Paris –often considered the laureate for the world's most beautiful city– prioritizes the quality of its public realm. The city is also a foundational point of departure for cinematic culture: the first movie was commercially screened in Paris' Grand Cafe. This formidable city comports the cultural, narrative, and architectural characteristics that prompt storytelling. This Global Summer Studies workshop began with analyses of "filmable" urban spaces, quickly progressing to students scripting their own short films to be shot within spaces of their choosing.
This course has been completed.
Course Dates: Jun 26, 2022 — Jul 16, 2022
2.5 GPA required. Non-RISD participants see eligibility requirements below.
Walk & Talk, Innovation Green Azores
Included tuition, accommodation, studio space, in-country transportation, field trips, entrance fees, some group meals and international travel health insurance.
Paris –often considered the laureate for the world's most beautiful city– prioritizes the quality of its public realm. The city is also a foundational point of departure for cinematic culture: the first movie was commercially screened in Paris' Grand Cafe. This formidable city comports the cultural, narrative, and architectural characteristics that prompt storytelling. This global studies workshop began with analyses of "filmable" urban spaces, quickly progressing to students scripting their own short films to be shot within spaces of their choosing.
The studio explored Paris' spatial and cultural relationships to cinematic storytelling, as both a location and source of eventful narratives. As their spatial sensibilities increased and their aptitude for scriptwriting improved, students developed strategies for creating a film. This impacted not only a newly acquired aptitude for scripting and making a movie, but also honed their skills for setting up sequences and spaces in other design disciplines. This was a RISD studio: the spectrum of expression was vast. Projects could take the form of a poetic stream of cinematic consciousness, or an animated installation, or a conventional rom-com dialog dependent on a specific urban space. Students could choose to emphasize the writing component of the workshop.
The format of the three-week course resembled that of a semester-long studio but played out through a more compressed timeline of daily meetings. Students were encouraged to utilize a variety of media, including but not limited to: sketchbooks, photo documentation, field notes, digital post-production, and smartphones or dedicated cameras for filming. In addition to mapping and storyboard exercises, students documented observations and research in a sketchbook. The semester culminated in a final film presentation, projected at a red carpet screening event that we created.
To participate in RISD Global Summer Studies, all students were required to stay in RISD- provided housing for the duration of the course. Students were accommodated in double/triple occupancy rooms with shared bathrooms and kitchen available for the group.
If your current cumulative GPA is 2.5 or above, you are eligible for registration. If your current cumulative GPA is lower than 2.5, you must first contact the Registrar at registrar@risd.edu to seek exception to this academic policy.
If you are a college student currently enrolled in another art/design college or institution around the world, or a professional practicing in the field, you are eligible for registration. We will collect a recommendation/support form from your institution/workplace.
In order to register for RISD Global summer studies, you are expected to have a high level of English (speech, writing, and comprehension) as all coursework and critique is delivered in English.
Global Summer Studies are three weeks long and take place in June/July, and you are required to attend all program activities scheduled during the travel course. RISD Global Summer Studies comply with RISD class attendance policy. In case of unexcused or multiple absences, you may be removed from the course, given a grade of “W" (withdrawal) or a grade of “F” (fail).
Requesting to withdraw from a RISD off-campus global learning program, including RISD Global Summer Studies, prior to the start of the course is highly discouraged and requires a formal process outlined in the RISD course withdrawal policy. It is not possible for a student to drop a RISD Global Summer Studies travel course via the standard Add/Drop process after it has commenced. In the case of unforeseen and extenuating circumstances (and only after students have spoken with the faculty lead and RISD Global for approval to withdraw from the program), students should be aware that no refund will be issued.
In order to reserve a seat, a non-refundable deposit of $500 is required at the time of application submittal. Students will have until April 1, 2022, to submit full payment. Students that fail to make full payment by their deadline will forfeit their $500 deposit and their seat in the course. New application submissions starting April 1 are not eligible to make a deposit and must make full payment by April 15, 2022.
All RISD students enrolled in RISD and other full degree schools/universities are required to remain in good academic standing in order to participate in Global Summer Studies. A minimum GPA of 2.5 is required for all RISD students. Failure to remain in good academic standing can lead to removal from the course, either before or during the course.
In cases where summer travel courses and studios do not reach full capacity, the course may be canceled after the last day of registration. As such, all students are advised not to purchase flights for participation in Global Summer Studies courses until the course is confirmed.
The Global Summer Studies course application will open on February 1, 2025 at 7:00 PM and close on March 15, 2025 at 11:59 PM.
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Have questions? The RISD Global team is available to meet for a 1:1 advising session. We can give you more information about your study options, help you figure out which program makes sense for you, and assist you with the application process.
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