Visual Storytelling: The Shot & The Camera (On Demand)
About this On Demand Course
This is an On Demand course. On Demand courses allow you to watch pre-recorded lectures at your own pace, with curated resources and other materials to support your work. You can begin taking this course at any time.
In order to serve more of the Sundance Collab community, we developed this On Demand course from existing live online course content. By doing so, we are able to offer Visual Storytelling: The Shot & The Camera (On Demand) at a price that allows more people to benefit from the course content.
Mastering visual storytelling is like learning a new language—the language of the screen—and it is a critical component of a director’s work. Join filmmaker, author and educator, Peter Markham, as he leads this mind-opening On Demand course.
In this course, you will learn about what is inherent in visual language and what depends on context and usage, about composition and mise-en-scene, shot selection, size and framing, about passage of time in a shot and the ‘flow of energy’, about the nature of images, as well as camera placement, angle, movement, modes (observing, passive, dynamic, participatory, complicit), and more.
You will gain expertise on the practical aesthetics of the moving image—explored from the perspectives of both shot and camera. You will analyze scenes across genres and styles to learn how to command your own unique visual style.
This course focuses on three core films as examples: Hereditary, Moonlight and Nomadland. Whatever your level of experience, Visual Storytelling: The Shot & The Camera (On Demand) will provoke new ways of approaching your work.
View the Outline tab for more details on the course.
This course is ideal for:
- filmmakers interested in visual storytelling who want to dive deep into understanding the language of the moving image with the guidance of an expert.
- directors interested in gaining new perspectives on how to approach their work.
- scholars of film studies and film theory.
All course videos are closed-captioned. For other accommodations and support services, please email us at accessibility@sundance.org.
On Demand CourseOutline
- Introduction to Visual Storytelling
- Foundations of Our Approach
- Elements of the Creative Process
- The Five Domains
- Introduction to the Five Tasks of the Filmmaker
- Task #1: Information
- Task #2: Emotion
- Task #3: Visceral/Neural Sensation
- Task #4: Vision
- Task #5: Telling the Story
- Introduction to Grammar and Language
- Meaning Through Use
- Eye Trace or Eye Path
- Color
- Introduction to The Shot
- Composition
- Transitions
- Aspect Ratio
- Shot Selection
- Establishing Shots
- Master Shots
- Introduction to Shot Size
- Scope and Scale
- Using Contrasting Shot Sizes for Different Scenes
- Creating a Spectrum of Shot Sizes for Your Movie
- Narrative POV and Spatial Relationships
- Shot Size and Spatial Relationships: Misdirection
- The Rubber Band Effect
- Shot Size and Emphasis
- Shot Size and Emptiness
- Introduction to Framing
- Framing, Space, and Culture
- Framing In and Out of Shot
- The Frame Within the Frame
- Short-siding and Headroom
- Anticipatory Framing
- Framing, Eye Path, Suspense and Surprise
- The Shot and the Flow of Energy
- The Shot and the Passage of Time
- Introduction to the Image
- Types of Images
- Introduction to The Camera
- Camera Function
- The ‘Invisible’ Camera
- The ‘Visible’ Camera
- The ‘Ubiquitous’ Camera
- The ‘Human’ Camera
- The ‘Winged’ Camera
- Camera as Witness
- Complicit Camera
- The Critical Camera
- The Multi-Functional Camera
- Introduction to Placement and Angle
- Profiles
- Backshots
- Raking Angles
- Extreme Angles
- Top Shots
- Dutched Angles
- Angle on the Axis of the Drama
- Introduction to Camera Movement
- Counter Movement
- Movement Against Energy
- Complex Camera Movement: The Pivot
- The Push-in and Pull-back/out
- Lensing
- Notes on Sound
- Thoughts Going Forward
FAQ
Sundance Collab’s On Demand courses provide flexibility to learn on your own time, whenever you’re ready. On Demand courses do not provide you with feedback on your work, but they do provide suggested activities and curated resources.
Participants will receive a Certificate of Completion for all of the On Demand courses and the certificate will include the name associated with your Collab account.
You can find any courses that you are enrolled in or have already completed in the profile section of your Collab account under “Courses.”
Sundance Collab provides accommodations and support services to participants with disabilities. Please contact us at (435) 776-7790 or email us at accessibility@sundance.org to ask any questions or to discuss your specific needs.