This course explores the animation medium as a tool for community engagement, documentary storytelling and advocacy. Working closely with local organizations, students will produce animated works around themes that are rooted in Providence. With an emphasis on co-creation and participatory models of production, the semester will culminate in a screening that is open to the public. Students will also develop a deeper foundation of research practices, pre-production methods, creative collaboration strategies, time management, event promotion, and production pipelines.

Elective

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

Production Design for the Moving Image: This practical film study course aims to equip students with professional techniques in Production Design and Art Direction, fostering a deeper understanding of visual storytelling. By unpacking the works of notable visual filmmakers such as Wes Anderson, Spike Jonze, and Bong Joon Ho, the course examines how design shapes the cinematic experience. Through discussion, film analysis, and hands-on exercises, students will learn to conceptualize and produce visual environments that communicate meaning effectively, while also enhancing their own art-making practices.

Elective

Have you ever watched in fascination as a caterpillar metamorphizes into a chrysalis? Do you observe the formations of migrating geese with curiosity? Are you captivated by the way a cuttlefish's skin scintillates with its brain signals?

In this course we will be visually analyzing the movements and patterns of creatures within the animal kingdom -- from insects and microorganisms to elephants and blue whales -- and creating work inspired by our findings. How does a creature's anatomy affect its locomotion? How do organisms move differently according to their size and habitat? What common patterning can we find within the movements of a hive of bees, a flock of geese, a school of fish? The goal of the course is to see how we as artists can learn from observing animals, and become inspired by their biology.

Prior experience animation is not required for this course. We will look at some basic animation techniques and materials, but students are encouraged to explore and solve the weekly topics from any media perspective they choose. Subjects and methods of study will include animated and live action films, listening and reading material, and field trips to the Nature Lab and beyond.

Elective

In this course, students learn to design and implement audio for games and interactive media. Students build not only the sounds of an experience but the underlying systems that trigger them. Working in Unity and Wwise, students learn how to make audio respond to the player, the space, and the changing state of the game — and how to mix for non-linear outcomes. The course provides a hands-on introduction to the technical foundations that interactive audio depends on: DAW-based workflows, recording, processing, and the physics of sound. It then applies them directly to implementation. Through a series of technical exercises and a final project, students build complete audio for a playable game or interactive piece, and leave able to think about sound as an interactive system rather than a fixed sequence.

Elective

Each week our goal will be to make and finish an entire film from start to posting online - during class - as a studio team. We will use  whatever media form works for our film that week - whether live action fiction, documentary, animation, or something we invent.  This class is not about perfection - it's about learning from risk, constraints, and collaboration.  Students will learn teamwork and how to get something done rather than worry about getting something done.  We will have fun, we will fail, but we will have stories to tell.  Hyphenates welcome, nerves embraced, guts admired.

Prerequisite: You must have taken one of the following courses: FAV 5100 Film Practices, FAV 5103 Video Practices, FAV 5105 Animation Practices, ILLUS 3960 Animation Practices, or FAV 5115 Digital Practices.

Estimated Cost of Materials: $30.00

Elective

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 for permission to register.

Elective

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 for permission to register.

Elective

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

Developing interactive video installations, non linear visual experiences, immersive environments, VJ performance systems, and experimental tools require a very different approach than more traditional linear film and video forms.

This class aims to demystify the practice of programming, equip students with problem solving skills and introduce different approaches for programming media tools. Students will learn about a variety of different techniques for generating visual imagery. This includes creating real time 3D environments, texturing, using pixel based math, instancing, and creating vector designs. Students will also learn about a variety of different projection mapping techniques, including 3D environmental scanning, 3D mapping, and corner pinning. The class will also cover the integration of peripheral sensors like LiDAR scanners, hand scanners, cameras, midi controllers and Arduinos.

Open to non-majors; please contact fav@risd.edu to register.

Elective

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

Please contact fav@risd.edu for permission to register.

Major Requirement | BFA Film/Animation/Video

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

Please contact fav@risd.edu for permission to register.

Major Requirement | BFA Film/Animation/Video

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

Please contact fav@risd.edu for permission to register.

Major Requirement | BFA Film/Animation/Video

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

Please contact fav@risd.edu for permission to register.

Major Requirement | BFA Film/Animation/Video

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

Please contact fav@risd.edu for permission to register.

Major Requirement | BFA Film/Animation/Video | Live Action

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

Please contact fav@risd.edu for permission to register.

Major Requirement | BFA Film/Animation/Video | Live Action

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

Please contact fav@risd.edu for permission to register.

Major Requirement | BFA Film/Animation/Video

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

Please contact fav@risd.edu for permission to register.

Major Requirement | BFA Film/Animation/Video

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

Please contact fav@risd.edu for permission to register.

Major Requirement | BFA Film/Animation/Video

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

Please contact fav@risd.edu for permission to register.

Major Requirement | BFA Film/Animation/Video