Term: Fall 2023
Course code MAFI21	Course name MAFI 21 - FILM PRACTICE III (15 credits)
Course schedule: MAFI21	Course syllabus:  MAFI 21

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Course staff:

Programme director:

Jyoti Mistry                                                  jyoti.mistry@akademinvaland.gu.se

Course Responsible

Mirka Duijn                                                 mirka.duijn@gu.se

Participating teachers

Ruben Östlund     

Anne Hovad Fischer               

Fredrik Lange        

Samuel Malm   

Guest teachers:

Erik Gandini           

TBA

Fall 2023: Practice Course III

Course Content 

The aim of the course is for students to gain an increased understanding of film practice as a part of one's independent research, as well as to get an increased understanding of one’s position as a filmmaker in the larger system of film production. Finally, the course aims to prepare students practically towards public dissemination of the work in various settings.

The course is designed around the development and production of an independent film work as a part of one's independent research project. The development process is supported by teaching times organized through  five intensives that address various concerns around student’s artistic processes and approaches in their research, development, production and post-production of the film work. Furthermore, students are engaged in continuous critical (self-)reflection on their inquiry-led processes. On-going supervision and consultations during the course  supports further developments of  the students’ abilities to reflect on film as artistic expression and its role and function in the public sphere, as well as in research contexts  and dissemination. 

Learning Activities

The learning activities during this semester are structured around intensives in which each student will present and/or discuss their film work-in-progress on several occasions, both visual and oral presentation to critically reflect on the development process and the underlying inquiry. In addition each student will have individual consultations on the creative development of their research and film projects (four 45 min meetings) on four different occasions during the course of the semester. In addition seminars and consultations are organized in which production and technical support is offered and teaching weeks span from Monday to Friday. 

The course’s educational basis and learning activities are:

Intensives

The MAFI21 Film Practice Course will be conducted through individual assignments, seminars, workshops and group discussions that are organized in five 'intensives:  Intensive weeks of study. Each intensive revolves around a specific theoretical and practical proposition. An intensive usually spans three to four weeks, starting with a “briefing moment” and seminar in the first week of an intensive, to be followed up by weeks of self-study towards an Intensive Week with presentations and discussions. 

Individual Learning

Briefs for the preparation for intensives are shared approximately (and on average) three weeks in advance of intensives. In this brief you will find all information about preparation for the intensive. This usually consists of literature to read and films to watch as well as an audio-visual exercise. This material forms the basis of the intensive and students will be expected to supplement the viewing list with examples that advance their research project and their project dossiers. 

Peer Learning

A major part of the intensives constitute student presentations and peer-feedback sessions. You will present visual exercises and propositions for inquiry-led practices at multiple moments during the semester. On these occasions, you, as a student, are expected to provide engaged and constructive feedback on other students' work.

One on Ones

One on One consultations with the course responsible Mirka Duijn; editing teacher Anne Hovad Fischer and guests to the programme will form part of the project development support. These One on One meetings are the contexts in which students discuss their progress, their research and/or the creative development towards their exam-project. Students are expected to prepare an agenda prior to the One on One meetings, which must be shared with the teacher with sufficient preparation time for the teacher to prepare for the One on One consultation (for reading and/or watching the supplied material). For that reason, this material needs to be sent at least two full work days prior to the One on One meeting.

Technical and Production Support Structure

During this semester there are several scheduled moments when you will receive support for the technical and production aspects of your exam film project. At scheduled moments Fredrik Lange will be available to discuss production, financial and legal matters, either organized in group seminars, and later where required in individual consultations. Samuel Malm is scheduled to have technical tutorials. These will be organized as group seminars, as well as individual consultations. 

In-Between meetings

Each semester there will be three to four one-hour organized meetings dedicated to ‘housekeeping’ issues and general questions about teaching and learning. In these In-Between meetings practical questions will be discussed and/or questions about briefs and/or intensives may be taken up. We ask each group to appoint a Student Representative. This representative can collect agenda points for the In-Between from the group of peers (anonymously) in order to report to and address any comments at the meeting.

 

The First Weeks of your study

Welcome back to the Bachelor and Master of Film (Week 35)

On Monday 28/8 there will be two ‘Welcome back to the BA and MA of Film’ occasions. On Monday between 09:00 and 10:00 we will gather for a general meet and greet with the film unit. From 13:00 - 16:30 there will be a longer event during which staff and students present themselves. 

