Film, Video, New Media & Animation Undergrad Program

Cecilia Tyrrell, "Sirens Dawn"

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

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:
Online application
Artist’s Statement
Transcripts
Letter of Recommendation
Test Scores
Portfolio

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.

Curriculum

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)
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 1570	Credits 3	Department Film, Video, New Media, and Animation Area of Study Digital Imaging, Social Media and the Web, Animation Location MacLean 314
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 1570	Credits 3	Department Film, Video, New Media, and Animation Area of Study Digital Imaging, Social Media and the Web, Animation Location MacLean 314
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 1571	Credits 3	Department Film, Video, New Media, and Animation Area of Study Digital Imaging, Social Media and the Web, Animation Location MacLean 314
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 1571	Credits 3	Department Film, Video, New Media, and Animation Area of Study Digital Imaging, Social Media and the Web, Animation Location MacLean 314
Media Practices: The Moving Image	2000 (003)	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 1572	Credits 3	Department Film, Video, New Media, and Animation Area of Study Digital Imaging, Social Media and the Web, Animation Location MacLean 314
Media Practices: The Moving Image	2000 (003)	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 1572	Credits 3	Department Film, Video, New Media, and Animation Area of Study Digital Imaging, Social Media and the Web, Animation Location MacLean 314
Media Practices: The Moving Image	2000 (004)	Asya Dubrovina, Mai Parinda Wanitwat	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 1587	Credits 3	Department Film, Video, New Media, and Animation Area of Study Digital Imaging, Social Media and the Web, Animation Location MacLean 314
Media Practices: The Moving Image	2000 (004)	Asya Dubrovina, Mai Parinda Wanitwat	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 1587	Credits 3	Department Film, Video, New Media, and Animation Area of Study Digital Imaging, Social Media and the Web, Animation Location MacLean 314
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 1589	Credits 3	Department Film, Video, New Media, and Animation Area of Study Digital Imaging, Social Media and the Web, Animation Location MacLean 314
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 1589	Credits 3	Department Film, Video, New Media, and Animation Area of Study Digital Imaging, Social Media and the Web, Animation Location MacLean 314
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. Prerequisites Prerequisite: FVNM 2000	Class Number 1574	Credits 3	Department Film, Video, New Media, and Animation Area of Study Public Space, Site, Landscape, Social Media and the Web Location MacLean 517
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. Prerequisites Prerequisite: FVNM 2000	Class Number 1593	Credits 3	Department Film, Video, New Media, and Animation Area of Study Public Space, Site, Landscape, Social Media and the Web Location MacLean 517
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. Prerequisites Prerequisite: FVNM 2000	Class Number 1575	Credits 3	Department Film, Video, New Media, and Animation Area of Study Game Design, Digital Imaging, Animation Location MacLean 1304
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. Prerequisites Prerequisite: FVNM 2000	Class Number 1576	Credits 3	Department Film, Video, New Media, and Animation Area of Study Game Design, Digital Imaging, Animation Location MacLean 1304
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. Prerequisites Prerequisite: FVNM 2000	Class Number 1588	Credits 3	Department Film, Video, New Media, and Animation Area of Study Digital Imaging, Social Media and the Web, Animation Location MacLean 519
Introduction to Experimental 3D	2015 (002)	Philip Philip Mulliken	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. Prerequisites Prerequisite: FVNM 2000	Class Number 1591	Credits 3	Department Film, Video, New Media, and Animation Area of Study Digital Imaging, Social Media and the Web, Animation Location MacLean 519
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. Prerequisites Prerequisite: FVNM 2000	Class Number 1594	Credits 3	Department Film, Video, New Media, and Animation Area of Study Digital Communication, Social Media and the Web Location MacLean 807
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 1577	Credits 3	Department Film, Video, New Media, and Animation Area of Study Illustration, Animation Location MacLean 717
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 1578	Credits 3	Department Film, Video, New Media, and Animation Area of Study Illustration, Animation Location MacLean 717
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 1590	Credits 3	Department Film, Video, New Media, and Animation Area of Study Illustration, Animation Location MacLean 717
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. Prerequisites FVNM 2000 or FVNM 5020	Class Number 1573	Credits 3	Department Film, Video, New Media, and Animation Area of Study Digital Communication, Social Media and the Web Location MacLean 518
Sound and Image	3011 (001)	James Paul Wetzel	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. Prerequisites SOUND 2001 or FVNM 2004 or FVNM 5020	Class Number 1604	Credits 3	Department Film, Video, New Media, and Animation Area of Study Digital Communication Location MacLean 1413
