This is the preliminary (or launch) version of the 2023-2024 VCU Bulletin. This edition includes all programs
and courses approved by the publication deadline; however we may receive notification of additional program
approvals after the launch. The final edition and full PDF version will include these updates and will be available
in August prior to the beginning of the fall semester.
Stephen Vitiello
Professor and chair
The Department of Kinetic Imaging prepares students to use video, animation and sound for the purpose of art-making, self-expression and experimentation. The kinetic imaging programs are designed for students who want to study video art, sound design and experimental two-dimensional and three-dimensional animation. Emphasis is placed on artistic uses of the media.
The department offers an undergraduate curriculum leading to a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Kinetic Imaging as well as a graduate level program that results in a Master of Fine Arts in Fine Arts.
KINE 233. Media Arts Survey. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours (delivered face-to-face or hybrid). 3 credits. A historical overview of contemporary media art to include experimental animation, video art, sound art, the Internet and other technology-based art movements.
KINE 243. Video Practices. 4 Hours.
Semester course; 2 lecture and 4 studio hours. 4 credits. An introduction to video art as a creative medium, including traditional and nontraditional approaches. This course will also cover basic video production and editing.
KINE 245. Animation Practices. 4 Hours.
Semester course; 2 lecture and 4 studio hours. 4 credits. An introduction to the art and practice of animation as a sequential medium. This course will cover the principles of animation, a survey of historical techniques and relevant production methods. There will be an emphasis on viewing and responding to animated work.
KINE 247. Sound Art. 4 Hours.
Semester course; 2 lecture and 4 studio hours. 4 credits. An introduction to the art and practice of sound as a creative medium within contemporary art and experimental music. Traditional and nontraditional approaches will be explored.
KINE 291. Special Topics. 1-4 Hours.
Semester course; 1-4 variable hours. 1-4 credits. May be repeated for a maximum of eight credits. Various topics of special interest will be offered on a changing basis.
KINE 319. Screen Dance. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 2 lecture and 2 studio hours. 3 credits. Enrollment is restricted to students with experience in movement, performance and/or video/film, or with permission of the instructor. Students gain practical skills as well as basic theoretical foundation in the principles of working with video and choreography. Crosslisted as: DANC 319.
KINE 343. Video Concepts. 4 Hours.
Semester course; 2 lecture and 4 studio hours (delivered face-to-face or hybrid). 4 credits. Prerequisite: KINE 243. Focuses on developing a genuine artistic voice with an emphasis on video content and how various visual techniques can be used to express concept, mood, narrative and individual truth. This course will also cover advanced production and editing.
KINE 345. Animation Concepts. 4 Hours.
Semester course; 2 lecture and 4 studio hours. 4 credits. Prerequisite: KINE 245. With a focus on developing a genuine artistic voice, this course will strengthen and expand upon the animation and technical skills learned in the prerequisite course. Topics covered include an in-depth exploration of the principles of animation and timing, intermediate digital skills, narrative and experimental structures in animation. There will be an emphasis on the development and processing of ideas through readings and research.
KINE 346. Survey of Sound Design. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours (delivered face-to-face or hybrid). 3 credits. A survey of sound design as a creative medium. This course investigates the various histories of sound design and scoring trends, as well as the traditions and advancements in cinema, theatre, dance and the fine arts. By introducing students to the ways in which sound has served to support areas of performing and fine arts, while also exerting its influence and power through the strength of major figures in their respective fields, this class considers the role that sound design and scoring plays as technologies and ideas of the stage change.
KINE 347. Sound Design. 4 Hours.
Semester course; 2 lecture and 4 studio hours. 4 credits. A continuation of the creative and conceptual approaches to working with sound and sound technologies, with a focus on sound design, including the art of Foley and soundtracks for audio-visual projects, such as video, animation, gaming, installation, performance, etc.
KINE 348. 3D Computer Art. 4 Hours.
Semester course; 2 lecture and 4 studio hours (delivered face-to-face or hybrid). 4 credits. A comprehensive introduction to the use of the computer for modeling, rendering and animating three-dimensional objects and environments.
KINE 354. Creative Code and Electronics. 4 Hours.
Semester course; 2 lecture and 4 studio hours. 4 credits. An introduction to the concepts and techniques found within programming languages and electronics as applied to digital art making. Basic coding for creative practice from visuals to sound and interactivity will be examined as well as circuitry and hardware components for DIY projects.
KINE 357. Critical Issues in the Media. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours (delivered online, face-to-face or hybrid). 3 credits. Prerequisite: UNIV 200 or HONR 200. Topics, theory and genre affecting media and time-based mediums are explored through critical discourse, readings, screenings and lectures.
KINE 375. Concept and Development Studio. 4 Hours.
Semester course; 8 studio hours (delivered face-to-face or hybrid). 4 credits. A cross-disciplinary studio that explores methods for advancing individual and collaborative or group projects from an initial concept to a finished product over a prolonged period of time. There will also be an emphasis on a variety of professional practices specific to media arts.
