Thomas Comerford

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.

The documentary, once regarded a vehicle for the heroic confrontation of artist and society, has been questioned in recent years. This course studies readings and selected documentaries that illustrate certain key issues: 1) truth claims: Does the documentary seek to validate its claim to truth or does it problematize such claims? 2) the authority of the documentaries: By what right do the makers speak for the subject of the documentary? How are subjects allowed or made to speak for themselves? How is the authority of the maker of documentaries undercut? and, 3) construction of the audience: Do the documentaries or their subjects seek to address or ignore the beholder/audience? How does it try to move its audience to action or participation?

Recent feature-length works have included Yance Ford's 'Strong Island'; Kirsten Johnson's 'Cameraperson'; and works by Harvard University's Sensory-Ethnography Lab. Short works have included videos, photos and installations by Sky Hopinka, Beatriz Santiago-Mu?oz, Hito Steyerl, Kevin Lee, Shengze Tzu, Laura Huertas-Millan, Oli Rodriguez and Martine Syms. Student read large portions of Bill Nichols' 'Introduction to Documentary' in addition to a number of interviews with the artists to prepare for each class meeting.

In addition to completing preparatory readings and participating in discussions during classtime, students will be required to complete 3 essay-form take-home exams, each 3-5 pages in length, in response to prompts about the course materials. Students may also be asked to make revisions on the exams. Some students may get approval to complete a 10-12 page research paper in lieu of exams 2 and 3.