FAMU International

ALTERNATE PERSPECTIVES

(with Editing: History, Theory, & Practice)

Fall 2008

 

 

Instructor: Henry Hills

Contact: henry@henryhills.com

Class times: Tuesdays 9:00-12:15  classroom 3

 

Course description

This is an hybrid class. There are 3 options:

 

1). EDITING only, 2 credits (this is a required course for F.I. Directing students, and is an option for CIEE students, although limited to 10 students total). Attendance is absolutely required of first 3 classes, after that the students will do an editing exercise on their own time, booking 4-hour sessions in the first floor editing room or working on their own computers.  The first 2 classes will be a rapid review of the basics of Final Cut Pro, side by side with a discussion of the phases of editing and a brief history of the invention of film editing (accompanied by screenings of early Lumiere and Edison films, THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY by Edwin Porter, excerpts of D.W.GriffithÕs INTOLERANCE, the ÒOdessa StepsÓ sequence from Sergei EisensteinÕs BATTLESHIP POTEMKIN original and modified study version, BALLET MECANIQUE by Ferdnand Leger and Dudley Murphy, and an early Brakhage film). Students who then feel they are not ready to begin editing on FCP on their own can book a one-on-one session with the professor to help them get started. The third class, which students of all options will attend, will be a screening and the work of Dziga Vertov. For the editing exercise, students will reduce a feature-length Marilyn Monroe movie to a 10-minute film. All students doing the exercise will meet by appointment for ½ hour with the instructor at the rough-cut stage and again for ½ hour when they feel they have completed their exercise, and again if necessary. Grades will be based primarily on the thoughtfulness and completion of this exercise.

 

2). ALTERNATIVE PERSPECTIVES film history class only, 3 credits (this is open to students in ALL PROGRAMS). Supplementary to HISTORY OF AMERICAN AVANT-GARDE, although taking that course in not a prerequisite (and both classes can be taken simultaneously), this is primarily an intensive viewing course, although a journal discussing the films viewed is required at the end of the semester for a grade. Attendance of all sessions (beginning with class 3) is extremely encouraged, although some of the films may be available in the library for make-up viewings. Because it is a slightly longer class and is geared towards students with an interest in experimental film, we will occasionally view some very challenging works.

 

3. BOTH, 4 credits. Editing students may opt to take the entire course, turning in both an editing exercise and a journal for a grade.

 

Classes 1& 2 (Sept 23 & 30)(discussed above): Introduction to the principles of film/video editing, basic introduction to Final Cut Pro (the interface, how to cut and trim, keyboard shortcuts, basic introduction to the Effects in FCP), short history of the discovery and development of film editing in the Silent Era.

 

Class 3 (Oct 7): Dziga Vertov

                        MAN WITH A MOVIE CAMERA

                        ENTHUSIASM  (Kubelka restoration)

 

Class 4 (Oct 14): Isadore Isou

                        VENOM AND ETERNITY

 

Class 5 (Oct 21):

Etienne Jules Marey CHRONOPHOTOGRAPHIES

Segundo de Chom—n LE KIRIKI ACROBATES JAPONAIS

Walther Ruttmann

            OPUS 1 (1921)

            WEEKEND (1928)

Hans Richter

            FILM IS RHYTHM (Ò1921Ó)

            GHOSTS BEFORE BREAKFAST (1928)

Viking Eggeling  SYMPHONIE DIAGONALE (1924)

Henri Chomette

            5 MINUTES OF PURE CINEMA

            JEUX DES REFLETS ET DE LU VITESSE (Plays of Reflexions & Speed) (1923-5)

Paul Leni  REBUS-FILM No. 1 (1928)

Oscar Fischinger

            SPIRALS (1926)

            STUDIE Nr. 7 (1931)

            ALLEGRETTO (1936-43)

FOX MOVITONE NEWS OUTTAKES (30Õs)

Jean Painleve LE VAMPIRE  (1939)

Len Lye TRADE TATTOO (1937)  

 

Class 6 (Oct 28): Bunuel & Dali  LA CHIEN ANDALOU and  LÕAGE DÕOR

 

Class 7 (Nov 4) : VIENNESE ACTIONISM  & VIENNESE STRUCTURALISM:

 

Kurt Kren

            7/64 LEDA AND THE SWAN (Muehl)

            9/64 O TANNENBAUM (Muehl)

            10/65 SELF-MUTILATION (Brus)

            16/67 SEPTEMBER 20th

VALIE EXPORT

            MANN & FRAU & ANIMAL (1970-73)

            ...REMOTE...REMOTE... (1973)  

Kurt Kren

            3/60 B€UME IM HERBST (3/60 TREES IN AUTUMN)

            15/67 TV

            20/68 SCHATZI

            31/75 ASYL (31/75 ASYLUM)

Martin Arnold

            PIECE TOUCHEE (1989)

            PASSAGE Ë LÕACTE (1993)

            ALONE. LIFE WASTES ANDY HARDY (1998)

Peter Tscherkassky

            MOTION PICTURE (1984)

            OUTER SPACE (1999)

 

Class 8 (Nov 11): Andy Warhol  SELECTED SCREEN TESTS

            Ken Jacobs  TWO WRENCHING DEPARTURES

 

Class 9 (Nov 18): BRITISH STRUCTURALISM + :       also MARGARET TAIT

 

Malcolm Le Grice LITTLE DOG FOR ROGER  (1967)

Peter Gidal  HALL  (1969)

Lis Rhodes DRESDEN DYNAMO  (1971)

Mike Leggett  SHEPHERDÕS BUSH  (1971)

Chris Welsby  FFOREST BAY II  (1973)

Guy Sherwin  AT THE ACADEMY (1974)

                       MAN WITH MIRROR (1976/2006)

also

Paolo Gioli  

            IMAGES DISTURBED BY AN INTENSE PARASITE 

 

Class 10 (Nov 25):

            Saul Levine NEW LEFT NOTE

            Leslie Thornton LET ME COUNT THE WAYS 10...9...8...7...6 (2004)

            John Gianvito PROFIT MOTIVE AND THE WHISPERING WIND (2007)

             

 

Class 11 (Dec 2) video artist and scholar KEITH SANBORN in person!!

 

Class 12 (Dec 9): Esther Shub FALL OF THE ROMANOFF DYNASTY