Film & Video in the Digital Age
a Discovery Core Experience
BCORE 104 (Arts & Humanities)
About This Course
So, you want to be in pictures? Or make movies? Or maybe you’re just interested in learning more about how independent and DIY filmmakers and other creatives are using their mobile and personal devices to produce cinematic content and tell compelling stories. We’re at a point where the magic of movie making is open to anyone with a smartphone and laptop, at least in theory.
In “Film & Video in the Digital Age: Big Dream in Small Screens,” we explore how new technologies continue to impact the practice and industry of filmmaking—from development to production to distribution and marketing. We consider how traditions and conventions in visual storytelling have evolved, and how our expectations for various genres have been set and, at times, turned on its head. We will also importantly try our hand at producing filmic images in still photography and video with available tools, both as individual students and in groups.
Why Should I Take This Course?
Join us if you’re interested in film and video and want to know more about its past, present, and future; gain experience and skills in basic media production; and put your smartphone and personal tech to new use to produce an original short video. No previous experience or knowledge required but an openness to tell your own stories, a willingness to work with others, and a creative spirit will go a long way.
Selected Projects & Activities
Workshop sessions and lab assignments will help us build a practice of media production in three stages:
- pre-production (story development and planning)
- production (camera operation and recording; lighting and sound design)
- post-production (editing and finishing)
The course culminates with a final video project, an original feature short, that you will complete with class peers in production teams.
Fun Facts About This Course
Notable filmmakers Sean Baker, Steven Soderberg, Park Chan-wook, and Malik Bendjelloul have all used footage recorded on smartphones in their professional releases.
Professor Samuel Yum (he/him/his)
School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences
Education
- B.A., Anthropology, University of Pennsylvania
- M.A., Anthropology, Columbia University
- M.A., Museology, University of Washington
- Ph.C., Anthropology, University of Washington
Contact
- Office: UW1-391
- Email: yums@uw.edu