During the senior year, students synthesize and apply what they have learned in their previous studies to the creation of a year-long project. Students develop, design, animate, direct, and produce these projects independently. Students receive weekly individual guidance from instructors and two critiques by established professionals from the world animation community. Class meetings are devoted to film screenings, group critique, and specialized technical workshops. Fall semester includes a one-week field trip to the Ottawa International Animation Festival in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

Estimated Materials Cost: Varies considerably with production design; average $1,000.00 to $3,000.00. Deposit: $150.00

Estimated Travel Cost: $700 - $1,000.

Major requirement; FAV majors only

Open to non-majors with department permission.

Registration by FAV Department, course not available via web registration.

Majors are pre-registered by the Department Coordinator during the pre-registration period in the Spring semester preceding the senior year.

Students make full payment via Slate. Payments can be made at any time once registration begins in May.

Payment must be completed before the first day of the Fall semester.

This course examines preproduction methods for animation, including storytelling and cinematic language particular to the animation medium. Emphasizing practical approaches to research and concept development, the course will introduce structural tools including storyboards, writing, color scripts, animatics, and preliminary soundtracks. We will ask the central question "Why Animation?" as we cover topics such as point-of-view, expressive scale, use of metaphor, and transformation.

Estimated Materials Cost: $50.00 Deposit: $150.00

Elective

Open to sophomore and above

Registration by FAV Department, course not available via web registration.

A Collaborative Study Project (CSP) allows two students to work collaboratively to complete a faculty supervised project of independent study.

Usually, a CSP is supervised by two faculty members, but with approval it may be supervised by one faculty member. Its purpose is to meet individual student needs by providing an alternative to regularly offered courses, though it is not a substitute for a course if that course is regularly offered.

This course explores the use of the computer to create animation and motion graphics. Emphasis is placed on producing dynamic movement using keyframe interpolation and vector graphics. In addition, students will work with sound and motion data, coded expressions and effects generators to expand the range of animation possibilities. Through a series of individual and group projects, students will explore and experiment with computer animation techniques and gain experience with digital tools. A range of films will be screened complementing each week's focus.

Knowledge of Adobe After Effects and Illustrator is helpful but not required. In addition to project work, students will reinforce software concepts by viewing weekly video tutorials outside class.

Estimated Materials Cost: $40.00

Elective

Open to sophomore and above

Permission of Instructor required. Course not available via web registration.

This course uses Maya as the main tool to explore 3D digital animation, emphasizing modeling techniques. The overall goal of this course is to generalize the study of the 3D world and to give students basic problem solving skills needed for continued use of this tool. After a series of lectures covering the basics of navigating the interface, each student produces a short animation. Each student has focused, individual time with the instructor.

Major elective

Permission of Instructor required. Course not available via web registration.

Course may be repeated once for credit.

This class uses Adobe After Effects as a tool to achieve the students' individual goals as artists. Starting with the basics of creating imagery in After Effects, the course moves through compositing, special effects, puppet animation and time manipulation. There is an overarching focus on core concepts such as quality of motion, layout and composition, color and form that surpass this single class. The first 6 weeks contain homework assignments that allow the students to grasp individual components of this highly technical toolset, while during the second 6 weeks the students concentrate on a final project. This project stresses the students' knowledge and forces them to grow as a digital animator as they find unique problems and solve them with instructor supervision.

Major elective

Permission of Instructor required. Course not available via web registration.

In the Directing class, students are encouraged to go beyond the first instinct or idea, and to develop a project to its fullest potential, particularly with respect to meaning and to potential modes of execution. Students work on a variety of scenes throughout the semester, complete several short assignments during and outside of class, and read handouts and excerpts from texts. An ongoing focus throughout the semester is an exploration of the methods of communication between directors and actors. Students direct each other, young actors from the Carriage House School, professional actors from the community (brought in for two classes), and actors of their choosing for final projects. As they direct rehearsals, students utilize a variety of specific tools that enable them to maximize the creativity and fertility of their relationships with actors, and to make adjustments in performances quickly and effectively. The latter third of the semester also focuses on techniques for script analysis. These are used to discover the range of creative possibilities in a given text, and to thoroughly prepare and organize directors for rehearsals and shoots. An ongoing, general goal of the course is also for each student to reflect upon and identify their personal themes as a director.

Major elective

Permission of Instructor required. Course not available via web registration.

In this intensive independent studio students continue and complete the work began in "EHP Studio Elective", culminating in the final exhibition and review. It corresponds to the remaining four weeks of the program, after students have finished with their Art History and Italian classes.

Note: EHP credits replace the on-campus major requirements for the term students attend. Distribution to non-major requirements occurs when major credits are not needed.

Independent studio is at the core of the EHP experience. Upon arrival, students are assigned studio space at the Palazzetto Cenci, home of RISD's program in Rome. With guidance from the chief critic, each student develops a personal body of work sparked by his/her interactions with places, people and circumstances in Rome and other locations that are part of the EHP tours (such as the Northern, Southern or Eastern tours, as well as other shorter trips.) The work takes as a point of departure knowledge and techniques specific to individual home departments, but allows, and even encourages, explorations beyond disciplinary boundaries, including collaborations and cross-fertilization within a group of students from different departments working together.