KINE 392. Research/Individual Study. 1-4 Hours.
Semester course; 1-2 lecture and 3-6 studio hours. 1-4 credits. May be repeated for a total of 8 credits. Enrollment requires permission of instructor, approval of faculty adviser and chair. The structuring, research, execution and presentation of an independent project in visual communications under the direction of a faculty adviser. The student will be encouraged to become a self-generating problem-seeker and -solver with the ability to carry out self-stated goals.
KINE 443. Topics in Video Art. 4 Hours.
Semester course; 2 lecture and 4 studio hours (delivered face-to-face or hybrid). 4 credits. May be repeated for a maximum of eight credits. Prerequisite: KINE 243. An advanced course in video art that varies in topic and approach from semester to semester. This course will also cover advanced production and editing.
KINE 445. Topics in Animation. 4 Hours.
Semester course; 2 lecture and 4 studio hours (delivered face-to-face or hybrid). 4 credits. May be repeated for a maximum of eight credits. Prerequisite: KINE 245. An advanced course in animation that varies in topic and approach from semester to semester. This course will also cover advanced analog and digital experimental animation techniques. With an emphasis on animation as an expanded, research-based practice, students will be introduced to animation as fine art, animation on and off the screen, and in an installation and performance context.
KINE 447. Topics in Sound. 4 Hours.
Semester course; 2 lecture and 4 studio hours (delivered face-to-face or hybrid). 4 credits. May be repeated for a maximum of eight credits. Prerequisite: KINE 247 or KINE 347. An advanced course in sound art and sound design that varies in topic and approach from semester to semester. This course will also cover advanced analog and digital techniques.
KINE 448. 3D Computer Animation. 4 Hours.
Semester course; 2 lecture and 4 studio hours (delivered face-to-face or hybrid). 4 credits. May be repeated for a maximum of eight credits. Prerequisite: KINE 348. Advanced study of three-dimensional computer animation, exploring a variety of aesthetic and conceptual applications of the technology.
KINE 454. Live Coding. 4 Hours.
Semester course; 2 lecture and 4 studio hours. 4 credits. Prerequisite: KINE 354. This course introduces live coding as a performance practice that involves real-time computer programming to create interdisciplinary work including visuals, sound, choreography and more. Students will explore a range of tools and environments for coding and examine other art forms that inform this methodology.
KINE 455. Motion Graphics. 4 Hours.
Semester course; 2 lecture and 4 studio hours. 4 credits. Prerequisite: KINE 345. Students will study the creation of moving graphic elements as an extension of animation and video art. The development of motion graphics in commercial and broadcast studios will be examined. Students will engage in innovative development of motion graphics using current digital technology combined with experimental techniques.
KINE 457. Socially Engaged Media. 4 Hours.
Semester course; 2 lecture and 4 studio hours (delivered face-to-face or hybrid). 4 credits. A multimedia studio course involving the creation of diverse artworks in a social, political and public context. Students engage in weekly projects, both independent and collaborative, along with presentations, discussions and ongoing blog entries.
KINE 458. Virtual Interactive Worlds. 4 Hours.
Semester course; 2 lecture and 4 studio hours (delivered face-to-face or hybrid). 4 credits. May be repeated for a maximum of eight credits. Prerequisite: KINE 348 or permission of instructor. A transdisciplinary course exploring critical game concepts, virtual environment aesthetics, interactivity and extended reality in a team project setting.
KINE 460. Wearable Technologies. 4 Hours.
Semester course; 2 lecture and 4 studio hours. 4 credits. Prerequisite: KINE 354. An exploration of digital technologies on and interfacing with the body. Skills from physical computing and maker culture will be utilized to create innovative wearable designs. Topics include sensing, haptics, biofeedback and 3D printing.
KINE 474. Research and Production I. 4 Hours.
Semester course; 8 studio hours (delivered face-to-face or hybrid). 4 credits. Critical analysis and development of a culminating project with emphasis on research, experimentation and conceptual development.
KINE 475. Research and Production II. 4 Hours.
Semester course; 8 studio hours (delivered face-to-face or hybrid). 4 credits. Prerequisite: KINE 474. Critical analysis and development of a culminating project with emphasis on implementation, execution and presentation.
KINE 491. Studio Topics. 1-4 Hours.
Semester course; 1-4 lecture and 2-8 studio hours (1 lecture and 2 studio hours per credit; delivered face-to-face or hybrid). 1-4 credits. May be repeated for a total of 12 credits. Topical studio focusing on research and experimentation in specialized visual communication media.
KINE 492. Internship. 1-3 Hours.
Semester course; variable hours. 1-3 credits. May be repeated for a maximum of 6 credits. Prerequisite: permission of the chair. Open to kinetic imaging majors only. Creative learning experiences in the professional realm under the direction and supervision of qualified practitioners.