Cecilia Tyrrell, "Sirens Dawn"
Undergraduate Overview
Film, Video, New Media, and Animation Undergraduate Overview
As a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio (BFA) student studying in the Department of Film, Video, New Media, and Animation (FVNMA), you will have access to state-of-the-art filming, editing, and production equipment plus a large, diverse list of course offerings to address your individual artistic needs.
The FVNMA department reaches beyond conventional approaches of moving image media and animation programs. Students concentrating their studies in FVNMA at SAIC investigate the possibilities of:
- Nonfiction/documentary and narrative film and video
- Moving-image installation
- Hand-drawn and digital 2D and 3D animation
- Interactive art, VR, AR, and web-based projects
- Media art histories
FVNMA students often invent interdisciplinary pathways to produce hybrid works that expand traditional forms to create new avenues of expression—acts of artistic exploration and risk-taking that the department enthusiastically supports.
The work of FVNMA faculty is represented in museums and galleries; presented at major international festivals of film and media; screened in art cinemas and at music and performance venues; embraced in community-based projects; and featured in prominent arts publications. Students take classes offered by these working practitioners, as well as with faculty across all departments, to develop and focus their own unique creative approaches. It is through this process that students learn to research, invent, and explore. The seminars, production classes and innovative art history offerings ensure that students receive in-depth knowledge of theories and histories relevant to moving-image art making.
Studio courses follow disciplinary paths of cinema, video art, new media art, and animation—experimental 3D and 2D. These classes provide rigorous technical training through sequences in each path that advance practical and critical skills, connecting your work to wider interdisciplinary concerns. Courses engage historical, critical, aesthetic, cultural, and technological issues by making experimental media art.
The program is consistently ranked among the top five graduate Film/Animation Schools in the nation by U.S. News and World Report.
Undergraduate Admissions Requirements & Curriculum Overview
Use the accordions (+) below to learn more about the admissions requirements and curriculum.
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To apply to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), you will need to fill out an application and submit your transcripts, artist's statement, and letters of recommendation. And most importantly, we require a portfolio of your best and most recent work—work that will give us a sense of you, your interests, and your willingness to explore, experiment, and think beyond technical art, design, and writing skills.
To apply, please submit the following items:
Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Portfolio
Submit 10–15 pieces of your best and most recent work. We will review your portfolio and application materials for merit scholarship once you have been admitted to SAIC.When compiling a portfolio, you may concentrate your work in a single discipline or show work in a breadth of media. The portfolio may include drawings, prints, photographs, paintings, film, video, audio recordings, sculpture, ceramics, fashion designs, graphic design, furniture, objects, architectural designs, websites, video games, sketchbooks, scripts, storyboards, screenplays, zines, or any combination of the above.
Learn more about applying to SAIC's Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio, or view our portfolio preparation guide for more information.
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Studio
69
- CP 1010 Core Studio Practice I (3)
- CP 1011 Core Studio Practice II (3)
- CP 1020 Research Studio I (3)
- CP 1022 Research Studio II (3)
- SOPHSEM 2900 (3)
- PROFPRAC 3900 (3)
- CAPSTONE 4900 (3)
- Studio Electives (48)
PROFPRAC and CAPSTONE are now required for new incoming students beginning in the 2015-16 academic year.
Art History
15
- ARTHI 1001 World Cultures/Civilizations: Pre-History—19th Century Art and Architecture (3)
- Art History Elective at 1000 level (3)
- Art History Electives (9)
Liberal Arts
30
- ENGLISH 1001 First Year Seminar I (3)
- ENGLISH 1005 First Year Seminar II (3)
- Natural Science (6)
- Social Science (6)
- Humanities (6)
- Liberal Arts Electives (6)
General Electives
6
- Studio, Art History, Liberal Arts, AAP, or EIS
Total Credit Hours
120
* BFA students must complete at least 6 credit hours in a class designated as "off campus study." These credits can also fulfill any of the requirements listed above and be from any of the divisions (Art History, Studio, Liberal Arts, or General Electives).
BFA With Distinction—SAIC Scholars Program:
The SAIC Scholars program is a learning community of BFA students pursuing rigorous study in both their academic coursework and their studio pathways. There are two opportunities for interested students to apply to the SAIC Scholars Program: at the time of admission to the school, and after they have completed 30 credits of study at SAIC. Students pursuing the latter option are required to formally submit an application to the Undergraduate Division. Once admitted to the SAIC Scholars Program, students are required to successfully complete a minimum of six designated scholars courses. Students who complete the program will graduate with distinction.
BFA in Studio with Thesis Option (Liberal Arts or Visual Critical Studies)
BFA students may complete a nine-credit, research-based academic thesis as part of their studies within the 126 credits for the BFA in Studio degree. BFA with Thesis course sequences are offered over 3 semesters through the departments of Liberal Arts or Visual and Critical Studies (VCS). Students who are interested in one of the thesis options should follow the steps outlined below in the beginning of the junior year.
