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Course Description
An intermediate-level course focusing on sound theory and organized around
the topic of "sound/image". This topic will be examined through
reading assignments, screenings and listening sessions, writing and sound
recording assignments, in-class presentations, and a media project. In
producing their projects, students will engage with the history of audio
reproduction and different concepts in sound theory, including the concepts
of French theorist Michel Chion, the psychoanalytic theories on the female
body and voice, the notion of the soundscape, and the relationship between
ethnography, colonialism, and audio technology. Feedback on student projects
will be implemented at different stages of the process through in-class
presentations, written responses, and group critique session of works-in-progress
as well as completed projects. Active participation in this intensive
process is crucial. All projects will be presented publicly at conclusion
of the class. Workshops on sound recording and sound editing will be held
throughout the semester based on the skill level of the students, and
the technical requirements of their projects. This class encourages a
critical, creative approach to the medium, non-traditional solutions,
and awareness of the history of sound technology and media production.
Prerequisite: Intro to Video Production.
Course Organization
Class activities include discussion of reading assignments, group critiques,
technical demonstrations, screenings and audio presentations. Both works
by students and examples of independent media works will be presented
in class. Depending on funding and availability, guest speakers (sound
artists, film and videomakers, media artists, programmers, scholars, etc.)
will be invited to class, or to the Media Studies cinematheque series
- be prepared to attend out-of-class screenings and lectures.
Please turn off all cell phones and pagers during
class. These and other diversions are not acceptable during class time,
and will lower your grade.
| Course Requirements
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| 1. |
Attend all classes |
| 2. |
Participation in class discussions |
| 3. |
Completion of writing assignments and
media project (work-in-progress and final version) |
Attendance
Attendance and participation of all classes is required. Do not miss class
or arrive late! If
you miss class 3 times without a proper excuse, (e.g. a doctor's note if
you are sick) you fail the class. Absences must be cleared by me
before or after (in case of emergencies only) the class you missed in order
for it to not affect your final grade. Attendance is determined by when
I take roll.
Class Participation
Your active, well-prepared participation in class discussions is essential
to creating a dynamic (i.e. not boring!) learning environment. Although
you will not receive a letter grade for class participation, it will figure
into your final grade based on my observations.
We often study sexually explicit, political, and otherwise challenging material
in this course. These are not included for shock value, but are legitimate
investigations of controversial subject matters in media. You are certainly
encouraged to explore difficult and complex subject matters in your work,
and you should be prepared to consider these issues intellectually and emotionally.
Our class is a safe space in which students can express their beliefs and
opinions. You always have a voice, but please be respectful of others as
well. Abusive language and behavior are not be tolerated. Open-mindedness
is encouraged!
Class Assignments and Media Project
Students will produce a media project following these guidelines:
| •_
|
Your project must respond
to the topic of "sound/image," and should engage with class
readings and discussions, as well as media works presented in class;
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| •_ |
Project subject and format to be determined
by student, and must be approved by instructor:
-
Film/video/audio pieces: suggested length is 10 min.;
- Other suggested format - installation, performance, web-based, hybrid
- please specify in your treatment.
|
| •_ |
The process by which you realize this
project is as important as your final product. It is crucial that
you follow the outline below because you will be graded at various
points in the process, as well as when you complete the project.
| 1. |
1-2 page treatment
of your media project describing the subject, approach, strategy/methodology,
production plan, etc.
|
| 2. |
A working document based
on your treatment; it can be in the form of a script, flowchart,
storyboard, or a combination of these.
|
| 3. |
Work-in-progress presentation
due the week before Spring Break
|
| 4. |
Final version
due the last week of classes. All projects will be presented
publicly on campus. |
|
I will schedule group crits
and individual meetings with students at different points of this
process. You will also be required to produce written assessments
on yours and your classmates' projects. Both your project and your
participation in this process will be accounted for in grading.
I recommend that you create a project folder to organize the different
stage of your production. It will also expedite reviews of your process.
I will show you examples of project folders in class.
You are encouraged to assist each other in different capacities -
this is how independent videos are made in the real world!
Unless an extension is approved by myself
in advance of the due date, your grade are reduced by one letter grade
(i.e. B to C) per class day your project is late. You are encouraged
to meet with me individually during my office hours to discuss your
assignments, your grades, and your overall performance in class. I
am always open to suggestions and feedback! |
Reading Assignments
Required readings are drawn from the textbooks below and articles I will
post on our class web site. If you want to purchase copies of the books,
go to amazon.com
or half.com.
Rick Altman, editor, Sound Theory/Sound Practice, Routledge, New
York, 1992.