Beyond consistent and thorough engagement with studio work, requirements include participation in open studios and exhibitions, presentations in reviews, and attendance to all group activities and events, such as lectures at the Cenci and other institutions. From time to time, the chief critic may issue short assignments to introduce or focus on a particular subject. As part of the studio elective, students may be encouraged to keep sketchbooks and/or diaries, participate in optional activities--such as figure drawing sessions--and search for brief internships, apprenticeships, or other forms of interactions with local artists, designers, curators and critics.

EHP Studio Elective corresponds to the first twelve weeks of the program, while students are also taking Art History and Italian classes. This course establishes the direction for the work in the "Studio Concentration" course that follows.

Note: EHP credits replace the on-campus major requirements for the term students attend. Distribution to non-major requirements occurs when major credits are not needed.

This course identifies core principles of digital production, to enable students to continually adapt to the ever-changing world of software. Students research and produce artworks that demonstrate their understanding of these principles. This primary knowledge includes digital film and video formats, project asset management, compression techniques, understanding program interface design, color spaces, channel mixing and filters, and the creation and use of extra channels (such as alpha and depth).

Estimated Materials Cost: $30.00

Major requirement; FAV majors

Registration by FAV Department, course not available via web registration.

Permission of Instructor required.

This studio investigates monitor and projector based installation through critical readings and studio practice. Emphasis is placed on concerns of material, site, space and interactivity. The course revisits the television monitor and television viewing context as the original video installation site. Students also explore the projector and projection beam, including its shape and volume, capacity to serve as a pure light source and as a means of resurfacing three-dimensional objects. Active installation artists visit the class for lectures and critiques.

Estimated Materials Cost: $150.00 Deposit: $150.00

Open to sophomore and above

Permission of Instructor required.

An overview of game production techniques, this course introduces students to the Unity game engine as a tool for moving artwork from the page or the screen, and into the hands of the viewer. The syntax and structure of C# (C-Sharp) and JavaScript will be explored, forming the basis of programming tasks in Unity, and providing foundational skills applicable to other languages. Students will create and work with a range of 2D, 3D, video, and audio assets in the creation of artwork that both informs and responds to the viewer. Modes of display and the corresponding hardware, software, and design constraints will also be investigated, through build formats like VR, AR, Mobile, Desktop.

Open to sophomore and above.

Permission of Instructor required.

Contact FAV Department Coordinator, Rebecca Paiva at [email protected].

Also offered as FAV-1540; Register in the course for which credit is desired.

The Independent Study Project (ISP) allows students to supplement the established curriculum by completing a faculty supervised project for credit in a specific area of interest. Its purpose is to meet individual student needs by providing an alternative to regularly offered courses.

Permission of Instructor and GPA of 3.0 or higher is required.

Register by completing the Independent Study Application available on the Registrar's website; the course is not available via web registration.

The Independent Study Project (ISP) allows students to supplement the established curriculum by completing a faculty supervised project for credit in a specific area of interest. Its purpose is to meet individual student needs by providing an alternative to regularly offered courses.

Permission of Instructor and GPA of 3.0 or higher is required.

Register by completing the Independent Study Application available on the Registrar's website; the course is not available via web registration.

Someone once said that it is easier to imagine the end of the world than to imagine the end of capitalism. (from Frederic Jameson's essay Future City)

Using the varied disciplines and tools we bring with us to this cross-disciplinary studio, Jameson's openly attributed quote launches us into an attempt to think-and above all to practice-our capacity to imagine a world after capitalism. A great deal of study and experience has revealed capitalism to be, at best, a limited ideology, and yet its all encompassing quality leaves us struggling to imagine our way in/around/through/after it. This course aims to increase our dexterity and our ease in being with/under/after capitalism.

A growing body of artistic practice defines itself, explicitly or implicitly, as constituting attempts to resist, reveal, or re-imagine capitalism. Through researching some of these related artist practices, reading, and making group and individual projects, we will conduct a collective study of this pervasive political and economic ideology. Our study will take form through the research, production, and curious attention paid to a series of artworks that constitute attempts by each member of our study group, to imagine in/around/through capitalism. Works can take any form that is appropriate to our concerns.

Elective

Open to junior and above.

Building on skills learned in the Intro Stop-motion Animation class, students will develop and produce one short stop-motion animation for professional portfolio and public screening. This course will provide students the opportunity to focus on particular issues of stop-motion animation and explore more advanced production techniques and processes. The course emphasizes art direction and project development. Students are encouraged to experiment with individual style and techniques of armature and set building, lighting, special effects and camera techniques. Weekly exercises are designed to strengthen students' conceptual and animation skills. In addition, a wide range of short films are screened to provide creative stimulus and demonstrate a variety of aesthetic and technical approaches.

Estimated Materials Cost: $300.00

Major elective

Permisison of Instructor required. Course not available via web registration.

