Table of contents
Note
This is information for 2020’s course, kept here for archival purposes. If you are currently taking the course, please head to the page for 2021 as the information below has changed.
Click here for 2021
Course overview
Still from Network/Intersect (dir. Ollie Palmer, 2016)
This course aims to immerse students in the processes and techniques of film-based visual storytelling, whilst introducing students to Oulipian-inspired constrained design processes.
Over the course of ten weeks, students make a series of short films, guided by rules that they create. Over time, both rules and films increase in length and complexity. For the initial films, students are assigned a subject matter, and have to devise a set of rules to shape the film they make. For example, students making a film about gravity might decide that the camera must always be moving downward, or swinging from a pendulum, or can only be made whilst the camera operator is falling over, etc.
The students make a series of these extremely short films both in class and in their own time, then present to, and provide feedback to their peers. This is intended to enable students not to be precious about the presentation of filmic work; the legibility of the rules used to create the films will be more important than the outcome of the films themselves. The films become a visual diary of constrained design processes. It also ensures that there is a substantial body of work (10-15 very short films per student).
Later this same process is expanded; students work in small groups to devise rules, and write, produce, and edit short films of increased length which combine multiple subjects. Students devise a set of rules which will inform every decision they make throughout the scripting, shooting, and editing process.
Throughout the course, students must document their process, present their works-in-progress, and provide feedback to peers about processes used. The course culminates in a public screening party of all films made during the course.
Course guidelines
Teaching and participation
Seminars, workshops, presentations, and studio teaching.
We meet on Fridays from 13.00-15.00 in the Seminar Room on the third floor. You are expected to attend all classes. If you cannot make it to class please email om.palmer@avans.nl in advance. Failure to attend 2 classes without a valid excuse is grounds for failing the course.
The total time allocated for a 3EC course is 84 hours. This means that in addition to attending classes, you are also expected to carry out around 6-7 hours’ work on your assignments outside of class time.
There will be activities, conversations, presentations, feedback, and group work in class. Please try to engage with these activities as fully as possible. If for any reason you feel uncomfortable with any of these activities please let your tutor know.
Timetable
| Class | Date | Subject |
| 01 | 27 Sep 2019 | Introduction |
| 02 | 04 Oct 2019 | Sensations |
| 03 | 11 Oct 2019 | Sensations |
| -- | 18 Oct 2019 | Break (no teaching) |
| 04 | 25 Oct 2019 | Translations |
| 05 | 01 Nov 2019 | Translations |
| 06 | 08 Nov 2019 | Combinations |
| -- | 15 Nov 2019 | Studium generale (no teaching) |
| 07 | 22 Nov 2019 | Combinations |
| 08 | 29 Nov 2019 | Combinations |
| 09 | 06 Dec 2019 | Assessment |
| -- | 17 Dec 2019 | Show at V2_ |
Marking
Your work will be graded on 6th December 2019 by a panel consisting of your tutor and 1-2 other people. You will be awarded a grade according to the standard criteria for assessing work, namely:
- Positioning
- Methods
- Self-directed learning
Inclusivity
This course is designed to further your creativity and allow you to explore new ideas, techniques, and concepts.
In order to do this, we need to make sure that everybody feels able to express themselves in a safe environment. At AKV St Joost we embrace an atmosphere of creativity which is enriched and enhanced by diversity along a number of dimensions, including race, ethnicity and national origins, gender and gender identity, sexuality, class and religion. We are especially committed to increasing the representation of those populations which have historically been excluded from participation in Dutch higher education.
It is critical that each class member show respect for all world-views expressed in class. If you feel that something said or done in class is troubling or has caused discomfort, please contact Ollie confidentially. If you would like to speak to someone outside of the classroom, please contact Study Coach Rosie Heinrich.
If you have a name or pronoun which differs from the one we have on record, please let me know. Like many people, I am still in the process of learning about diverse perspectives and identities, and am always eager to hear from students how I can improve in this respect.
If you feel like your performance in the class is being impacted by your experiences outside of class, please speak to Ollie or Rosie. Ollie is also available for individual tutorials on Fridays outside of class for students across MIVC.
Assessment criteria
You will be assessed at the end of the course on the following:
- 1 film or mixed-media presentation consisting of your ‘daily videos’ 40%
Student has produced a high quality film or mixed-media presentation demonstrating that they have:- followed the procedure of making at least one rules-based video per day, leading to a body of work to draw from
- curated and assembled this body of work into a coherent film or mixed-media presentation which shows the breadth and variety of their videos.
The presentation will show the films in a mode which is appropriate for their subject matter, with a visual coherence and editing suitable for the content.
-
2-3 short experimental ‘sketch’ films, made individually / in groups 40% You can demonstrate that you have followed rules laid out in class, or self-created rules, to create 2-3 experimental ‘sketch’ films to a high standard, with care and attention given to the genre, subject, editing, and mis-en-scene of the films.
- Documentation and description of process, to be presented in graphic and verbal format. This presentation is the means by which the students’ understanding of the module’s content and their own work within it. 20%
You are able to present a structured and logical overview of their work, and the processes, methods, and theories you have used to create their work, as well as critical reflections on your own practice. The presentation should utilise appropriate audiovisual methods (for example a Powerpoint presentation, a scripted performance, etc) to deliver its message.
Tutor
This course is taught by Ollie Palmer - an artist, designer and film-maker whose work critically questions control systems and contemporary use of technology, and takes place across installations, films and performances. Projects often include collaborations with scientists, dancers, and other people outside of his own discipline. From 2015-16 he was Pavillon artist-in-residence at the Palais de Tokyo, Paris, and his work has been shown internationally (V&A Museum, Seoul Museum of Art, Opera Garnier de Paris). He holds a PhD by Design from the Bartlett School of Architecture entitled ‘Scripted performances: designing performative architectures through digital and absurd machines’, and is alumni of the Bartlett’s Interactive Architecture Lab. He has taught at the School of the Art Institute Chicago, the Bartlett, TU Delft Architecture, and AKV St Joost, where he is Core Tutor on the Situated Design masters course.
Contact
Ollie Palmer
om.palmer@avans.nl / www.olliepalmer.com / @_olliepalmer
Feedback
This course is designed for you! If there is anything that is unclear, anything that could be better organised, or you have any ideas you think might make the course better, please just tell me.