Film/Animation/Video Courses
FAV 1120-101
FROM THE BODY TO THE SCREEN
SECTION DESCRIPTION
From the Body to the Screen focuses on the body as a narrative resource for film practice. In this course, students practice and explore how body movements enable them to access emotional and expressive qualities that inform and guide their filmmaking process. The course studies the concept of movement in cinematic language exploring movement in camera, sound, light, and space. Throughout the semester, a series of practical visual composition, editing, and sound design provide students with the necessary experience to produce their final films. Students are encouraged to work on group projects. Our direct studies of movement will be augmented by class discussions and critique informed by film screenings focused on experimental and world cinema, readings from philosophy, contemporary literature, and art history.
Elective
FAV 1125-101
MOTION CAPTURE FOR ORATURE
SECTION DESCRIPTION
Orature, or oral storytelling, places a strong emphasis on performative techniques that come to life most effectively when conveyed through both spoken and non-verbal means within a live social setting. It is “the creative and imaginative art of composition that relies on verbal art for communication and that culminates in performance”. Consequently, linear media recordings of oral storytelling experiences often fall short of capturing the immersive and interactive essence found in live storytelling sessions.
This Wintersession course invites students to explore motion capture through the lens of traditional oral storytelling practices from indigenous communities. Students will actively identify the unique and distinguishing features of orature, and leverage their own cultural backgrounds, personal perspectives, and idiosyncrasies to create motion capture data that can be used in crafting an interactive digital retelling of a folktale. Using software and equipment in the Movement Lab students will plan segments for oral storytelling, record verbal story content in their own voice, prepare a character based on their 3D scans, set up mocap equipment, record their movement, clean-up and apply the movement data to a character, and finally compile the individual segments into a digital retelling that refracts one tale through diverse facets of embodied expression. Through in-class practical activities, daily assignments, demonstrations, screenings and suggested reading, students will acquire new appreciation for orature as well as experimentation with motion capture tools that can support new retellings of works of orature in digital media.
Elective
FAV 1130-101
VIDEO THROUGH
SECTION DESCRIPTION
This course is entitled "video through" because it aims to question how video allows us to think through time and through space simultaneously. In this course we will consider video as space, material, and matter. In an approach that prioritizes experimentation in space, we will work in a non-linear fashion: fabricating video in space and fabricating space with video - a constant back and forth. From those experiments, we will learn how to use the properties of video editing, video-making, shooting, and projecting/screening as interconnected tools that deny a singular trajectory of making.
The classroom will become a site. We are going to reject the notion of the studio as solely a place “to record” content. Rather, we will bring content into the space so that the studio can become a displaced site. This displacement is generative because it allows us to complicate the notions of subjects, bodies, agents. The bodies - our bodies - who are going to be in this new “site” are going to become agents of a semi-tangible space. Troubling this question of the space in which recording, and projecting can happen at once will allow us to explore the conceptual possibilities that video offers. It will also allow us to explore questions of memory, time, recording, projection, imaging, re-memory, erasure, subject, voice, performer/performance and more. Through a series of experiments, we will explore the reciprocal interrelationships between the technicalities and the poetics of video installation.
Estimated Cost of Materials: $15.00
Elective
FAV 1955-101
PUPPETRY
SECTION DESCRIPTION
This course will explore ways of creating original live puppet performance, drawing from a variety of performance traditions; including object performance, shadow play, and Bunraku-style puppetry. Students will work independently and in groups to develop new works in short exercises, while gaining the fundamentals in puppet construction and performance techniques. This course culminates in a final live performance project, and in-class showing, to demonstrate new skills and utilize students' pre-existing artistic practices.
Elective
FAV 2239-01
ADVANCED SOUND DESIGN & PRODUCTION
SECTION DESCRIPTION
Building on concepts from Sound for the Screen, students in Advanced Sound Design and Production explore advanced topics, aesthetic considerations, and stylistic conventions of modern audio and music production for picture. Through a series of screenings, discussions, and concept-driven design projects, students develop a deep understanding of the function of sound in time-based media. Students work hands-on with DAW software, synthesizers, and professional recording equipment to gain the capability to successfully translate their artistic intent to sound production.
