Seeing Design Over Time

Format: Asynchronous / at-home
Purpose: Observation, analysis, shared discussion
What you bring to class: Notes, link(s) to video w/ timecodes, and observations

Due to the snow, class 1/26 will take place asynchronously. Please complete the at-home assignment below during our scheduled 2 hour 50 minute class time. There is nothing to submit, but you should come prepared on Wednesday to share your observations and film excerpts with the class.

This mini project is about learning to see time and motion.

Motion design does not replace traditional design principles — it extends them into time. Before we begin making motion work, we need to understand how design attributes behave over duration, and how time itself becomes a design material.

This assignment will help prepare you for the Motion Studies project.

The definitions below are included to give you a shared vocabulary for talking about motion. Use them as reference as you watch and take notes.

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Design Attributes (Reference)

Traditional Design Attributes

+ Composition – arrangement of elements within the frame
+ Shape – form and abstraction
+ Depth – illusion of spatial layers
+ Contrast – difference that creates emphasis or hierarchy
+ Tension – imbalance or opposition that creates energy

In motion, these attributes change behavior over time.

Time / Motion Design Attributes

+ Progression – how elements evolve or accumulate over time
+ Pacing – how quickly or slowly events unfold
+ Rhythm – repetition and variation over time
+ Sequence – order of events and resulting meaning
+ Velocity – speed and acceleration of movement
+ Kinetic behavior – how elements move, interact, and relate to the frame
+ Narrative arc – rise and fall of tension over time (not necessarily a story)

Think of these as design decisions, not effects.

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Assignment Instructions

1. Watch

Watch 3–5 short experimental films from the provided collection below
(Duchamp, Léger, Richter, Fischinger, Ruttman, etc.).

2. Analyze One (or two) Films (Close Observation)

Choose one film to focus on more closely. You will be identifying specific moments where design decisions become noticeable because they unfold over time.

This is not about summarizing the film.
It is about pointing to a moment and explaining what the design is doing

a) Identify ONE Traditional Design Attribute

(Composition, contrast, tension, shape, depth, etc.)

First, choose one traditional design attribute that you already know from static design.

Then, identify a specific section(s) of the film where this attribute plays an important role in how the film communicates over time.

Ask yourself questions like:

Composition
+ How are elements arranged within the frame?
+ Does the composition start simple and become more complex?
+ Do elements enter, exit, or re-organize the frame over time?
+ Is framing itself (what is inside vs. outside the frame) doing work?

Contrast
+ Are there strong differences between moments (light/dark, large/small, dense/sparse)?
+ Does contrast increase, decrease, or shift as the film progresses?

Tension
+ Is there visual imbalance, instability, or opposition?
+ Does tension build, hold, or release over time?

In other words:
Choose a moment where the use of a traditional design principle becomes part of how meaning is communicated through time, not just how it looks in a single frame.

b) Identify ONE Motion-Based Attribute

(Rhythm, pacing, progression, velocity, narrative arc, etc.)

Next, choose one motion-based attribute that depends on time.
Identify a specific section of the film where you can feel time doing something.

Ask yourself questions like:

Rhythm
+ Is there repetition that creates a visual beat?
+ Does that beat stay consistent or get interrupted?

Pacing
+ Does the film move quickly or slowly at this moment?
+ Does the pacing suddenly change?

Progression
+ Does something gradually build, accumulate, or transform?
+ Is there a sense of moving toward or away from something?

Narrative arc (without plot)
+ Do you feel a rise in tension, a peak, or a release?
+ Does the film establish expectation and then fulfill or disrupt it?

Also ask:

+ Where do you feel repetition, anticipation, acceleration, disruption, or release?
+ I am asking you to describe how time is structured, not what the film is “about.”

c) Connect the Two

Finally, consider how these two attributes work together.

For example:

+ How does composition support or disrupt rhythm?
+ How does contrast intensify a moment of acceleration or release?

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3. Integrate Prior Homework Readings

As you watch and take notes, draw loosely from ideas in the following readings:
+ Act 1 | Action, Design is Storytelling, Ellen Lupton (pg 16 – 43 )
+ Gestalt Principles and Affordances Reading

You are not required to formally apply or name Gestalt principles at this stage. Instead, focus on noticing patterns of perception that may feel familiar from the reading.

Consider questions such as:

+ Do you notice repetition, grouping, continuity, or interruption over time?
+ How does motion shape expectation or anticipation?
+ How does time reinforce or disrupt how elements are perceived as related?

If referencing a Gestalt principle helps you describe what you are seeing, you may do so — but clear observation and description are more important than terminology.

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Required: Timecode-Based Notes

Because motion design happens in time, your observations must reference specific moments.

For your chosen film(s), note:

+ Film title
+ Timecode(s) (minutes:seconds found at the bottom-left of video (See image reference below.)
+ Traditional design attribute
+ Motion-based attribute
+ Brief explanation

Example:
“Rhythmus 21,” (Hans Richter) 1:17-1:25
Contrast + Rhythm: Repeating geometric shapes create a consistent visual beat, but sudden shifts in size and placement disrupt that beat and heighten tension over time

*You will play the small section(s) of the film you are speaking about in class by using their link and timecode as reference.

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What to Be Ready to Share in Class

Be prepared to:

+ Name the film you analyzed
+ Play one or two short excerpts (each approximately 20–30 seconds) using your timecode(s)
+ Identify:
One traditional design attribute
One motion-based attribute
+ Briefly explain how time changes the design experience

You may use:
One excerpt if it clearly demonstrates both attributes, or
Two excerpts if different moments better illustrate each one.

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Bridge to Motion Studies

In the Motion Studies project, you will work with one Gestalt principle as a constraint and explore how perception and meaning operate across time. What you practiced here — isolating moments, naming behaviors, and recognizing narrative arc without plot — is the foundation for that work.

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Optional Contextual Viewing

For additional insight into the history and ideas behind these films, you may watch this short (7 minute) MoMA curator discussion of Dada on film (see below). This video is not required, but may help deepen your understanding of why these films were made and how they challenged traditional ideas of narrative, representation, and cinema. You are welcome to reference ideas from the video in class discussion if helpful. (See below link/video.)

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Homework for Wednesday, 1/28

+ Be prepared to present the Mini Assignment (above)