Complete details about course assignments can be found at the website listed below.

 

VSAR 309, Generating Narrative in Video and New Media, Fall 2007

Tuesday, 3-8 pm, Arts 340

Instructor: Kristine Diekman

Office and hours: Arts 301, Wednesdays, 12 noon - 2pm, or by appointment

Email: kdiekman@csusm.edu

VSAR 309 Website: http://www.csusm.edu/diekman/vsar309f07

 

Course description:

This studio course explores narrative or storytelling structures in video and new media through hands-on, research and writing projects. Projects include creating narrative videos, sound design, an interactive DVD, and a database narrative. The student may also experiment with expanded media forms, such as an Internet radio program, an interactive 3-D art installation or a web-based video project. Sound, video, and new media applications and technologies are covered. Methods and theories of story structures across cultures will be discussed through readings and screenings.

 

Many classes incorporate a workshop during lab. Class starts promptly at 3pm, so if you want to fully participate, arrive on time. These workshops are in class group projects, so get there earlier to form your group and to get the desired equipment. I will have some equipment on reserve for the shoots.

 

Course Goals:

 

Required Texts:

Film Art: Introduction, 8th Edition, David Bordwell and Kristin Thompson (csusm bookstore)

Finding Your Writer's Voice, Thaisa Frank and Dorothy Wall (csusm bookstore)

VSAR 309 Course Reader. Buy at Copyserv. CopyServe, 754 S. Rancho Santa Fe Rd., San Marcos. 760-599-9923. CopyServe is on the corner of Rancho Santa Fe and San Marcos Blvd. If you are traveling west on San Marcos Blvd. from CSUSM, it is on your right, just across Rancho Santa Fe near the NW corner. Turn right into the parking area, and then an immediate left. Purchase your reader immediately as, if they run out, it may take a day to have them make it up. They do not take phone orders. It is under the title and number of the course and instructor name. Bring to every class.

Software and Hardware

If you have no familiarity with Final Cut Pro (5, 6 or express), you should buy and use one of these books which provide excellent tutorials:

Final Cut Pro 6, Diane Weynand, Apple Pro Training Series

Getting Started with Final Cut Studio, Apple Pro Training Series.

If you need extra help outside of class, the video student assistant for this semester is Jeremy Root. His hours in Arts 340 are: Monday and Tuesday, noon - 3pm, and by appointment. root003@csusm.edu
In addition to using FCP for editing, compositing and sound, I will provide instruction in Soundtrack Pro, Color, DVD Studio Pro, audio recording equipment, and advanced cameras.


Materials:

All video, audio and editing equipment is available to you to check out at VPA checkout. See checkout rules and lab rules.

You will need to purchase a notebook or sketchbook in which to write, take notes, make storyboards, and record ideas. You will need to buy 2-3 60 minute miniDV tapes (or more) and 5-10 DVD-R. If you don't own an external hard drive, they can be checked out at the VPA check out or at the library student help desk.

 

Lab Hours: are posted on the doors of the lab. You have 24 hour access to Arts 340 by calling dispatch at 750-4567 when you arrive. They will let you in, but you must have your student ID.

 

Grading and Attendance:

Distribution of Grades is as follows:

60% on production related projects including project proposals; 30% participation (including in class projects, reading and discussion); 10% writing summaries and responses to arts events and media makers series

 

Video/New Media Projects (60%)

Participation in exercises (both in-class and out of class): 15%

Participation in class discussion (including attendance to required events and completing the reading; reading is due on the day it is assigned unless otherwise noted): 15%

Writing summaries and responses: 10%

 

Attendance: After three missed classes, your grade will drop one full letter. After four missed classes, you will fail the course. Attendance is taken at the beginning of every class with a sign in sheet. If you don't sign in, I won't know that you have attended.

 

Arts Events:
VPA Events, including Visiting Filmmaker Series: http://www.csusm.edu/vpa/events.html or download this flyer.

Arts and Lectures events which incorporate video and new media are scheduled for this class.http://al.csusm.edu/A&L/index.php
The syllabus lists relevant events.

 

I also email internships, jobs and video competitions to the vpa listserv. Check your college email account if you want updates.

 

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Part I: Content, Form and Structure: in the first part of this course, we will concentrate on finding stories from your life and how to structure them in film form

Week 1, August 28

The Caterpillar and Alice looked at each other for some time in silence: at last the Caterpillar took the hookah out of its mouth, and addressed her in a languid, sleepy voice. `Who are you?' said the Caterpillar. 