Please contact fav@risd.edu for permission to register.
Elective
FAV 2360-01
RADICAL SOUND
SECTION DESCRIPTION
Radical Sound offers students alternative ways to create project-specific sound, radically reducing the use of advanced technology. This course takes an interdisciplinary approach and welcomes students who wish to produce sound for films, animation projects, musical pieces, art pieces, performances, or (sound) installations. Following the meaning of radical, as in ‘relating to the origin’, this course will build on naturally occurring sounds in our environments through three key phases:
1) Finding and understanding sound structures through listening
2) conceptualizing sound for project purposes
3) Experimentally creating sound structures
Students will learn to utilize phenomenological practices such as writing, drawing, photography, and more to create scores for their sound projects. While conventional sound productions use recorded sounds that are heavily manipulated through sound effects, this course reduces post-production to a minimum. Instead, students are encouraged to engage with experimental and playful ways to manipulate sound and sound-capturing devices in the moment of recording. Everyday objects such as plastic containers, paper, metal plates, or small speakers filled with sand can become powerful tools to create unusual and organic sounds that stand out from the norm of digital sound production.
Building on the work of artists like Rie Nakajima and Rolf Julius, students will be pushed to work creatively toward the goal of realizing their own sonic structures.
Please contact fav@risd.edu for permission to register; registration is not available in Workday.
Elective
FAV 2454-01
VISUAL MUSIC
SECTION DESCRIPTION
This course is designed for students with any level of musical experience to explore music composition and the creation of experimental films based on music. During the course, students will experiment with various approaches including sampling, field recording, sound synthesis, ensembles and altered instruments. This will be complimented by strategies for creating animation, experimental film, and video based on music composition. Along with weekly experimental and workshops, students will create a short experimental film based on music they create.
Please contact fav@risd.edu for permission to register; registration is not available in Workday.
Elective
FAV 2455-01
STORYBOARDING
SECTION DESCRIPTION
This course will cover how to translate scripts into visual images with clarity and creativity.
Students will study the language of film - both animation and live action- including different
kinds of shots and approaches to editing. We will cover how to interpret and visualize both acting
and actions, as well as staging shots for the dramatic content they contain. The course will
focus on developing the conceptual strengths and technical capabilities needed to visualize from
the written page.
Please contact fav@risd.edu to register.
Elective
FAV 2456-01
DIRECTING THE CAMERA
SECTION DESCRIPTION
This course offers a deep investigation of the role that camera movement and composition, framing and sequencing of shots can play in live action digital cinema projects. We employ a visualist approach, where cinematography and movement are used to amplify a plot/performance and/or reach beyond conventional storytelling, by creating emotional or even physical/sensory reactions in a viewer. By focusing on and exploring the plasticity of time - using movement of the camera in space, the stretching of time through use of time-lapse, slow-motion and live action/stop motion animation hybrid methods - students build strong visions as directors and artist makers of moving images. Borrowing methods used in independent cinema, experimental animation, film and video art, painting, sculpture, architecture and photography, students will consider what types of seeing can be developed by applying these approaches.
This course uses advanced motion control systems that are only available for this course (the eMotimo/dana dolly tracking system and custom build rigs/gimbals) which give students detailed control over their use of cinematic movement. In addition, we explore uses of lenses, including vintage lenses and filters to destroy/enhance the materiality of the digital image to emulate filmic looks. The course also offers an in-depth look into color correction and grading, where students can apply painterly approaches to the moving image.
Students work collaboratively and individually on two short film projects and/or multi-channel installations, where the goal is to develop a strong artistic vision and create a distinct film experience for a viewer. Interdisciplinary approaches/collaborations are encouraged, and students from other departments at RISD are welcome.
