course
description

Inspired by Johnny Harris’ Vox Border’s series, this class is aimed at getting hands-on with drones and drone video footage while connecting concepts of borders, history, politics and the experiences of being human. As you can see we have lofty goals! This course will take place in Bratislava with field trips to rural regions of Slovakia in conjunction with the Sensorium Festival, an art and technology event and community with whom we are partnering on this program.

Using drones for filmmaking purposes is a relatively new area of focus often used for commercial and entertainment purposes. Drones capture a birds eyeview of the world we aren't often privy too and we'll use this to inspire our artistic interventions and storytelling throughout this one-week intensive.

This class will be a mixture of learning to navigate, film, and tell stories with flying objects while connecting with others through deep and critical discussions and collective teamwork. There will be site visits and lectures led by artists and experts as participants creatively explore mindful practices in drone and new technology usage. 

This is a very special program made up of brilliant guest instructors. The full-time course facilitator for this program will be Rachel Uwa, founder of School of Machines, Making & Make-Believe.

As part of the program, workshop participants will lead a roundtable discussion at Sensorium Festival 2020 to share highlights and experiences. Additionally, there will be a micro-exhibition of works created during the program showcased during the festival.

in this course,
you will be
introduced to

• How to navigate and fly a drone

• How to capture video footage using a drone

• Understanding of various camera moves

• Teamwork and collaboration amongst pilot and camera operator

• Important considerations when working with drones, including what can go wrong

• Hands-on experience with DJI drones and it's safety features

• Understanding of varying kinds of drones available

• Location research and scouting for your shoot

• Preparation and storyboarding

• Knowledge of borders and history of Eastern Europe in particular Slovakia, a

country sharing borders with Czech Republic, Poland, Austria, Hungary, and Ukraine as backdrop for our week-long adventure

• Meaningful discussions with others connecting concepts of borders, history, politics and the experiences of being human

• Participation in a group micro-exhibition showcasing your works as final output of the program

• An amazing network and community of like-minded creative beings and potential future collaborators

who is this program for?

This program is for artists, photographers, creative directors and technologists, filmmakers, and anyone with an interest and passion in learning to work with and capture drone video footage for artistic and commercial purposes. This course approaches these topics from an introductory level. No prior experience is required.

about solidarity

We realise we're living in uncertain times. We are a small organisation with no outside funding and like many, we are also in survival mode. During this time, we are offering a limited number of pay-what-you-can solidarity tickets for this online class. Preference is given to women, POC, LGBTQ+ and persons from underrepresented communities in tech who would otherwise be unable to attend. We are greatly appreciative of your understanding and support.

meet the instructors