This assignment is taken from the student publication «Output», which was created by students of the Hochschule für Gestaltung Ulm.
In the year 1961-1962, starting in October 1961, the school launched a curriculum centered on film, inside the sector «Visual communication».
The brief
On the first day, the students received the task of creating a short film on the topic of “photography”. The film is divided in 5 parts, which have each a duration of 2 minutes. Each sequence is made by one or two students. The duration of the whole film (with start/end titles) should be 12 minutes.
- Sequence 1: It started with Daguerre. Development of photography, from the beginnings until today. Not a history but a depiction of the progress made.
- Sequence 2: Light and shadow. The attempt to observe the original meaning of photography: “to paint with light”.
- Sequence 3: The fixed moment. The opposition between a subject in motion and a fixed image.
- Sequence 4: Extremes. Photography allows to visualise areas that aren’t accessible to the human eye (x-rays, ultraviolet or infrared photography). The use of composition, lighting and camera angles to create subjectivity.
- Sequence 5: Manipulations. Photography as an instrument of power and influence, for political or commercial motives.
Schedule
- October-December: writing of the script. Preparations of the shooting: a) Search for subjects. b) Reproduction of material from books and magazines. c) Gathering of props and models. d) Organisation of the schedule.
- January–February: setting up the shooting plan. 3 weeks of shooting, at Kodak/Stuttgart, in the observatory/Heidelberg, at Zeiss/Oberkochem, and at the German Museum/Munich.
- March–June: 1) shooting of the titles. 2) Raw and final cut. 3) Sound recordings: a) Sound effects. b) Music. c) Commentary and slogans.
- 26. October 1962: Premiere of the short film in the aula of the HfG Ulm.
Sources
- Alfred Jungraithmayr, « Beiträge zum Thema Film an der Hochschule für Gestaltung in Ulm », Output, no 14, October 1962, p. 4-24
- Erika Fortner, «Bericht über die Filmabteilung und den ersten Film an der HfG», Output, no 14, October 1962, p. 31-39 (PDF document)