Intro to the course

Skills assessment-written

 

Screening:

Anna Deveare Smith, "Twilight"

Twilight is the retelling of the "story" of the Rodney King beating, trial and aftermath of the trial which happened in 1991-92 in Los Angeles. Anna Deveare  Smith is a performance artist and writer who focuses her work on flashpoints in American media and socio-political history, especially those which center on race and culture in the U.S. She interviews a variety of people who are connected to the event, then retells the story from multiple viewpoints through enacting their characters.

Twilight Study Questions : use these questions to prepare for discussion next week

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Week 2, Sept 4

 "I will tell you something about storiesÉ.they aren't just entertainment. They are all we haveÉto fight off illness and death. You don't have anything if you don't have stories." Leslie Marmon Silko, from Ceremony


Due today:
Discussion: "Twilight". We will discuss Twilight in relation to voice. Use study questions to guide your responses. Additional responses welcome.
Reading due today:
Bordwell, Film Art, Chapter 2, "The Significance of Film Form", pages 54 - 71; Discussion about some of these film form concepts. If you have not seen the original Wizard of Oz, you should watch it before class.

Screen:

Campion, "Passionless Moments" ; One film made of a series of short films depicting the daydreams and fantasies of ordinary people in their mundane routines. Utilizes p.o.v. to represent each individual's fantasy.
"En Chien Andalou", Bunuel; A short experimental film made by Surrealist Luis Bunuel which relates a series of seemingly disconnected sequences through metaphor, continuity editing in space and time, and composition. Creates a semblance of continuous time and space.
"Meshes of the Afternoon", Maya Deren; An experimental film which alters notions of time and space through fragmenting the body or subject; she asks the viewer to rethink our acceptance of filmic reality through utilizes filmic conventions to make something unreal happen.

Workshop: Review of Cameras, mics, tripods; setting up Final Cut Pro. Bring video tape. Workshop: "A narrative presents a chain of events which are situated in time and space". This hands on cinematography and editing exercise is intended to explore how to change shots from a "random" string of events (Film Art, page 75) through utilizing patterns of development to linearized images in time and space. Workshop description.

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Week 3, Sept 11

Finding Your Voice

"There is no failure, only feedback."-Association for Neuro-Linguistic Programming

Reading due today:
Finding Your Writer's Voice, Part One: Voice, pgs. 1 Ð69. Discussion; read these pages for Excersise #1

Due today:
Exercise #1  ¥Experimenting with Voice, Be prepared to share with class. Experiment with several exercises which intrigue you from part one of Finding Your Writer's Voice, Part One, pages 1 - 69. Take one and develope it further. Be creative in your approach. Results can be in video, writing, live performance, sound, or other art form. These do not have to be finished pieces. See assignment details on handout or online.

Screen:

"Swallow", Elizabeth Subrin; in the video, Subrin relates a possible childhood experience by representing several "personaes" or fictional characters. She does this in order to tell the story of childhood eating disorders, and also convery how disorders can stem from the factured self. Questions for discussion.

Due October 9: Video Assignment #1: Video Project #1 ¥The Episode: Writing From Your Life

Using a episode or event from your life, create a short video which utilizes the narrative forms we are discussing, See hand out or online assignment for details.

 

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Week 4,Sept 18

Narrative Structures: Plot and Story

"'Begin at the beginning,' the King said, very gravely, 'and go on till you come to the end: then stop.'"- Alice in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll

 

What constitutes Narrative Structure? Filmic elements: time, space, duration, p.o.v, connotative/denotative meaning, metaphor, plot and story

Due this week:

Reading due:
Bordwell, Film Art, Chapter 3, Narrative as a Formal System, pages 74 -107; plot and story, cause and effect, time and space; study questions

Screen and analyze in class:

Orson Welles, "Citizen Kane" (excerpts). If you have not ever seen Citizen Kane, I recommend renting it and watching it before class. I will be screening sections only.

Mediamaker Series:
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19TH, 5:30PM ACD102
Jodi Wille  & Adam Parfrey are controversial, independent media makers & book publishers whose work explores topics from Oujia boards to Mexican pulp art and punk rock.