Requirements for the BFA: Studio Art with Liberal Arts Thesis
Step One: Students are required to meet with the Chair of the Liberal Arts department in the beginning of their junior year.
Step Two: With the Department Chair's approval, the student enrolls in the following courses beginning in the spring term of their junior year:
- SOCSCI or HUMANITY 3900 Academic Research and Writing (3 credits)
- LIBARTS 4800 Undergraduate Thesis: Research/Writing I (3 credits)
- CAPSTONE 4900 Liberal Arts Undergraduate Thesis: Research/Writing II (3 credits)
Step Three: The completed thesis must be approved by both the Thesis II instructor and the Chair of Liberal Arts. Students must make a formal presentation and participate in the Undergraduate Thesis Symposium in their senior year.
Requirements for the BFA: Studio Art with Visual and Critical Studies (VCS) Thesis
Step One: Students are required to meet with the Visual and Critical Studies Undergraduate Coordinator in or by the beginning of their junior year.
Step Two: With the VCS Coordinator's approval, the student enrolls in the first of the three-course sequence beginning in the spring term of their junior year:
- VCS 3010 Tutorial in Visual & Critical Studies (3 credits)
- VCS 4800 Undergraduate Thesis Seminar: Research & Writing I (3 credits)
- CAPSTONE 4900 VCS Undergraduate Thesis Seminar: Research & Writing II (3 credits)
Step Three: Completion of thesis must be approved by both the Thesis II instructor and the VCS Undergraduate Coordinator. Students must make a formal presentation and participate in the Undergraduate VCS Thesis Symposium in the senior year.
Total credits required for minimum residency
66
Minimum Studio credit
42
Course Listing
| Title | Catalog | Instructor | Schedule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Media Practices: The Moving Image | 2000 (001) | Eric Fleischauer, James Connolly | Mon
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This course is designed to introduce students to the language and histories of the moving image arts and the diverse ways in which artists have contributed to them. Throughout the semester we will examine a range of approaches to creating moving image work. We will compare and contrast established ?norms? with radical and experimental approaches to these various media, leading to an understanding of the rich, complex, and evolving landscape upon which individuals have been making, and continue to make, moving image art. Students will engage with this expanded field through lectures, readings, screenings, meetings with visiting artists as well as becoming active in discussions and practitioners in the field via group projects. Working in small groups, students will complete a series of short projects to introduce them to the various pathways of the department. By the end of the semester, students should have gain basic production and postproduction skills as well a good understanding of the key concepts relevant to contemporary film, video, new media, installation and animation.
|
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Media Practices: The Moving Image | 2000 (001) | Eric Fleischauer, James Connolly | Mon
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This course is designed to introduce students to the language and histories of the moving image arts and the diverse ways in which artists have contributed to them. Throughout the semester we will examine a range of approaches to creating moving image work. We will compare and contrast established ?norms? with radical and experimental approaches to these various media, leading to an understanding of the rich, complex, and evolving landscape upon which individuals have been making, and continue to make, moving image art. Students will engage with this expanded field through lectures, readings, screenings, meetings with visiting artists as well as becoming active in discussions and practitioners in the field via group projects. Working in small groups, students will complete a series of short projects to introduce them to the various pathways of the department. By the end of the semester, students should have gain basic production and postproduction skills as well a good understanding of the key concepts relevant to contemporary film, video, new media, installation and animation.
|
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Media Practices: The Moving Image | 2000 (002) | Eric Fleischauer, Kera MacKenzie | Tues
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This course is designed to introduce students to the language and histories of the moving image arts and the diverse ways in which artists have contributed to them. Throughout the semester we will examine a range of approaches to creating moving image work. We will compare and contrast established ?norms? with radical and experimental approaches to these various media, leading to an understanding of the rich, complex, and evolving landscape upon which individuals have been making, and continue to make, moving image art. Students will engage with this expanded field through lectures, readings, screenings, meetings with visiting artists as well as becoming active in discussions and practitioners in the field via group projects. Working in small groups, students will complete a series of short projects to introduce them to the various pathways of the department. By the end of the semester, students should have gain basic production and postproduction skills as well a good understanding of the key concepts relevant to contemporary film, video, new media, installation and animation.
