Special Topics: Building the Digital Body: Decoding Live Video in Performance

TAPS 119M Special Topics courses feature the annual Mohr Visiting Artist. The Mohr Visiting Artist program brings acclaimed and emerging artists to campus for a one-term period to teach a credited course and provide a presentation, exhibition or performance for the Stanford community and the public. The 21-22 Mohr Visiting Artist is Mikeah Jennings."Real Time Film" is a conceptual model conflating performance, television, and movies. It's a live movie that examines the use of the image in entertainment, how we experience the image versus its manufacture, the split between surface and interior, and the different layers of truth. (Caden Manson, Big Art Group)This Special Topics course is a collaborative workshop, introducing the digital performance style known as Real Time Film. Students will learn fundamental techniques to build upon their performance knowledge while engaging with live-feed cameras, and projections, on stage in real time. This workshop will focus particular attention on the actor in performance, ensemble building, company engagement, and an investigation of the dramaturgy and production techniques of contemporary performance companies utilizing live camera feeds and video projection onstage. Students will explore the works of contemporary companies like The Builders Association, The Wooster Group, Big Art Group, Jay Scheib, as well as international companies like The Gob Squad (UK), Katie Mitchell (UK) and others. The workshop interweaves principles of stage acting, on camera performance, and generative work to help the actor develop the skills that are being used more and more in virtual and mediated performances. Workshop sessions will be supplemented by readings, screenings and professional examples.