RTF 331Q | 393Q
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9:30 am – 12:30 pm
CMB Studio 4B and other locations
Fall 2008
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“Multimedia, by its very nature, is open, democratic, nonhierarchical, fluid, varied, inclusive—a slippery domain…”
--Randall Packer and Ken Jordan, Multimedia (2001)

“Interdisciplinarity is not the calm of an easy security; it begins effectively (as opposed to the mere expression of a pious wish) when the solidarity of the old disciplines breaks down—perhaps even violently, via the jolts of fashion—in the interests of a new object and a new language neither of which has a place in the field of the sciences that were to be brought peacefully together, this unease in classification being precisely the point from which it is possible to diagnose a certain mutation.”
--Roland Barthes, “From Work to Text,” in Image-Music-Text (1977)

“An intermedium (is) an uncharted land that lies between…It is not governed by rules; each work determines its own medium and form according to its needs.  The concept itself is better understood by what it is not, rather than what it is…There was and could be no intermedial movement.  Intermediality has always been a possibility since the most ancient times…it remains a possibility wherever the desire to fuse two or more existing media exists.”
--Dick Higgins, Horizons:  The Poetics and Theory of the Intermedia (1966)

“Artistic man can only fully content himself by uniting every branch of Art into the common Artwork:  in every segregation of his artistic faculties he is unfree, not fully that which he has power to be; whereas in the common Artwork he is free, and fully that which he has power to be.”
--Richard Wagner, “Outlines of the Artwork of the Future,” in The Artwork of the Future (1849)

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Instructor: Samantha Krukowski
samantha@rasa.net
http://www.rasa.net
                                   
TA: Jessie Dorfman
jessiedorfman@yahoo.com
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•• Contents subject to change ••
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Things to know

Intermedia coursework is cumulative, each project builds on the next and content from all of the projects will inform your final film/video. 

Yes, you’ll work hard.  Yes, you’ll have a great time.  Be ready to collaborate with others, stretch your boundaries, and share as you go.

If there are times during the semester when you have no idea what to do or think or make, you’re on the right track.  There are endless creative possibilities given the directions we’ll pursue, the materials we’ll use, the processes we’ll engage.  If you don’t know what to make, go look at what other people have made.  If you don’t know what to say (in whatever medium), go read something or watch something or listen to someone interesting.  If you are still stuck, in all probability you are not making enough stuff to get yourself moving.  A motto for the course:  Make, make, make.  Just make stuff.

Buy an unlined black sketchbook and use it to write and think; dream and play; sketch and draw; collect, insert and paste; sculpt and decorate.  This sketchbook will be part of the work you show during the final review, so put it to good and thorough use.

It’s assumed you have some art/design experience and some knowledge of image and video software coming into the class.
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Things to buy | get

Glue (RC 56 or Neutral Ph Adhesive)
Hot glue gun and hot glue sticks
Clear tape
Extension cord
Xacto knife and blades
Self-healing cutting mat
The Chopper (optional)
Metal ruler with cork underside
Scissors
Good drawing paper (should have some tooth); cheap drawing paper (various options)
Pad of Bristol Board, 14” x 17”
Collage materials (collect your own)
Chipboard and cardboard of various thicknesses (you can collect this)
Basswood (be careful not to buy Balsa wood by accident)
Graphite pencils in various weights (6B, 4B, 2B, HB, H, 2H, 4H, 6H)
Pencil sharpener
A couple of good, white erasers for drawing (Staedtler Mars Plastic, for example)
Black permanent pens, including a few thick Sharpies
Paints, inks, wet media (permanent and water-soluble)
Clear 16mm film leader
Clear 16mm splicing tape
Materials for direct film work
Needles, thread, string
Storage media (may include Mini-DV tapes, CD-RWs, DVDs)
Black book (see next page)

Helpful but not required: External firewire HD or jump drive, digital camera, video camera (mini-DV or something that transfers easily to mini-DV).  You’ll want to back up your work, often, so make sure you have the media you want to use for the task.

Places to buy such stuff in Austin:  Jerry’s Artarama, The University Co-op (both locations), Asel Art, Miller Blueprint, Breed and Company, Hobby Lobby.  * Note * Using online art supply stores like Dick Blick, Pearl Paint, Utrecht, etc., will save you money.  Urbanski Film online is a good place to buy film leader and splicing tape; there are a few other (dwindling) resources for these materials.
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Six Projects (+ an in-class presentation)

# 1             Form
We begin with a copy of a painting.  E-mail me to get the high-resolution image.  This painting is a ground or landscape that will guide you in the construction of a physical form (24” limit in any direction.)  Pay particular attention to shadows and interstitial spaces.  When you complete the form, take multiple photographs from different perspectives and with more or less proximity.  Bring both the form and the photographs to the project review.  Materials:  basswood, glue.

# 2            Figure
Your constructed form is the model for a series of 12 drawings.  These drawings should be, in part, investigations of positive and negative space, shadows and interstitial spaces. All of your drawings should be the same size; their scale should reflect the nature of your investigations and allow you to find things in your form you didn’t necessarily see while making it.  Materials:  pen and|or graphite and paper. 
        
# 3            Re-form | Re-figure
Scan your drawings at whatever scale you like.  Crop each drawing so you end up with an 8” square.  Print the images (good quality please).  Arrange the images in a sequence.  Remove six of the images.  Create collages in the empty spaces, maintaining the original sequence.  Materials:  open but carefully chosen and intentionally limited.  Be specific in terms of material choice, texture and color.

