[X] for Poets: “Documentary Film for Poets” with David Grubin

Poets use words that point us beyond words. Filmmakers work with images to reveal what lies beneath their surfaces. This will be our starting point for a generative workshop about film and poetry. Words are already one step removed from the world. How do filmmakers make us believe that a series of images at twenty-four frames per second is the world? By looking at the language of films, we can begin to find new strategies for writing our poems. We’ll be asking: What can we learn about writing poems from films, specifically documentary films which are wedded to reality? What techniques do filmmakers use to deepen an image? What can a poet learn from a cameraman? A film editor? What can a poet learn about the music of words from how a filmmaker works with musical instruments and song? What structural techniques do filmmakers have in their bag of tricks that poets might find useful? Along the way, we’ll write our own poems inspired by the craft of filmmaking.