 

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Week 5, Sept 25

"'I can't explain myself, I'm afraid, Sir,' said Alice, 'because I'm not myself you see.'"ÑAlice in Wonderland


Due today:
Reading due: Finding Your Writer's Voice, Part Two: Story, pgs. 97-126
Assignment Due: Writing Exercise #2: Writing From Your Life: Finding Your Narrator's Voice : See assignment details online or on handout. Hand in. Keep a copy for yourself for next week.

Lab Workshop: Recording a voice over narration. Working in groups, take one of the writing exercises from this week, and record a narration. Capture in Final Cut Pro, edit, and experiment with audio filters. Demo: Microphones, sound booth, digital recorders, FCP audio filters.

Screening:
5:30pm; Special Presentation by Minda Martin. Filmmaker statement: I became fascinated with film at an early age. I visualized life as encompassed in films and started experimenting with mirrors in the desert. This "reflection on life" is depicted in my latest film, Monsoon St. , '77. My films and videos have been strongly informed by my upbringing, in a family deeply affected by sexism, violence, and poverty. I make films and videos about the lives of the people I grew up with; these are representations that are simply absent from mainstream media. My work tells these stories as accessibly as possible while still using an innovative formal structure that rejects the easy stereotypes of women, people of color, and the working poor.

 

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Review "Narration": Depth and range of story information

Reading due today:
Bordwell, Film Art, Chapter 6, "The Relation of Shot to Shot Editing", pages 218-257

Review reading, Flow of Story Information, Film Art, pages 88 - 93

Screening and discussion about range and depth of story information:

"Memento", Christopher Nolan

http://www.otnemem.com/


Lab time for work after screening and discussion. Bring video to work on.

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Visiting Artist Series:

October 1
First-Person Films: Some Theses on Self-Inscription
ACD 102 (2:30pm - 5:15pm)
Professor Michael Renov's talk, "First-Person Films: Some Theses on Self-Inscription," offers an account of the increasingly prevalent trend of autobiographical filmmaking with attention given to its historical sources and stylistic variations. The talk includes a range of excerpts from diverse film styles, including documentary and the personal as well as subjects such as autobiography, activism and representations of the Holocaust.


OCTOBER 3, WEDNESDAY, ACD 305, 2:30
Troika Ranch
 Dawn Stoppiello (Troika Ranch Artistic Co-Director) is a choreographer who has dedicated her career to computer mediated live performance. For nearly twenty years she has created choreography for bodies interfaced to computers through sensory systems. She will present the history of Troika Ranch's work in content-driven mediated performance, and provide a short demonstration of Isadora¨, a user-friendly software package created by artistic co-director Mark Coniglio that facilitates real-time manipulation of digital media.  
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Week 7, October 9
Video Project #1 due

Video Project #1 due ¥The Episode: Writing From Your Life. Have this output, ready to show the class. Turn in written analysis, and other related materials. Put on class reel. Guidelines for written analysis.

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Visiting Artist Series:

Ragnar Freidank
October 16th, 7pm to 10pm
Arts 101
ÒMeeting The TroubleÓ
As artists and performers, we might sometimes feel that our work is being
sabotaged by strange inner voices that feed us confusing and negative
messages.  These voices are like ghosts that haunt us -- we wish they would
disappear so that we could create our work with absolute confidence and joy!
Did you ever consider that these inner voices, which seem to be so
unhelpful, might actually be the sound of our own creative voice trying to
tell us something? Maybe the resistance and fear that these voices evoke
actually holds the key to our own creative individuality and brilliance?
Maybe we should give them an opportunity to speak! ÒMeeting the TroubleÓ
invites you on a journey that allows you to follow these voices and to hear
what they have to say to you.

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Part 2: Narrative Elements in Space and Time; Viewer Interaction
Week 8, October 16

The Database Narrative
Workshop: DVD Studio Pro as Interactive  and Database Tool

            "This blurring of roles is one of the inherent characteristics of interactive narrative. This is also what makes it difficult to understand." Mark Stephen Meandows, Pause and Effect: The Art of Interactive Narrative

 

Video Assignment #2: Database Narrative: This last project utilizes sound, image and possibly interactivity to explore the possibilities of a "database narrative".  "A database can be seen as a collection of many trajectories across various fields of possibilities and options." (See essay "Run, Lola, RunÑFilm as Narrative Database"). After watching and studying various films considered "database", you will work in groups or alone to write and produce your own database narrative. This work can be a narrative on video, a multimedia installation, a website, or an interactive DVD. See assignment details on handout and online. Due: December 4

