Trick Films & Special Effects (MDIA-0148)

Spring 2025 · MDIA 0148 · Tufts University · 4 credits · Undergraduate

Optical Digital Effects, (a.k.a Special Effects) is the hybrid meeting of Live-Action and Animation to create unusual visuals effects. From the simplest double exposures through digital compositing, this course covers a range of digital and traditional analog tools. In addition to technique and skill building, this course will help students' achieve individual goals as artists, by examining when and why visual effects are used and exploring the relationship between visual effects and core concepts of a moving image work. Topics include: lighting and shooting against a green screen, compositing footage in After Effects, manipulating footage frame-by-frame using the Optical Printer and Photoshop, in-camera effects and Projecting and Re-Recording Projections to create trick-film scenarios and environments. Hand-on weekly assignments will develop your technical skills, culminating in a final project of your choosing. This class is ideal for those students who want to creatively integrate their Film, Digital and Animation work, advanced students who want to incorporate special effects into a current Film or Animation project, or any student curious to experiment with media in a new way. Prerequisite: Animation 1 (MDIA 141) or Film 1 (MDIA 106) or Video 1 (MDIA 0001). Non-SMFA students will receive a letter grade.

Course codes: MDIA-0148, MDIA 0148, MDIA0148, MDIA-148, MDIA 148, MDIA148

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