Sound and Vision

Sound and Vision: Documenting the Central Valley

This documentary class has a focus on
California's Central Valley, culminating in a
trip to the
area around Bakersfield and a collaborative
project involving sound and pictures. Focusing on
documentary traditions in both film and
photography including ethnographic films and
visual anthropology, the class will develop
skills in interviewing as well as technical
skills for field recording. We will pay
particular attention to the intricacies of the
human voice and how
speech denotes a place. As the trip approaches,
students will develop research proposals and
contacts. Possible research topics include: the
rich history of Bakersfield including its Basque
community as well as The Bakersfield Sound, The
Cesar Chavez Foundation in La Paz, the Tule
River Reservation, ranching and farming
enterprises including the Visalia Cattle Auction,
the oil and gas industry, among others. Technical
demos in using microphones, sound recording
devices, sound editing (including an introduction
to Pro-tools) and sound mixing will provide
the skills for the production of the
collaborative final project. Students will need
to arrange
their own transportation solutions for the trip
to and from Bakersfield. The students will
contribute approx. $75
toward gas and are responsible for their own
food and transportation.