Description
Open to all
Limited to 12 participants
What happens when image and sound and poetry collide? The experience of a filmpoem is suspended somewhere between what is seen, what is heard, and what is ‘read.’ Learn how to create your own filmpoems with Rachel McCrum, from conception to writing to filming to editing to production.
This 8-week workshop is suitable for both beginners and those with some experience in writing poetry and/or making films. Support will be tailored to whatever participants already have access to, and to their needs.
We’ll set the foundation by introducing the basics of filming, video-editing, soundtracks, post-production, and writing poems suitable for short films. Along the way, we will explore and discuss examples of filmpoems, from the Surrealist experiments of the 1920s to videopoetry of the 1980s, to performance, animation, and digital art in the 1990s and 2000s. By the end of the workshops, each participant will have their own original DIY, guerilla-style filmpoem to showcase.
Over the workshop, we will cover
- Introduction to the genre, exploring how filmpoetry has evolved since the start of the 20th century, and how to break down elements of text, image and sound.
- Critiques to explore how each element influences our perceptions of the finished piece, including pacing, framing etc.
- Exploring the types of poems that make good filmpoems (and those that do not).
- Developing your own visual language.
- Writing original poems.
- Use of archival footage and sound (including rights).
- Introduction to various editing suites.
- Editing techniques and post-production work.
- Sound effects and soundtracks; use of music.
- Finishing a film.
Equipment requirements: There is no need for expensive technology or software, although those with access to more sophisticated equipment are welcome to use it. The basic requirements will be a digital camera or cameraphone (a basic cameraphone is enough); a PC or Mac computer with basic editing software installed, and a good Wifi connection. We will use WeTransfer and Google Drive to share documents, resources, and large video files. There will be some homework set between sessions (no more than 2 hours per week).
If you are curious about the genre ahead of signing up for the website, you could check out https://movingpoems.com/ and http://motionpoems.org/ for examples.
