Visual Structure of Stories

This is a hybrid class (theory and practice) dedicated to understanding how visual elements function in time-based media. We will explore numerous strategies for using visual cues (color, shapes, placement in frame, selective focus, movement etc.) to support the plot, the theme, the emotional content and the subtext of the story, both at the level of frame/shot and at the level of the whole story arc. Students will perform analysis of texts in the frameworks of aesthetics and narrative theory, as well as production of texts that enter in conversation with the analysis. Students will create a portfolio of images that apply the visual strategies studied in class, write an analytical paper on a feature film and produce a short (5-8 minute) video that maps these visual strategies on the structure of a short script.