T R A N S I T I O N S

Filmic Cut Between Gorica and Weimar

 — See the T R A N S I T I O N S films — 

About the project/course:

“Filmic narration“ constitutes the subject of a series of courses currently being produced under the framework of the development of the Masters programme “Documentary and Science Film“ at the Bauhaus University Weimar. These courses blend face-to-face classroom teaching with the use of an electronic learning platform and video conferencing. Film analyses and practical exercises treat specific aspects of the language of film. The courses have been developed as tandem projects by the lecturers Wolfram Höhne (BUW) and Volkmar Umlauft. Topics to date have covered the relation of film and sound, filmic space and storystelling.

Under co-mentorship of Anna Stemmler (BUW), Peter Purg (UNG) and Boštjan Vrhovec (UNG), the collaborative course in the partnership of UNG and BUW with the title “Transitions“ focused mainly on montage. The composition of shots along the simultaneous and the successive axis were the subject of a theoretical seminar both in Nova Gorica and in Weimar.

Afterwards six teams of students from the two participating institutions (constituationg three mixed groups, to the topics of: “LABOUR”, “ENCOUNTER” and “ONE DAY”) worked on creating three joint films in distance collaboration. The student groups met online for the first time at the occasion of the video-conferenced premiere of the three films.

Borrowing from the technique of the “cadavre exquis“ (“exquisite corpse“), an aesthetic method of the “écriture automatique“, shots for montage sequences were produced in both participating countries, alternating in a weekly rhythm. The images of one team became the starting point for the “counter images“ of the other team and carry the joint film forward.

Primary course outcomes:
– students learn to work in an international, partly online-mediated production setting
– students develop an individual approach towards shot composition and montage, and negotiate it within a group
– students develop complementary knowledge and skills in filmic narration, according to their level of study

Aims of the project:
– consolidation of the cooperation bitween Bauhaus University Weimar and University of Nova Gorica School of Arts
– exploration of the project partners’ suitability for the development of joint courses of study
– exploration of new electronic learning techniques (film production based on “cloud computing“)
– pilot project for the offer of English language courses in film
– exploring development potentials of the Masters programme “Documentary and Science Film“

ECTS value: 4 (6h/week)
MA-Level, with BA attendance possible


Participating students: Rand Beiruty, Christiane Büchner, Emily Daniel, Patricia Farah, Shabnam Ghaderi Saadi, Mery Gobec, Frauke Kämmerer, Arthur Khakimullin, Gregor Kocjančič, Su Li, Jun Yue Luo, Denis Mavrič, Christian Meixner, Peter Mišic, Saša Mrak, Katja Munda Rakar, Merve Oksal, Katja Petelin, Tine Posarelli, Sebastian Richter, Dino Schreilechner, Shohreh Shakoory, Tina Wagner, Arian Wichmann, Miha Zaletel, Jaka Žilavec

Mentors: Wolfram Höhne, Anna Stemmler (Bauhaus University Weimar), Volkmar Umlauft, dr. Peter Purg, Boštjan Vrhovec (UNG)

Photos by: Denis Mavrič, Peter Mišic, Peter Purg