Assignment #1: Define Your Space

FILM/MEDIA 160 • FALL 2014
Profs. Gitlin and Lucas
Section Leaders: Altomare, Chornesky, Fitch, González-Ramírez, Telegrafi


ASSIGNMENT ONE: Define Your Space

A key concept in media production is the rendering of a three-dimensional world in the 2D context of the screen. This creation of a sense for viewers of being in a specific place, and as importantly, giving them the feeling of the space, means both being aware of what cues we humans use to orient ourselves, and an artistic eye.

For this assignment students are required to “define a space” somewhere at Hunter College or nearby by recording 10 shots on their camcorders.  For this assignment the synch “natural” sound will not be used.

Students will shoot in pairs.  Each team should select a space outside of the classroom, write-up a shot list and take turns shooting. You should be think carefully how the shots juxtapose and work with one another. Make every shot count!

Remember, space is defined as much by how people interact with it as by how it looks.   Also, spaces look different from different angles, and with different focal lengths.  So think hard about the feeling of the space you've chosen.  Is it cramped or open?  Speedy or relaxed? Glaring or murky?  Devise a strategy to capture that feeling.

Once students have shot their clips you will return to class, download the clips to each partner’s computer, hand the SD cards to the teacher and watch the clips from a camera on the classroom’s projector.

The students will each then edit short films separately using the shot material.  Although the material should be silent (no natural sound) the footage can be cut to a sound track. 

A good route to this assignment is to use an overriding theme. Space-related themes include: reflections,  the city, seasons, shadows, voyeurism, and interaction.  Think also of the built environment: machinery, signage, architectural anomalies.   Finally another approach is to give your work dynamism by thinking in terms of polarities of public/private, interior/exterior, hot/cold, light/dark.

ASSIGNMENT DUE: Lab 5

A NOTE ABOUT BACKING UP:  Digital media disappears easily.  You should always backup your project and the media that goes into it.  For a project like this one, you should be able to save to your flash drive.  You can also burn your media to a DVD (as files in data mode).

Welcome to Lab 010 of FILMP/MEDP 160

Lab Instructor: Patricia González-Ramírez

email: patriciamgonzalez@gmail.com

Revised Artist Statements are due Friday, Sept 5 at 6pm

Looking forward to reading them!