Class Audiovisual and Film Creation Workshop I - Language and Film Narrative

This 1st-year Curricular Unit is a project-based course with an integrative and foundational nature. Its scope focuses on the introduction to cinematic language and narrative structures, serving as the central axis for the coordination of the remaining subjects in the semester.   The course operates within the domain of filmmaking through a practical and collaborative approach. Utilising CBL (Samsara Model) and PBL (Project-Based Learning) methodologies, it guides the student from the observation of everyday life to the production of a short fiction film.   It's relevance within the degree programme lies in the early development of skills for teamwork and the transformation of reality into narrative material. Through progressive challenges and the weekly analysis of short films, the course prepares students for the complex challenges of directing, balancing technical execution with analytical depth and film literacy.  

Not applicable

Module A: Language and Creation (Project Component)   - Reality as a Starting Point: Description of the visible and imagining the off-screen space. - From Idea to Theme: The third image and thematic research. - Narrative Structure: Development of cinematic loglines and synopses. - Film Morphology: Space, time, parallel editing, and shot/reverse shot. - Writing for Cinema: From story concept to the original screenplay. - Production Preparation: Location study, casting, and the production dossier.   Module B: Research and Aesthetics (Theoretical Component)   - Distant Observation: Analysis of short films from a phenomenological perspective. - Cinema and Photography: The still image as the origin or a resource of the moving image. - Camera Sensuality: The recording of reality and the aesthetics of presence. - The Extraordinary Everyday: Analysis of unusual situations in everyday life. - Contemporary Issues: Cinema as a reflection of issues affecting young people.  

The course is based on pedagogically innovative, student-centred methodologies:   - CBL (Challenge-Based Learning): Employment of the Samsara Model (FILMEU), where learning is driven by practical challenges rooted in everyday experience. - PBL (Project-Based Learning): The development of the film is not merely the outcome but the core of the teaching process. - Continuous Film Analysis: Each four-hour session concludes with the screening and critical analysis of a short film relevant to the topics being studied. - Virtual Collaborative Environment: Use of the Miro platform for the construction of shared, visual research maps.

- BADHAM, John; GOODMAN, Craig (2020). John Badham on Directing: Notes from the Sets of Saturday Night Fever, WarGames, and More. 2.ª ed. Michael Wiese Productions.   - GUYOT, Paul (2023). Kill the Dog: The First Book on Screenwriting to Tell You the Truth. Bloomsbury Publishing.   - HOLBEN, Jay (2023). American Cinematographer's Shot Craft: Lessons, Tips & Techniques on the Art and Science of Cinematography. Adakin Press.   - KATZ, Steven D. (1991). Film Directing: Shot by Shot: Visualizing from Concept to Screen. Michael Wiese Productions.   - MARTIN, Marcel (2005). A Linguagem Cinematográfica. Dinalivro.   - RABIGER, Michael (1998). Developing Story Ideas. Focal Press.   - RABIGER, Michael (2003). Directing: Film Techniques and Aesthetics. 3.ª ed. Focal Press.