The intermediate year of animation study witnesses a significant transformation, in which the student grows from novice to independent director. This year-long studio develops an integrated understanding of the diverse aesthetic tools of animation, and teaches students directing for the animation medium. The course is comprised of four elements. First, weekly in-class structured experiments and homework awaken and refine the student's understanding of movement, timing, writing, editing, sound design, art directing, and use of materials. Second, students receive technical training in 2D animation production. Third, students screen and discuss animated works spanning history, culture, and design approach. Fourth, each student designs, animates, directs, and produces two independent projects, one in the fall and one in the spring.

Estimated Materials Cost: $300.00 Deposit: $150.00

Major requirement; FAV majors

Registration by FAV department, course not available via web registration

Intermediate Film is a year-long course emphasizing technical production in sync sound film making. Theoretical concerns and cinematic techniques are stressed. We explore concepts of (and the relationships between) narrative, documentary and experimental filmmaking. The first half of the Fall semester, students work in assigned teams, completing a series of short exercises. In the second half of the term, class members individually create their own longer films for final projects. Students screen their work in class at various stages of completion: rushes, rough cuts, and fine cuts. In addition, there are weekly screenings of works by relevant filmmakers. Participation in class discussions is required.

Estimated Materials Cost: $500.00 Deposit $150.00

Major requirement

Registration by FAV Department, course not available via web registration.

This year-long video production studio focuses on the possibilities of the video medium and the development of an individualized practice within it. Students will be exposed to a wide range of forms including but not limited to single-channel production, installation, performance, documentary, and digital cinema.

Estimated Materials Cost: $125.00 Deposit: $150.00

Major requirement; FAV majors

Registration by FAV Department, course not available via web registration.

This course is designed to explore different animation techniques and materials, including working directly on film, drawing on paper, painting under the camera, object animation, cut-outs, and pixilation. It also teaches the fundamentals of animated movement and timing. Students in this course each make six short animations with separate, synchronized sound tracks. At the end of the course, students create a DVD compilation of all their projects. A wide range of independent animated films are screened to demonstrate different techniques and approaches to animation.

Estimated Materials Cost: $40.00

Elective

Permission of Instructor required. Course not available via web registration.

This course introduces students to the production of electronic moving images: video camera work and digital non-linear editing. By creating short projects, students are engaged in an exploration of individual workflow. Students participate in class by inviting and offering constructive criticism within the group. Writing, presentations and individual meetings are stressed as important elements of the production process. Grades are influenced by attendance, quality of work, and meeting all project deadlines.

Estimated Materials Cost: $60.00 Deposit: $150.00

Major requirement

Registration by FAV Department, course not available via web registration.

Permission of Instructor required.

Intro Film explores techniques of live action 16MM film production using Bolex cameras and flatbed editing tables. Technical concerns such as exposure, focus, depth of field, and basic editing conventions are covered. Aesthetic concerns such as composition, movement, editing rhythms, and the filmmaker's intention are discussed and critiqued. Students complete three individual assignments outside of class, and four in-class exercises in pairs or groups. The individual assignments encourage creative use of editing techniques such as traditional match-cutting, graphic match-cutting, and cross-cutting or parallel editing. The first individual project is silent, but for those that follow, students create soundtracks using elements such as effects, music, ambient sound, and voiceover. Screenings in class include student rushes, works in progress, and finished films. In addition, a variety of short films are screened and discussed that relate to many of the techniques and aesthetic considerations explored throughout the semester.

Estimated Materials Cost: $220.00 Deposit: $150.00

Major requirement

Registration by FAV Department, course not available via web registration.

Permission of Instructor required for non-majors.

Lighting for the Moving Image is a hands-on workshop in lighting for film and video. Students are exposed to a broad range of equipment and techniques while they explore the overriding concept of light as an essential narrative element in motion picture. Workshops and discussions focus on the emotional impact of lighting as it pertains to a given story. Class time is divided between film screenings, one-day workshops on specific techniques, and an extended in-class group project in which students present light as the key narrative element.

Estimated Materials Cost: $100.00 Deposit: $150.00

Major elective

Permission of Instructor required. Course not available via web registration.

Open Media is a cross-disciplinary space within the FAV Department for the exploration of the expanded use of time-based media in contemporary art practice. With an emphasis on post-cinema, research-based, site-dependent and performative practices, advanced students examine their studio practice in-depth through cross-disciplinary group critiques and developing a practice of reflective and critical writing on their own work and that of their peers. Course work includes research, individualized readings, writing, presentations, interdisciplinary critique sessions, group discussion and collaborative exercises.

For FAV majors, this year-long course provides structure, critique, and support for the development of their senior degree project. This course also provides a critical framework for non-majors at the senior or graduate level who are looking for additional, cross-disciplinary insight into the development of their practice, particularly as it engages with the broad field of time-based media.

Estimated Materials Cost: Varies considerably with production design. Deposit: $150.00

Major requirement

Registration by FAV Department, course not available via web registration.

Non-major students may enroll for 3-credits in FAV-5181 (FA) and/or FAV-5182 (SP).

Pre-production is an integral part of film and media production. This course examines the methods filmmakers and media artists use to clarify ideas and approaches to a work prior to making it. These methods include pre-visualizations, production design, location scouting, casting, rehearsal, scheduling, creating production books, budgeting, and making script breakdowns. The course will focus on methods that allow a team to share a vision, consider priorities, and create realistic expectations prior to realizing a project.

