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EL 329 | Visual Narratives: Schedule and Assignment Links (January 2011) FJ Contact/Home - FJ's Comics Page (Work in Progress) - Course Blog Digital Storytelling Tools - Digital Storytelling Archive - Comic Life: Free for 30 Days Iconic Selves, 2011 It's a new course! No course like it has been taught at WU before. In some ways, it's unique in the universe. So: Advantage: Everything is fresh and spontaneous, and you get the chance to help shape the course for future students. Disadvantage: The schedule is subject to change and mutation, and experimental assignments may or may not work the way I hope they will. Heck, the wheels may come all the way off this contraption, but it should be a fun ride, anyway. Jump to a Week: Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 1.1: Introduction: Sequence, Selection, and Juxtaposition Homework Reading (for Christmas
Break) Kodak's
Top Ten Hints for Photography
Guidelines for Better Photographic Composition "Liar, Liar Pants on Fire" (Errol Morris) In-Class Screening
"La Jetée" (Dir. Chris Marker, 1963)
In-Class Groups Shoot
a series of images which can be rearranged to mean different things
when viewed in different orders; make sure the images display a variety
of angles, and be sure to use the rule of thirds. 1.2: Building an Analytical Vocabulary Read
Understanding Comics (Scott McCloud, 1993) Examine (on Reserve) Ice Haven (Daniel Clowes, 2005) In Class Groups Create story with McCloud transitions + “9th Grade Modes.” Related Video That Shows Wordplay/Punning Transitions "Words" (Will Hoffman and Daniel Mercadante) Due by 5:00 Contribute a critical definition to the course wiki (Blackboard). 1.3: The Origins of Comics Read What It Is (Lynda Barry, 2008) <-- Delayed due to book order trouble. "Topffer in English" (Chris Ware, 222-27) “How Comics Came to Be” (Robert C. Harvey, 25-45) In place of What It Is: Mostly Very Short Work from Best American Comics 2010 "Ceci N'est Pas Un Comic" (Peter Kuper) "Flytrap" (Dave Lapp) "Mixed Up Files" (Gabrielle Bell) "The Daily Grand Prix" and "Forbidden Rooms" (Ben Katchor) American Elf strips (James Kochalka) "Deep Space" (John Pham) Excerpts from The Night of Your Life (Jesse Reklaw) "The War on Fornication" (Peter Bagge) "Ex-Communication" (Todd Brower and Steve MacIsaac) "Fiction Versus Non-Fiction" (Chris Ware) Examine (on Reserve) Due at Class Time One paragraph explanation of your "Individual Project" idea. Workshop (In Class) Visual Text Projects Bonus Reading on Comics History (Not Required) "ImageText, or, Why Art Spiegelman Doesn't Draw Comics" (Joseph Witek in ImageTexT 1.1, 2004) Have you contributed to the blog yet? 1.4: What Comics Are Read: Astonishing X-Men, Volume 1: Gifted (Wr. Whedon, Ill. Cassaday, 2006) “What Comics Are and What They Aren’t” (Douglas Wolk, 3-28) Examine (on Reserve) The Arrival (Shaun Tan, 2007) In-Class Screening Short Videos on Image Distances and Angles (Dir. Dave Monahan) Workshop (In Class) Visual Text Projects Seriously. Go add something awesome to the class blog. 1.5: Words, Images, and Documentary Read Safe Area Gorazde (Joe Saccco, 2000/01) “Pictures, Words, and the Space Between Them” (Douglas Wolk, 118-34) In-Class Screening Short Video on the Development of Editing (Dir. Dave Monahan) Workshop (in Class) Group Documentary Projects Due by class time today. Three contributions to the blog. 2.1: More Cinematics and Poetics Read Anthology Selections (Best American Comics 2010) (TBA) "The Lagoon (Hiding...)" from The Lagoon (Lilli Carré) Ben Katchor Handout (Blackboard)from The Alcoholic (Jonathan Ames and Dean Haspiel) from Asterios Polyp (David Mazzucchelli) "The Bank" from Punk Rock and Trailer Parks (Derf) from Scott Pilgrim Versus The Universe (Bryan Lee O'Malley) "The Book of Genesis" (R. Crumb) “An Art of Tensions” (Charles Hatfield, 132-48) “Auteurs...Art Comics...Ugly Drawings” (Douglas Wolk, 29-59) “Landsman of the Lost” (Michael Chabon, 133-40) In-Class Screenings “That Yellow Bastard, P. 1” (Wr. Frank Miller/Dir. Robert Rodriguez, 2005) Short Film on Montage Editing (Dir. Dave Monahan) Bonus Link (Not Required Reading) The Yale Film Studies Site (Full of Cinema Terms) 2.2: Workshop Read Anthology Selections (Best American Comics 2010) (TBA) "Water! Electricity! Meat!" (Gilbert and Mario Hernandez) “The Construction of Space in Comics” (Pascal Lefevre, 157-62)"Lobster Run" from Johnny Hiro (Fred Chao) "Norman Eight's Left Arm" from Sleeper Car (Theo Ellsworth) "Trinity" from Taddle Creek" (Michael Cho) "The Flood" from A.D.: New Orleans After the... (Josh Neufeld) "I Heard Some Distant Music" (Lauren Weinstein) from You'll Never Know, Book One (C. Tyler) Workshop (in Class) Have you blogged this week? You'll need three more contributions before Friday's class. 