Film Art

Catalog description

Art is a hands-on study of style and narration in the fiction film. That does not mean that you cannot make a documentary film for your final project. Study and production are two very different processes. We’ll proceed in this way: After a reminder of the pre- and post- production processes, we’ll focus on individual directorial styles. We’ll also make a communal film to learn that (most of the time) film is a collaborative art and to explore the capabilities and shortcomings of the available equipment (and talent). Then, each student will be given a chance to write/adapt, direct, film, and edit a short film using digital video cameras and non-linear editing equipment. The individual film need not be a fiction film. It should, however, be your best work. In the past, these were the films students submitted as their portfolio films for graduate school. We’ll look at those films in light of the latest theories of narrative and the knowledge about cinema acquired from the film-maker’s end. The final versions of all films will be burnt to DVDs and posted to VIMEO. If there are musicians among us, they will be given a chance to score a film and/or do sound design. Satisfies a requirement in the English major and minor. Satisifes a requirement in the Film & Media Studies interdisciplinary minor. Prerequisites & Notes Limited to juniors and seniors.