The course will examine a diverse array of practices, relevant to moving- image forms including fiction filmmaking, documentary filmmaking, and new-media production. Although many practices covered are rooted in traditional fiction filmmaking they can be adapted to new media forms.

Major elective

Open to junior and above.

Permission of Instructor required. Course not available via web registration.

The professional Internship provides valuable exposure to a professional setting, enabling students to better establish a career path and define practical aspirations. Internship proposals are carefully vetted to determine legitimacy and must meet the contact hour requirements listed in the RISD Course Announcement.

Permission of Instructor required.

This is a year-long course of study, for which the student will complete a 10-20 minute live action work to final professional screening format. Students are free to choose genres and formats in which they want to work. Students have weekly meetings for screenings, guests, and technical workshops, and weekly small-group meetings to discuss their works-in-progress. Fall semester covers pre-production work on narrative projects: developing of scenarios, location scouting, budgets, initial camera tests or initial shooting of non-fiction projects. Visiting consultants come in to instruct in sound recording and cinematography, and guest critics come in November to review project proposals and/or footage.

Estimated Materials Cost: $2,000. Deposit: $150.00

Major requirement; FAV majors only

Registration by FAV Department, course not available via web registration.

Students in this course become engaged with sound as a partner in the language of time-based media. Through selected screenings, readings, and concept-driven design projects, the students develop ideas they can use as design principles in planning and working with sound. In addition, students get a hands-on overview of working with sound in a contemporary production environment, focusing on microphones, field recorders, and Pro Tools DAW software. Students learn to be better listeners and to be aware of how sound affects their perception of the world around them, as well as becoming technically competent to execute their creative ideas.

Estimated Materials Cost: $50.00 Deposit: $150.00

Major elective

Permission of Instructor required. Course not available via web registration.

This is a course demonstrating and exploring the basic techniques of Stop-Motion Puppet Animation, with the intent to provide students with hands-on creative experience in learning the potentials of the medium, and an introduction to filmic language. Studio exercises strengthen individual technical skills in basic armature construction and model making, animating pose-to-pose movement, the basic walk, expressions and gestures, clay animation with lip-sync, set construction and lighting for three-dimensional animation. Basic sound recording, mixing and editing are also covered. Conceptual skills are exercised through exploring intent, storytelling, storyboarding, editorial concepts, character performance, art direction, and basic sound design. This class is based on process and experimentation. It is meant to provide a strong foundation in the basics of stop-motion animation filmmaking, as well as the confidence to experiment further in one's future work. The idea is to enjoy the process by understanding it; control is born of experimentation and experience.

This is a one semester class repeated in the spring. First preference given to FAV majors. Second preference given to Illustration majors.

Estimated Materials Cost: $40.00

Major elective

Permission of Instructor required. Course not available via web registration.

This course is designed as an introduction to the 113-year history of the projected moving image (film, animation, and video). Artistic expression in these forms will be emphasized. Students discover new areas of interest while watching carefully selected examples of films and videos. During all classes, students will view films representing different styles and periods of filmmaking. About half of the classes are devoted to contemporary films. Critical thinking will be encouraged and fostered during classroom discussions. Clear expression of these thoughts will be developed through assigned readings and weekly writing assignments. During the semester, students learn about specific artists, schools of filmmaking, genres, and fields within the history of the film, animation, and video. Students also develop a common language by learning the meaning and proper usage of a glossary of common film terms. At select classes, film artists are present to introduce and discuss their work. Other guests include improvisational musicians who accompany silent films.

Major requirement; FAV majors

Liberal Arts elective credit for non-majors pending seat availability and permission of Instructor.

This course is an examination of all forms of writing relevant to film and media creation. This includes a thorough study of traditional 'story film' screenwriting, as well as writing techniques for documentary production and preproduction writing problems, such as proposals, treatments, and outlines. It is also a study of nontraditional writing problems in filmmaking: writing for nonlinear or experimental films, writing for a framework for improvisation, using text as a direct generator of filmed work, and even using text as the content of film. And last, but certainly not least, there is considerable attention paid to developing skills in critical writing. By the end of this course, students will have a portfolio of written work, including a polished draft of a short film or long-form first act, which demonstrates a wide variety of techniques for relating the written word to media.

Estimated Materials Cost: $25.00

Major elective

Permission of Instructor required. Course not available via web regstration.

A Collaborative Study Project (CSP) allows two students to work collaboratively to complete a faculty supervised project of indepedndent study.

Usually, a CSP is supervised by two faculty members, but with approval it may be supervised by one faculty member. Its purpose is to meet individual student needs by providing an alternative to regularly offered courses, though it is not a substitute for a course if that course is regularly offered.