|
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Media Practices: The Moving Image | 2000 (002) | Eric Fleischauer, Kera MacKenzie | Tues
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This course is designed to introduce students to the language and histories of the moving image arts and the diverse ways in which artists have contributed to them. Throughout the semester we will examine a range of approaches to creating moving image work. We will compare and contrast established ?norms? with radical and experimental approaches to these various media, leading to an understanding of the rich, complex, and evolving landscape upon which individuals have been making, and continue to make, moving image art. Students will engage with this expanded field through lectures, readings, screenings, meetings with visiting artists as well as becoming active in discussions and practitioners in the field via group projects. Working in small groups, students will complete a series of short projects to introduce them to the various pathways of the department. By the end of the semester, students should have gain basic production and postproduction skills as well a good understanding of the key concepts relevant to contemporary film, video, new media, installation and animation.
|
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Media Practices: The Moving Image | 2000 (003) | Anahita Ghazvinizadeh, Mikey Peterson | Wed
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This course is designed to introduce students to the language and histories of the moving image arts and the diverse ways in which artists have contributed to them. Throughout the semester we will examine a range of approaches to creating moving image work. We will compare and contrast established ?norms? with radical and experimental approaches to these various media, leading to an understanding of the rich, complex, and evolving landscape upon which individuals have been making, and continue to make, moving image art. Students will engage with this expanded field through lectures, readings, screenings, meetings with visiting artists as well as becoming active in discussions and practitioners in the field via group projects. Working in small groups, students will complete a series of short projects to introduce them to the various pathways of the department. By the end of the semester, students should have gain basic production and postproduction skills as well a good understanding of the key concepts relevant to contemporary film, video, new media, installation and animation.
|
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Media Practices: The Moving Image | 2000 (003) | Anahita Ghazvinizadeh, Mikey Peterson | Wed
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This course is designed to introduce students to the language and histories of the moving image arts and the diverse ways in which artists have contributed to them. Throughout the semester we will examine a range of approaches to creating moving image work. We will compare and contrast established ?norms? with radical and experimental approaches to these various media, leading to an understanding of the rich, complex, and evolving landscape upon which individuals have been making, and continue to make, moving image art. Students will engage with this expanded field through lectures, readings, screenings, meetings with visiting artists as well as becoming active in discussions and practitioners in the field via group projects. Working in small groups, students will complete a series of short projects to introduce them to the various pathways of the department. By the end of the semester, students should have gain basic production and postproduction skills as well a good understanding of the key concepts relevant to contemporary film, video, new media, installation and animation.
|
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Media Practices: The Moving Image | 2000 (004) | Asya Dubrovina | Thurs
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This course is designed to introduce students to the language and histories of the moving image arts and the diverse ways in which artists have contributed to them. Throughout the semester we will examine a range of approaches to creating moving image work. We will compare and contrast established ?norms? with radical and experimental approaches to these various media, leading to an understanding of the rich, complex, and evolving landscape upon which individuals have been making, and continue to make, moving image art. Students will engage with this expanded field through lectures, readings, screenings, meetings with visiting artists as well as becoming active in discussions and practitioners in the field via group projects. Working in small groups, students will complete a series of short projects to introduce them to the various pathways of the department. By the end of the semester, students should have gain basic production and postproduction skills as well a good understanding of the key concepts relevant to contemporary film, video, new media, installation and animation.
|
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Media Practices: The Moving Image | 2000 (005) | Kioto Aoki, Asya Dubrovina | Fri
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This course is designed to introduce students to the language and histories of the moving image arts and the diverse ways in which artists have contributed to them. Throughout the semester we will examine a range of approaches to creating moving image work. We will compare and contrast established ?norms? with radical and experimental approaches to these various media, leading to an understanding of the rich, complex, and evolving landscape upon which individuals have been making, and continue to make, moving image art. Students will engage with this expanded field through lectures, readings, screenings, meetings with visiting artists as well as becoming active in discussions and practitioners in the field via group projects. Working in small groups, students will complete a series of short projects to introduce them to the various pathways of the department. By the end of the semester, students should have gain basic production and postproduction skills as well a good understanding of the key concepts relevant to contemporary film, video, new media, installation and animation.
|
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Media Practices: The Moving Image | 2000 (005) | Kioto Aoki, Asya Dubrovina | Fri
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This course is designed to introduce students to the language and histories of the moving image arts and the diverse ways in which artists have contributed to them. Throughout the semester we will examine a range of approaches to creating moving image work. We will compare and contrast established ?norms? with radical and experimental approaches to these various media, leading to an understanding of the rich, complex, and evolving landscape upon which individuals have been making, and continue to make, moving image art. Students will engage with this expanded field through lectures, readings, screenings, meetings with visiting artists as well as becoming active in discussions and practitioners in the field via group projects. Working in small groups, students will complete a series of short projects to introduce them to the various pathways of the department. By the end of the semester, students should have gain basic production and postproduction skills as well a good understanding of the key concepts relevant to contemporary film, video, new media, installation and animation.
