Assignment #5: Exquisite Corpse
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Written by Chris Chan Roberson
Updated over a week ago

Instructions:

The idea of this exercise is to have a collaboration with people that aren’t in the same geographic location. Each group is to film the following shots: 

  1. Wide shots (up to 3) of a landscape that you find beautiful. This can be either a wide shot of your city’s buildings, a nearby beach, something wide that shows something you find aesthetically pleasing from far away. 

  2. Medium shots (up to 3) of your subject performing a specific action 

  3. Close up shots (3 to 5) of subjects with intricate details 

  4. Tracking shots (2 to 4 shots) of following a subject moving through a space 

  5. Pan/tilts (2 to 4 shots) exploring an object that doesn’t fully fit into the frame *Before shooting, each crew must submit a production book. Work with your teaching assistant when planning your pre-production. 

The first Exquisite Corpse involves downloading the collective footage from your group and making an edit based on the footage that you have that is under 3 minutes. What kind of movie have you made? What genre is it? What imagery or themes resonate with you? Your cut must involve at least one shot from your group members in each category. What is your audio landscape?

Your second Exquisite Corpse involves sharing your work with the group and discussing reactions to how footage was used. Identify collectively what additional shots are needed by each filmmaker to make the films more coherent. Students then go and get the requested shots, upload the footage, and then go back to edit. 

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