The Basis for Film Direction (20384)
Degree/study: Degree in Audiovisual Communication
Year: 1st
Term: 2nd
Number of ECTS credits: 6 credits
Hours of studi dedication: 150 hours
Teaching language or languages: catalan
Teaching Staff: Nuria Bou, Manuel Garín, Marcos Gómez and Rafa Cortés.
1. Presentation of the subject
The Film Direction Basis subject is aimed to providing students with a theoretical and practical knowledge in the discipline of Film Direction. The subject is structured by the theory sessions, where students attendance is required, and in which the different aspects related with film direction will be reviewed so that later on, students can apply them or use them to reflect on to carry out short films of 3-4 minutes that will be required at the end of the subject in the studio.
Before this final assignment, students will have to do some practice exercises on staging and setting. At the end, students will direct by groups 8 short films of 3-4 minutes.
2. Competences to be attained
General and transversal skills:
1- Capacity to apply knowledge and understanding in a professional way for their job or profession, and that they demonstrate their competences through elaboration, argument defence and problem resolution inside their own study field.
2 - Learning skills that allow continuing studies in a self-directed or autonomous way.
Specific skills:
3 - Capacity and skills when managing direction and film media processes.
4 - Skills on the use of techniques and procedures of studio filming.
5 - Capacity and skills for creativity and innovation.
3. Contents
I. THEORY BASIS
Unit 1. Introduction to film direction.
Practical exercises related to the contemporary trends in film direction.
Unit 2. Short-story models.
The micro action. The Poe model. The Txekhov model. The poetic model.
Unit 3. Film editing.
The invisibility of classical setting. The visibility of modern setting. Contemporary film alternatives. The internal rhythm (tempo) of sequence.
Unit 4. Actor direction.
The Hollywood masks. The interpretative consequences in front of the analytical editing . The staging of mental expression.
Unit 5. The sound composition of images.
The soundtrack as a narrative element in classicism. The modern autonomous soundtrack. Sound as an editing effect. The space of sound. Sound as pure representation.
II. ASSIGNMENTS
1. Editing exercises
2. Exterior short: shot/ counter-shot
3. Preproduction, shooting and editing of a short on stage
4. Assessment
In order to pass the subject, students must carry out all the activities that will be proposed during the course.
The capacity to link the theoretical competences with the student's proposals and film creations based on a theoretical individual work will be specially assessed, after having carried out all exercises and assignments.
5. Bibliography and teaching resources
5.1. Basic bibliography
Nuria Bou, Plano/contraplano. De la mirada clásica al universo de Michelangelo Antonioni. Madrid: Biblioteca Nueva, 2002.
Steven D. Katz, Rodando: la planificación de secuencias, Madrid, Plot ed., 2000.
Steven D. Katz, Plano a plano. De la idea a la pantalla, Madrid, Plot ed, 2000.
Carlos Pacheco, Luis Barrera Linares: Del cuento y sus alrededores. Aproximaciones a una teoría del cuento, Caracas, Monte Avila ed., 1993.
Karel Reisz: Técnica del montaje cinematográfico, Taurus, Madrid, 1988.
Vicente Sánchez Biosca: El montaje cinematográfico. Teoría y análisis. Barcelona: Paidós, 1996.
Santos Zunzunegui, "Lo viejo y lo nuevo. La reinvención de la tradición cinematográfica en el final del siglo XX" IN Letras de Deusto, January-March, vol. XXV, num. 66.,1995.
5.2. Complementary bibliography
Néstor Almendros, Días de una cámara. Barcelona: Seix Barral, 1990
Rudolf Arnheim, El poder del centro. Madrid: Alianza, 1998
Odette Aslan, El actor en el siglo XX. Evolución de la técnica. Problema ético, Gustavo Gili, Barcelona, 1979.
Jacques Aumont, La imagen. Barcelona: Paidós, 2000.
Antoine Baecque; Thierry Jousse, Le retour du cinéma. Paris, Hachette, 1996.
M.Baquero Goyanes, ¿Qué es el cuento?, Columba Reed, Buenos Aires, 1967.
André Bazin, "Cine y pintura" IN ¿Qué es el cine? Madrid: Rialp, 1990.
