SP399U FILM STUDIES I - Introduction to Film Studies
CRN: 13322; Section X01. Fall, 2005
Brooke Jacobson, Ph.D.
Office Room 23 NH; Ph. 725-5379
Office hours: Wednesdays 3:00--4:00 or by Appt.
jacobsond@pdx.edu Please call in advance for office visit
SYLLABUS
Description: This course will introduce students to the fundamentals of film language and provide conceptual tools needed to create and/or critically analyze films. As we focus on mise-en-scene, editing, narrative, performance, and sound, etc. we see how these structural elements function to express complex meanings. The films shown in class are selected to also provide a sense of how film form has evolved historically through diverse cultures.
Objectives: The goal of this course is to increase literally what you see and hear in the movie theater and to develop your own interpretive skills. By examining the structural elements of motion pictures, you may expand your knowledge of how films are made and how they communicate meaning. This class will allow you to develop your ability to express your ideas about film both in writing and discussion.
Expectations: Regular attendance. Your attendance and participation in class viewing, exercises, and discussion is essential. Missing more than two classes will lower your final grade. Be on time. Films will be viewed in class. Entering or exiting the room during screenings is disruptive and should be avoided. Turn off cell phones and any other electronic devices. Take notes during films by hand only. In general you should complete the week's assigned readings prior to, or as soon after class as possible. You are expected to work independently outside of class, reading and writing about film. College level writing is required (see below). All papers should be typed and double-spaced and follow MLA (or APA if you prefer) style in citation of sources. Critical essays will be graded with regard to the following three criteria: Technical competence-Organization, continuity, clarity, grammar, spelling and appropriate use of references; Comprehensiveness-Use of reading materials with relevant ideas fully developed; Quality of analysis--Arguments clear, concepts understood, connections drawn between content and form.
Required textbook: Richard Barsam, Looking at Movies, W.W. Norton, London & NY 2004
| Date
|
TOPIC
|
READING
ASSIGNMENT |
| 9/27 | Introduction
to the course. Technology, art, and entertainment. Types of films. Screening: THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY, U.S., Edwin S. Porter, 1903, 10 min.); LA JETÉE (Fr., Chris Marker, 1962, 28 min); SHERLOCK, JR (U.S., Buster Keaton, 1924, 45 min.) Small group exercise in description and interpretation will regularly follow screenings. |
Chapter 1 What is a Movie? |
| 10/4
| Elements
of narrative structure story, plot and point of view in film. Developing the suspense thriller. Screening: BLACKMAIL (Gr. Britain, Alfred Hitchcock, 1929, 82 min.) | Chapter 2 Form and
Narrative |
| 10/11 | Classical Hollywood: Establishing
and refining the dominant form. Screening: MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS, (U. S. Vincente Minnelli, 1944, 113 min.). |
Reading: Chapter 3. Mise-en Scene and Design: Assignment #1 due |
| 10/18 |
Combining Narrative, Art Design, and Cinematography. Screening: DAYS OF HEAVEN (U.S. Terrence Malick, 1978, 95 min.)
|
Reading: Chapter 4 Cinematography. | | 10/25 | The elements of performance and styles of acting. Screening: PYGMALION (Great Britain, Leslie Howard and Anthony Asquith, 1938, 89 min.)
|
Chapter 5. Acting. Assignment #2 due |
| 11/1 |
Selection and ordering of shots to create mood and rhythm. Understanding cultural context. Screening: GEORGE WASHINGTON (U.S. David Gordon
Green, 2000, 89 min.)
| Chapter 6 Editing. Hand-out
take-home midterm
|
|
11/8
|
American independents respond to the new wave. Combining documentary with fiction. Screening: AMERICAN SPLENDOR (U.S. Shari Springer Berman & Robert Pulcini, 2003,101 min.
| Reading: Chapter 7. Sound
Mid-term due. No late mid-terms will be accepted.
|
| 11/15 | Film and consciousness. Examining film's relation to contemporary life. ETERNAL
SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND (U.S., Michel Gondry,
2004, 108 min.) |
Reading: Ch. 8 Thinking and writing About Film |
| 11/22
|
The art of adaptation.
Relations between the source and the film. Expressing identity in the new American
independent film. Screening: SMOKE
SIGNALS (U.S. Chris Eyre, 1998, 89 min) |
Reading: D. & J.M. West, ~SSending Cinematic Smoke Signals: an Interview with
Sherman Alexie~T in Cineaste 23:4, 1998 |
| 11/29
| Self-reflexivity in
contemporary cinema. Films that look at how we look at films. PURPLE ROSE OF CAIRO (U.S., Woody
Allen, 1985, 82 min.)
