Ioana Uricaru
Assistant Professor of Film & Media Culture
Email: iuricaru@middlebury.edu
Phone: work802.443.5425
Office Hours: Monday 4.30 to 5.30 Tuesday 12-1 Wednesday 12-1 and by appointment.
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Ioana Uricaru, Assistant Professor of Film and Media Culture at Middlebury College, was born in Romania and grew up during the country's communist dictatorship, experiencing the violent anti-government uprising in 1989 and the equally traumatic transition that followed. She initially studied Biology, graduating with a Master of Science in Biochemistry from the University of Bucharest before she decided to become a filmmaker.
She relocated to Los Angeles in 2001 to study at University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts, where she received a Master of Fine Arts in Film and Television Production and a Doctorate in Critical Studies. Her doctoral research focused on the relationship between discourse and experience in cinema, analyzing it through the perspective of the neuroscience of emotion. Her scholarly work on contemporary Romanian cinema has been published in The Velvet Light Trap, Film Quarterly and The Blackwell Companion to Eastern European Cinemas (edited by Aniko Imre), and her film criticism and reviews have been published in several Romanian and international newspapers and journals.
Professor Uricaru is a director and screenwriter whose films have been included in the Official Selections at festivals such as Cannes (2009), Sundance (2011) and AFI (2007). She co-directed the omnibus Tales From the Golden Age (Mobra Films, 2009), distributed commercially in over 30 countries, including the US. Her first feature as a writer-director, After the Wedding, currently in pre-production, has been developed through the Cinefondation Residency of the Cannes Film Festival and at the Sundance Directors’ lab program.
Courses
Courses offered in the past four years.
▲ indicates offered in the current term
▹ indicates offered in the upcoming term[s]
FMMC 0105 - Sight and Sound I ▲
Sight and Sound I
In this course students will gain a theoretical understanding of the ways moving images and sounds communicate, as well as practical experience creating time-based work. We will study examples of moving images as we use cameras, sound recorders, and non-linear editing software to produce our own series of short works. Emphasis will be placed on understanding the possibilities of the medium through experimentation, analysis, and detailed feedback while exploring different facets of cinematic communication. (FMMC 0101, or FMMC 0102, or approval of instructor) 3 hrs. lect./3 hrs. lab
Spring 2013, Fall 2013
FMMC 0106 / CRWR 0106 - Writing for the Screen I ▲
Writing for the Screen I
In this course we will examine the fundamental elements of dramatic narrative as they relate to visual storytelling. We will emphasize the process of generating original story material and learning the craft of screenwriting, including topics such as story, outline, scene structure, subtext, character objectives, formatting standards, and narrative strategies. Weekly writing assignments will emphasize visual storytelling techniques, tone and atmosphere, character relationships, and dialogue. Students will be required to complete two short screenplays. Required readings will inform and accompany close study of selected screenplays and films. (FMMC 0101 OR CRWR 0170 or approval of instructor) (Formerly FMMC/ENAM 0106) 3 hrs. sem.
Fall 2012, Fall 2013
FMMC 0341 / CRWR 0341 - Writing for the Screen II
Writing for the Screen II
Building on the skills acquired in Writing for the Screen I, students will complete the first drafts of their feature-length screenplay. Class discussion will focus on feature screenplay structure and theme development using feature films and screenplays. Each participant in the class will practice pitching, writing coverage, and outlining, culminating in a draft of a feature length script. (Approval required, obtain application on the FMMC website and submit prior to spring registration) 3 hrs. sem/3 hrs. screen.
Spring 2013
FMMC 0507 - Independent Project ▲ ▹
Advanced Independent work in Film and Media Culture
Guidelines for submitting proposals are available on the Film & Media Culture web site along with a list of prerequisites.
Spring 2013, Fall 2013, Spring 2014