Fashion Film and Photography

In this year-long studio course, students capture (still and moving) images and edit them. Time is spent in the photo studio for shooting, with a focus on advanced lighting techniques. Students perfect their knowledge of lighting scenarios in a studio and also in an outdoor environment using multiple light sources while mixing electronic studio flash with outdoor light. Emphasis is placed on understanding light and on mastering the technical aspects of the lighting equipment for both photo and video. Students work on different shooting projects with models, in the studio and on location in Paris. Individual projects are designed to coincide with the Paris Fashion weeks held in September and January of each year.

This year-long course serves as a critical and technical exploration of the language and theory of fashion photography and film. Students develop their own individual identities as professionals working with still and moving images, placing their work within conceptual and historical contexts. Independent and personalized readings and research projects accompany the work done in the studio, which in the second semester is focused on developing the final degree portfolio. The final portfolio can focus on still or moving images, or contain a combination of the two. At least one project in each medium (photography and video) is required. The outcome is an original and coherent set of images.

A hands-on step-by-step technical lab class, where editing video will take students beyond the basics to a professional workflow for digital video editing. Students will learn how to produce a professional looking video including – storyboarding, pre-production essentials, shooting scripts, camera movement (theory and practice), sound recording and editing, use of music, titles and credits. Premiere Pro will be the main software for moving images, and all essential tools and plug-ins (like Magic Bullet or After Effects) their options and use, the character of each menu or tool option critical for video editing will be covered at a practical level.

A hands-on step-by-step technical lab class where inputting images, editing, and printing will take students beyond the basics to a professional workflow for digital photography. A range of tools will be presented, including advanced film scanning, working with RAW files, masks, compositing and grayscale and color inkjet printing. Students will work with Photoshop for still images. All essential tools and plug-ins (e.g., Portraiture), their options and use, the character of each menu or tool option critical for photographic editing will be covered at a practical level. Students will master advanced color and B&W editing methods, scanning, masks, selections, and layers to establish an efficient non-destructive workflow.

In this course students will review the history of fashion photography in the 20th and 21st centuries, leading up to the development of fashion film. The Maciet archives at PCA partner institution Bibliothèque du Musée des Arts Décoratifs will be an invaluable resource for student research, along with the collections at the Maison Européenne de la Photographie [European Photography Institute], and the ASVOFF fashion film festival. The focus will be on Europe in the past two centuries because the scope needs to be limited to make a survey possible, and because we want to draw advantage of the resources offered in Paris.

The era of mass media is over. A new era of personal and participatory media is emerging, changing the way we create and share our work. Although creative endeavors and technology have always evolved hand-in-hand, the current tech revolution is unlike anything we’ve ever seen. As we struggle to understand this new terrain, one key element is emerging: behind every idea, every initiative, every team, and every individual, there is a story.

What role does storytelling play in the creative fields today? How can practitioners from diverse backgrounds—designers, artists, coders, filmmakers, photographers, writers, artists, scientists, philosophers, educators, and others—harness the power of storytelling to enrich their collaborations and their work? And how can each of us learn to tell better stories about our own creative process?

This course explores these questions through case studies, lectures, journaling, practical work, and presentations. You should think of this class as part seminar and part lab, where you’ll work on concept design and storytelling and receive peer feedback, as well as individual coaching from me. Below you’ll find an outline of the schedule. However, in an effort to make sure this class is pertinent to you, I will design the exact content of each session as we go, focusing on the needs I see arising in class. Assignments will be practical and will help you improve your use of storytelling both in your work and when presenting yourself professionally. Be prepared for weekly assignments in class as well as outside of class. Bring your curiosity, your creativity, and your willingness to experiment and have fun.

You may select electives from the course offerings below.

In this year-long studio course, students capture (still and moving) images and edit them. Time is spent in the photo studio for shooting, with a focus on advanced lighting techniques. Students perfect their knowledge of lighting scenarios in a studio and also in an outdoor environment using multiple light sources while mixing electronic studio flash with outdoor light. Emphasis is placed on understanding light and on mastering the technical aspects of the lighting equipment for both photo and video. Students work on different shooting projects with models, in the studio and on location in Paris. Individual projects are designed to coincide with the Paris Fashion weeks held in September and January of each year.

This year-long course serves as a critical and technical exploration of the language and theory of fashion photography and film. Students develop their own individual identities as professionals working with still and moving images, placing their work within conceptual and historical contexts. Independent and personalized readings and research projects accompany the work done in the studio, which in the second semester is focused on developing the final degree portfolio. The final portfolio can focus on still or moving images, or contain a combination of the two. At least one project in each medium (photography and video) is required. The outcome is an original and coherent set of images.

In this semester-long interdisciplinary course students research and study the greatest fashion art directors, from Brodovich to Rankin, along with the most significant fashion photographers, from Avedon to Testino. Students will critically examine the work of art directors and fashion photographers, and explore the pivotal role of the art director in the conception of fashion shoots and magazine publications. Through practical exercises, they will also consider the roles and responsibilities of all the team members involved in editorial fashion shoots and magazines (writers, editors, graphic designers, model, stylist, make-up artist, etc.), and enhance their team working skills.

The course will further address fashion media, the contemporary fashion magazine culture and their significance in the fashion industry in the digital era. Students will discover in practice the process of creating and art directing a fashion magazine.

Professionals from the Parisian art and design world will come in to introduce students to their professional practice and engage them in practical exercises preparing them for the job market. Instructors will be drawn from a broad range of fields: photographers and videographers; designer and architects; galleries, museums, auction houses and private collections; art fairs and international exhibitions; art dealers; curators; historians; journalists and iconographers; artists; magazine editors; I.P. and licensing lawyers, etc. This class brings together students from all the graduate programs.

Students will document the research they conduct on the theme of their final project, as well as the research they have done on the cost and means of production of their project. One of the criteria for evaluating the thesis is the extent to which the student’s work is situated in an art-historic and cultural context, requiring students to conduct research using written documentation, artefacts, and the learning resources available to them in Paris (see section devoted to libraries and other learning resources).

You may select electives from the course offerings below.