandalism or other illegal acts (yes, this includes drug use) may appear on screen.
- Focus on the small and personal, but think big in terms of theme and ideas.
- No transitions other than the following: cross-dissolves, cross-blurs, cross-zooms, and fades. You do not have to use any transitions if you prefer.
- Have a clear thesis and purpose that you can defend/articulate using your film.
- You must have at least two reoccurring motifs throughout that are thematically and/or narratively relevant.
- You must be able to show how your film reflects your “3 Words” – again, without calling explicit attention to them in the piece itself.
- Balance experimentation with polish. This should be the pinnacle of your work in this class, both artistically and technically.
DUE DATE: April 27, May 2, & May 4