Introduction to Cinema

Transcription

1 Department of Media and Cultural Studies Module Outline Academic Year Birkbeck, University of London Introduction to Cinema MODULE CODE: FFME002S4 ACB CREDITS/LEVEL: 30 CATS / Level 4 ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS: No formal entry requirements for this module CLASS TIME: TBC CLASS DATES: Term 1 Term 2 First meeting TBC TBC Last meeting TBC TBC VENUE: TBC MODULE TAUGHT BY TBC AIMS The aims of this module are to: introduce you to a diversity of films and variety of film-making practices introduce you to a range of methods with which to analyse cinema extend your knowledge of film form, history and theory enhance your appreciation of cinema. OUTCOMES On successful completion of this module you should be able to: identify and analyse film form and language identify the historical and industrial contexts of the studio system identify selected forms and movements within cinema history identify and apply concepts of national cinemas identify and apply selected approaches to film analysis. Please refer to the module content below for details of specific objectives for each session. 1

2 TEACHING AND LEARNING METHODS Teaching and learning will involve a variety of methods: viewing and analysis of films and film extracts presentations by the tutor class and group discussions supporting materials by handout in class and online at Blackboard independent study outside of class. COURSEWORK AND ASSESSMENT Assessed Component Basic Requirements Weighting Deadline Essay words 25% TBC Essay words 25% TBC Essay words 25% TBC Essay words 25% TBC To qualify for assessment you must submit a coursework portfolio containing your marked assignments and the tutor s comments to Birkbeck at the end of the module. MODULE EVALUATION At the end of the module, you will be asked to complete an evaluation form, which gives an opportunity to feedback on all aspects of your learning experience. MODULE CONTENT This module is split into four interlinked sections. The first term focuses predominantly on American cinema, given its perceived dominance; in the second term the focus is widened to explore other cinema practices. TERM 1 Session 1: - Introduction Viewing and discussion of extracts from recent film releases. By the end of the session you should be able to begin to recognise some of the elements involved in the construction and content of a film, plus factors used to analyse and appreciate cinema. Reading: Terms Used in Shooting guide will be distributed at the session. PART 1: FILM LANGUAGE In this section of the module we look at the creation and evolution of a dominant film language and consider critical approaches regarding how this shapes our understanding of films. Session 2: - Framing, movement and editing An introduction to the evolution of a film language. By the end of the session you should be able to recognise and identify various framings, camera movements and editing devices. The session will also include a briefing on tips for note-taking. Screenings/extracts to include Rescued By Rover (Lewin Fitzhamon, Cecil Hepworth, UK, 1905), In the Line of Fire (Wolfgang Petersen, USA, 1993). Reading: Guides on note-taking, essay-writing and using Blackboard will be issued at the session. ESSAY TITLES ISSUED 2

3 Session 3: - Screening: Mildred Pierce (Michael Curtiz, USA, 1945, 110 mins) A foundation for work on editing and narrative. By the end of the session you should be able to use Mildred Pierce for discussion and analysis of continuity editing and narrative construction. Reading: Bordwell, David & Kristin Thompson. Narrative as a Formal System, in David Bordwell & Kristin Thompson, Film Art: An Introduction (8th edition, McGraw-Hill, 2008), pp [extract]. Session 4: - Continuity editing and narrative construction An exploration of how the filmic world is created. By the end of the session you should be able to define continuity editing and narrative construction and identify some of the filmic devices used in their formation. You should also have consolidated your ability to recognise and identify various camera framings and camera movements. The session will also include a briefing on tips for essaywriting. Extracts to include Mildred Pierce (Michael Curtiz, USA, 1945). Reading: Bordwell, David, Janet Steiger & Kristin Thompson. Classical Narration, in David Bordwell, Janet Steiger & Kristin Thompson, The Classical Hollywood Cinema: Film Style and Mode of Production to 1960 (Routledge, 1985), Part 1, Chapter 3, pp Session 5: - Mise-en-scène An examination of film style and interpretation. By the end of the session you should be able to define mise-en-scène, identify its key components and apply this method of study to film. Time will also be set aside for discussion of any queries and concerns regarding essay-writing. Extracts to include Thelma & Louise (Ridley Scott, USA, 1991). Reading: Gibbs, John. The elements of mise-en-scène, in John Gibbs, Mise-en-scène: Film Style and Interpretation (Wallflower, 2002), pp Session 6: - Screening and discussion: The Public Enemy (William Wellman, USA, 1931, 79 mins) Consolidation of work on mise-en-scène. By the end of the session you should be able to use The Public Enemy for mise-en-scène analysis. Reading: McArthur, Colin. Iconography, in Colin McArthur, Underworld U.S.A. (Secker & Warburg / BFI, 1972), pp DEADLINE FOR FIRST ESSAY PART 2: THE STUDIO SYSTEM In this section we look at the historical and industrial contexts of the Hollywood studio system and approaches to these areas within film studies. Session 7: Studios An illustrated presentation on the creation and heyday of the Hollywood studio system, drawing on a case study of Warner Bros. By the end of the session you should be able to identify the main studios of Hollywood s golden age, the defining qualities of Warner Bros. and the impact of the studio system on film-making. Extracts to include The Public Enemy (William Wellman, USA, 1931), I am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (Mervyn LeRoy, USA, 1932), Gold Diggers of 1933 (Mervyn LeRoy, USA, 1933). 3