|
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Form and Meaning | 2004 (001) | Paige Taul | Thurs
8:30 AM - 11:15 AM In Person |
Description
Form and Meaning is a rigorous investigation of the art of moving image editing and provides a historical and theoretical understanding of both classical film editing and newer modes and models of editing and perception. The course provides a working foundation and framework. A close reading of films will train the student in the core aesthetic decisions, structures, strategies and demands of editing cinematic works. In addition, we will look at examples and discuss how editing functions for the installation artist, and further, how the Internet, New Media, television and video art have made an impact on concepts surrounding editing. Weekly readings will expand on the work presented in class. Students should expect to research and write both a midterm and final papers as well as a few short responses to works presented in class. Form and Meaning is a theory-based seminar and is not designed to offer critique for works in progress.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: FVNM 2000 |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Form and Meaning | 2004 (002) | Daniele Wilmouth | Thurs
12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
Form and Meaning is a rigorous investigation of the art of moving image editing and provides a historical and theoretical understanding of both classical film editing and newer modes and models of editing and perception. The course provides a working foundation and framework. A close reading of films will train the student in the core aesthetic decisions, structures, strategies and demands of editing cinematic works. In addition, we will look at examples and discuss how editing functions for the installation artist, and further, how the Internet, New Media, television and video art have made an impact on concepts surrounding editing. Weekly readings will expand on the work presented in class. Students should expect to research and write both a midterm and final papers as well as a few short responses to works presented in class. Form and Meaning is a theory-based seminar and is not designed to offer critique for works in progress.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: FVNM 2000 |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Sonics and Optics | 2005 (001) | Kioto Aoki | Mon
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
Sonics and Optics is an intensive study of lenses, optics, sensors, stocks, materials, laboratory processes, microphones, and recorders as essential tools in film/video making. Throughout the semester students will learn the fundamentals of a lens (focal length, aperture), its relationship to the camera (shutter, ISO), and aesthetic options available. The course will offer the same immersive perspective of sound technologies; including choosing microphones (stereo, cardioid, shotgun, contact, etc), recording options (sound device, field recorder, mixing board), and methods of field recording. This course is an essential technical base for all advanced moving image work. In-class screenings of films and videos and weekly readings will expand on the technical workshops at the core of the course. Students should expect to complete a series of quick technical exercises as well as a more in depth final project.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: FVNM 2000 |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Sonics and Optics | 2005 (002) | Peixuan Ouyang | Fri
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
Sonics and Optics is an intensive study of lenses, optics, sensors, stocks, materials, laboratory processes, microphones, and recorders as essential tools in film/video making. Throughout the semester students will learn the fundamentals of a lens (focal length, aperture), its relationship to the camera (shutter, ISO), and aesthetic options available. The course will offer the same immersive perspective of sound technologies; including choosing microphones (stereo, cardioid, shotgun, contact, etc), recording options (sound device, field recorder, mixing board), and methods of field recording. This course is an essential technical base for all advanced moving image work. In-class screenings of films and videos and weekly readings will expand on the technical workshops at the core of the course. Students should expect to complete a series of quick technical exercises as well as a more in depth final project.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: FVNM 2000 |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Introduction to Experimental 3D | 2015 (001) | Anneli Goeller | Thurs
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This class is inspired by Johannes Itten?s radical early twentieth-century basic art course developed for the Weimar Bauhaus School of Art, but here using the Maya 3D software, typically used for commercial productions by the entertainment industry. Students will solve a series of formal problems, introduced in increasing levels of complexity. Moving from the 2-dimensional to the 3-dimensional and ultimately to the four-dimensional or time-based, students will evolve their abilities to utilize aspects of light and dark, form, rhythm, color, proportion and volume but in terms of a post photographic discourse, with the intention of advancing a new virtual cinema.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: FVNM 2000 |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Introduction to Experimental 3D | 2015 (002) | Tues
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
|
Description
This class is inspired by Johannes Itten?s radical early twentieth-century basic art course developed for the Weimar Bauhaus School of Art, but here using the Maya 3D software, typically used for commercial productions by the entertainment industry. Students will solve a series of formal problems, introduced in increasing levels of complexity. Moving from the 2-dimensional to the 3-dimensional and ultimately to the four-dimensional or time-based, students will evolve their abilities to utilize aspects of light and dark, form, rhythm, color, proportion and volume but in terms of a post photographic discourse, with the intention of advancing a new virtual cinema.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: FVNM 2000 |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| New Media: Crash Course | 2100 (001) | Christopher Lee Collins | Fri
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This introductory studio course focuses on screen-based new media works, their historical contexts, their specific aesthetics and theoretical concerns. Students gain an understanding of the emerging culture and historical antecedents of new media. Interactive, network and web based technologies are introduced from the perspective of media art making. Students will be exposed to relevant theoretical texts. Historical and contemporary new media works are screened, demonstrated and discussed. Through a series of workshops, assignments and a final project, students will gain a general understanding of how to read and write new media using various techniques such as HTML ++ CSS, JavaScript, Realtime systems, Generative systems, and Art Games.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: FVNM 2000 |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Animation I: Drawing for Animation | 2420 (001) | James Trainor | Mon
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This class introduces the traditional animation techniques of creating movement through successive drawings. Techniques include metamorphosis, walking cycles, holds, squash and stretch, blur and resistance. Students use the pencil test Lunch-Box to view their work . Students complete a series of exercises encouraging a full range of animation skills and a final project. Films illustrating drawn-animation techniques are screened regularly.