#4            Celluloid
Fill at least one hundred feet of clear 16mm film leader.  You will probably use more once you have the hang of it.  Draw from and extend the vocabulary of your first four projects as you go, interpreting from 2D, 3D and 4D alike.  Use whatever materials, colors and techniques seem appropriate.

#5            Sound | Sight
Choose a 3-5 minute piece by a composer listed on the handout you are given the first day of class.  Choose a piece that challenges you and that is not immediately identifiable.  Listen and draw to it loosely until you can see and represent imagery that relates to the music and becomes recognizable.  Create two things:  A visual timeline that represents the character of the music and musical events within it; and an alphabet of 26 distinct “characters” that map the evolution of the piece.  These characters may or may not be related to the imagery of your film leader.  Your final alphabet may include images, textures and objects—limit your characters to approximately 4” in any direction.

#6            Kinetics
When you have finished your leader and sound work, transfer the film to mini-DV.  There are two ways to do this given where we are:  use the Steenbeck set up for film to mini-DV transfer (outcome is a bit Vaseline-y), or use a 16mm projector to project the film leader and tape it while it runs.  The latter method may damage your film leader and/or the projector—we’ll talk more about all of this.  The class calendar includes classes where you can transfer to tape:  help each other!   When you’ve completed the transfer, import the tape content and the .mp3 file of your music into Final Cut Pro.  Create a video that incorporates imagery from your leader, other class projects, your alphabet, and whatever else, set to (against) the musical composition you’ve chosen.  Use your musical timeline to help in the editing process.  Your video should be carefully conceived and edited in terms of content, color, mood, rhythm, sound and spatial quality.  5 minute limit.
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Equipment

There is some limited equipment available to you for this class.  You may or may not want to use it.  You may take it out once you have filled out the necessary paperwork, gotten a log-in and paid a $25 fee.  The equipment reserved for us is as follows and can be reserved online through the RTF website at http://rtf.utexas.edu/equipment/ or by going down, in person, to the 2nd floor of CMB.

(4) Marantz PMD660 flash audio recorders
(4) Sony HC-40 video cameras
Any available video tripod (shared with other classes)
Any available microphone EXCEPT ADR mics (shared with other classes)
Any available boom pole or mic stand (shared with other classes)
Any available audio cable (shared with other classes)
Any available teenie weenie kit (shared with other classes)

Make sure you have an appointment time. Call first to get appointment times for checkout and check in. 
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Reading

This is a production course, and its emphasis is on making rather than reading (making is a kind of reading and writing).  I am providing you with a handout that lists books related to the course located in a few University libraries.  I know many of you rarely visit the libraries, but please remember that not everything is online.  One requirement, download Helen Hill’s Recipes for Disaster at http://www.angoleiro.com/cine_texts/
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Grading

Six projects and class presentation                                                                        70%
Participation and documentation (critiques, CD, mini-DV, blog)                                    30%

A high grade is assigned to those students who work hard, participate in class, demonstrate an understanding of the course concepts, and produce work that shows evolution in terms of sensibility, process, craft, and scope.  A failing grade will be assigned to any student who does not complete all of the projects; who misses more than three class sessions without being excused in advance; and|or who is absent on a project due date or for the final review.  You will be asked often to discuss ideas and the progress of your work with the class and|or visitors.  I do not give incompletes.
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Other Important Details

Pay close attention to the Course Calendar and the List of Projects…both are very detailed and will help you stay organized.  There is no reason you should come to a class unprepared as each class day has a topic and a list of things to bring or prepare where necessary.

On either October 21 or October 28, each of you will present the work of one of the film | video makers | artists on the list handed out the first day of class.  Information about how to prepare and present your subject and his or her work is provided on that list.

On October 25 there is an all-day field trip to Houston.  Please clear your calendar.  You will need to arrange your own transportation.

At the end of the semester you are required to turn in:

• A CD-ROM with high quality, high resolution images (300dpi) of each of your projects.  They should be well composed and corrected where necessary, in terms of color, contrast, tone, etc.  (BIG SUGGESTION:  take them after you complete each project, not at the end of the semester.)  No file should be bigger than 2MB, jpeg and|or tiff format only.  Please organize the CD-ROM clearly by project and name your images according to their content.
• A copy of Project #6 on mini-DV tape, set to play from start
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University Speak

Regarding Scholastic Dishonesty: The University defines academic dishonesty as cheating, plagiarism, unauthorized collaboration, falsifying academic records, and any act designed to avoid participating honestly in the learning process. Scholastic dishonesty also includes, but is not limited to, providing false or misleading information to receive a postponement or an extension on a test, quiz, or other assignment, and submission of essentially the same written assignment for two courses without the prior permission of the instructor. By accepting this syllabus, you have agreed to these guidelines and must adhere to them. Scholastic dishonesty damages both the student's learning experience and readiness for the future demands of a work-career. Students who violate University rules on scholastic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary penalties, including the possibility of failure in the course and/or dismissal from the University. For more information on scholastic dishonesty, please visit the Student Judicial services Web site at http://www.utexas.edu/depts/dos/sjs/.

About services for students with disabilities: The University of Texas at Austin provides upon request appropriate academic accommodations for qualified students with disabilities. For more information, contact the Office of the Dean of Students at 471-6259, 471-4641 TTY.

About the Undergraduate Writing Center: The Undergraduate Writing Center, located in the FAC 211, phone 471-6222, offers individualized assistance to students who want to improve their writing skills. There is no charge, and students may come in on a drop-in or appointment basis.