2.3: Workshop Read Emergency Replacement Texts NOPE: Anthology Selections (Best American Comics 2010) (TBA) “The Arrow and the Grid” (Joseph Witek, 149-56) Bonus Link (Not Required Reading) "Bear Creek Apartments" (Larson + Bryan Lee O'Malley) Workshop (in Class) 2.4: Transmedia Read (It's Pretty LONG!) “Searching for the Origami Unicorn: The Matrix and Transmedia Storytelling” (Henry Jenkins, 95-134) In Class Screening Selections from The Animatrix (Various Directors, 2003) Bonus Links (Not Required Reading) Due by 5:00 Contribute a second critical definition to the course wiki (Blackboard). 2.5: Chris Ware Okay... How about Will Eisner, Parts 1-3 of Contract with God Read (NOPE: We'll hold off on this until next week and hope more folks can nab the book...) Acme Novelty Library #19 (Chris Ware, 2008) “The Comics of Chris Ware” (Gene Kannenberg, Jr., 306-24) “Why Does Chris Ware Hate Fun?” (Douglas Wolk, 347-58) Due by class time today. Three MORE contributions to the blog. 3.1: MLK Day. Stay Home. (Maybe do a blog entry.) 3.2: Contract with God + Documentary Projects Read A Contract with God (Will Eisner, 1978) Due Group Documentary Projects Are Due in Class; Presenting in Class 3.3: City of Glass (Text) Read City of Glass (Paul Auster, Text, 1985) 3.4: City of Glass (Comic) Update: Read the Chris Ware excerpt from our anthology + Kannenberg's article on Ware (at Blackboard). Read Due by 5:00 Contribute a 3rd critical definition to the course wiki (Blackboard). 3.5: Some Online Comics, TBA Due by class time today. Three FINAL contributions to the blog. For Friday, While Away an Hour or Two Exploring These: Read at Least the Start of "The 'Infinite Canvas'" (Scott McCloud) "Pup Ponders the Heat Death of the Universe" (Blame: S. McCloud) The Four Derangements (Blame: Fred) (Daniel Merlin Goodbrey) Bonus: "PoCom-UK-001" (Goodbrey) Maira Kalman at the New York Times (Blame: Fred)Dinosaur Comics (Blame: Justin and Andrew) A Softer World (Blame: Caitlin) ASW Sold as Book Penny Arcade (Blame: Jeremy)Wondermark (Blame: Lucas) XKCD (Blame: Fate) Other Options Considered for This Day... Hyperbole and a Half (Allie Brosh) Hark! A Vagrant (Kate Beaton) Unhappy Hispter Seth's George Sprott Hope Larson's Salamander Dream Ben Katchor at Metropolis Magazine More of James Kochalka's American Elf Drew Weing's "Pup Ponders the Heat Death of the Universe" Something else from Weing? Look how Weing makes cash money, by the way 4.1: VISUAL TEXT PROJECT DUE; Presenting in Class 4.2: Final Exam/Essays Due For Further General Reading, Take a Look At... The Best American Comics Series Brunetti's Anthology of Graphic Fiction, Cartoons, and True Stories, Vols. 1-2 McSweeney's Quarterly Concern #13 (Ed. Chris Ware) Peanuts: The Art of Charles M. Schulz (Ed. Chip Kidd) A Comics Studies Reader (Ed. Jeet and Worcester) Eisner, Will. Graphic Storytelling and Visual Narrative. Eisner, Will. Comics and Sequential Art. Other Books and Artists That Might Have Been Assigned for This Course Include... B., David. Epileptic. Bechdel, Allison. Fun Home. Brown, Chester. Louis Riel. Burns, Charles. Black Hole. Clowes, Daniel. Ghost World. Crumb. R. Deitch, Kim. Folman, Ari. Waltz with Bashir. Gaiman, Neil. The Sandman. Los Bros Hernandez. Love and Rockets. Katchor, Ben. Various. Jason. Various. Mazzucchelli, David. Asterios Polyp. Miller, Frank. Sin City. Miller, Frank. Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. Moore, Alan. Watchmen. O'Malley, Bryan Lee. Scott Pilgrim. Pekar, Harvey. American Splendor. Satrapi, Marjane. Persepolis. Seth. Clyde Fans. Smith, Jeff. Bone. Spiegelman, Art. Maus. Thompson, Craig. Blankets. Ware, Chris. Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth. Second String Link Dump (Pages I'm Exploring for the Next Iteration of This Course) Neil Cohn on the Psychology of Comics Reading Comic Book Resources Lulu.com Peter Bagge's "Amtrak Sucks" (Reason, 12/2005) 3eanuts "Poetry, Design, and Comics" (PDF, Carousel 19, 2006) Scott McCloud on Motion GIF ins Comics | ||