|
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Animation I: Drawing for Animation | 2420 (002) | Matthew Marsden | Tues
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This class introduces the traditional animation techniques of creating movement through successive drawings. Techniques include metamorphosis, walking cycles, holds, squash and stretch, blur and resistance. Students use the pencil test Lunch-Box to view their work . Students complete a series of exercises encouraging a full range of animation skills and a final project. Films illustrating drawn-animation techniques are screened regularly.
|
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Animation I: Drawing for Animation | 2420 (003) | James Trainor | Fri
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This class introduces the traditional animation techniques of creating movement through successive drawings. Techniques include metamorphosis, walking cycles, holds, squash and stretch, blur and resistance. Students use the pencil test Lunch-Box to view their work . Students complete a series of exercises encouraging a full range of animation skills and a final project. Films illustrating drawn-animation techniques are screened regularly.
|
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Video Everywhere | 3003 (001) | Eric Fleischauer | Fri
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This course introduces video as a medium for artistic expression and social inquiry. Students gain an understanding of the video image-making process and develop proficiency with video equipment, including portable and studio production and editing systems. Strategies for the use of video as an art-making tool are explored. Works by video artists are viewed and discussed.
PrerequisitesFVNM 2000 or FVNM 5020 |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Top:LA Rebellion | 3005 (001) | Paige Taul | Tues
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This course will examine the major figures, themes, and effects of the L.A Rebellion film movement of the 70s and 80s, as well as mapping its legacy in the larger canon in Black Cinematic practice. This is a studio course in which students will have the opportunity to learn in theory and practice the principles of production established by African, African American, and Caribbean film students of the University of California, Los Angeles. Through project critique and discussion, students will explore alternative models of filmmaking developed in direct opposition to major themes in narrative, style, and distribution of mainstream American cinema. We will broach these topics through screenings of both minor and major figures such as Haile Gerima, Julie Dash, and Charles Burnett, guest visitors and site visits.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: FVNM 2004 and FVNM 2005. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Sound and Image | 3011 (001) | Lou Mallozzi | Tues
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This course focuses on the relationship of sound to moving image, and introduces post-production techniques and strategies that address this relationship as a compositional imperative. Thorough instruction is given on digital audio post-production techniques for moving image, including recording, sound file imports, soundtrack composition and assembly, sound design, and mixing in stereo and surround-sound. This is supplemented by presentations on acoustics and auditory perception. Assigned readings in theories and strategies of sound-image relationships inform studio instruction. Assigned projects focus on gaining post-production skills, and students produce independent projects of their own that integrate sound and moving image. Artists include Chantal Dumas, Walter Verdin, Deborah Stratman, Lucrecia Martel, Martin Scorcese, Abigail Child, Frederic Moffet, Gyorgi Palvi, Francis Ford Coppola, Gary Hill, and others. Writings in theory include texts by Michel Chion, Rick Altman, and others. The student?s independent image-and-sound work is foregrounded and supported; supplemental assigned projects include sound sequence composition and ADR recording and mixing.
PrerequisitesSOUND 2001 or FVNM 2004 or FVNM 5020 |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Digital Bodies Performed | 3017 (001) | Anneli Goeller | Fri
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
The Digital Bodies Performed class teaches the fundamental and advanced 3D animation technical skills relating to digital bodies. Students will be appropriating and customizing standardized body models from multiple resources. Exploring movements that both imitate and go beyond the limitation of reality, the class will incorporate various strategies in narrative, cinematic, game, sculptural, and performative practices to expand conceptual themes. Besides technical exercises, students are encouraged to create a self-directed final project. Contemporary artists such as David O?Reilly, LaTurbo Avedon, Jose Carlos Casado, and Gregory Bennett's work will be shown and examined in class. Artist visits, field trips, and exhibition will also be arranged. *The class is suitable for students with basic experience in 3D Animation in Maya.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: FVNM 2015 or FVNM 5025 |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Directing Actors for Film and Video | 3020 (001) | Melika Bass | Thurs
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This is a Production Laboratory class for students interested in working with the ideas and techniques of directing performers for the camera. We will consider issues of scripting, pre-production, rehearsing, shooting, and editing performances. The course requires active participation in 3 roles -- as a director, performer, and camera operator -- as these constitute the primary collaborative relationships of a director. The main objective of this class is to get students to consider various methods of directing performers that both explore and elaborate on traditional theatrical schools of directing. Through hands-on experience, readings, critique and screenings, students will begin to carve out their own style of working.
