APPLIED ARTS COURSES FOR FILM & NEW MEDIA PRIMES
Artists hone their foundation by employing the technical skills of a particular art or field of endeavor. These courses are Prime specific, or recommended for your prime and are designed to strengthen your skillset and/or build your portfolio. Students should focus their Applied Arts choices in their prime arts area, but may explore outside of their prime in some cases.
CHOOSING COURSES
Applied Arts courses are offered one day per week on Tuesdays and/or Thursdays. Be mindful of the length of the courses you are interested in. Most courses are scheduled for the full trimester, however, there are some that meet for only half of the trimester. In those cases, it's recommended you sign up for both half-trimester courses. You are welcome to sign up for classes on Tuesdays or Thursdays, but be mindful of the dates courses are offered so you do not choose classes that are offered at the same time.
TUESDAY OFFERINGS
🟡 Fall A : September 14 - October 12 (5 sessions/10 hours)
🟫 Fall B: October 19 - November 16 (5 sessions/10 hours)
🔺 Fall AB: September 14 - November 16 (10 sessions/20 hours)
THURSDAY OFFERINGS
Fall A : N/A
Fall B: N/A
🔶 Fall AB: September 23 - November 18 (7 sessions/14 hours)
VIRTUAL OFFERINGS
MONDAYS & WEDNESDAYS
◼️ Fall AB: September 13 - November 22
TUESDAY OFFERINGS
Yes And...
Improvisational Acting/Intro to ActingMentor: Emily Karol
Contact: ekgerbasi@aacps.orgTuesdays at Studio 39
🟫 Fall B: Oct 19 - Nov 16
(5 sessions/10 hours)
Introduction to improvisation for non-actors who want to experience something outside of their normal studies. Play a series of games that will help stretch your creativity and test the boundaries of your comfort zones. All actors and non-actors are welcome!
Directing for the Camera
Acting on FilmMentor: John Posner
Contact: jjposner@aacps.orgTuesdays at Studio 39
🔺 Fall AB: Sept 14 - Nov 16
(10 sessions/20 hours)
Explores the basic techniques of blocking and staging action for the camera, with emphasis on the practical problems and aesthetic questions that arise. Students work alone and in groups to develop solutions to dramatic and practical problems.
Trash & Flash Prop Creation
Theatrical DesignMentor: Alexander Rothschild
Contact: arothschild@aacps.orgTuesdays at Studio 39
🔺 Fall AB: Sept 14 - Nov 16
(10 sessions/20 hours)
All primes welcome.
Learn how to make image reference objects out of found materials. Students will be using multiple sculptural techniques and recycled materials to create a final product.
Slapstick Through the Ages
Film StudyMentor: Francesca Chilcote
Contact: fchilcote@aacps.orgTuesdays at Studio 39
🔺 Fall AB: Sept 14 - Nov 16
(10 sessions/20 hours)
Theater and Film & New Media Primes.
Slapstick Comedy is an ancient, highly physical popular theatrical tradition. With the advent of silent film, this style of comedy exploded. It was perfect: all action, no dialogue required. Performers from the vaudeville stage, such as Buster Keaton, Laurel and Hardy, Charlie Charplin, Lucille Ball, and the Marx Brothers, all became famous writing, producing, directing, and acting in their own movies. When sound was developed, stories became more intricate, and as the art form became more “sophisticated,” slapstick became an important tool for comic filmmakers, especially those creating for young audiences.
Over the course of this class, students will watch slapstick films, or examples of slapstick in scenes, starting from the first films ever made, to modern times. By the final class, each student will conceive their own short slapstick scene and storyboard this idea.
Fall Writing Collection
Creative Writing Collection Mentors: Maggie Heemstra & Lynn Schwartz
Contact: mbenshaw@aacps.org, lschwartz@aacps.orgTuesdays at Studio 39
🔺 Fall AB: Sept 14 - Nov 16
(10 sessions/20 hours)
All primes welcome and encouraged.
