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Working with Found Footage

Overview

  • Credit value: 30 credits at Level 6
  • Convenor and tutor: Dr Colm McAuliffe
  • Assessment: a 2000-word essay (40%) and 5-10-minute practical film-making exercise (40%) with a 1000-word critical reflection (20%)

Module description

In this module we combine study of the history of found footage as a distinct mode of filmmaking and artistic practice with hands-on practical projects. You will explore some of the key stylistic figures and ethical dimensions of found footage practice, and analyse film examples in class and write about them. You then prepare a short film or film sequence directly related to the historical and theoretical elements covered in the seminars.

Indicative syllabus

  • Origins of the found footage mode in the 1920s and 1930s
  • Parallel evolution of found footage practice along mainstream documentary and avant-garde lines
  • Relationship to artistic practices such as collage and other forms of reworking images taken from popular culture and the consumer society
  • Evaluation of the impact of digital technology and the emergence of videographic criticism and film history
  • Practical understanding of image and sound editing techniques related to found footage practice
  • Practical exercises involving sourcing of found footage materials
  • Practical experiments with re-editing and détournement

Learning objectives

By the end of this module, you will be able to:

  • understand the key developments in the history of found footage as a distinct mode of filmmaking and artistic practice
  • appreciate the contributions of key exponents of the found footage mode of filmmaking
  • understand the key stylistic figures and ethical dimensions of found footage practice through the analysis of specific films and film sequences
  • engage in close critical reading of key films and relate this to the evolution of the found footage tradition
  • apply the theoretical and historical content of the seminars to practical work in the second half of the module
  • learn new practical skills in image and sound editing and strengthen existing knowledge.