PrerequisitesFVNM 2004 and FVNM 2005 or FVNM 5020 |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Beginning Screenwriting | 3024 (001) | John Petrakis | Tues
3:30 PM - 6:15 PM In Person |
Description
This course introduces students to the basic elements of a screenplay, including format, terminology, exposition, characterization, dialogue, voice-over, adaptation, and variations on the three-act structure. Weekly meetings feature a brief lecture, screenings of scenes from films, extended discussion, and assorted readings of class assignments. This is primarily a writing class, with students required to write a four-to-five page weekly assignment related to the script topic of the week.
|
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Beginning Screenwriting | 3024 (002) | Gitanjali Kapila | Fri
8:30 AM - 11:15 AM In Person |
Description
This course introduces students to the basic elements of a screenplay, including format, terminology, exposition, characterization, dialogue, voice-over, adaptation, and variations on the three-act structure. Weekly meetings feature a brief lecture, screenings of scenes from films, extended discussion, and assorted readings of class assignments. This is primarily a writing class, with students required to write a four-to-five page weekly assignment related to the script topic of the week.
|
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Writing for Film, Video, and Performance | 3025 (001) | Anahita Ghazvinizadeh | Thurs
3:30 PM - 6:15 PM In Person |
Description
An interdisciplinary studio that develops skills specific to the challenges of writing for time-based projects, especially works in film, video, installation, and performance. The primary focus is in-class writing, a range of textual experiments, and workshop /critique of students' writing in relation to their own works-in-progress. We pay attention to 'invisible' texts--the writing before the script, free-writing, conceptual issues--as well as overt ones. Special emphasis is placed on developing the ear in work on monologue, dialogue, and voice-over. The class reads and discusses selected scripts and writings by artists, screens films and videos, attends exhibitions and performances, and performs close analyses (another form of 'reading') of texts.
PrerequisitesFVNM 2004 or FVNM 3003 or FVNM 5020 |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Handmade Cinema | 3027 (001) | Tatsu Aoki | Mon
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
Filmmakers often run into a problem of depending too much on equipment. This makes one believe that it is impossible to be creative without elaborate 'tools.' Artists of film can produce images in any circumstance-with or without complicated tools. If a filmmaker understands the process and mechanism of how images can be generated, equipment can be as minimal as one paper clip. This class is designed to introduce a variety of skills and ideas to make images with simple tools. Students are encouraged to make their own equipment to produce their own image effects. The course mainly focuses on reproduction of images without using large equipment. Some of the ideas introduced in this course are making images without camera and/or lenses; animation; pixilation; time exposure; time lapse; images using slides, stills, and newspapers; all phases of in-camera effects; rephotographing frames; printing in camera; optical printing; and contact printing.
PrerequisitesFVNM 2000 or FVNM 5020 |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Fusions of Performance, Film and Video | 3029 (001) | Daniele Wilmouth | Wed
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
How can physicality and spatial properties of performance be transformed through a flat rectangular projection of light? How can a film director's shot list be influenced by the acting techniques of Meisner? What can a cinematographer learn from the breath control and movement techniques of Japanese Butoh dance? When film/video and performance are approached as a hybrid form, exploring and exploiting the unique properties of each, fusions between these mediums can truly be successful. This course will give an introduction to established theories and methods in four areas: 1) Dance/Movement for the camera. 2) Experimental Theater/Performance Art combined with film/video. 3) Acting for the camera. 4) Directing performers for film/video. Readings and screenings typically include an introduction to Japanese Butoh Dance, featuring works by Tatsumi Hijikata, Kazuo Ohno, and Shuji Terayama. Cinedance works by DV8, Alla Kovgan, and Liz Aggiss. Various approaches to acting and directing with readings on Konstantin Stanislavski, Sanford Meisner, and John Cassavetes. Students will participate in weekly movement workshops, a group acting and directing video shoot with professional actors, a Cinedance project, and a final film/video/performance fusion of the student's design.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: FVNM 2005 or FVNMA 5020 |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Visualization and Storyboarding | 3033 (001) | Shelley Lynn Dodson | Mon/Wed
6:45 PM - 9:15 PM In Person |
Description
This class focuses on the study of film language, shot composition and idea development for time based media. Through the creation of storyboards, animatics, mood boards, character designs, and concept development students gain a thorough understanding of how to develop their ideas in the pre-preproduction process. Students who work in film, video, performance, and animation will learn narrative and experimental methods. Practical, conceptual and artistic topics will be addressed. A variety of short films and excerpts from live action films or animations will be shown in class, like work by Brad Bird or independent filmmakers like Emma De Swaef and Marc James Roels. Reading excerpts on composition, editing and storyboarding will be assigned. Coursework may vary but typically includes drawing character designs and storyboards, making animatics and some reading through weekly or bi-weeklt assignments. The final project involves concept development and a presentation, followed by a final animatic with sound.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: FVNM 2000 or FVNM 2420 or FVNM 5020 |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Visualization and Storyboarding | 3033 (002) | Fri
