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Film & TV · MS elective · 3 credit hours · 16 sessions

Non-Narrative Film Making

This experimental cinema course challenges students to create meaning without traditional plots or character arcs. Exploring the realms of “Cinema Pur,” visual poetry, and abstract art, students will learn to communicate emotion and concepts through rhythm, juxtaposition, and sensory immersion. The curriculum covers the history of the avant-garde, montage theory, and the use of film as a kinetic visual art form.

§ 01 By the end you can
  1. Analyze the history of avant-garde and experimental cinema (Brakhage, Deren, Vertov)
  2. Create meaning through "Associative Editing" rather than continuity
  3. Master visual rhythm, pacing, and kinetic camera movement
  4. Design abstract soundscapes to drive visual experiences
  5. Produce a non-narrative film suitable for gallery installation or festival screening
§ 02 Sixteen sessions

The whole semester.

  1. 01Introduction to the Avant-Garde & Cinema Pur
  2. 02Visual Poetry: Metaphor & Symbolism
  3. 03Rhythmic Montage & Eisenstein’s Theories
  4. 04Cinematography of Texture & Light
  5. 05Observational Cinema: The City Symphony
  6. 06Structuralist Film: Form as Content
  7. 07Found Footage & Collage Film
  8. 08 · MidtermMidterm Examination
  9. 09Sound Art: Musique Concrète & Noise
  10. 10The Essay Film: Voiceover & Image
  11. 11Camera-less Film: Scratching & Painting
  12. 12Loop-Based Cinema & GIFs
  13. 13Multi-Channel Video Installation
  14. 14Projection Mapping Basics
  15. 15Curating a Screening Experience
  16. 16Final Project: The Experimental Short

Midterm around session 8. Final project briefed at session 8 or 9 and developed in stages until the juries.

§ 03 Final project

Final Project: The Experimental Short

How it’s judged

Recommended reading
  1. Visionary Film: The American Avant-Garde by P. Adams Sitney
  2. Film Art: An Introduction (Chapters on Experimental Film) by Bordwell & Thompson
  3. Experimental Filmmaking: Break the Machine by Kathryn Ramey
  4. The Visual Story by Bruce Block
  5. Sculpting in Time by Andrei Tarkovsky
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