Estimated Materials Cost: $50.00
Department permission is required to register for this course. Please contact fav@risd.edu for permission to register.
Elective
FAV 2457-01 / IDISC 2457-01
ANIMATING MEMENTO MORI
SECTION DESCRIPTION
Early photographic technology was often employed to visually manifest ideas of memory, stasis, and preservation - examples include post mortem photography, psychicones (attempts to visualize the soul on photographic plates), spirit photography, and other techniques unique to optical and photochemical technology. Even today, with the ubiquity of personal phone cameras, capturing images of people, places, things, still orbits the idea of preserving essence in the form of image. Animation, on the other hand, has always been about creating the illusion of life from static images, through ever-changing forms of photographic and imaging technology. In Animating Memento Mori, we will explore the contradictions and tensions between ideas of stasis, motion, and the illusion of movement, through animation and photographic practices employed outside of a studio setting.
Department permission is required to register for this course; this course is not available via web registration. Please contact fav@risd.edu for permission to register.
Elective
FAV 3215-01
THE PITCH: LOGLINE TO SELLING
SECTION DESCRIPTION
Okay, you have an idea! What do you do with it? We'll take you through the steps: from writing a logline, developing a pitch deck, pitching and selling. Through lectures, demos, discussions, and weekly assignments, students will develop a hands-on understanding of professional elements of pitching your idea in a professional, industry context, learning from a renowned leader in the field.
Please contact fav@risd.edu for permission to register.
Elective
FAV 5100-01
FILM PRACTICES
SECTION DESCRIPTION
In Film Practices, students learn 16mm film processes, skills, and techniques - as a material and conceptual foundation necessary for every time-based practice. Exposure, focus, depth of field, and basic editing strategies are explored as tools for becoming fluent in the language of cinema. Students will build an understanding of the various meanings conveyed by aesthetic decisions regarding composition, movement, and editing. Through individual and group projects, screenings, in-class assignments, and readings, students will explore key concepts in material-based filmmaking to build, expand, and deepen their time-based practice.
Estimated Cost of Materials: $220.00
Deposit: $150.00
Please contact fav@risd.edu for permission to register.
Major Requirement | BFA Film/Animation/Video
FAV 5100-01
FILM PRACTICES
SECTION DESCRIPTION
In Film Practices, students learn 16mm film processes, skills, and techniques - as a material and conceptual foundation necessary for every time-based practice. Exposure, focus, depth of field, and basic editing strategies are explored as tools for becoming fluent in the language of cinema. Students will build an understanding of the various meanings conveyed by aesthetic decisions regarding composition, movement, and editing. Through individual and group projects, screenings, in-class assignments, and readings, students will explore key concepts in material-based filmmaking to build, expand, and deepen their time-based practice.
Estimated Cost of Materials: $220.00
Deposit: $150.00
Please contact fav@risd.edu for permission to register.
Major Requirement | BFA Film/Animation/Video
FAV 5100-02
FILM PRACTICES
SECTION DESCRIPTION
In Film Practices, students learn 16mm film processes, skills, and techniques - as a material and conceptual foundation necessary for every time-based practice. Exposure, focus, depth of field, and basic editing strategies are explored as tools for becoming fluent in the language of cinema. Students will build an understanding of the various meanings conveyed by aesthetic decisions regarding composition, movement, and editing. Through individual and group projects, screenings, in-class assignments, and readings, students will explore key concepts in material-based filmmaking to build, expand, and deepen their time-based practice.
Estimated Cost of Materials: $220.00
Deposit: $150.00
Please contact fav@risd.edu for permission to register.