Please prepare:

We ask everyone, students and staff, to do a short presentation in which you introduce yourself to your (new) peers. Everyone has 2 minutes at their disposal. We ask you to prepare by selecting one picture or clip that means something to you. It could i.e. be something that relates to your own practice, or to you personally. The picture/clip can be from your own work, but may also be someone else’s. Prepare a short presentation about yourself in relation to the selected clip or image. The clip and presentation together should last no longer than two minutes.

Mail the picture or a link to your clip to Mirka Duijn: mirka.duijn@gu.se no later than Wednesday 23/8, 17.00. Images should be jpg and should not exceed 25 mb, video files should be H264, and should not exceed 500 mb. You can deliver them using a wetransfer-link or send it directly by mail. 

MA1 meet MA2 (Week 35)

On Thursday afternoon there will be a ‘meet and greet’ with your MA1 peers. The tradition is that this is organised by the MA2 students. It usually exists out of three parts: some kind of game to break the ice, after which food is being prepared. Thirdly: We ask the MA2’s to introduce the MA1 students to the concept of the MA corridor, the rooms and the way you agree to use them. For example: You could agree on using the small room as a quiet room, and the big one for more noisy gatherings. You can think of agreeing on being there at set times for peer feedback or to help each other with briefs, etc. In short: This is the moment to set those ground-agreements for the use of your corridor. Someone should write them down, and send them to Mirka, who will post the notes on Canvas.

Preparation

As said: The MA2 class you are all responsible for organising the event (games, activities, food, and creating the agreement for sharing the Ma corridors with the new incoming MA1 students). Please discuss and arrange this welcome meeting amongst you. There is a budget available for food. It would be good if you appoint one person hosting the organisation. That person can contact Mirka about the available budget as well as inform her on plans. We have X-Library reserved for this occasion, but we could go outside if the weather is nice. This is all up to you! 

 

Intensive #1 (Week 35, week 36)

Project Dossier 

For Intensive #1 you are required to deliver an updated project dossier following the same guidelines as the earlier project dossiers. Add an overview of the concrete work that is done over the course of the summer. Add the outline, script, visual exercises, etc, whatever concrete material you have available. Please note: It is very important that this project dossier is readable for guest lecturers with no prior knowledge about your inquiry and connected film project.

Please note: It is very important that this project dossier is readable for guest lecturers with no prior knowledge about your inquiry and connected film project, because this dossier will be read by multiple guest teachers, both from the field of artistic research as from classical film production. Make sure that you address these audiences clearly.

Deliver as a WORD document, title: 2023_MAFI21_MA2_[YOURNAME]_ProjectDossier

Canvas link: https://canvas.gu.se/courses/69531/discussion_topics/472446

If you are not able to access CANVAS yet please e-mail to mirka.duijn@gu.se

Deadline: Wednesday 30 August, 17:00 

 

Project Dossier Presentation

On the morning of Monday 4 September you are required to present your projects for guest teacher Ruben Östlund as well as your MA1 peers and selected teaching staff. Each MA2 student is asked to present their project in max 10 minutes. There will be no feedback session during this morning session. The feedback session will be taking place in the afternoon, students in MA1 will not be part of this session.

Deliverables: Prepare a 10-minute presentation of the focus of your inquiry and plans for your project. Reflect on how you have developed your research and project over the spring and summer and explain where you are now. Reflect on the questions that you now have regarding your own project.

Deliver your presentation by uploading to Canvas before Monday 08:00. 

Do not upload as LINK or as locked presentation, upload as PDF, Keynote, or Powerpoint file.

Canvas link: https://canvas.gu.se/courses/69531/discussion_topics/472449?module_item_id=916604

If you are not able to access CANVAS yet please e-mail to mirka.duijn@gu.se

Deadline: 4 September 2023, 08:00 CET

 

Intensive #2 (Week 36, week 37)

During the second and third week of studies we will focus on your project dossier and plans for production. More information will be shared in your first week of studies. 

Intensive #2 consists of three parts: 

(1) A workshop ‘Development through Improvisation’ with Ruben Östlund, 

(2) A screening and seminar on ‘speculative documentary’ with Erik Gandini, 

(3) Production support for your second-year film projects.