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. Prerequisites Prerequisite: FVNM 2015 or FVNM 5025	Class Number 1601	Credits 3	Department Film, Video, New Media, and Animation Area of Study Game Design, Gender and Sexuality Location MacLean 519
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. Prerequisites FVNM 2004 and FVNM 2005 or FVNM 5020	Class Number 1579	Credits 3	Department Film, Video, New Media, and Animation Area of Study Digital Imaging, Narrative Location MacLean 1304
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 1580	Credits 3	Department Film, Video, New Media, and Animation Area of Study Playwriting/Screenwriting, Books and Publishing Location MacLean 517
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 1598	Credits 3	Department Film, Video, New Media, and Animation Area of Study Playwriting/Screenwriting, Books and Publishing Location MacLean 517
Writing for Film, Video, and Performance	3025 (001)		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. Prerequisites FVNM 2004 or FVNM 3003 or FVNM 5020	Class Number 1597	Credits 3	Department Film, Video, New Media, and Animation Area of Study Playwriting/Screenwriting Location MacLean 517
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. Prerequisites FVNM 2000 or FVNM 5020	Class Number 1581	Credits 3	Department Film, Video, New Media, and Animation Area of Study Digital Imaging, Animation Location MacLean 1408
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. Prerequisites Prerequisite: FVNM 2005 or FVNMA 5020	Class Number 1614	Credits 3	Department Film, Video, New Media, and Animation Location MacLean 1408
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. Prerequisites Prerequisite: FVNM 2000 or FVNM 2420 or FVNM 5020	Class Number 1603	Credits 3	Department Film, Video, New Media, and Animation Area of Study Game Design, Illustration, Comics and Graphic Novels, Narrative, Animation Location MacLean 314
Visualization and Storyboarding	3033 (002)	Pablo Keith Lorenzana	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. Prerequisites Prerequisite: FVNM 2000 or FVNM 2420 or FVNM 5020	Class Number 1612	Credits 3	Department Film, Video, New Media, and Animation Area of Study Game Design, Illustration, Comics and Graphic Novels, Narrative, Animation Location MacLean 1408
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. Prerequisites FVNM 2004 and FVNM 2005 or FVNM 5020	Class Number 1605	Credits 3	Department Film, Video, New Media, and Animation Location MacLean 1304
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. Prerequisites Prerequisite: FVNM 2015	Class Number 1615	Credits 3	Department Film, Video, New Media, and Animation Area of Study Digital Imaging, Comics and Graphic Novels, Animation Location MacLean 819
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. Prerequisites Prerequisite: FVNM 2004 & FVNM 2005 or FVNM 3003 or FVNM 5020	Class Number 1609	Credits 3	Department Film, Video, New Media, and Animation Area of Study Playwriting/Screenwriting, Animation Location MacLean 1304
Introduction to 2D Computer Animation	3105 (001)	Pablo Keith Lorenzana	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. Prerequisites FVNM 2420 or 5020	Class Number 1592	Credits 3	Department Film, Video, New Media, and Animation Area of Study Digital Imaging, Animation Location MacLean 714
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. Prerequisites Prerequisite: FVNM 2004 & FVNM 2005 or FVNM 3003 or FVNM 5020	Class Number 1602	Credits 3	Department Film, Video, New Media, and Animation Area of Study Digital Imaging, Animation Location MacLean 819
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. Prerequisites Prerequisite: FVNM 2015 or FVNM 5020 or FVNM 5025	Class Number 2143	Credits 3	Department Film, Video, New Media, and Animation Area of Study Game Design, Digital Imaging, Animation Location MacLean 917
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. Prerequisites Prerequisite: FVNM 2015 or FVNM 5025	Class Number 1596	Credits 3	Department Film, Video, New Media, and Animation Area of Study Game Design, Animation Location MacLean 519
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. Prerequisites FVNM 2000 or FVNM 5020	Class Number 1582	Credits 3	Department Film, Video, New Media, and Animation Area of Study Digital Imaging, Animation Location MacLean 917
Intermediate Animation: Experimental Methods	3424 (001)	Sara Payne	Wed, Wed 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM, 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person
Description This course addresses a wide range of animation techniques and materials, both analogue and digital. Students explore drawing materials, cut-outs, cameraless animation, under the camera destructive and constructive animation, and compositing. Expanding on skills developed in Animation I, students create more painterly and material-based work. The class is structured around a series of workshops, lectures, discussions and critiques. Relevant works are screened as source of inspiration for our material explorations. Students produce a series of quick assignments exposing them to new techniques, culminating in a final project due at the end of the semester. Prerequisites FVNM 2420 or 5020	Class Number 1607	Credits 3	Department Film, Video, New Media, and Animation Area of Study Game Design, Illustration, Digital Imaging, Animation Location MacLean 714, MacLean 717

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