Reading due today:

Jim Bizzocchi, "Run Lola Run, Film as Narrative Database", Course Reader--prepare for discussion with screening of Run Lola Run

Screening today:

Run Lola Run, Thomas Twyker, 76:00
Student Examples
"La Jette", Chris Marker (28:00)

Lab Workshop today:

DVD Studio Pro as Interactive  and Database Tool

Overview of DVD Studio Pro: focusing on chapters and stories

Exercise #3: Workshop: In class group exercise using DVD Studio as an interactive tool. See assignment on handout or online. Show next week.

Websites to visit:
 Soft Cinema
The Labyrinth Project

iciinema, center for interactive cinema research (look at some icinema projects such as Deep Sleep, Pentimento, Eavesdrop, Plade-Urbanity, etc)
Interactive Cinema
Office Voodoo
Turbulence Commissions and Supports Net Art

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Week 9, October 23
Mise-en-scene: Staging the Scene

"Use is meaning."-Wittgenstein

Due today:
Show DVD Database project from last week to class. Have ready on DVD.

Reading due today:
Bordwell, Film Art, Chapter 4, "The Shot: Mise-en-Scene"; pages 112 - 153

Jane Campion Interviews

Michael Ciment, "Two Interviews with Jane Campion", Second Take, Australian Filmmakers Talk, pgs. 47-59

Michael Ciment, "Jane Campion: More Barbarian than Aesthete", Second Take, Australian Filmmakers Talk, pgs. 71-80

Harriet Margolis, "Introduction, A Strange Heritage: From Colonization to Transformation?", Jane Campion's Piano

Screening:
Jane Campion, "The Piano". We will screen excerpts from this film and have a discussion next week based on our readings to date, including today's and next week's reading assignments, study questions.

Visiting Artist Series:
MONDAY, OCTOBER 22, 7PM ARTS 240
Filmmakers Alliance Founder Jacques Thelemaque presents films made by the
Los Angeles filmmakers collective and explains grass roots filmmaking from the inside
out.

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Week 10, October 30
Cinematography

Discussion today: Piano, Jane Campion. Have study questions ready to be handed in. Use for our discussion today.
Reading due: Bordwell, Film Art, Chapter 5, "The Shot: Cinematography"; pages 162-194
James Monaco, "The Language of Film: Sign and Syntax", How to Read a Film pgs. 153-208 (paying attention to denotative and connotative) (Course Reader). Discussion; study questions.

Workshop and Demo: Color in FCP; lighting for effects in FCP
Albert Rascon, cinematographer and effects editor for student video, "White", will join the class to talk about the making of this video. Discussion of cinematography, planning, and approach. "White” is a work with a striking visual manipulation, plays with time and space in interesting ways, and is in a sense a "database” which sifts through the memories of the woman.
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Week 11, November 6,

Visiting Artist, Andrea Ray

Visiting Artist Series:
Andrea Ray will conduct a theory and hands on workshop in this class about sound, place and narrative. Please visit her website so you can be familiar with her work. Andrea Ray Website
WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 7, 2:30, ACD 305
Andrea Ray, Installation and Sound Artist
Lecture
Through installations that often incorporate sound and architectural components, New York-based artist Andrea Ray's oeuvre investigates the effects of "the overwhelming power of metropolitan life" on man's psyche and interpersonal relations.

Reading Due:

Michel Chion, Projections of Sound on Image and The Three Listening Modes, Audio-Vision, Sound on Screen (Course Reader)

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Week 12, November 13
Introduction to Sound Design

Mediamaker Series:
TUESDAY NOVEMBER 13th, 3:00-5:00 PM,
TV STUDIO IN KELLOGG LIBRARY
Actress Esther Chae presents a workshop on acting & directing for the
camera, and shares experiences on Hollywood, race, creativity, and commerce.

Demo and lab workshop: Soundtrack Pro
Reading due :

Bordwell, Film Art, Chapter 9, "Sound in the Cinema"

Screening:

Summer of the Serpent

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Week 13, November 20

Work day: bring work so I can help you

 

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Week 14, November 27

 

final work due

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Week 15 , December 4
final work due