Pascal Bonitzer, Décadrages IN "Cahiers du cinéma", n.284, 1985, pp. 8- 15.
Robert Bresson, Notas sobre el cinematógrafo, Árdora, Madrid, 1997.
Serge Daney, La rampe. Paris: Cahiers du Cinéma/Gallimard, 1983.
Gilles Deleuze, "Optimisme, pesimisme et voyage. Lettre a Serge Daney", pròleg a Serge Daney, Ciné journal. Paris: Cahiers du Cinéma, 1986, p. 5-13.
Richard Dyer, Las estrellas cinematográficas. Historia, ideología, estética. Barcelona: Paidós, 2001.
Sergei Eisenstein,"Algunas palabras sobre la composición plástica de imagen y sonido" IN Cinematismo, Buenos Aires: Domingo Cortizo/Quetzal, 1982, p. 215-224.
Vicente Sánchez-Biosca, Una cultura de la fragmentación. Pastiche, relato y cuerpo en el cine y la televisión. Valencia: Filmoteca de la Generalitat Valenciana, 1995.
Margarita Schmidt Noguera, Análisis de la realización cinematográfica. Madrid, Síntesis, 1997.
Dominique Villain : El encuadre cinematográfico. Barcelona: Paidós, 1997.
Filmography:
· A personal journey with Martin Scorsese through american movies, USA-GB-France, 1995. Direction and script: Martin Scorsese y Michael Henry Wilson. (documentary of approximately 240 min).
· Lumière y compañía 1895-1995. 40 directores detrás de la cámara de los hermanos Lumière, (coord. Philippe Poulet), Luna Llena, Madrid, 1996.
5.3. Teaching resources
Students have a whole series of resources in the subject's virtual space in the Global Campus at their disposal:
1- Program and session schedule
2- Distribution by groups and assigned tasks
3- Instructions to carry out the assignments
4- Technical manuals for complementary queries
5- Files with generic content: filming schedules, camera parts
6- Masks and graphic files to incorporate in the assignments
6. Metodology
We start off the subject with some master classes to be able to apply the theory into the practice sessions and to the proposed exercises. There will be a follow-up by groups for the narrative development and for the stage setting of the idea that students will carry out in groups of a maximum of 10 students. This follow-up will be present in the pre-production, production and post-production phases of a short film filmed on stage, following the educational diagram of these tutorship groups of a maximum of 10 students.
In the editing, photography direction and actors direction exercises, students will carry out their assignments guided by the different professors of the subject. Regarding the distribution of the students in these exercises, there will be a distribution in small groups of 3 students that allow a higher interaction with the different professors, and a higher participation of students involved in the academic result of their assignments in the editing rooms as well as in the outside filming.
We believe in the simultaneity of these two work systems, one the one hand small groups of 3 students that allow a higher participation (for editing and outside practices) and on the other hand, larger groups of around 10 students that allow a collective experience similar to the professional filming (for short film on stage), with the aim to provide students with a wider and more demanding educational methodology, that allow a complete approximation, with a transversal and multi-disciplinary approach to the complex experience of film direction in any audiovisual creation.
7. Planning of activities
Week 1
MASTER CLASS 1: Methodology and practice introduction
Week 2
Monday from 12:30h to 14:00h.
MASTER CLASS 2: Shot-counter shot and models of short story narration I
Wednesday from 12:30h to 14:00h.
MASTER CLASS 3: Models of short story narration II
Friday from 12:30h to 14:00h.
MASTER CLASS 4: Avid introduction and explanation of editing exercises
Thursday from 16:00h to 20:00h.
Idea 1 follow-up: Shorts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 8 - Half an hour meeting/short
Monday and Tuesday from 15:00h to 17:00h and from 17:00h to 19:00h
Theory and practice camera class: 2h sessions/subject groups
Week 3
Monday from 12:30h to 14:00h.
MASTER CLASS 5: Editing I
Wednesday from 12:30h to 14:00h.
MASTER CLASS 6: Editing II
Friday from 12:30h to 14:00h.
MASTER CLASS 7: Actors direction I
Thursday from 16:00h to 20:00h.
Idea 2 follow-up: Shorts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 8 - Half an hour meeting/short
Monday, Tuesday and Friday from 15:00h to 19:00h. AVID rooms
Duel editing class, First session: 2h sessions by groups of three
Week 4
Monday from 12:30h to 14:00h.