Part 1: Development through Improvisation

Ruben Östlund often works with improvisation in the writing and casting process for his films. In this workshop he invites students to work with this method, testing selected scenes through improvisation with actors (fellow peers). The aim of the workshop is to advance one’s projects/scenes. For this acting workshop students will work with one scene from their own project and their peers will serve as actors for the improvisation. 

Preparation

For this workshop you are required to pick one scene from your outline/script. Think carefully which scene you would single out: What kind of scene could possibly help you to experiment with and advance your project? The scene should have a clear set up. If you do not have any written scene from a script that you can use, because you have a different working method towards the development of your project (for example, if you are working towards an inquiry-led documentary or essay film, or if your writing/development process does not call for scenes for other reasons), think of a hypothetical test scene that you would like to try out with your actors. If you need any items or props for your scene, please bring them with you. Try to keep the needs for the scene simple. Write a short description of the scene beforehand (max 350 words).

This description should  contain: 

• A very concise description of the film project (as part of your inquiry-led process) (3 lines max). 
• A clear description of the scene and the possible context and place in the project. 
• All practical information that you think might be useful: the number of actors needed, the set up of the scene in its content, props used etc. If that means you have to i.e. draw a map of the set up in addition to the text: please do so.

Be prepared to briefly present this short introduction of your project and the scene in no more than 2 minutes. Upload the description of the scene as a word-file to Canvas 

Deadline: Friday 1 September, 17:00. 

Canvas link: https://canvas.gu.se/courses/69531/discussion_topics/478532?module_item_id=946350

Part 2: Speculative Documentary

The BA and MA Film Programmes have invited filmmaker Erik Gandini for a screening of his latest film After Work (2023), as well as a seminar in which he introduces his artistic research in documentary film.

Erik Gandini is an Italian-Swedish film director, writer and producer of documentaries such as Surplus - Terrorized into Being Consumers and Videocracy. He also produced The Raft by Marcus Lindeen. The organized seminar, titled ‘speculative documentary’, revolves around his latest film-project, the feature-length doc, After Work, in which he explores society’s relationship to work and attempts to imagine how people could adapt to an automated world.

 Until now, documentaries have been confined to the present or the past. The documentary is often restricted to these chronological dimensions, but there is the chronological dimension of the future that has so far been entirely monopolized by science fiction. Why can’t documentaries deal with the future, too? 

• The screening of After Work will be hosted on the evening of Tuesday 5 September. The seminar on Speculative Fiction is organized on Wednesday 6 September, 09:00 - 12:00. You do not have to prepare anything for this seminar.

Part 3: Production support

The end of week 36, and week 37 will be dedicated to the practical continuation of your projects. On Friday 8 September a seminar on Legal and Financial matters will be hoster by Fredrik Lange. In week 37 a Production Workflow Meeting has been planned, as well as several One on Ones with Mirka Duijn (concept, and project development), Fredrik Lange (accounting and legal matters), and Samuel Malm (technical tutorials).

 

Full Course Schedule: 

A more detailed schedule will be available on Time Edit. You will have access to that upon registration for your courses. In addition a production schedule is available. This is a 'living document' to which students, technicians, teachers and staff have access. Please update everyone on your personal production schedule by filling in your details in this document.

 

Week 35: Opening of the year,

                   Intensive #1: Deliver Project Dossier

Week 36: Intensive #1 Cont: Project Presentations

                   Intensive #2 Directing (Ruben Östlund)

                   Intensive #2 Masterclass Speculative Documentary (Erik Gandini)

Week 37: Development / Pre-Production.

                  One on Ones #1 with Mirka Duijn.

                  Tech Tutorials by Samuel Malm.

                  Legal & Accounting seminar & tutorials by Fredrik Lange. 

Week 38: Pre-Production 

                  Brief & Seminar for Intensive #3 (Friday 22 September)

Week 39: Pre-Production / Shoot

Week 40: Shoot

Week 41: First Assemblage.

                 Tech Seminar (Proxies & Offline editing) by Samuel Malm

Week 42: Intensive #3: The rough Cut 

                 One on Ones #2 with Mirka Duijn.

Week 43: Intensive #3: The rough Cut 

Week 44: Edit.

                  Accounting seminar by Fredrik Lange. 

Week 45: Intensive #4: Audience

Week 46: Edit 

                  Parse Conference

Week 47: Edit & Sound

                 One on Ones with Anne Hovad Fischer

Week 48: Prep for Intensive #5

Week 49: Intensive #5: Exam

 

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