1. CREATE A TITLE SEQUENCE

 

Choose a movie you love and create a new title sequence for it. You can use the original title sequence music or you can create your own soundtrack for it. Stylistically there are no boundaries.

 

http://www.artofthetitle.com/

http://www.watchthetitles.com/

http://www.annyas.com/screenshots/

 

Learn about Saul Bass, the godfather of title design, who i am a big fan of:

 

“For the average audience, the credits tell them there’s only
three minutes left to eat popcorn. I take this ‘dead’ period and try to do more than simply get rid of names that filmgoers aren’t interested in.
I aim to set up the audience for what’s coming;
make them expectant.”

• SAUL BASS

 

http://annyas.com/screenshots/saul-bass-title-sequences/

 

I also very much like Jean-Luc Godard´s movie trailers. Although they are not title sequences in a strict sense, they might inspire you.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtlnvP-Bu8U

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6HiyA0Tsuk

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLuWoz9OpqU

 

2. DER VERFILMTE WITZ / FROM SPOKEN JOKE TO FILM JOKE

 

Choose a joke, that makes you laugh and make a film of it, that makes you (and hopefully others) laugh. 

 

The links / examples here may not be the ones you will prefer. Nevertheless they are of good use to study TIMING. TIMING is the most important aspect in comedy. It is when and how you deliver the punch, that makes it work or not.

 

Some of the following examples are of a longer format, than you will probably end up with.

 

 

Don Hertzfeld (my favourite animator of subversive humour)

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fpc5vgi9zbM&playnext=1&list=PL91A4C3B5BD2ABD8C

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXBV-Ifscn0

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJYxCSXjhLI

 

 

Julian Smith (a youtube phenomenon, very successful and original)

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ty62YzGryU4&feature=related

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iubJ-XSL9go&feature=fvwrel

 

“behind the scenes” where you can see the very basic technical setup. Also observe how much they play with improvisation and variation:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cVoR6V40LA&feature=list_related&playnext=1&list=SP99A0FB6C24B15BC2

 

 

Grissemann & Steermann

 

http://www.willkommen-tv.at/MB/showthread.php?tid=2426&page=4

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RePOFBvpwV8

 

 

AN EXAMPLE OF BAD TIMING IN A JOKE ;-)

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKB8J9JGd5I

3. EXPERIMENTAL FILM ESSAY

 

This will be the third, last and most challenging project. 

 

Create an experimental film essay, a combination of free form film techniques and on screen voice or voice over of a personally written, original text.

 

There are no restrictions on form and theme. Theme should reflect a topic on a broader scale, but derived from personal observation, reflection and/or experience. 

 

Minimum length 3 minutes.

 

Learn more about it here:

 

http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essayfilm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essay#Film

 

Please watch the movies below, they are available online. Some might be unusual for you, maybe even tiring to watch. Nevertheless i strongly encourage you to make the effort, you will be rewarded. Those are great works of art, and will give you an idea of how diverse the form of the film essay can be.

 

 

Michael Moore – Roger and me (1989)

 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098213/

 

COMPLETE FILM: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPxrqks4Rm4

 

Jean Luc Godard – Le mepris / Contempt / Die Verachtung (1963)

 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057345/

 

COMPLETE FILM: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56ahqtLA3ZY&feature=related

 

Jean Luc Godard – Alphaville (1965)

 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058898/

 

COMPLETE FILM: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-MpTvo9yU0

 

Wim Wenders – Tokyo Ga (1985)

 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090182/

 

COMPLETE FILM:  http://video.yandex.ru/users/zonacmail/view/6/

 

Chris Marker – Sans Soleil (1983)

 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084628/

 

COMPLETE FILM:

 

Part 1

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2459111438622342949#docid=-8240960507863855068

 

Part 2

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2459111438622342949#docid=8879972189477821241