Arts Workshops
Discovering Subject Matter for Drawing and Painting
K40.1410 4 CR SSII: W 9:30-3:30 Bert Katz
The character of a work of art is based on sources which provide visual information, and are then converted by the art student into elements of pictorial form. A variety of different locations can be helpful in providing source material for drawing and painting. To provide this varied subject matter, field trips are built into this studio course. One of our goals will be to capture the open feeling of these beautiful sites rather than simply reproducing them. In addition, we will develop a better understanding of the complexities of visual art through discussions of contemporary art theory and references to well known artists. Through visiting and working at sites—including the grounds, luxurious home and studio of the important nineteenth-century American artist, Frederick Edwin Church (now a NY State Historical site), and the seaside locations on the east end of Long Island used by William Merritt Chase, another American artist—the art student has the chance to add to his/her visual vocabulary. Selected venues in Manhattan complete this unique studio art experience. Portable art materials will be used to facilitate the outdoor drawing and painting aspect of the course. The site schedule is presented at the first meeting at Gallatin. The final class meets at the Gallatin School for a class critique of the term’s work. Students should plan to pay for their own travel and admissions fees, including visits to the Church estate and the east end of Long Island (weather permitting).
Screenwriting
K40.1574 4 CR SSI: MW 5:30-8:30 Pedro Cristiani
A screenplay must not only hold a solid dramatic structure and deep character development, but also the ability to be translated into a viable film production. This workshop focuses on screenwriting strategies that allow students for optimal creativity in the framework of their own film and television projects. Students are guided through the fundamental stages of their creative process: from the development of an original idea [the pitch], through revisions and preparation [synopsis, treatment] for the outline of an actual shooting script, be it a proposed feature, short film, or TV episode. The in-class study of produced screenplays and screening of feature films is coupled with exposure to the working screenwriter's tools and weapons. And by exploring the storytelling techniques that support the transition from the written page to the screen, students will be able to integrate the cinematic language into their own work-in-progress. Anderson’s Rushmore, Del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth, Singer’s The Usual Suspects and Serling's The Twilight Zone will be part of the in-class screenings. Texts will include Robert McKee's Story: Substance, Style and the Art of Screenwriting, Christopher Vogler's The Writer’s Journey, and excerpts from selected screenplays, feature films and TV series.
Cinematic Environments
K40.1618 4 CR SSII: MW 5:30-8:30 Donna Goodman
Film has been described as the act of restructuring time and space. Set design plays an important role in this process for it helps establish both the time and place of a drama. In the early twentieth century, films also included avant-garde designs, created by Art Deco, Bauhaus, Surrealist, and Constructivist designers. In later decades, digital artists also participated in the cinematic process through the creation of imaginative designs. This workshop introduces the process of planning and designing a visual concept for film. Students are shown films and slides of innovative productions and introduced to visual methods for creating cinematic environments. Class discussions explore techniques for expressing dramatic themes through innovative designs, historical references, and special effects. The course also explores the use of light, photographic techniques, and cinematic structures, such as montage, rhythm and repetition, and pattern and motion. The screenings include films by directors, such as Fritz Lang, Alfred Hitchcock, Orson Welles, Terry Gilliam, Julie Taymor, and Ridley Scott. Readings include excerpts from Sidney Lumet’s Making Movies and Sergei Eisenstein’s The Film Sense, as well as novels and scripts, used as a basis for projects. The assignments include a short paper and one or two visual projects, such as a slide essay on New York, or a set design. Students will need a camera, drawing materials, and basic modelbuilding tools.
Digital Art and Media
K40.1625 4 CR SSI: MW 5:30-8:30 Sanders
Digital media and new methods of visual communication affect how we work, play, see our environment and ourselves. With digital media we can build images and edit graphics easily and effectively. Painting and imaging programs form flexible and powerful tools for constructing imagery that lead to new ways of creating work, new design criteria, and new aesthetics. When computer imaging is combined with interactivity, and distribution such as CD, DVD, and the Internet, the result is interactive multimedia. This project based studio course, designed for beginning to intermediate students, explores ways of constructing images and interactivity. In the computer lab, we focus on methods of creating digital media and art, including painting programs, digital image editing, authoring interactivity and time-based work. Critiques of individual student work, readings, and discussion will examine the evolving formal criteria, aesthetics and social implications of this work. Readings include selections from Paul Klee’s Pedagogical Sketchbook. We will visit exhibits of digital work, on-line and at New York City's art spaces.