‘Capturing the Space’ – A Hands-On Workshop on Space in Filmmaking and Multimodal Production
This workshop examines the role of space as both a subject and collaborator in filmmaking and multimodal works. It focuses on its ability to evoke memory, identity, and the uncharted dimensions of human experience. Space—whether physical, emotional, or symbolic—becomes a dynamic site where filmmakers reimagine overlooked, forgotten, or untold narratives.
Central to the workshop is the exploration of “liminal spaces”: those in-between realms where the familiar meets the unknown, where uncertainty and discovery coexist. How can the act of filming a space reveal its emotional and historical depth? How do filmmakers negotiate their gaze and responsibility when representing spaces shaped by movement, absence, or change?
Through practical exercises, discussions, and excerpt screenings, participants will explore how spaces inspire, irritate, and incite creativity. The workshop encourages you to engage with the concepts of space — formal, informal, situated, or imagined — as a living archive. An archive that carries layers of memory, transformation, and significance.
This workshop offers a unique opportunity to engage in a collaborative exploration of space in filmmaking and multimodal production. Together with filmmaker Tobi Akinde, participants will exchange ideas, techniques, and perspectives to uncover new ways of understanding and representing the dynamic relationship between space and storytelling.
Workshop Highlights
- Explore the concept of space: From narrative spaces to physical locations, discover how to use space creatively in your projects.
- Peer feedback on your ongoing or planned projects for discussion and receive constructive feedback from fellow filmmakers.
- Cinematic techniques: Learn techniques including framing, mise-en-scène, sound recording, and movement.
- Hands-on filming and recording: Practice capturing space in real-world environments during the second session.
- Open to all: Whether you’re working on film, multimedia, or cross-disciplinary projects, all creators are welcome.
Details
- Workshop Dates:
- Session 1 Exchange: Sunday, 16th March 2025, 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM
- Session 2 Recording: Sunday, 16th March 2025, 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM
- Location: Regard Bleu Ethnographic Film Festival, Ethnographic Museum at the University of Zurich, Pelikanstrasse 40, 8001 Zurich
- Cost: Free (donations welcomed to support our non-profit festival!)
- Language: English
- Max. Participants: 10 (spaces limited, first come first served)
- Equipment: If possible, bring along your recording equipment for the practical session
- Bring your project (ongoing, planned, or simply a pitch; a short Abstract is required for application)
- Apply by: 15th February 2025
- To Apply: click here to fill in the form
About the Instructor Tobi Akinde
Tobi Akinde is a Nigerian filmmaker and independent film curator currently based in New Orleans. In 2020 he co-founded the Monangambee Film Foundation, a nomadic panafrican microcinema in Lagos, Nigeria, and has curated films for the Goethe-Institut Nigeria and the African Studies Book Club at the University of Cambridge. His most recent documentary work as a cinematographer, Coconut Head Generation (2023), won the Jury Grand Prix at Cinema du Reel, Paris, and has screened at New Directors, New Films at MoMA, New York, BlackStar Film Festival, Philadelphia, and the Geneva International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights amongst others.
Contact Tobi Akinde on Instagram