MASTER CLASS 8: Actors direction II
Wednesday from 12:30h to 14:00h.
MASTER CLASS 9: Image sound composition I
Friday from 12:30h to 14:00h.
MASTER CLASS 10: Image sound composition II
Thursday from 16:00h to 18:00h.
Story 1 follow-up: shorts 1, 2, 3 and 4 - Half an hour meeting/short
Monday, Tuesday and Friday from 15:00h to 19:00h. AVID rooms
Duel editing class, Second session: 2h sessions by groups of three
Exterior filming P/CP: During all the week students go outside to film p/cp
Groups 1 and 2
Week 5
Monday from 12:30h to 14:30h.
Story 1 follow-up: Shorts 5, 6, 7 and 8 - Half an hour meeting/short
Miércoles de 12:30h a 14:30h.
Story 2 follow-up: Shorts 1, 2, 3 and 4 - Half an hour meeting/short
Friday from 12:00h to 14:00h. Shared classroom with Sound
Photo follow up: Shorts 1, 2, 3 and 4 - Half an hour meeting/short
Friday from 12:30h to 14:30h. Shared classroom with Photo
Sound follow-up: Shorts 1, 2, 3 and 4 - Half an hour meeting/short
Exterior filming P/CP: During all the week students go outside to film p/cp
Groups 3 and 4
P/CP Editing: During all the week students set the p/cp in the AVID rooms
Groups 1 and 2, Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 15:00h to 21:00h
Week 6
Monday from 12:30h to 14:30h.
Direction follow-up: Shorts 1, 2, 3 and 4 - Half an hour meeting/short
Wednesday from 12:30h to 14:30h.
Story 2 follow-up: Shorts 5, 6, 7 and 8 - Half an hour meeting/short
Wednesday: Afternoon 16:00h to 20:00h. Stage (order room 3.000)
Actor rehearsal follow-up: Shorts 1 and 2 - 2 hours by group /short in stage setting
Jueves: 8:00h hasta las 21:00h. Stage
FILMING Short in Stage: Short 1 (morning) and 2 (afternoon), first space
Editing P/CP: During all the week students edit the p/cp in the AVID rooms
Groups 3 and 4, Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 15:00h to 21:00h
Week 7
Friday from 12:00h to 14:00h. Shared classroom with Sound
Photo follow-up: Shorts 5, 6, 7 and 8 - Half an hour meeting/short
Friday from 12:30h to 14:30h. Shared classroom with Photo
Sound follow-up: Shorts 5, 6, 7 and 8 - Half an hour meeting/short
Wednesday: Afternoon 16:00h to 20:00h. Stage (order room 3.000)
Actor rehearsal follow-up: Shorts 3 and 4 - 2 hours by group/ short in stage setting
Thursday from 8:00h to 21:00h. Stage
FILMING Short in Stage: Short 3 (morning) and 4 (afternoon), second space
Stage short editing: Short 1 and 2 edit the filmed material in the AVID rooms
Week 8
Monday from 12:30h to 14:30h
Direction follow-up: Shorts 5, 6, 7 and 8 - Half an hour meeting/short
Wednesday: Afternoon 16:00h to 20:00h. Stage (order room 3.000)
Actor rehearsal follow-up: Shorts 5 and 6 - 2 hours by group/ short in stage setting
Thursday from 8:00h to 21:00h. Stage
FILMING Short in Stage: Short 5 (morning) and 6 (afternoon), third space
Stage short editing: Short 3 and 4 edit the filmed material in the AVID rooms
Week 9
Wednesday: Afternoon from 16:00h to 20:00h. Stage (order room 3.000)
Actor rehearsal follow-up: Shorts 7 and 8 - 2 hours by group/ short in stage setting
Thursday from 8:00h to 21:00h. Stage
FILMING Short in Stage: Short 7 (morning) and 8 (afternoon), fourth space
Stage short editing: Short 5 and 6 edit the filmed material in the AVID rooms
Week 10
Stage short editing: Short 7 and 8 edit the filmed material in the AVID rooms
Week 11
End of exams period: Afternoon, from 15:00h to 19:00h
FINAL CLASS: Short viewing in stage and critic assessment of the course