4 Reading: Kuhn, Annette. Warner Bros., in Pam Cook (ed.), The Cinema Book, 3rd edition (BFI, 2008), pp Session 8: Genre An exploration of the use of genre as a tool of the film industry and of film studies. By the end of the session you should be able to define genre, identify some of the main generic categories of Hollywood cinema and describe approaches taken to the study of genre. Extracts to include Double Indemnity (Billy Wilder, USA, 1944), Blood Simple (Joel Coen, Ethan Coen, USA, 1984). Reading: Krutnik, Frank. Genre and the problem of film noir, in Frank Krutnik, In a Lonely Street: Film Noir, Genre, Masculinity (Routledge, 1991), pp Session 9: - Screening: Double Indemnity (Billy Wilder, USA, 1944, 106 mins) Consolidation of work on genre. By the end of the session you should be able to use Double Indemnity to analyse its potential generic components as a film noir. Reading: Evans, Peter William. Double Indemnity (or Bringing Up Baby), in Ian Cameron (ed.), The Movie Book of Film Noir (Studio Vista, 1992), pp Session 10: - Directors and the studio system An introduction to the concept of authorship and an examination of its relevance within the Hollywood studio system, drawing on a case study of a director. By the end of the session you should be able to define and apply auteur theory. Time will also be set aside for discussion of any general queries regarding essays. Extracts to include Rear Window (Alfred Hitchcock, USA, 1954), The Birds (Alfred Hitchcock, USA, 1963). Reading: Cook, Pam. Auteurs and Metteurs-en-scene, extract from Authorship in Cinema, in Pam Cook (ed.), The Cinema Book (3rd edition, BFI, 2008), pp Session 11: - Directors and independent cinema Consolidation of work on authorship and an examination of its relevance within the context of US indie cinema, drawing on a case study of a director. By the end of the session you should be able to define and apply auteur theory. Extracts to include Stranger Than Paradise (Jim Jarmusch, USA, 1984), Dead Man (Jim Jarmusch, USA-Germany, 1995), Broken Flowers (Jim Jarmusch, USA-France, 2005). Reading: Lippy, Tod. Interview with Jim Jarmusch, in Juan A Suarez, Jim Jarmusch (University of Illinois Press, 2007), pp DEADLINE FOR SECOND ESSAY - CHRISTMAS BREAK - TERM 2 PART 3: FILM FORM In this section we broaden our scope to look at selected forms and movements within cinema history that provide alternatives to the classical Hollywood narrative. 4

5 Session - Documentary An investigation of documentary cinema. By the end of the session you should be able to define documentary, describe its main characteristics and identify some of the issues raised by the concept of filmed reality. Extracts to include Housing Problems (Edgar Anstey, Arthur Elton, UK, 1935), Roger and Me (Michael Moore, USA, 1989). Reading: Ward, Paul. Defining Documentary, in Paul Ward, Documentary: The Margins of Reality (Wallflower, 2005), pp Session 13: - Screening: Capturing the Friedmans (Andrew Jarecki, USA, 2004, 103 mins) Consolidation of work on documentary. By the end of the session you should be able to use Capturing the Friedmans for an analysis of documentary form and content. Reading: Ellis, Jack C & Betsy A McLane. Theatrical Documentary, extract from English Language Documentary in the 1990s and Beyond - Reality Bytes, in Jack C Ellis & Betsy A McLane, A New History of Documentary Film (Continuum, 2008), pp Session 14: - Avant-garde film An introduction to films that challenge institutionalised cinema. By the end of the session you should be able to define 'avant-garde', describe some of its defining characteristics and recognise key historical works. Extracts to include Un Chien Andalou (Luis Buñuel, Salvador Dali, France, 1929), Fireworks (Kenneth Anger, USA, 1947), Mothlight (Stan Brakhage, USA, 1963). Reading: O Pray, Michael. The Avant-garde Film: Definitions, in Michael O Pray, Avant-Garde Film: Forms, Themes and Passions (Wallflower, 2003), pp.1-7. Session 15: - Soviet montage An illustrated presentation on Soviet montage. By the end of the session you should be able to define montage, describe its historical and theoretical origins and recognise its key components. Extracts to include Strike (Sergei Eisenstein, USSR, 1925), The Battleship Potemkin (Sergei Eisenstein, USSR, 1925). Reading: Joyce, Mark. The Soviet montage cinema of the 1920s, in Jill Nelmes (ed.), An Introduction to Film Studies (4 th edition, Routledge, 2007), pp [extract]. DEADLINE FOR THIRD ESSAY Session 16: Screening and discussion: Man With a Movie Camera (Dziga Vertov, USSR, 1929, 70 mins) Consolidation of work on Soviet montage and on film form. By the end of the session you should be able to use Man With a Movie Camera for an analysis of the techniques and theories of Soviet montage, and to also use the film to apply approaches to avant-garde and documentary film. Time will also be set aside for discussion of any general queries regarding essays. Reading: Gillespie, David. Dziga Vertov and life caught unawares, in David Gillespie, Early Soviet Cinema: Innovation, Ideology and Propaganda (Wallflower, 2000), pp