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
|
Description
This class focuses on the study of film language, shot composition and idea development for time based media. Through the creation of storyboards, animatics, mood boards, character designs, and concept development students gain a thorough understanding of how to develop their ideas in the pre-preproduction process. Students who work in film, video, performance, and animation will learn narrative and experimental methods. Practical, conceptual and artistic topics will be addressed. A variety of short films and excerpts from live action films or animations will be shown in class, like work by Brad Bird or independent filmmakers like Emma De Swaef and Marc James Roels. Reading excerpts on composition, editing and storyboarding will be assigned. Coursework may vary but typically includes drawing character designs and storyboards, making animatics and some reading through weekly or bi-weeklt assignments. The final project involves concept development and a presentation, followed by a final animatic with sound.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: FVNM 2000 or FVNM 2420 or FVNM 5020 |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| 16MM Production | 3034 (001) | Thomas Comerford | Tues
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
16MM is an advanced production course, which builds on the skill sets of Media Practices: the Moving Image, Sonics & Optics, and Form & Meaning. All shooting is done on 16mm film utilizing classic film set-ups and strategies. The sync sound shoot will be a guiding topic of the course, but many other production strategies and technical topics will be introduced. By the end of the course, students will be proficient with advanced 16mm sync sound cameras, lighting for film, audio field and sync recording. The class is very hands-on, requiring both personal and in-class group projects. Towards the end of the semester, students work together as a crew on a group film shoot using the classic hierarchical Hollywood style divisions of labor. Students will get an overview of two finishing workflows ? completion on 16mm film and digital completion. This is an ideal class to round out cinematic skills, which may be also applied to a digital interface. The course includes technical, aesthetic and practical readings from the 'Filmmaker's Handbook' by Ascher & Pincus, 'Voice & Vision' by Mick Hurbis-Cherrier, 'Film Art' by Bordwell and Thompson, as well as 'Audio-Vision' by Michel Chion. Each student is expected to show a final 16mm film edited to a fine cut state by the end of the semester. Due to the expense of 16mm filmmaking, students have the option of producing and funding their own individual projects, or editing the class funded group project for the final critique. The course also includes a final technical exam towards the end of the semester.
PrerequisitesFVNM 2004 and FVNM 2005 or FVNM 5020 |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| 3D Character Animation | 3036 (001) | Nick Flaherty | Wed
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
In this course, students will use 3D software to animate characters for narrative and non narrative films. Lectures and discussions will focus on both traditional and less-than-traditional 3D character pipeline with a strong emphasis on Character and Acting. Screenings will include a variety of films utilizing 3D character and puppet animation, especially those with exceptional use of personality and performance. Filmmakers screened include: Aaron and Amanda Kopp; Géraldine Gaston; Nikita Diakur. After a brief introduction to the fundamentals of the software (Maya), students will work on multiple short projects designed to develop skills as 3D character animators including those pushing strong animation mechanics and dialogue. These early animations will be critiqued rigorously. Projects will engage students as animators and actors, and will include a final project that focuses on creating engaging animation for a longer piece.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: FVNM 2015 |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Lighting & Cinematography | 3070 (001) | Meredith Zielke | Wed
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This is an intensive studio course for advanced students of film/video to explore the creative uses of light in their projects. Through the examination of cinematographic approaches across the various genres including narrative, experimental, and documentary, students apply advanced techniques of lighting and composition to their work. Emphasis is placed on the changing role of the cinematographer in the world of digital media.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: FVNM 2004 & FVNM 2005 or FVNM 3003 or FVNM 5020 |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Introduction to 2D Computer Animation | 3105 (001) | Mon
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
|
Description
This course is an introduction to the concepts and processes utilized in the production of digital and analogue to digital 2-D animation. Students work especially with Photoshop and After Effects to develop projects. Complex compositing and layering are also explored in this class. Screenings vary but include primarily contemporary filmmakers / animators using tools covered in class, ranging from student films from other countries and institutions to professional and more commercial examples - all of which will be critiqued and discussed heavily each week. The first 7-8 weeks of class are spent creating ultra short animated films, along with a longer final project at the end of the semester.
