I really enjoyed teaching the Eisenstein – Audiovisual Pioneer course, which finished yesterday.
The participants were enthusiastic, the projectionists were excellent, with helpful back-up from the staff at the BFI, and very positive feedback from everyone.
A big thank you to Rhidian Davis, Curator of Public Programmes at the BFI, for inviting me to teach this course.
Over four weeks (eight hours), we discussed the audiovisual in extracts from films by David Lynch, David Lean, Sokurov, Paradjanov, Tarkovsky, Satyajit Ray, Terrence Malick, Kaneto Shindo, Svankmajer, Hitchcock, Spike Lee, Chris Lynn, Dennis Dracup, RR, Chris Marker, Herzog, Buñuel, and Eisenstein.
The Centre for Research in the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities, Cambridge University (CRASSH)
The Screen Media Research Group talk and screening, Eisenstein on Synaesthesia, went very well: it was good to address a truly interdisciplinary group.
This was followed by convivial discussions over wine, then a splendid dinner at the Cambridge House of Chops: all this, including the invitation, courtesy of Dr Emma Widdis, Head of the Slavonic Studies Department at Trinity College.
She is the author of the first book in English on the film director Alexander Medvedkin, published by IB Tauris.
The School of Sound 2011
This year was the first School of Sound where I was able to attend everything.
It featured an impressive array of speakers on a wide range of subjects: the audiovisual in animation, the documentary, sound and radio, sound design, composing music for films, sound in theatre, music in silent films, digital sound, analogue sound, architecture and sound, neuropsychology and the audiovisual, and an interview with the film director Gaston Kaboré, from Burkina Faso.
My presentation Do the Eisenstein Thing was very well received, prompting lots of book signings and invitations afterwards.
And it was exciting to have an audience of well over 300, this year featuring many students from across the globe.
A big thank you to the Directors, Larry and Diane Sider - Larry for inviting me to present, and to both for their welcome and support.