Like fast food and fast fashion, our media consumption has become increasingly tied to convenience. We watch videos on our phones during the morning commute, or we work from home to the tune of a background binge. How can we decouple convenience from the experience of viewing, and what are the stakes of doing so? 

In this workshop we will consider “slow cinema,” often pigeonholed as arthouse cinema, as an alternative system of visual tools for re-viewing the world and ourselves. We will attend to the classic techniques of slow cinema, including the “long take,” minimal camera movement, observational perspective, and non-narrative structure. How might these techniques inform our own creative or personal habits?

We will watch and discuss three films that fall under the category of slow cinema: Jeanne Dielman (1975) dir. Chantal Akerman; Slacker (1990) dir. Richard Linklater; and Yi Yi (2000) dir. Edward Yang. Along the way we will complete short film exercises in the service of producing one final piece of 3-5 minutes in length. No equipment or prior filmmaking is required.

Led by NYC-based writer and filmmaker Swetha Regunathan.