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ACTION! On the Real City: 4D Urban Flux, 24 Frames Per Second
Last Updated: 2026-02-05 15:36:02
Abstract
'If photography is truth, cinema is truth 24 frames per second', the words of Jean-Luc Godard guide us we disentangle the complex urban landscape through image and sound.This course develops new forms of urban literacy by combining ethnographic social research methods with filmmaking (using smartphones and Adobe Premiere Pro) and 3D modelling (using the Adobe After Effects and Cinema 4D).
Objective
Through a combination of practical exercises in video and audio techniques in parallel with the study of seminal observation-driven texts like, this course aims to equip students with the basic tools and core principles to create short but complex portraits of urban space. This approach will be applied to the study of 'urban flux' - non-stop transformation of our environments, understood through everyday practices. Students will be invited to take a deep, 'thick' look at a neighbourhood of their choice, telling the story of its transformation through time and space, in the creation of a collective 'everyday' mosaic of urban spaces. Using widely available recording tools and editing software, students will turn their fieldwork into short video or audio works of about 3-5 minutes.
Content
The course will compose of lectures, practical crash courses in media use and 3D modelling, and fieldwork sessions. The course will be a laboratory in the creation of short media works that aim to inform the architectural design process, working between the city and the studio in ONA. Students will be expected to complete all required work within the hours that the elective meets, with few requirements outside of the class hours.
Resources
Literature
Seminal texts include: - ‘Cross-Cultural Filmmaking’ (Barbash, Castaing-Taylor) - ‘Acoustic Territories’ (LaBelle) - 'Ethnography: Principles in Practice' (Hammersley, Atkinson) - 'Thick Description: Toward an Interpretative Theory of Culture (Geertz)
Learning Materials (Links)
- Main link
- Information
General Information
- Language
- English
- Levels
- BSC , DS
- Frequency
- Semesterly recurring
Examination
- Type
- ungraded semester performance
Course Components
| Type | Title | Time & Place | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| exercise |
ACTION! On the Real City: 4D Urban Flux, 24 Frames Per Second
Permission from lecturers required for all students.
No course on 14.9. (first day of the semester), 19.10. (seminar week) and 7th and 14th December 2020 (before final critics).
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2 h weekly |