The moving image
Next stop, Sundance
09/04/2012 8:17 PM
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UIC students (from left) Christina Zouras, Uthman Shabazz and Ian Fitzgerald.
The calendar says it’s September, so West Loop streets are teeming with UIC undergrads clad in ironic T-shirts (“It’s My Job To Be Annoying,” “MEH”).
This afternoon, I ran into a trio of students working on a project for their moving image class—filming a subject of their choice. The professor’s instruction: film a single non-moving subject for 45 seconds.
“I shot a clump of grass and weeds behind a fence,” said graphic design major Christina Zouras. “I thought it demonstrated openness.”
Ian Fitzgerald, also a graphic design major, filmed University Hall from Morgan Street with the UIC-Halsted Blue Line station in the foreground.
I suggested they shoot a close-up of an eye, as was done with actress Charlotte Rampling by British filmmaker Steve McQueen (who will be the subject of an exhibit at the Art Institute of Chicago in October).
Moving image major Uthman Shabazz briefly considered my goofy idea. Shabazz and his classmates were just happy to snag a professional-grade digital video camera for the assignment.
“None of the other students seemed to want to use this equipment,” Shabazz said. “This camera’s a tank. I think some students were intimidated by it.”