Video/Media Laboratory: Experimental Narrative

In this semester-long course, students will develop work that aims to challenge audience perceptions of traditional filmmaking while retaining an “audience reading” of the film’s message, point, and meaning. This is a production class, where the development of experimental-narrative film is covered from the conception of an idea to the finished product. Participants will have the opportunity to experiment with nonconventional techniques for image creation in collaboration with student musicians, composers, dancers, and theatre directors. Working closely with classes from other Sarah Lawrence creative-arts disciplines, we will explore technical, conceptual, and aesthetic approaches to constructing films with directed shots, cinéma vérité, and free-media montage. Emphasis will be placed on producing innovative and creative films, video for performances, and audioscapes. Students will participate in technical production modules and exercises in which an exploration of modes of experimental narrative will be covered. Focus will be on an exploration of structure and formats in experimental film and on film’s relationship to narrative, poetry, and experimental text. The class will also function as an editing workshop with critique and feedback, as well as the study of existing works. Visiting experimental filmmaker labs will be an important part of this class.