This is a course demonstrating and exploring the basic techniques of Stop-Motion Animation, with the intent to provide students with hands-on creative experience in learning the potentials of the medium, and an introduction to filmic language. Conceptual skills are exercised through exploring intent, storytelling, storyboarding, editorial concepts, material manipulation, character performance, art direction, lighting and basic sound design. This class is based on process and experimentation. It is meant to provide a strong foundation in the basics of stop-motion animation filmmaking, as well as the confidence to experiment further in one's future work. The idea is to enjoy the process by understanding it; control is born of experimentation and experience.

Estimated Materials Cost: $40.00

This course is an introduction to the visual aspects of film making. Camera skills and editing techniques are explored in several short individual projects. There are studio demonstrations of basic camera and editing concerns. Final projects are made with soundtracks.

The Independent Study Project (ISP) allows students to supplement the established curriculum by completing a faculty supervised project for credit in a specific area of interest. Its purpose is to meet individual student needs by providing an alternative to regularly offered courses.

Permission of Instructor and GPA of 3.0 or higher is required.

Register by completing the Independent Study Application available on the Registrar's website; the course is not available via web registration.

The Independent Study Project (ISP) allows students to supplement the established curriculum by completing a faculty supervised project for credit in a specific area of interest. Its purpose is to meet individual student needs by providing an alternative to regularly offered courses.

Permission of Instructor and GPA of 3.0 or higher is required.

Register by completing the Independent Study Application available on the Registrar's website; the course is not available via web registration.

This course is designed to teach students how to utilize the computer to create animation. Special emphasis is placed on exploration and experimentation as it applies to computer-generated or computer-assisted animation. The class covers hand drawn non-computer originated animation, cut out animation, computer generated drawn animation, painting under the camera, rotoscoping, and an introduction to the concepts used in 3D animation. Additionally, an introduction to sound design and editing will be explored in the final animation project.

Estimated Materials Cost: $40.00

This course is designed to explore different animation techniques and materials, including working directly on film, drawing on paper, painting under the camera, object animation, cut-outs, and pixilation. It also teaches the fundamentals of animated movement and timing. Students in this course each make six short animations, with separate, synchronized sound tracks. At the end of the course, students create a DVD compilation of all their projects. A wide range of independent animated films are screened to demonstrate different techniques and approaches to animation.

Estimated Materials Cost: $65.00

The professional Internship provides valuable exposure to a professional setting, enabling students to better establish a career path and define practical aspirations. Internship proposals are carefully vetted to determine legitimacy and must meet the contact hour requirements listed in the RISD Course Announcement.

Permission of Instructor required.

During the senior year, students synthesize and apply what they have learned in their previous studies to the creation of a year-long project. Students develop, design, animate, direct, and produce these projects independently. Students receive weekly individual guidance from instructors and two critiques by established professionals from the world animation community. Class meetings are devoted to film screenings, group critique, and specialized technical workshops.

Deposit: $150.00

Open to FAV majors only

Permission of Instructor required.

Registration by FAV Department, course not available via web registration.

This is a year-long course of study, for which the student will complete a 10-20 minute live action work to final professional screening format. Students are free to choose genres and formats in which they want to work. Students have weekly meetings for screenings, guests, and technical workshops, and weekly small-group meetings to discuss their works-in-progress. During Wintersession, the students perform production work in video and film, organize crews for filmmaking, review rushes and do initial editing and sound work on their degree projects.

Deposit: $150.00

Open to FAV majors only

Permission of Instructor required.

Registration by FAV Department, course not available via web registration.

Over the course of a year, senior students integrate their media skills through a cross-disciplinary approach with time-based media practice, resulting in a developed work or a series of smaller related works meant for exhibition or performance. This path is for students that wish to engage with time-based media in non-traditional ways, such as through installation, performance, public art, interactivity, intervention, networked/collaborative production, activism, etc.. Students research, develop, design, prototype, direct and produce these works independently. Students receive weekly individual guidance from the instructor and partnered peers. Class meetings are devoted to lectures, informational workshops, student presentations of related research, individual meetings and group critique. During Wintersession, students perform production work, test and analyze parameters and results. Students have weekly meetings for lectures, guests, technical workshops, and weekly small-group meetings to discuss their works-in-progress.

Open to FAV majors only

Permission of Instructor required.
Registration by FAV Department, course not available via web registration.

This studio investigates the use of animation as an art form integrated into a cross-disciplinary practice using installation, performance and interactivity. This is different from traditional animation filmmaking in that students are instead exploring variations of the constructed cinematic object and the engagement of the human body as an active participant in the cinematic schema. The student uses the tenets of animation to consider the (de/re)construction of sequential image, identities of transmission and reception, the context of the projected image and light, the monitor as receptacle, motorized optical machines, environment and location. The course includes lectures, demonstrations, project workshops and studio practice. Emphasis is placed upon the conceptual, material, practical and creative approaches to reconsidering and re-making what animation is and can be. The course culminates with final projects. Prior animation experience is not necessary.

Permission of Instructor Required. Course not available via web registration.

