Communication and narratives in design trough the audiovisual medium / Thesis Films
Seminar and Workshop led by Mauricio Freyre
in The Berlage, 2014-2019
Seminar and Workshop led by Mauricio Freyre
in The Berlage, 2014-2019
This narrative collects the traces of what’s beyond the clouds, or more likely the terrestrial, resolutely landed condition that is marked by all these iClouds. And the definition of the Data Center as a building type intends to demystify the ‘ethereal’ veil under which these buildings operate, that inspire our wonder and reveal similarities to the classical definition of the sublime.
Communication and narratives in design trough the audiovisual medium / Thesis Films
Instructor: Mauricio Freyre
Institution: The Berlage
Type: Seminar and workshop
Degree course: Master Program
Description
Combining theory and practice, through individual and collective classroom exercises, students will develop the ability to craft stories and express their unique visions and ideas, from scripts to short films, reels, and animations, using moving images and sound to communicate and expand knowledge and theory within their design practice.
Throughout this course, students will explore communication and narrative tools through the use of audiovisual techniques, using them as instruments for research, communication, and representation in the field of design. By offering both audio-visual and written creative techniques, we aim to help students refine their personal narratives, giving them the confidence to express their unique conceptual vision.
Objectives
The course aims to enhance participants' communication skills by defining a specific audiovisual language tailored to each project, enabling them to effectively convey their ideas and narratives. It will explore the role of film as a communication and research tool within the architectural field, fostering an understanding of its potential to expand knowledge and theory. Students will analyze the dialectical relationship between architecture, design, and film, recognizing how these mediums can inform and enrich one another.
Additionally, the course will engage with the roles of fiction, fact, and the imaginary in both architecture and film, examining their potential as critical tools for storytelling and conceptual development. By employing various methodologies, the course will encourage an expanded, imaginative perspective on design, inspiring creativity and innovation in response to contemporary challenges. Participants will be equipped with the skills to combine research with imaginative thinking, providing a robust framework for guiding their creative responses to the forces of change in the architectural landscape.
Throughout the course, students will learn to work with the camera, create animations, motion graphics, edit films, write film scripts, and understand film production processes, all without the need for any previous technical knowledge. The development of both individual and collective projects will culminate in the creation of a short film that summarizes students' thesis projects and showcases their unique visions.
Students will also be prepared to present their work to a broader audience, enhancing their ability to articulate their ideas and conceptual frameworks through audiovisual narratives. Finally, they will produce a film for their final thesis presentation, along with shorter clips (teasers and trailers) to effectively present the project to a wider audience, and will organize a collective exhibition where some films will be screened as audiovisual installations alongside other artifacts produced for their final projects.
Methodology
The course will be organized into two sessions per week. The first session will be more theory-oriented, where we will review different concepts related to the role of communication in design, as well as various tools and techniques in the audiovisual realm. We will examine the work of different designers, artists, and architects who operate at the intersection of these fields. The objective of the second session is to bring the concepts explored in the first session into their own practice as designers through various practical projects. Participants will engage in playful exercises, speculation, and research, learning how to apply different techniques and methodologies to communicate their projects.
Final Assignment
The final assignment of the seminar will focus on developing a 15-minute film, along with a 5-minute short film version, to summarize the students' thesis projects. We will review various audiovisual narrative strategies in class, encouraging participants to experiment and develop their own perspectives through the language of film.
The production of a short film to introduce the students' thesis projects to the general public will help them clarify their thesis by providing clear insights into their work. Additionally, it will improve their communication skills by defining a specific audiovisual language for each project. The short films will have an average length of 4 to 5 minutes and will be constructed with various types of audiovisual material produced by the participants, such as motion graphics, collages, visual statistics, film excerpts, recorded films, etc. All short films will include a voiceover with subtitles, as well as a common template for the opening and end titles. The films will be assembled at different stages throughout the seminar. The final sessions of the seminar will include both the collective and individual design of the participants' final presentations, as well as the collective exhibition. Depending on each student, this may include an audiovisual installation for their final thesis project.
01 - Introduction: Audiovisual narratives - Fiction and Fact - Review of works/films - 1st Assignment in class (One minute short film, 80% Sound) - One-on-one meetings - Introduction of editing Software Adobe Premiere (Basic techniques) - The concept of editing - Editing in class
02 - The cine-architecture-essay - Dialectics of film and design - 2nd Assignment in class (One minute film essay with voice over) One-on-one meetings - Editing in class
03 - Analysis: The narrative Structure - Using the camera, from the still image to the moving image -
3rd Assignment in class (One minute film: An interview ) One-on-one meetings - Editing in class - Collective presentation: First draft+ references - Round table discussion
04 - Fiction and fact - Motion graphics - Archival material - Introduction of motion graphics Software Adobe After Effects (Basic techniques) - One-on-one meetings - Editing in class
05 -Sound narratives - The off space - Podcast - Social Media and communication -
4th Assignment in class (One minute: Sound piece ) - One-on-one meetings - Editing in class
06 - Presentation, communication and the audiovisual medium - 5th Assignment in class (One minute presentation on video) - One-on-one meetings - Editing in class
07 - Scenarios and scenography - Speculative narratives
Review of work of a selection of artists, designers and architects
08- Storyboard - A sequence of images - 6th Assignment in class (A storyboard about their final project) - One-on-one meetings - Working in class
09 - Designing an exhibition - Audiovisual Installations - Exhibition visit - Analysis
10 - 15 - Final Project -One-on-one meetings - Editing in class - Exhibition, presentations and audiovisual installation design
Bibliography
Lingers, Oswald Mathias. Morphologie: City Metaphors. Köln: Walther König, 2011.
Koolhaas, Rem, and Mark Wigley. Volume Magazine Nr. 20. Storytelling. Archis + GSAPP + AMO, 2009.
Barthes, Roland. The Third Meaning: Research Notes on Some Eisenstein Stills. Berkeley: UC Press, 1991.
Urbaschek, Stephan. Fast Forward: Media Art. Hatje Cantz, 2006.