Michel Chion, Audio-Vision: Sound on Screen, trans. Claudia Gorbman,
Columbia University Press, New York, 1994.
Michel Chion, The Voice in Cinema, trans. Claudia Gorbman, Columbia
University Press, New York, 1999.
Henri Lefebvre, The Production of Space, trans. Donald Nicholson-Smith,
Blackwell Publishers Inc., Cambridge, MA, 1991.
R. Murray Schafer, The Soundscape: Our Sonic Environment and the Tuning
of the World, Destiny Books, Rochester, VT, 1977.
Kaja Silverman, The Acoustic Mirror; The Female Voice in Psychoanalysis
and Cinema, Indiana University Press, Indianapolis, 1988.
Jonathan Sterne, The Audible Past: Cultural Origins of Sound Reproduction,
Duke University Press, Durham and London, 2003.
Michael Taussig, Mimesis and Alterity: A Particular History of the
Senses, Routledge, New York, 1993.
Grading
Your final grade will be based on the following |
| • |
Project (final version) 30% |
| • |
Project (work-in-progress) 20% |
| • |
3 assignments 30% |
| • |
Class participation* 20% |
* Your general performance in class including participation, attendance,
and punctuality, except in the special cases listed above, such as if
you have more than 3 un-excused absences.
Generally, outstanding (A) students in this class have good attendance
and completed all their assignments on time. They are consistently well
prepared for class, and actively participate in and advance our discussions
with pertinent information, questions, and observations. Their work demonstrate
their awareness of the issues at hand, the historical and theoretical
context of their projects and the film and videos they are discussing,
as well as their ability to articulate their observations and analyses
in a clear and concise manner. Only letter grades are given out in this
class..
Academic honesty -all
work done for this course must be the original work of the student submitting
it, and should have been undertaken exclusively for this course. No work
done prior to this class maybe used to fulfill the class assignments.
Extra credit - Students are
encouraged to attend screenings, conferences, lectures, exhibitions and
web events related to this course. Write a two-page (typed and double-spaced)
report of the event or activity. Include your reactions and feelings.
Proof of attendance is required (keep your ticket stubs, programs, etc.)
Students are allowed two extra credit papers. Announcements for events
of interest to this class are done in the first 5 mins. of each class.
* I try my best to make my grading criteria as clear as possible,
and you are welcome to come and discuss your grades with me. However,
I only consider legitimate concerns, and be aware that you grade is as
likely to go down after I reassess your assignment. I do not tolerate
haggling, bribing, threats, or any other pointless arguments. I consider
all aspects of your performance before I assign a grade, please respect
my assessment as I respect your efforts.
Equipment Check-out
Please review equipment usage policy, posted on the Media
Studies web site
Equipment is checked-out/in on Mondays and Thursdays between 9am—10pm
at Scott Hall basement. Equipment that is checked-out must be returned by
12 noon the day it is due back.
Editing room access keycodes are given out by myself or Enid Blader (x73889,
enid_blader@pitzer.edu) after
in-class demonstrations of the equipment. Sign-up sheets for editing hours
are posted in Scott Hall basement.
Videotapes and audiotapes for class projects can be purchased at the bookstore,
on-line, or at any good A/V supply store (Ametron, Studio Film & Tape,
etc.) If you go to a supply store or buy on-line, it is usually cheaper
to buy in bulk, so a group of you may want to organize and purchase tapes
together.
* A note on general respect and care: we are all
depending on each other to keep our equipment in good working order. If
the equipment breaks down, no one can complete his or her work! You are
responsible for reading and following rules for equipment usage. Enid Balder
or myself may revoke access privileges at any time if the rules are not
followed. Use common sense and please be considerate of each other: return
the equipment on time.
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| |
Course Schedule:
Week 1: Tuesday, January 20: Introduction
| • |
Introductions |
| • |
Syllabus |
| • |
Class topic |
| • |
Workshop topics |
Week 2: Tuesday, January 27: The Audible
Past: A History of Sound Reproduction
| • |
General discussion of sound
as media |
| • |
Images of the ear phonautograph 1. 2. |
| • |
Demo of sound transduction |
| • |
Examples of works by Christian Marclay |
| • |
View Channel
Untitled (2000) by Diane
Bertolo |
Reading
Jonathan Sterne, The Audible Past,
Introduction; pp. 1-29 and Ch.
1, pp. 31-85
Week 3: Tuesday, February 3: The Audible
Past (cont.): Sound Technology into Media
| • |
Reading and discussion |
| • |
Assignment 1: In-class
writing assignment comparing two audio excerpts and discussing their
historical significance based on class
readings on histories of sound reproduction
. |
Reading
Jonathan Sterne, The
Audible Past, Ch.
