Things always look super weird when you play them in reverse, don’t they? So take a video of something in your life–someone running, the toilet flushing, the sink dripping, someone spitting, whatever–and reverse it! Check out an example here: http://youtu.be/sTef_w2ZZhk

For this assignment, select scenes from 3-5 movies. These scenes should represent scenes that changed your life or made some sort of dramatic, traumatic, lasting, or emotional impact on you. When you have selected those scenes, create a video that shows the scenes and includes audio/video of you describing what it is about the scene that made a significant impact on you, what you are fond of about the scenes, what scares you, what you remember thinking when you were a child, etc. Feel free to be liberal in your interpretation of the instructions. Keep in mind, however, that the primary point is to recall 3-5 movie scenes that have made a lasting impact on you (whatever the reason for that impact may be.) When you are finished, upload the video to your blog, and, If you are inspired, expand on the reasons why you connect with the specific scenes in your video. Check out an example here: http://blog.rossannamarie.me/movie-scenes/

For this assignment you need to select several scenes from your favorite film (or one of your favorites), and edit them together and comment on some of the filmic elements of the scenes? Why do you like these scenes? What strikes you about them? What makes them good cinema? Is there a subtext at work in this film? In short, construct an essayistic commentary on the scenes as a narrator explaining to your audience what you find important about the scene, and why. What’s more, what do the details you have pinpointed say about the film more generally. For an excellent example, see Rob Ager’s analysis of space in Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sUIxXCCFWw

The concept comes from “Be Kind, Rewind”, a 2008 comedy movie where two clerks in a video store accidently erase their inventory and attempt to recreate the movies themselves. To swede, choose a scene (or two or three) from a film and recreate it! Use your friends, family, or strangers to stand in for characters. Be creative finding or making props. Don’t be shy in taking artistic license with dialog.

Check out a sweded version of Jurassic Park

In one of the episodes of the last season os Seinfeld, one of the main characters is advised to repeat “serenity now” as a mantra to ease his high blood pressure. Rather than repeat the phrase in a calm and controlled manner in a way that might help, Frank Costanza yells “SERENITY NOW!” at the top of his lungs whenever he feels stressed, thus defeating the purpose of the mantra.

I decided to create a visual piece of video and audio that would correct Frank’s mistake, and attempt to actually create one of those “serenity videos” that are often seen being played at dentist’s offices, or a spa. As an added twist, I loosely based this assignment on the “10 minute video challenge” meme in which a repeated looping of audio or video is played non-stop for 10 minutes. While it’s usually done for comic effect, I stretched the video out, repeating three 50 second nature clips over the course of the 10 minutes.

Make a short, 30-second documentary, the topic is up to you. Some good ideas include:

*How to make something
*What someone’s job is like
*What it’s like trying something new
*Show yourself doing something you are terrible at
*Show yourself doing something you are AMAZING at

No narration necessary. Show, don’t tell.

cc licensed ( BY NC ND ) flickr photo by Pcora: http://flickr.com/photos/pedro/40243309/

Make a supershort, 5-second film; basically enough time for one gag, bit, or joke. See examples (ALERT: Not G-rated, generally) at http://5secondfilms.com/. Or alternatively, try your hand at creating a 5 second version of a major movie.

Create a video that tells a story where there is no dialogue or narration- only the camera, movement, and at most, a musical soundtrack, tell the story. Consider as the reference the opening and closing sequences of Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window.

For examples, see The Reflector or The Art of Studying.