English 195 – Film Studies: Film As
Art
Tues.
Four
Transfer (Literature) Credits Email: mdembrow@pcc.edu
Web: http://spot.pcc.edu/~mdembrow/eng195.htm
THE COURSE English 195 is the first
term of PCC's three-term "Film As Literature" sequence. English
196, "Film Studies: Directors," will be taught Winter term; English 197,
"Film Studies: Contemporary Themes and Genres," will be taught Spring
term. "Film as Art" will
introduce you to a number of fascinating things, including
·
ways of analytically taking any film apart and putting it back
together
·
the overall process of film production/distribution/exhibition
·
the history of film as an art form in the U.S. and around the
world
·
the basic elements of film: script, cinematography, acting,
editing, sound
·
the basic elements of film narrative: story, character, conflict,
representation, theme, structure
·
traditional film genres, and the way in which genres develop and
react to their times
·
the process of writing films and of writing about films
·
movies as representative of the culture and moment that produced
them
Why a course in film study? This is a question that I’m often
asked. In fact, many people seem to feel that the act of analyzing a movie will
inevitably ruin the pleasure of the film experience. I have found that this is
almost never the case: the more people know about movies, about the way they
are put together, about the significant choices that are being made, the more
fascinating a film becomes.
English
195 takes as its premise the notion that even the simplest-appearing film is
actually a complex document which, when studied, can tell us an enormous amount
about the "language" of cinema; about film's own unique history;
about the particular culture, economic system, and historical moment which
produced the film; about "art" in general; and about our own personal
standards and predispositions. You'll find yourself enjoying a movie on lots of
different levels, and even the lousiest movie will give you something to think
about.
I'm
afraid you'll have to seek out the lousy films on your own, though. In this
course I'm indulging in providing you with some of the most interesting titles
in film history. You may have already seen some of them, which is great--they
are all films which can be and ought to be seen more than once. I've chosen the
films because they exemplify aspects of film art and meaning that I want to get
across to you, but I should also tell you up front that for the most part they
are films that I like a great deal. Our study will revolve around this series
of eleven films.
Six
weeks isn't much time (even though we’ll be going at twice the normal pace),
but I hope to give you the basic analytical tools to allow you to study any
film on your own. One of the things I'm interested in is getting you to
articulate your response to a film--not just to "appreciate" a movie
or know random "facts" about film, but to be able to situate the film
in a tradition and to substantiate your observations with examples taken from
that tradition and from the film itself. What a challenge!
THE TEXT: Maria Pramaggiore and Tom Wallis, Film: A Critical
Introduction (2nd ed.)
The
textbook covers a lot of ground, and is a useful adjunct to what we’ll be doing
in class. It is really very good, very
thorough on the basic analytical elements of film, along with the basics of
interpretation. You’ll be reading a chapter
most weeks (see the class schedule for the specific assignments). Please underline (or write notes to yourself
on post-its) and bring whatever questions you have to class. I’ll generally be giving you textbook study
questions to answer. Look to the class
website for these questions.
I’ll
have a copy of the textbook on reserve in the Cascade library.
Also,
our textbook has a good website associated with it. Check it out. (I've got a link to it on the
class website.
IN-CLASS: The first two hours of each
class session will be a combination of lecture and discussion. I'll be
lecturing on film history and on the process of film production; doing a very
close analysis (shot by shot, or even frame by frame) of selected segments of
the previous week's film; and gauging your level of understanding through
analysis exercises. We'll then spend time discussing the previous week's film,
based on the discussion questions which I'll have given you.
After
a break, we'll move over to Moriarty 104 to view that week's film as a group.
I'll give you discussion questions before showing the movie, so you'll be
thinking along certain lines (I hope!) as you watch the film. The films
generally run about two hours.
Feel
free to bring a friend/relative/companion to any of the film screenings. Do try
to stay put during the film--it's distracting when people leave their seats
during the movie.
Should
you be taking notes during the film? If you can without letting your eyes stray
too much from the screen, you should certainly do so; your notes will come in
handy later, as you’re writing about the film, and the act of note-taking helps
to focus your mind and keep you noticing things. However, it might be better to
watch the film first, then rent it for a second
viewing to take notes.
When we have time, immediately
following each film, I'll generally want your immediate written reaction to
some aspect of the film. These will take
no more than three or four minutes to do.
WRITTEN
Your
take-home midterm, due Tuesday, Oct. 27, will be a shot-by-shot analysis of a
sequence from any of the films we'll have seen up to that point. I'll try to have
copies of these films on videotape or disk for you to use in the library, or
you can rent them fairly easily. By that point in the course you'll know all
about writing shot analyses, and I’ll give you some models from earlier
classes.
You'll
also have a couple of at-home written exercises to do--a frame analysis early
on and perhaps a bit of screenwriting towards the end. More on these later.
The
course final will be a take-home essay exam I'll be giving you during the last regular
class period (Tuesday, Dec. 1), due on Tues., Dec. 8, at
ATTENDANCE: Regular attendance is
essential. If you miss more than one class, your final grade may be lowered one
grade. If you miss more than two classes, you cannot pass the course.
Also,
please be there on time. I know that you may have problems getting here at
Do
you need to attend the film screening? Yes. I want you to have the experience
of seeing the film as it was intended to be seen--without breaks and in a
theater setting. I also want to get your immediate reaction to the film. You
might choose to take a second look at it at home (all the films are available
for video/dvd rental), and I would encourage you to
do that. If something unfortunate comes up, you can miss one screening without
penalty, but that’s all, OK?
CONFERENCES: Although I will be available
after class, my mind may not be. Please feel free to set up an appointment with
me either before class or at some other time. If you have any questions or
ideas to try out on me throughout the term, you can also email me at mdembrow@pcc.edu (I check my email many
times each day) or call me at 503-978-5213.
GRADES: Final grades will determined as follows:
45% Study Questions
10% Textbook Questions
20% Midterm
10% Other Exercises
10% Final
5% Class Participation
Please
let me know me know if you would like to take the course on a "Pass/No
Pass" basis or as an audit. You should know, though, that many
universities do not allow "P" grades to meet distribution
requirements if you transfer, and an audit won’t transfer.
PLEASE
NOTE: Some of the films in the film study series may contain elements that some
viewers might find personally objectionable, and that might have received an
“R” rating, due to language, scenes containing or referring to sex or violence,
or because of the difficulty of their subject matter. If you think that you
will have difficulties studying such films, please talk to me right away to see
if you’d be advised to drop the course.
If you have any
special needs that I should know about, please let me know. If you have a disability and need an
accommodation, please make an appointment to meet with me outside of class, so
that we can make arrangements for your success.
Finally, let me say that we will spend a lot
of time in the class discussing issues that may be sensitive, complicated, and
difficult for you. That's a very good
thing. It's what helps us to grow as
thinking, feeling human beings. But that
can only happen in an environment of active listening and respect for the
viewpoints of others. Although I'll be
guiding most of these discussions, it's everyone's responsibility to make
sure that we work to maintain an atmosphere of mutual respect and a commitment
to solving problems when they arise. If
at any point you feel that we’re not achieving that kind of atmosphere, please
be sure to see me outside of class so that we can discuss your concerns in
confidence.
OK, relax, open your mind, and enjoy the show!
RETURN to ENG195 Page.