4, pp. 179-214
Listening
STRANGE FRUIT (1940) Music and lyrics by Lewis Allan, performed by Billie
Holiday (1946), Cassandra Wilson (1995), and The Cocteau Twins (1983)
Week 4: Tuesday, February 10: Audio-Vision
| • |
Demo 1 (microphones + other
recording instruments) |
| • |
Reading and discussion |
| • |
Project treatments due
(Treatment Guidelines) |
| • |
Short in-class presentation |
Film
Excerpts from EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (1980) Directed by Irvin Kershner
Excerpts from PSYCHO (1960) Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Reading
Michel Chion, Audio-Vision, pp. 3-34,
185-213
Week 5: Tuesday, February 17: The Voice
in Cinema
| • |
Screening |
| • |
Reading and discussion |
| • |
Written responses due |
Film
Excerpts from BLADE RUNNER (1982) Directed by Ridley Scott
Excerpts from PERSONA (1966) Directed by Ingmar Bergman
Excerpts from ALIEN (1979) Directed by Ridley Scott
Excerpts from THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939) Directed by Victor Fleming
Excerpts from PSYCHO (1960) Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Reading
Michel Chion, The Voice in Cinema, pp. 1-13,
13-29,
49-57,
75-79,
125-151
Week 6: Tuesday, February 24: Body Talk
| • |
Reading and discussion |
| • |
Demo 2 (digitizing sound, burning CDs) |
Reading
Kaja Silverman, The Acoustic Mirror, Ch.
1 & 2,
pp. 1-71
Film
Excerpts from PSYCHO (1960) Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Week 7: Tuesday, March 2: The Fantasy
of the Maternal Voice
| • |
Demo 3 (sound in Final Cut
Pro + ProTools) |
| • |
Reading and discussion |
| • |
Working document due |
Reading
Kaja Silverman, The Acoustic Mirror, Ch.
3 & 4,
pp. 72-140
Film
Excerpts from SANS SOLEIL (1982) Directed by Chris Marker
Excerpts from SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (1951) Directed by Gene Kelly and Stanley
Donen
Week 8: Tuesday, March 9: In-class
Presentations
Assignment 2: Prepare
a 5 minute excerpt from a film to present in class. Write a 3-5 page paper
(typed and double-spaced) that situates the film and its sound tactics
within the context of class readings on sound theory and cinema.
Week 9: Tuesday, March 16: Spring Break
Week 10: Tuesday, March 23: Sound Theory,
Sound Practice
| • |
Written response due |
| • |
Screening + discussion |
Reading
Rick Altman, Sound Theory/Sound Practice, pp.
1-31, 35-64
Week 11: Tuesday, March 30: The Production
of Space - Social Space
| • |
Reading and discussion |
| • |
Demo 3 (sound editing) |
Reading
Henri Lefebvre, The Production of Space, Ch. 2, part 1,
2,
3,
pp. 68-168; Ch. 1 optional
Week 12: Tuesday, April 6: The Production
of Space - Spatial Architectonics
| • |
Work-in-progress presentation |
| • |
Reading and discussion |
Reading
Henri Lefebvre, The Production of Space, Ch. 3, part 1,
2,
pp. 169-228; Ch. 4 optional
Listening
Structural Adjustments (2000) by Ultra
Red, Mille
Plateaux
Week 13: Tuesday, April 13: The Soundscape
| • |
Work-in-progress presentation |
| • |
Reading and discussion |
Reading
R. Murray Schafer, The Soundscape, Ch. 1-3, 4-6, pp. 15-99
Listening
Second Nature (1999) by Ultra Red, Mille Plateaux
Week 14: Tuesday, April 20: Sound, Ethnography,
& Colonialism
| • |
Work-in-progress presentation |
| • |
Reading and discussion |
Reading
Michael Taussig, Mimesis and Alterity,
Ch. 14-15, pp. 193-235
Week 15: Tuesday, April 27: Individual
Meetings
| • |
Students meet individually with instructor
this week |
| • |
Written response due |
| • |
Project assessment and completion plan
due |
__
Week 16: Tuesday, May 4: Final Class Meeting
Wednesday 5/4: Surprise Screening!
Week 16: Thursday, May 6, 7pm
Wednesday 5/4: Surprise Screening!
| • |
Class presentation @ Broad Performance
Space |
| • |
Final version of project due |
Week 17: Tuesday, May 11: Final Deadline
for Everything
(In my Scott Hall mailbox by noon!)
Wednesday 5/4: Surprise Screening!
| • |
Project assessment |
| • |
Class assessment |
| • |
Final final version for project |
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