Week 9 _ New Unit = "Space in Time"

Today we looked to film techniques for inspiration and conducted a few drawing exercises in class to experiment with ways to describe a more fluid sense of time and space than we're accustomed to expect from drawings. 

For homework I'd like you to find your own examples of the kinds of sequences that we drew from in class today and make drawings in response to them. Below are descriptions and examples of each approach as a reminder, but part of this will involve “searching” for examples of your own in whatever you’re watching. 

Drawing from Film Exercises

Challenge A _ Static Camera, Static Background, Moving Figures 

(1 drawing, but only if you were absent for the class exercise. Otherwise move on to Challenge B.)

What you’re looking for is a scene in a television episode or movie in which the camera doesn’t move, keeping the frame and background consistent, while figures/objects/animals move around and interact within the frame. Here’s an example from Jacques Becker’s 1952 film, Casque d’Or:

Casque d'Or_opening from Travis Head on Vimeo.

After you’ve found a scene that meets these parameters, you’ll pause and screen capture at least four frames over the course of the scene. Like this:

Then, in order, spend about 7 minutes drawing each frame successively on the same piece of paper. This means you’ll draw the first frame to establish your picture plane and then draw each frame that follows DIRECTLY ON TOP of the previous drawing. Use a soft pencil or ballpoint pen for this. Draw everything you see (i.e. the entire picture plane in a rectangular frame), not just the figures. What’s interesting in this challenge is the relationship between those fixed elements of the ground and the movement of figures within that frame. Don’t get bogged down in details. This drawing challenge involves a lot of overlapping and the requirement of hierarchical decision making through value and mark. The result will feel more complex and chaotic than what we’re accustomed to expect in a representational drawing and that’s OK!

I'd like you to find a good example from a film/tv show that you're interested in on your own. However, in the event that you simply can't find anything, here's a link to the entire Casque d'Or film on youtube and approximate timestamps for relevant scenes: 

Busy Dance Tavern: 31:55

Closing Dance: 1:32:35 

Challenge B _ Tracking Shot, Long Take (1 drawing (2 if you were absent); use the 9x12" paper provided in class)

A long take or oner is an uninterrupted shot in a film which lasts much longer than the conventional editing pace either of the film itself or of films in general, usually lasting several minutes. It can be used for dramatic and narrative effect if done properly, and in moving shots is often accomplished through the use of a dolly or Steadicam. Long takes of a sequence filmed in one shot without any editing are rare in films. The continuity provided by this technique often allows for a more complete understanding of the space in which the action takes place than typical editing allows for. Here’s an example from the opening sequence of Joss Wheedon’s Serenity:

Notice how it’s possible to reconstruct the overall spatial layout of the ship because of the continuous “tour” created by the long take. 

The rules for this challenge are simple. Find an example of a long take and make a drawing of it. All in one picture plane. Use whatever materials you prefer. There is no single strategy or approach for solving this. Follow your instincts. What we’re interested in here is to try and represent complex information that is based in time and space (4D & 3D) in a medium that is inherently ill-suited to the task because of its limitations (2D).

For this challenge I’d like you to select 2 long-take sequences from different sources. Because of the relative rarity of this technique you should probably google long take sequence examples rather than just watch a lot of movies and hope for one to turn up. And if you want to see something crazy, research the movie Russian Ark which is a feature-length movie shot in a single take.

DUE for discussion: Wednesday, October 22

1 drawing for Challenge A (only if you missed class today)

1 drawing for Challenge B (x2 if you missed class and the initial exercise)