Major Requirement | BFA Film/Animation/Video
FAV 5100-02
FILM PRACTICES
SECTION DESCRIPTION
In Film Practices, students learn 16mm film processes, skills, and techniques - as a material and conceptual foundation necessary for every time-based practice. Exposure, focus, depth of field, and basic editing strategies are explored as tools for becoming fluent in the language of cinema. Students will build an understanding of the various meanings conveyed by aesthetic decisions regarding composition, movement, and editing. Through individual and group projects, screenings, in-class assignments, and readings, students will explore key concepts in material-based filmmaking to build, expand, and deepen their time-based practice.
Estimated Cost of Materials: $220.00
Deposit: $150.00
Please contact fav@risd.edu for permission to register.
Major Requirement | BFA Film/Animation/Video
FAV 5101-01
INTERMEDIATE STUDIO: LIVE ACTION
SECTION DESCRIPTION
Intermediate Film is a year-long course emphasizing technical production in sync sound film making. Theoretical concerns and cinematic techniques are stressed. We explore concepts of (and the relationships between) narrative, documentary and experimental filmmaking. The first half of the Fall semester, students work in assigned teams, completing a series of short exercises. In the second half of the term, class members individually create their own longer films for final projects. Students screen their work in class at various stages of completion: rushes, rough cuts, and fine cuts. In addition, there are weekly screenings of works by relevant filmmakers. Participation in class discussions is required.
Estimated Cost of Materials: $500.00 Deposit $150.00
Please contact fav@risd.edu for permission to register; registration is not available in Workday.
Major Requirement | BFA Film/Animation/Video | Live Action
FAV 5101-02
INTERMEDIATE STUDIO: LIVE ACTION
SECTION DESCRIPTION
Intermediate Film is a year-long course emphasizing technical production in sync sound film making. Theoretical concerns and cinematic techniques are stressed. We explore concepts of (and the relationships between) narrative, documentary and experimental filmmaking. The first half of the Fall semester, students work in assigned teams, completing a series of short exercises. In the second half of the term, class members individually create their own longer films for final projects. Students screen their work in class at various stages of completion: rushes, rough cuts, and fine cuts. In addition, there are weekly screenings of works by relevant filmmakers. Participation in class discussions is required.
Estimated Cost of Materials: $500.00 Deposit $150.00
Please contact fav@risd.edu for permission to register; registration is not available in Workday.
Major Requirement | BFA Film/Animation/Video | Live Action
FAV 5102-01
INTERMEDIATE STUDIO: LIVE ACTION
SECTION DESCRIPTION
Intermediate Film is a year-long course emphasizing technical production in sync sound film making. Theoretical concerns and cinematic techniques are stressed. We explore concepts of (and the relationships between) narrative, documentary and experimental filmmaking. During Spring semester, the course is devoted to improving skills in many aspects of live action filmmaking, including conceptualization, budgeting, camera work, and sound recording. Projects are transferred to tape and edited digitally. In addition, there are weekly screenings of works by relevant filmmakers. Participation in class discussions is required.
Estimated Cost of Materials: $500.00
Deposit: $150.00
Please contact fav@risd.edu for permission to register.
Major Requirement | BFA Film/Animation/Video | Live Action
FAV 5103-01
VIDEO PRACTICES
SECTION DESCRIPTION
In Video Practices, students will work with digital video cameras, sound recorders and microphones, and editing and color correction software. Through projects, screenings, in-class assignments, and readings, students will explore key concepts in digital moving-image making to build, expand, and deepen their time-based practice.
Estimated Cost of Materials: $60.00
Deposit: $150.00
Please contact fav@risd.edu for permission to register.
Major Requirement | BFA Film/Animation/Video
FAV 5103-01
VIDEO PRACTICES
SECTION DESCRIPTION
In Video Practices, students will work with digital video cameras, sound recorders and microphones, and editing and color correction software. Through projects, screenings, in-class assignments, and readings, students will explore key concepts in digital moving-image making to build, expand, and deepen their time-based practice.
Estimated Cost of Materials: $60.00
Deposit: $150.00
Please contact fav@risd.edu for permission to register.
Major Requirement | BFA Film/Animation/Video