Andre Sirois had a vision to teach a class focused solely on the art of the music video. That vision manifested itself this term, when after a pitch to the cinema studies department he was given permission to teach Cinema Studies 399: Exploring Music Video.
“I thought that music video is a really important form of artistic expression and it’s in many ways a gateway to other types of film making,” said Sirois, a third-year instructor at the University.  “I realized on campus there was no class that covered it from an analytical viewpoint, and no class that covered it from a production viewpoint. “
The final project for the class was for groups of five to six students to produce a professional, legally upstanding music video. The finished products were shown to a crowd of more than 100 students, faculty and community members in Lawrence Hall on Tuesday evening.
Sirois stressed the point that one of the vital aspects of the project was that the videos were created 100 percent legally.
“They had to have talent releases and location releases, so they had to do it fully legal,” Sirois said. “In the end they can share this in festivals, in, competitions, share it online without the threat of suit, and they can have a great resume piece.”
Katie Wang, a senior cinema studies major enrolled in the class, talked about the reasons she chose to take the course.
“I’m kind of an MTV fanatic, though when it was music videos and reality TV shows,” Wang said. “It sounded really interesting and something that had never been offered at the University before.”
The four student-produced videos that were presented highlighted a vast array of music ranging from local Eugene band This Patch of Sky to electronic producer Griz.
The approach that each group took in the production of their video varied greatly. Some videos were more narrative in nature and told a story, whereas others were focused almost entirely on showcasing the group performing the song.
Prior to each video being shown, the groups introduced themselves and gave a quick overview of their inspiration and theme behind the project.
After the viewing, Wang reflected back on her experience in the course and the impact that Sirois had on the class.
“I think it was really intimidating because Andre is so passionate. He’s the most passionate teacher I’ve ever had,” Wang said. “It’s great because you feed off his passion but it’s very intimidating because you don’t want to let him down; you want to prove you can be as passionate as he is.”
Katie McKinley, a senior journalism major, also enrolled in the course, believes that the enthusiasm and passion Sirois brought to class daily forced the students to delve deep and summon all of their creative energy.
“He demands a lot from all of us. But at the same time I think it brought out the best of us,” McKinley said. “It definitely brought out the best of everyone’s work I think.”
Both Wang and McKinley believe that the popularity of the class will only increase from here.
“I think it’s going to become one of the most popular classes,” Wang said. “I think when we come back in a couple years, it’s going to be the most popular class in the cinema program, for Andre and for the material.”