MDSC 308             CINEMATIC EFFECTS       Prof. Jiménez



    This course is an introduction to visual effects in film, television, and commercials. Using industry-standard compositing software (After Effects) students will learn basic compositing techniques, such as green screen keying, rotoscoping and match moving, within the context of the history and art of visual effects. Since its inception, film has been drawn to the possibility of altering reality through visual effects in the works of Gorges Melies; with the advent of digital compositing, special effects have gained added importance in contemporary filmmaking. Moreover, visual effects as 'staged' reality go beyond film to encompass the function of illusionism in Western representation as shown by Norman Klein in " Vatican to Vegas: A History of Special Affects."  

 

Required Texts:

 

 McClean, Shilo, Digital storytelling: the narrative power of visual effects in film


Steve Wright, Compositing Visual Effects: Essentials for the Aspiring Artist 


Norman M. Klein, The Vatican to Vegas: A History of Special Effects


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