H79.2572 Lecture 4 Credits
Instructor(s): Zurkow
What does it mean to create interactive cinema? What are its limits and possibilities? Are we talking about cinema that is narrative, formal, symbolic, or vestigial? How does interactivity impact narrative perception, rhythm and arc? Is the interface user-driven or machine-driven? Multi-linear or singular? Screen or object based? Do we want to work for our stories? Is it possible to make profound or emotional narrative work in a multi-linear or interactive environment? The creation and evaluation of work in this class will pivot on the notion of narrative perception: a viewer’s desire to actively make story out of represented moments, from Chaplin’s silent movies to US Army recruitment ads to De Kooning’s paintings of women. The emphasis of this class is more conceptual than technical, and more narrative than formal. Students will work on the creation of time-based cinematic forms through short and medium-length assignments. Students will work in a range of media, from paper maps to multi screens. In addition, students will be expected to engage in critical dialogue through individual research and presentation of precedents, from new media art projects, readings, and experimental or mainstream film.
