Landscape Cinema

This course focuses on the relationship between filmmakers and nature. From the opening question “What is landscape?” We will address through video projects, readings, and screenings the theories and practices of artist’s moving image practice such as eco-cinema, sonic ethnography, ecological filmmaking, and slow cinema that emerged in the second half of the twentieth century. Students will make regular visits into their local landscape over the term and will create short videos in response to topics addressed in class; leading up to a final video inspired by that location. At the end of the term, students will have a closer connection to the physical environment they live in and will leave the course with an understanding of the role nature and landscape has played in film history and contemporary film practice. Evaluation will be based on completion of field notes (written, visual, and/or sonic), short video projects, a final project, and participation in class discussions that demonstrate critical encounters with readings, screenings, and the landscape around them. A brief tutorial in Adobe Premiere Pro will be offered at the beginning of the term.