Poetry Filmmaking Workshop III with Michèle Saint-Michel
[Sliding scale pricing unlocked]
What does it mean to make a film that behaves like a poem, fragmented, embodied, porous, alive?
Poetry filmmaking has a long history, from the visionary experiments of Maya Deren and Margaret Tait to the contemporary blending of spoken word, sound, and image. But beyond genre, “poetry film” names a practice: one that uses rhythm, duration, and texture as meaning-making forces rather than plot or exposition.
In this course, we will treat poetry filmmaking as both craft and experiment. How can images move with the intimacy of touch? How can sound extend memory or fracture time? What does it mean to let film itself breathe, hesitate, or stutter? Together we’ll study films and poems that work across disciplines, and we’ll practice making short pieces of our own, works that privilege sensation, attention, and the poetic line.
Sessions will include:
Viewing and discussion of historical and contemporary poetry films
Close reading of poems with an eye toward translation into moving image
Generative prompts for writing and filming, alone and in combination
Opportunities to share short works-in-progress (feedback optional)
Suggested Viewing/Reading List Shared Upon Confirmation
Online, Real-time attendance required
Class size: 8–20 students
Required texts/films: Yes (links provided)
Recorded: Yes
In-class & prompted writing/filming: Yes
Workshopping & feedback: Optional
Michèle Saint-Michel is a filmmaker, poet, and intermedia artist working at the intersections of somatic cinema, language, and ecological thought. Her films and books have been exhibited and published internationally. She leads the Artist Film Club in New York, where she facilitates workshops in experimental cinema and poetic practice.
Starting Sundays in January
Visual metaphor, January 11 at 3:30PM EST
Rhythm, January 18 at 12:30PM EST
Emotional structure, January 25 at 12:30PM EST
Come to one or all three depending on where you are in your creative practice. 3-course bundle suggested price: $240 (Email Michèle for bundle purchase ([email protected])