In this course we will think about how mise-en-scène—literally "putting onto the stage"
—emphasizes the set/location, lighting, props, costumes, and actors in
front of the camera. All of these components suggest a physical approach to
filmmaking, where social and collaborative processes operate around moving bodies
and things in an imaginary world framed by the camera.
Through this course we will consider film’s origin in theater and closely examine the
spatial arrangement of the set, as framed by the camera. We will explore how the
viewer/audience peers into the fictional world and how setting/props subtly reveal
aspects of the character/s, narrative, and feeling.
Additionally, we will consider film as an expanded genre where the idea of the
set/location/setting expands beyond the frame into installation/multi-channel
work/interactivity. We will consider how installation or immersive works blur the
boundaries between fictional space and viewers’ embodied experiences.
Through screenings and lectures students will be introduced to historic and
contemporary filmmakers/artists that actively consider sets and installations, like
Georges Méliès, Hitchcock, von Trier’s Dogville, Wes Anderson, Pipilotti Rist, and Mika
Rottenberg.
Additionally, this course will emphasize active making, where we will do short diagram
and storyboard exercises to consider the set/location/camera position to understand the
spatial dynamics within the scene as well as some shooting exercises on the production
stage. As we expand the frame of the set into installation, we will explore some techniques
for multi-channel and interactive video works.
Each student will produce one short film and then spend the second half of class
creating a more developed film or installation.

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