This course focuses primarily on hand-drawn character design, development, and movement. Beginning with simple model sheets drawn from different points of view, we explore how action and context can affect the design of characters. The same characters are then taken straight into animation. Students use the characters they created as actors who must perform in a variety of situations, and interact directly with the physical space around them. Exercises include walk cycles, lip-synching, anticipation and follow-through, weight and resistance, and lessons in narrative, storyboarding, and drawing skills. The class also takes a field trip to the Roger Williams Zoo to study animal motion directly from life. A longer, three-week final project provides an opportunity for students to show what they have learned, and to create a cohesive story from start to finish. The final project is usually critiqued by a guest industry professional. All supporting software is covered in a series of simple workshops. Class time involves critiques of homework assignments, demonstrations of techniques and screenings of a diverse range of films.

Estimated Materials Cost: $100.00

Major elective

Permission of Instructor required. Course not available via web registration.

This course is a study of the theories and methods of character design as applied to narrative forms. This class asks students to push beyond stereotypical designs to develop two-dimensional characters that are both personally and culturally resonant and imaginative. Particular emphasis is placed on the expressive power of abstract forms and color. Through exploring individual perceptions of good and evil, success and failure, as well as beauty and ugliness, students create characters that are highly original. Research, thorough craftsmanship, and sophisticated design are stressed.

Elective

Permission of Instructor required. Course not available via web registration.

A Collaborative Study Project (CSP) allows two students to work collaboratively to complete a faculty supervised project of independent study.

Usually, a CSP is supervised by two faculty members, but with approval it may be supervised by one faculty member. Its purpose is to meet individual student needs by providing an alternative to regularly offered courses, though it is not a substitute for a course if that course is regularly offered.

This course uses Maya as the main tool to explore 3D digital animation, emphasizing modeling techniques. The overall goal of this course is to generalize the study of the 3D world and to give students basic problem solving skills needed for continued use of this tool. After a series of lectures covering the basics of navigating the interface, each student produces a short animation. Each student has focused, individual time with the instructor.

Major elective

Permission of Instructor required. Course not available via web registration.

Course may be repeated once for credit.

This class uses Adobe After Effects as a tool to achieve the students' individual goals as artists. Starting with the basics of creating imagery in After Effects, the course moves through compositing, special effects, puppet animation and time manipulation. There is an overarching focus on core concepts such as quality of motion, layout and composition, color and form that surpass this single class. The first 6 weeks contain homework assignments that allow the students to grasp individual components of this highly technical toolset, while during the second 6 weeks the students concentrate on a final project. This project stresses the students' knowledge and forces them to grow as a digital animator as they find unique problems and solve them with instructor supervision.

Major elective

Permission of Instructor required. Course not available via web registration.

Students in this course will produce two projects: a video camera exercise based on the observation of a particular event, and a fully researched and developed social documentary (the interaction of people in small groups or organizations) worked out in consultation with the instructor. Production teams (pairs) are encouraged for the main project. Weekly screenings of non-fiction films demonstrate stylistic developments and variety of content. Assigned readings in the history and theory of documentary promote in-class discussion.

Estimated Materials Cost: $120.00 Deposit: $150.00

Major elective

Permission of Instructor required. Course not available via web registration.

In this intensive independent studio students continue and complete the work began in "EHP Studio Elective", culminating in the final exhibition and review. It corresponds to the remaining eight weeks of the program, after students have finished with their Art History and Italian classes.

Note: EHP credits replace the on-campus major requirements for the term students attend. Distribution to non-major requirements occurs when major credits are not needed.

Independent studio is at the core of the EHP experience. Upon arrival, students are assigned studio space at the Palazzetto Cenci, home of RISD's program in Rome. With guidance from the chief critic, each student develops a personal body of work sparked by his/her interactions with places, people and circumstances in Rome and other locations that are part of the EHP tours (such as the Northern, Southern or Eastern tours, as well as other shorter trips.) The work takes as a point of departure knowledge and techniques specific to individual home departments, but allows, and even encourages, explorations beyond disciplinary boundaries, including collaborations and cross-fertilization within a group of students from different departments working together.

Beyond consistent and thorough engagement with studio work, requirements include participation in open studios and exhibitions, presentations in reviews, and attendance to all group activities and events, such as lectures at the Cenci and other institutions. From time to time, the chief critic may issue short assignments to introduce or focus on a particular subject. As part of the studio elective, students may be encouraged to keep sketchbooks and/or diaries, participate in optional activities--such as figure drawing sessions--and search for brief internships, apprenticeships, or other forms of interactions with local artists, designers, curators and critics.

EHP Studio Elective corresponds to the first twelve weeks of the program, while students are also taking Art History and Italian classes. This course establishes the direction for the work in the "Studio Concentration" course that follows.

Note: EHP credits replace the on-campus major requirements for the term students attend. Distribution to non-major requirements occurs when major credits are not needed.

An introduction to experimental cinematography, handmade film techniques, and the most fundamental level of filmmaking, this course will emphasize the unique properties of film itself as a visual medium. Projects include in-camera special effects, hand processing, direct animation, optical printing, and contact printing. Students study classic experimental and direct animation films, including work by Len Lye, Norm McLaren, and Patrick Bokanowski. As a final project, each student will make a short piece on film utilizing techniques learned in class. No video or digital processes will be allowed.

Estimated Materials Cost: $100.00 Deposit: $150.00

Major elective

Permission of Instructor required.