***Final papers due*** | Reading: Preussner, Arnold W. ~SWoody Allen~Rs The Purple Rose of Cairo and the Genres of Comedy~T in Literature/Film Quarterly, vol
16, no.1,1988.
|
| 12/6 |
Final class meeting. Summary and discussion.
|
Bring pen and paper.
| | | |
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ASSIGNMENTS:
- Write a short paper (2-3 pages typed, double-spaced) in which you describe a particular scene or sequence in either Sherlock, Jr. or Blackmail. Discuss how that scene or sequence contributes to an important theme in the film. Be sure you talk about the film rather than retelling the story).
- Write a review of a film you can see outside of class (2 pages, 500 words, typed, double-spaced). Select a video so you can watch it 2-3 times. See pages 417-418 of your text regarding the difference between a review and analytic essay
- Mid-term Exam: Take home exam focusing on terminology, concepts. Part short answer and part essay.
- Write a critical essay in which you analyze the film you selected for outside viewing (5-6 pages, typed, double-spaced). In this essay you should briefly summarize the film and develop a thesis statement in which you point to how certain elements in the film--editing, narrative form, sound, mise-en-scene, etc. contribute to a theme, i.e., how those elements work within the film as a whole to express meaning. Develop a bibliography using at least 2 of the scholarly resources listed in your textbook, plus any additional sources you find appropriate to your topic (see below regarding use of references). Assume your reader has some knowledge of the film and of the terminology and concepts of film criticism. Do not give extensive plot description. The object of your critical essay is to show how the film works - to identify a significant theme and show how it is expressed cinematically. You should aim to interpret and explain rather than evaluate. Show how specific scenes contribute to the meaning that you find in the film. The major part of your essay should develop and elaborate upon your interpretation. Be sure to summarize your major points in your conclusion so that your reader is reminded of your central idea and its relevance.
This syllabus is subject to change as conditions require.
SOME GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR CRITICAL WRITING ABOUT FILM
Identifying a theme: Themes are abstract ideas that are expressed through the settings, costumes, characterizations, and conflicts that make up a film. The ideas are communicated by means of visual images that are composed and ordered (shot by shot) in a linear sequence that focuses and guides the attention of the viewer. While general themes may be stated in mundane and simplistic terms-overcoming the odds, resilience of the human spirit, war is hell, love overcomes obstacles, evil will be punished-it is the specific conceptualization within a given film that may provide a nuanced exploration of the situation and offer real insight into the human condition.
Use Of References (Some tips borrowed from the PSU Writing Center. See the Writing Center for the complete document)
In your essay I want to find your ideas developed in your own words. You may need at times to paraphrase, summarize, or quote your sources, but your reader wants to know what you have to say about your topic and about your sources of information.
Don't confine yourself to one source alone. Investigate farther. Is there disagreement between sources? What do you learn from the differences?
Justify your use of a quotation. Your essay must provide the context for the quotation. Ask yourself why you are quoting. Is it to lend authority to your argument, to clarify an idea, to share with your reader a truly eloquent statement that cannot be made in any other way?
To avoid plagiarism keep track of where you find material. For instance, if you use material from the internet it needs to be from a scholarly source, and I expect you to provide a print-out of the page from which you have taken material as well as the citation in your essay.
Cite a source (author, title of work, publisher, and date of publication and page number) for each quotation or paraphrase.
Policy On Plagiarism
In the scholarly community, plagiarism is regarded as a serious offense. No ethical scholar will knowingly commit it; no university faculty can forgive it.
Plagiarism is defined by Webster's dictionary as "An act of copying or imitating the language, ideas, and thoughts of another author and passing off the same as one's original work."
The Modern Language Association Handbook states: "Plagiarism may take the form of repeating another's sentences as your own, adopting a particularly apt phrase as your own, paraphrasing some one else's argument as your own, or even presenting someone else's line of thinking in the development of a thesis as your own. In short, to plagiarize is to give the impression that you have written or thought something that you have, in fact, borrowed from another."
There is nothing wrong in scholarly writing with quoting another person's words or idea, providing that you use quotation marks and give the proper credit. I will be happy to review for you the appropriate scholarly methods of citation and documentation involved.
Acts of academic dishonesty may result in failure for the assignment or the course, and/or possible suspension from the university for up to two years.
Basis for grading: In general, you are responsible for attending class, doing the reading, completing written assignments and participating in class discussion. Assignments are weighted as follows: Participation 20%; 1st paper 15%; Review of an outside film 15%; Mid-term 20%; Critical analysis 30%
Please contact me if you are having any problems with the class, or would like further clarification of questions raised in discussion or in reading.
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