New Faculty teaching in Documentary Studies and Production
Introducing Professor Mireille Heidbreder who began teaching full time at Ithaca College in the fall of 2023.
History & Background
I am an experimental filmmaker and sound designer, focusing on mixed-media film works including digital, analog, and re-purposed archival film as well as creates original sound pieces.
I also work on sound design/audio mixing and post-production work for other filmmakers in addition to making my own original work. I am currently working on an experimental documentary inspired by the theories of Hito Steyerl and Walter Benjamin.
Before getting hired at Ithaca College in the fall of 2023 I taught at Virginia Commonwealth University and University of Richmond. I am originally from Wetzikon, Switzerland and I received my MFA in Photography + Film from Virginia Commonwealth University and a BA in Film & Media Studies from Johns Hopkins University.
How I Approach Teaching Sound in Cinema Production I:
In the Cinema Production 1 section I taught in the Fall of 2023, comprised mostly of first year Documentary Studies and Production students, we directly addressed the art of listening, sound work, and other sonic components from the point of view of documentary filmmaking.
As a sound designer for multiple short and feature-length documentary films, I introduced this area of practicum to the students as well as provided insight to my own experiences. We watched excerpts of documentary films as well as interviews with directors of documentary films who spoke about their approach to sound, not simply dialogue, but rather an amalgam of different auditory features.
What Did the Students Produce in Cinema Production I:
The Documentary Studies and Production students rose to the challenge and produced excellent work. Student work included a project that combined digitized VHS tapes of home life with their own narration -- not unlike the style and work of documentary filmmaker Ross McElwee. A project focused on crafting nature soundscapes with sonic incidentals and variances in frequencies to suggest the idea of an otherworldly reality. And yet another sound design that could be described as a “cacophony of animals,” which gave rise to an almost melodic tune.