Assignment: in groups of two, create a video piece using original footage but no acting nor voiceover.
Pick a bus line to document and film various locations till the end of the line.
Work in groups of 2 or 3, shooting together and editing individually.
Duration 1-3min
Each group will be assigned a specific piece of video equipment:
These are the groups and the equipment items
In addition to the equipment and the camera you will have to book a tripod.
Your goal is to familiarize with the equipment and explore its possibilities.
- Pay special attention to composition and light, produce professional footage.
- Go on a shooting session around the golden hour for better lighting
- Make sure all shots include some kind of movement that is not a camera movement.
- Not EVERYTHING has to be shot with that particular piece of equipment/technique
- Avoid shooting on campus and in the dorms.
- Don’t rely on camera movement unless you have proper equipment.
- No shooting at night or in the dark – unless you have a light kit
- Don’t point your camera directly to the sun
- Make an art piece not a tech demo of your assigned equipment
- Let everybody in the team use the camera, not only the more “technical” members
Dates
Thursday March 17 – work day – book all the equipment and come up with ideas to discuss in class
8 am screenings / brainstorm theme
9 am equipment room opens – film a test / proof of concept
10.30 am back to class to show what you filmed
Tuesday March 22 – all video is shot – editing day in the lab
Thursday March 24 – due date – each student has their own edit
Don’t like the bus prompt? Here’s some other possible strategies:
> Formal: come up with a constraints that restrict what can appear on the screen, how you shoot, or how you link sequences together. The constrain can be arbitrary (e.g. each shot must be exactly 1 second, the images share certain visual qualities) or with an embedded theme (e.g. everything is shot in one room / theme: isolation).
> Word: start from one word theme/title, and make sure all the shots relate to it.
> Alternative stock footage: shoot a series of clips that aren’t already represented in the stock footage banks.
For inspirations check story blocks – dark stock images or the classic curation Women Laughing Alone While Eating a Salad
Koyaanisqatsi by Godfrey Reggio – art movie that seem to have influenced stock footage and advertising imagery