PrerequisitesFVNM 2420 or 5020 |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Post-Production | 3122 (001) | Kera MacKenzie | Thurs
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This course gives students the opportunity to comprehensively explore industry-standard devices in digital editing and visual effects, bringing to bear the power and versatility of nonlinear editing on their creative projects. The class offers advanced editing techniques including data management, sound mixing, visual effects, color correction, compression and output options. The course is structured around a series of technical lectures and hands-on workshops as well as discussions of theoretical texts and screenings of films specifically selected to address important issues in the post-production process. Students will be working on the post-production of a single self-directed project. Students should come prepared with some of their footage ready for editing at the beginning of the semester. Students must participate in a mid-term critique and end-of-semester critique. Students will also generate a press kit for their project.
PrerequisitesFVNM 2004 or FVNM 3003 or FVNM 5020 |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Real-Time 3D | 3203 (001) | Alan Kwan | Tues
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This course will explore new artistic possibilities of real-time 3D technologies that depart from traditional video game paradigm and typical tech fantasies of VR/AR. It will investigate real-time 3D as an art form itself, and encourage students to explore new forms of poetry and artistic expression enabled by 3D game engines. It will also expose students to experimental areas within the technical pipelines and encourage students to embrace a DIY spirit to develop their own artistry and language for the medium. We will watch, play, and discuss about different forms of artworks produced using real-time 3D technologies, including autonomous 3D simulation, interactive virtual world, real-time cinema, generative animation, mixed reality performance, and experimental video game. Some of the artists we will study in this course include Jeffrey Shaw, Harun Farocki, Tamás Waliczky, Tamiko Thiel and Tale of Tales. This course will use the 3D game engine Unity and 3D modeling software such as Maya or Blender. Students should expect to produce a mid-term project and a final project, to be presented in critique sessions of the course.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: FVNM 2015 or FVNM 5020 or FVNM 5025 |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Experimental 3D | 3211 (001) | Alan Kwan | Wed
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
One set of technical workshops will address advanced 3D modeling and animation techniques with an introduction to the Maya MASH network, the basics of modeling and texturing in zBrush and an exploration of 3D-scanning tools for use within Maya culminating in a Midterm 3D project. A second set of techniques will be taught to integrate a 3D/virtual object within an existing space (represented by a photographic or 3D-scanned environment); this process will cover Maya software Render-Pass techniques, HDRI acquisition via a 360? camera and compositing methods in AfterEffects for a Final 3D project. Other techniques may be instructed as appropriate. Screenings, readings and discussions focus on speculative 'NextNature' concepts, the virtual domain, ecology and technology, symbiosis, and non-binary, feminist, post-human and Anthropocenic topics. Virtual 'worlds' will be created within this context. Midterm and final projects function to amplify or critique the conceptual materials; works can address innovative proposals, solutions, or concerns. The 3D tools within 'xyz' space permit deviation from the material world; 3D physics simulations, forces such as gravity, and other environmental qualities can be utilized or subverted to present dystopic, utopic or heterotopic themes. Potential output includes computer-generated moving-image installations, interactive artworks, and digital 2D or 3D prints. Weekly software assignments, individualized project research, and engaged participation in class readings, discussions and critiques are essential to successful 3D Midterm and Final projects.
PrerequisitesPrerequisite: FVNM 2015 or FVNM 5025 |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Motion Graphics and Visual Effects | 3215 (001) | Bun Stout | Wed
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
Students learn a wide range of post-production digital techniques for 2D animation, compositing (layering, collaging), and creating visual effects for video productions. Students produce projects that incorporate manipulated still images, animation, desktop video, and audio. Those who are intrigued by this kind of image manipulation will find the capabilities of the software dynamic and inspiring. Screenings and analysis focus on the use of such techniques in the world of video art, television, and film.
PrerequisitesFVNM 2000 or FVNM 5020 |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Puppet Animation | 3420 (001) | Shelley Lynn Dodson | Thurs
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This class introduces students to the design, construction, and filming of 3D-puppet animation (stop motion) through a diverse range of materials and techniques. Students gain experience in making puppets, creating an environment and learning lighting and cinematography. Through demonstrations and in class animating, students gain experience in animation techniques related to timing and performance. Practical, conceptual and artistic methods are explored. A variety of stop motion examples will be shown, from classic animators like Ray Harryhausen to more contemporary animators like Emma De Swaef and Marc James Roels. Past student work will also be shown as examples of creative and effective works of stop motion. An assignment is given every week. Half way through the semester, students present storyboards and concept development for a final project which involves the creation of puppets, a cohesive environment and shooting at least one of animation.
PrerequisitesFVNM 2420 or 5020 |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
