For this Week:
Blog Exercise:
Favorite Place Mini-Video-Essay:
Create a 30-60 second video essay about a favorite local place. What is special about this place for you? Is there anything important about getting there? Is there anything you like to do in this place? Does the place bring back memories? What connections can you make about this place with your life and world? You should visit the place in order to capture images and sound for your editing. Use voice and/or text to express your ideas/thoughts along with the images and sounds. Besides the images and sound you capture you may incorporate other images and sounds to help with expressing your ideas.
Class:
View AI Cinema projects and Favorite Place Mini-Video-Essays…
“Visual Evidence” in documentaries, fiction and the film essay.
- A/B Roll
- “B roll” should be primary – the visual evidence for the narration/interview
- Visual evidence as “dramatization” or “reenactment”
- Visual evidence as metaphor
- Visual evidence in the film/video essay
Adobe Premiere Short-cuts
Timeline and Editing Shortcuts
- Ripple Delete: Control/Right Click + Delete (Windows), Control/Right Click + Delete (Mac)
- Delete Clip with Ripple Delete: Ctrl + Delete (Windows), Option + Delete (Mac)
- Select All: Ctrl + A (Windows), Cmd + A (Mac)
- Zoom In: + (plus key)
- Zoom Out: – (minus key)
Playback and Navigation
- Play/Stop Toggle: Spacebar
- Go to In Point: Shift + I
- Go to Out Point: Shift + O
- Step Forward: Right Arrow
- Step Backward: Left Arrow
- J: Play backward. When pressed repeatedly, the playback speed increases in reverse.
- K: Stop playback.
- L: Play forward. Pressing L repeatedly increases the playback speed.
- J + K (pressed together): Plays the video in slow motion backward.
- K + L (pressed together): Plays the video in slow motion forward.
- L + J (pressed at the same time, after playing in either direction): Returns playback speed to normal.
- Go to Beginning: Home (Windows), Fn + Left Arrow (Mac)
- Go to End: End (Windows), Fn + Right Arrow (Mac)
Tools
- Selection Tool: V
- Razor Tool: C
- Hand Tool: H
- Text Tool: T
- Pen Tool: P
Watch Sans Soleil (Sunless) by Chris Marker
“Sans Soleil” by Chris Marker circles around the themes of memory, time, and the visual image. The film blurs the line between documentary and personal reflection, creating a unique narrative form.
Memory and Reality: How does Chris Marker use images and narration to explore the nature of memory, and how does this exploration challenge traditional understandings of documentary film as a reflection of objective reality? What does the film suggest about the reliability of memory and images in conveying truth?
Role of the Observer: Reflect on the role of the filmmaker’s POV within the film. How does Marker both hide and insert himself into the narrative, and what impact does this have on the viewer’s experience and comprehension of the film?
Time and Space: In what ways does the film manipulate time and space, and how does this challenge traditional narrative structures? Does the film break the continuity of space and time? Or does it make a new whole from disparate elements? What is the impact of these choices on the viewer’s emotional and intellectual engagement with the film.
Text and Image: Observe how text (through the voice over narration) and image are combined in the film. How does this combination affect the film’s ability to convey its themes and the viewer’s engagement with the film’s content.
Narrative Techniques: How does Marker’s use of innovative narrative techniques, including his blending of real footage with personal commentary and philosophical musings, create a unique film experience. How does this divergence from traditional narrative structures affect the viewer?
Video Essay (15%):
DUE March 19th
Project Overview:
In this project, you are to create a 1-3 minute video essay on a subject of your choosing. This task encourages you to blend a variety of visual storytelling techniques learned throughout the course, such as continuity editing, montage, temporal manipulation, loops, compositing, and special effects. Your video essay should be a reflection of your personal insights and style, that may incorporate a mix of your own captured video, existing video clips, AI generated video/audio, screen captures, graphics, and still images. Use text overlays and/or voice-over narration to add depth to your visual narrative. While it’s possible to craft a video essay without spoken language, this assignment requires the inclusion of written text and/or voice-over to enhance the communication of your ideas.
Project Goals:
- Creative Expression: Employ a unique style that reflects your personal viewpoint or experience, potentially including personal anecdotes to add richness to your narrative.
- Technical Integration: Skillfully integrate various cinematic techniques to construct a narrative that is both engaging and informative.
- Content Development: Begin with a compelling image or a thought-provoking sentence, allowing your ideas to evolve organically as you explore your subject matter.
Project Requirements:
- Subject Identification: Identify a central theme, subject, idea, or argument for your video essay. This may emerge through the creative process, but once identified, articulate it concisely to guide your project.
- Visual and Textual Material: Collect and create visual evidence and textual content that supports your essay’s argument or narrative. All visual elements should serve a purpose beyond mere illustration, acting as integral parts of your argument or story.
- Essay Form and Pace: Decide on the structure of your essay (voice-over, text with image, or purely visual narrative) and the pacing (fast or slow). Draw inspiration from various examples of video essays to inform your decision.
- Preliminary Assembly and Editing: Begin assembling your clips and text in Adobe Premiere (or similar software) to explore the structure of your essay. Adjust and refine your narrative as your project evolves.
- Supplementary Media Collection: Gather additional materials such as graphics, sound, and music files, considering copyright limitations and fair use guidelines. Remember to cite all sources appropriately in your credits.
- Drafting and Refinement: Draft your textual content, allowing for a free-flowing exploration of ideas. Later, refine this draft based on the edited visuals and audio, aiming for a tone that’s more conversational than formal academic writing.
- Audio and Visual Finalization: Record and fine-tune your voice-over or apply text overlays, focusing on achieving the right tone, pacing, and clarity.
- Final Touches: Incorporate titles, credits, and sound mixing to complete your video essay, ensuring a polished final product.
Evaluation Criteria:
- Innovation and Creativity: The originality of your subject choice and the creativity of your narrative and visual storytelling.
- Technical Proficiency: Your ability to effectively utilize various video editing techniques and integrate multiple media forms.
- Narrative Coherence: The clarity and impact of your central theme, subject, or argument, and how well it’s communicated through your video essay.
- Engagement and Insight: The ability to engage your audience and provide insightful commentary on your chosen subject.
- Reflective Quality: The depth of personal reflection or unique perspective you bring to your video essay, enhancing its relevance and relatability.