The Creative Habit (3 sessions) Sept 14, 21, and 28
We’ll identify the creative self in each of us and explore how to establish the most effective process for our ongoing artistic work. Learn to create a healthy and powerful working practice, an inspirational workspace, and techniques to combat barriers to creativity such as writer’s block, procrastination, and the inner critic.
The Professional Writer (3 sessions) Oct 5, 12, and 19
If you hope to have your work taken seriously, you will need to behave professionally. Let’s examine professional etiquette, how to edit and revise, and understand what is expected in the publishing process, including proper email style and the agent query letter. We will also explore effective book promotion and how to best pitch your ideas in an interview or email. We’ll learn to use a variety of creative exercises designed to help you develop and maintain a positive and professional attitude toward your work.
Narrative Voice (4 sessions) Oct 26, Nov 2, 9, and 16
Who should be telling your story and how should they tell it? Let’s examine Voice, Style, Tone, and Point of View — the elements that create the overall feeling of a work. In addition, beginning writers are often instructed to Show, not Tell — to create dramatic scenes and cut exposition, but this is not always appropriate advice. Skilled writers know that a good read results from a thoughtful balance of scene and summary. We’ll examine different scene types, the uses of summary, and how to craft transitions. The goal is to have a reader fully engaged with your narrator and your story.
THURSDAY OFFERING
Stage to Screen | Musicals Film Study
Film StudyMentor: Emily Karol
Contact: ekgerbasi@aacps.orgThursdays at Studio 39
🔶 Fall AB: Sept 23 - Nov 18
(7 sessions/14 hours)
A class for film students who want to study a unique genre and for actors/singers/dancers who want to see how storytelling shifts in the intimate medium of film. We will watch production numbers and segments from films produced during The Golden Age of Hollywood to the bold color/large scale productions of the recent years. Students will discuss topics of technology, production value, story telling, performance elements, etc.
VIRTUAL LAB OFFERING
Introduction to Digital Art A
Digital ArtMentors: Shoshana Schlauderaff & Lukas MacKinney
Contact: sshlauderaff@aacps.orgInstruction via Virtual Lab (at home) with Monday or Wednesday (as scheduled by the mentor) online live mentoring sessions
due to the Monday/Wednesday mentoring sessions, this course is only available for students who are not enrolled in GCC or a Project at this time.
◼️ Fall AB: September 13 - November 22
(10 sessions/20 hours)
Application Required. Preference given to Film & New Media students. Space limited. There will be an additional offering of this course in the Spring Trimester.
This course is a virtual class with both synchronous and asynchronous expectations. Students must have access to internet and Photoshop. A tablet for drawing is optional.
This co-taught course will be focused on foundational skills for digital artmaking. Helping students navigate the digital art space, understand technical skills in Photoshop, and translate traditional artmaking skills to new media. Students will be encouraged to freely explore the ever-expanding online art world, survey its existing works, and contribute their own digital creations.
Learning necessary foundation skills for digital art making including: composition, linework, contrast, lighting, color mixing, opacity, texture, form, and motion. Also general competence in a digital workspace, familiarity with tools & techniques including: masking, textured brushes & creating your own brushes, digital collage, photo manipulation, layering, file management.
For this course, students will be paired with a mentor that aligns with their skillset. Lukas will be more focused on photo manipulation, collage, graphic design, and technical aspects of digital artmaking. Shoshana will be more focused on a fine arts perspective, digital painting, and figure drawing.
Your mentor pairing will determine the day your 1-on-1 meeting/mentoring slot is scheduled. Each week, students will have access to a pre-recorded lecture by Mondays at 8AM. Students have until their meeting slots on Mondays or Wednesdays to watch the lecture for that week’s lesson. Each student will have a 15-minute meeting slot with either Shoshana or Lukas to go over the lesson, ask any questions about technical skills, and work through their assignment ideas on their designated day. Work must be completed and turned in via Brightspace by 9PM on Thursdays.
In order to request enrollment into the Introduction to Digital Art Virtual Lab's Brightspace, click the button to use the REQUEST FORM below.