This course identifies core principles of digital production, to enable students to continually adapt to the ever-changing world of software. Students research and produce artworks that demonstrate their understanding of these principles. This primary knowledge includes digital film and video formats, project asset management, compression techniques, understanding program interface design, color spaces, channel mixing and filters, and the creation and use of extra channels (such as alpha and depth).

Estimated Materials Cost: $30.00

Major requirement; FAV majors

Registration by FAV Department, course not available via web registration.

Permission of Instructor required.

The Independent Study Project (ISP) allows students to supplement the established curriculum by completing a faculty supervised project for credit in a specific area of interest. Its purpose is to meet individual student needs by providing an alternative to regularly offered courses.

Permission of Instructor and GPA of 3.0 or higher is required.

Register by completing the Independent Study Application available on the Registrar's website; the course is not available via web registration.

The Independent Study Project (ISP) allows students to supplement the established curriculum by completing a faculty supervised project for credit in a specific area of interest. Its purpose is to meet individual student needs by providing an alternative to regularly offered courses.

Permission of Instructor and GPA of 3.0 or higher is required.

Register by completing the Independent Study Application available on the Registrar's website; the course is not available via web registration.

This is the second semester of a year-long animation study, in which the student grows from novice to independent director. This studio develops an integrated understanding of the diverse aesthetic tools of animation, and teaches students directing for the animation medium. The course is comprised of four elements. First, weekly in-class structured experiments and homework awaken and refine the student's understanding of movement, timing, writing, editing, sound design, art directing, and use of materials. Second, students receive technical training in 2D animation production. Third, students screen and discuss animated works spanning history, culture, and design approach. Fourth, each student designs, animates, directs, and produces two independent projects, one in the fall and one in the spring.

Estimated Materials Cost: Varies considerably with production design; averages $300.00 to $1,200.00 Deposit: $150.00

Major requirement

Registration by FAV Department, course not available via web registration.

Intermediate Film is a year-long course emphasizing technical production in sync sound film making. Theoretical concerns and cinematic techniques are stressed. We explore concepts of (and the relationships between) narrative, documentary and experimental filmmaking. During Spring semester, the course is devoted to improving skills in many aspects of live action filmmaking, including conceptualization, budgeting, camera work, and sound recording. Projects are transferred to tape and edited digitally. In addition, there are weekly screenings of works by relevant filmmakers. Participation in class discussions is required.

Estimated Materials Cost: $500.00 Deposit: $150.00

Major requirement

Registration by FAV Department, course not available via web registration.

This is a continuation of a year-long video production studio, focused on the possibilities of the video medium and the development of an individualized practice within it. Students are challenged to put to practice the research and experiments of the fall semester by producing a finished authored work for exhibition. The practical work of production is emphasized, and participation in the critical workshop environment is required. Continued research, development of technical skill, ability to plan and document process are expected.

Estimated Materials Cost: $150.00 Deposit: $150.00

Major requirement; FAV majors

Registration by FAV Department, course not available via web registration.

Permission of Instructor required.

This course is designed to explore different animation techniques and materials, including working directly on film, drawing on paper, painting under the camera, object animation, cut-outs, and pixilation. It also teaches the fundamentals of animated movement and timing. Students in this course each make six short animations with separate, synchronized sound tracks. At the end of the course, students create a DVD compilation of all their projects. A wide range of independent animated films are screened to demonstrate different techniques and approaches to animation.

Estimated Materials Cost: $40.00

Elective

Permission of Instructor required. Course not available via web registration.

This course introduces students to the production of electronic moving images: video camera work and digital non-linear editing. By creating short projects, students are engaged in an exploration of individual workflow. Students participate in class by inviting and offering constructive criticism within the group. Writing, presentations and individual meetings are stressed as important elements of the production process. Grades are influenced by attendance, quality of work, and meeting all project deadlines.

Estimated Materials Cost: $60.00 Deposit: $150.00

Major requirement

Registration by FAV Department, course not available via web registration.

Permission of Instructor required.

Intro Film explores techniques of live action 16MM film production using Bolex cameras and flatbed editing tables. Technical concerns such as exposure, focus, depth of field, and basic editing conventions are covered. Aesthetic concerns such as composition, movement, editing rhythms, and the filmmaker's intention are discussed and critiqued. Students complete three individual assignments outside of class, and four in-class exercises in pairs or groups. The individual assignments encourage creative use of editing techniques such as traditional match-cutting, graphic match-cutting, and cross-cutting or parallel editing. The first individual project is silent, but for those that follow, students create soundtracks using elements such as effects, music, ambient sound, and voiceover. Screenings in class include student rushes, works in progress, and finished films. In addition, a variety of short films are screened and discussed that relate to many of the techniques and aesthetic considerations explored throughout the semester.

Estimated Materials Cost: $220.00 Deposit: $150.00

Major requirement

Registration by FAV Department, course not available via web registration.

Permission of Instructor required for non-majors.

Lighting for the Moving Image is a hands-on workshop in lighting for film and video. Students are exposed to a broad range of equipment and techniques while they explore the overriding concept of light as an essential narrative element in motion picture. Workshops and discussions focus on the emotional impact of lighting as it pertains to a given story. Class time is divided between film screenings, one-day workshops on specific techniques, and an extended in-class group project in which students present light as the key narrative element.

