Image and Sound: Filmmaking for the Digital Age

Catalog description

We live in a time of unprecedented access to both making and consuming media. Has this digital age democratized who we see behind and in front of the camera? Does this open up pathways to civic participation and artistic expression? Or will these rapid technological changes just fade into history as just another phase of cinema? FILMPROD 106s will explore these big questions in the context of a hands-on film production class. We will learn the fundamentals of visual storytelling that remain largely unchanged over the last century despite the digital revolution, while exploring multiple filmmaking tools from iPhones to mirrorless cameras to Premiere Pro. In this course, we will examine how emerging tools and technologies create opportunities for innovation in aesthetic and narrative forms. We will also question their impact on our relationship with images, authenticity, and information. The course is not focused on one specific part of the filmmaking process (i.e. just shooting, just editing) but instead gives students the experience of the filmmaking process as a whole, with an emphasis on documentary film.