Theoretical and practical investigations into processes, methods, frameworks, and considerations involved with both creating and distributing emerging cinematic media. These courses examine developing concepts, methods, and works that engage with the wide-ranging creative possibilities of emerging cinematic media practices. Topics courses may be repeated with a different topic for credit.
Virtual Worlds
A critical design course that explores emerging methods for creating 3D virtual worlds alongside examining virtual production from critical, historical, and speculative lenses. Students will learn how to conceptualize, design, and prototype simple worlds in a 3D game engine environment, and experiment with methods for layering the virtual with the real (photogrammetry capture, augmented reality). They will consider how theorists and practitioners have contended with cultural and conceptual questions raised by these practices. They can expect to engage with critical reflection, and 3D digital world-building design and virtual production processes that are introductory to intermediate, depending on their prior skill level and interest. Though game engine, 3D, or animation experience would be useful, no prior experience is necessary.
Speculative Design
A critical media design course that explores how cinematic arts practices are used to imagine alternative futures and presents. Students will be introduced to methods from the field of future studies for analyzing possible futures based on real-world trends. Their analysis will inform the creation of a series of cinematic arts projects to visualize these imagined futures and to engage viewers in conversations about them. Students will be introduced to critical design prototyping practices using digital collage, illustration, and video. Special emphasis will be placed on studying and creating fictions that speculate on futures that are heavily impacted by both climate and media technology change (generative AI, mixed reality). Collaborative worldbuilding methods will be used to imagine multiple facets of these futures from interdisciplinary lenses (health and well-being, politics and social structures, physical/virtual private and public space, communications, aging, etc.). No prior media or art experience is required or expected.
Worldbuilding Design
This course explores emerging methods of narrative design in relationship to worldbuilding. Worldbuilding refers to designing a complex integrated system with many moving parts such as characters, settings, myths, rules, artifacts – often a whole system of a society and culture. These design methods are used throughout media forms ranging from narrative writing, filmmaking, theater, architecture, mobile apps, video games, and virtual reality, to the integrated use of multiple forms using transmedia storytelling. Students will create short projects that investigate relationships between the design of a world and the storytelling possibilities that emerge from and are embedded within it, using both analog and digital methods. Students will experiment with methods and concepts such as non-linear storytelling, interactivity, experience design, transmedia, the poetics of space, and other relevant topics. Readings and short screenings will contextualize hands-on-work within larger historical and cultural contexts.