Estimated Materials Cost: $100.00 Deposit: $150.00

Major elective

Permission of Instructor required. Course not available via web registration.

Open Media is a cross-disciplinary space within the FAV Department for the exploration of the expanded use of time-based media in contemporary art practice. With an emphasis on post-cinema, research-based, site-dependent and performative practices, advanced students examine their studio practice in-depth through cross-disciplinary group critiques and developing a practice of reflective and critical writing on their own work and that of their peers. Course work includes research, individualized readings, writing, presentations, interdisciplinary critique sessions, group discussion and collaborative exercises.

For FAV majors, this year-long course provides structure, critique, and support for the development of their senior degree project. This course also provides a critical framework for non-majors at the senior or graduate level who are looking for additional, cross-disciplinary insight into the development of their practice, particularly as it engages with the broad field of time-based media.

Estimated Materials Cost: Varies considerably with production design. Deposit: $150.00

Major requirement

Registration by FAV Department, course not available via web registration.

Non-major students may enroll for 3-credits in FAV-5181 (FA) and/or FAV-5182 (SP).

Post-production refers to the third stage (preproduction, production, post) of traditional cinematic workflow, when major media assets have been captured, and the priority of the filmmaker shifts to assembly, sequencing, combination, and preparation for exhibition and distribution. Contemporary practice blurs these lines, where rapid turnaround and instant publication allow for virtually simultaneous shooting, sequencing, and distribution.

This studio course will begin with a thorough walkthrough, both technical and conceptual, of traditional postproduction techniques, with a heavy emphasis on managing projects, organizing, editing and sequencing of media, and fine-tune professionalization of material - including color grading, sound finishing, and deliverable design. It will also explore new frontiers in simultaneous production, where everything is pre-, prod-, and post- at once, and look at how traditional frameworks for postproduction intersect and affect new modes.

Students should be familiar with basic production terminology and methods, cameras, and intro-level familiarity with digital video and audio.

Estimated Materials Cost: $280.00 Deposit: $150.00

Major elective

Permission of Instructor required. Course not available via web registraiton.

During the senior year, students synthesize and apply what they have learned in their previous studies to the creation of a year-long project. Students develop, design, animate, direct, and produce these projects independently. Students receive weekly individual guidance from instructors and two critiques by established professionals from the world animation community. Class meetings are devoted to film screenings, group critique, and specialized technical workshops. Spring Semester features speakers from different sectors of the animation field who meet with students to prepare them for professional practice. During the spring semester each student also prepares a professional reel and portfolio. The year culminates with the RISD Senior Festival, a public showcase.

Estimated Materials Cost: Varies considerably with production design; average $1,000.00 to $3,000.00. Deposit: $150.00

Major requirement; FAV majors only

Registration by FAV Department, course not available via web registration.

This is a year-long course of study, for which the student will complete a 10-20 minute live action work to final professional screening format. Students are free to choose genres and formats in which they want to work. Students have weekly meetings for screenings, guests, and technical workshops, and weekly small-group meetings to discuss their works-in-progress. Spring semester covers post-production, editing, sound mixing, color correction, outputting, and a series of professional practice workshops. A guest critic reviews work in early April. Final projects are screened at a public film festival in May, which is reviewed by the local media.

Estimated Materials Cost: $2,000.00. Deposit: $150.00

Major requirement; FAV majors only

Registration by FAV Department, course not available via web registration.

Students in this course become engaged with sound as a partner in the language of time-based media. Through selected screenings, readings, and concept-driven design projects, the students develop ideas they can use as design principles in planning and working with sound. In addition, students get a hands-on overview of working with sound in a contemporary production environment, focusing on microphones, field recorders, and Pro Tools DAW software. Students learn to be better listeners and to be aware of how sound affects their perception of the world around them, as well as becoming technically competent to execute their creative ideas.

Estimated Materials Cost: $50.00 Deposit: $150.00

Major elective

Permission of Instructor required. Course not available via web registration.

This is a course demonstrating and exploring the basic techniques of Stop-Motion Puppet Animation, with the intent to provide students with hands-on creative experience in learning the potentials of the medium, and an introduction to filmic language. Studio exercises strengthen individual technical skills in basic armature construction and model making, animating pose-to-pose movement, the basic walk, expressions and gestures, clay animation with lip-sync, set construction and lighting for three-dimensional animation. Basic sound recording, mixing and editing are also covered. Conceptual skills are exercised through exploring intent, storytelling, storyboarding, editorial concepts, character performance, art direction, and basic sound design. This class is based on process and experimentation. It is meant to provide a strong foundation in the basics of stop-motion animation filmmaking, as well as the confidence to experiment further in one's future work. The idea is to enjoy the process by understanding it; control is born of experimentation and experience.

This is a one semester class repeated in the spring. First preference given to FAV majors. Second preference given to Illustration majors.

Estimated Materials Cost: $40.00

Major elective

Permission of Instructor required. Course not available via web registration.