Fall 2015
Monday and Wednesday, 9:35 am - 11:35 am
State Hall 326
Web address for this page:
http://www.shaviro.com/Classes/FilmIntroF2015.html
On Blackboard, log in to: Fall 2015 ENG.COM 2450.2010 Sec 007 (COMBINED)
5057 Woodward, Room 9309
Office hours: Monday & Wednesday, 12:00 - 1:00 pm, and by appointment
This class offers an introduction to the study of film. First, we will look at the film experience as a whole. Then, we will take a detailed look at the major formal elements of film (mise-en-scene, cinematography, editing, and sound). Finally, we will consider how film works as a whole, by looking at examples of different film genres.
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
By the end of the course, successful students should be able to:
1. Use a basic vocabulary of film analysis when discussing film texts, as well as other media.
2. Analyze the basic formal elements of cinema (narrative, mise-en-scene, editing, sound, etc.) to identify how they work separately and how they work together as a meaningful whole.
CLASS GENERAL INFORMATION
I have not ordered a textbook for this class, because all the available textbooks are excessively expensive. Instead, the lectures will be supplemented by Concept Guides, giving definitions of key terms. These will be handed out in class, and also available on Blackboard.
Monday classes will usually be devoted to the screening of full-length feature films. Wednesday classes will usually consist of lecture and discussion. The aim of each lecture/discussion will be twofold: to analyze the films that we have seen, and to discuss more general concepts important for the critical understanding of film.
For each of the units of film form that we discuss (mise en scene, cinematography, editing, and sound) we will see both an older film (pre-1960) and a more modern one (dating from the 1980s to the present). Though the class does not survey the history of film in any detail, one of its aims is to is to make you more aware of the variety of film art over the past century, by introducing you to older films that you may not have seen before, including silent films, black-and-white films, and films in foreign languages (shown with English subtitles).
Class requirements: regular attendance, participation in discussions, and five short assigned papers (approximately 800 words each). Each assigned paper will count for 20% of your grade. Points may be deducted for non-attendance and for late papers. Points may be added for positive participation in class discussions.
September 2
General introduction to film
Buster Keaton, Sherlock Junior (1924)
September 9
Silent film
Robert Wiene, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)
September 14/16
The film experience
Alfred Hitchcock, Rear Window (1954)
September 21/23
Mise-en-scene (1)
Josef von Sternberg, The Scarlet Empress (1934)
September 28/30
Mise-en-scene (2)
Kathryn Bigelow, Near Dark (1987)
October 5/7
Cinematography (1)
Orson Welles, Touch of Evil (1958)
FIRST PAPER DUE (MISE-EN-SCENE)
October 12/14
Cinematography (2)
Michael Mann, Collateral (2004)
October 19/21
Editing (1): Continuity Editing
John Ford, Stagecoach (1939)
SECOND PAPER DUE (CINEMATOGRAPHY)
October 26/28
Editing (2): Expressive Editing
John Woo, The Killer (1989)
November 2/4
Editing (3): Disjunctive Editing
Tony Scott, Domino (2005)
November 9/11
Film Sound (1)
Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly, Singin' in the Rain (1952)
THIRD PAPER DUE (EDITING)
November 16/18
Film Sound (2)
Peter Strickland, Berberian Sound Studio (2012)
November 23
Film Genres: Film Noir
Billy Wilder, Double Indemnity (1944)
FOURTH PAPER DUE (FILM SOUND)
November 30-December 2
Film Genres: Film Noir
Robert Aldrich, Kiss Me Deadly (1955)
December 7/9
Film and New Media
Leo Gabriadze, Unfriended (2014)
December 14
General summary. Music videos.
December 18 (Friday)
FIFTH PAPER DUE (GENRE/MEDIA)
Grade Appeals:
The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences stipulates that course grade appeals must be initiated within 30 days from the time the grade is posted. The English Grade Appeal Form can be obtained at the English Main Office on the 9th Floor of 5057 Woodward or by emailing Royanne Smith at ad2073@wayne.edu. More information on this process, including the limited grounds for appeal, can be found at http://clasweb.clas.wayne.edu/Multimedia/CLAS/files/Students/Grade_Appeal_process.pdf.
Plagiarism is a very serious matter and should be recognized as such. The University has a very strict policy on plagiarism. Always refer to your sources when quoting, paraphrasing, or using the ideas ofother writers. When paraphrasing, place in quotes any phrase of four words or more that comes directly from the source being used.