6 PART 4: NATIONAL CINEMAS In this section we examine concepts of national cinemas through selected case studies. Session 17: British cinema An exploration of definitions and concepts of British cinema. By the end of the session you should be able to identify ways British cinema and national cinemas have been defined. Extracts to include In Which We Serve (Noël Coward, David Lean, UK, 1942), Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (Karel Reisz, UK, 1960), Gosford Park (Robert Altman, UK-USA-Italy, 2001), This is England (Shane Meadows, UK, 2006). Reading: Hill, John. British Cinema as National Cinema: Production, Audience and Representation, in Robert Murphy (ed.), The British Cinema Book (3 rd edition, BFI, 2009), pp Session 18: - Screening and discussion: Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (Karel Reisz, UK, 1960, 89 mins) Consolidation of work on British cinema. By the end of the session you should be able to use Saturday Night and Sunday Morning to analyse definitions and concepts of British cinema. Reading: Hill, John. Working Class Realism: 1, in John Hill, Sex, Class and Realism: British Cinema (BFI, 1986), pp Session 19: - New Iranian Cinema An introduction to post-revolution Iranian cinema. By the end of the session you should be able to describe the historical origins of the New Iranian Cinema movement and identify its main characteristics. Extracts to include The White Balloon (Jafar Panahi, Iran, 1995), The Apple (Samira Makhmalbaf, Iran, 1998), Taste of Cherry (Abbas Kiarostami, Iran, 1997). Reading: Farahmand, Azadeh. Perspectives on Recent (International Acclaim for) Iranian Cinema, in Richard Tapper (ed.), The New Iranian Cinema: Politics, Representation and Identity (I.B. Tauris, 2002), pp Session 20: - World cinema An exploration of categorisations of world cinema. By the end of the session you should be able to identify some of the ways world cinema has been defined and issues raised by such categorisations. Extracts to include Bicycle Thieves (Vittorio De Sica, Italy, 1948), City of God (Fernando Meirelles, Kátia Lund, Brazil, 2003), Moolaadé (Ousmane Sembene, Senegal, 2004). Reading: Dennison, Stephanie & Song Hwee Lim. Situating world cinema as a theoretical problem, in Stephanie Dennison & Song Hwee Lim (eds.), Remapping World Cinema: Identity, Culture and Politics in Film (Wallflower, 2006), pp DEADLINE FOR FOURTH ESSAY Session 21: - Screening and discussion: Sonatine (Takeshi Kitano, Japan, 1993, 90 mins) Consolidation of work on national cinemas. By the end of the session you should be able to use Sonatine for an analysis of approaches to world cinema and national cinemas. 6

7 Reading: Mes, Tom & Jasper Sharp. Takeshi Kitano, in Tom Mes & Jasper Sharp, The Midnight Eye Guide to New Japanese Film (Stone Bridge Press, 2005), pp Session 22: - Overview and summary Consolidation of areas of study. By the end of the session you should feel able to recognise and apply the concepts introduced during the module to a wide range of films. Extracts galore! END OF MODULE: SUBMISSION OF COURSEWORK PORTFOLIO RECOMMENDED READING AND RESOURCES The list below is intended to help guide you towards useful resources for your essays, in addition to the key reading issued at each session. You are obviously not expected to read everything listed, but can use the list to make selections according to your own particular areas of interest. Birkbeck Library, Malet Street WC1E 7HX (loan and reference library; no charge) stocks all books on the list and has an extensive collection of film and media resources, incorporating books, print and electronic journals, dvds, videos, off-air recordings and cds. The BFI National Library, Stephen Street W1T 1LN also has an excellent collection of books, periodicals and press cuttings (reference library only; day/weekly/annual pass fee payable). For introductory overviews: Abrams, Nathan & Ian Bell & Jan Udris. Studying Film (2 nd edition, Bloomsbury, 2010) Bordwell, David & Kristin Thompson. Film Art: An Introduction (9th edition, McGraw-Hill, 2010) Cook, Pam (ed.). The Cinema Book (3rd edition, BFI, 2008) Nelmes, Jill (ed.). An Introduction to Film Studies (5 th edition, Routledge, 2011) For study skills guidance: Burns,Tom & Sandra Sinfield. Essential Study Skills: The Complete Guide to Success at University (2 nd ed., Sage, 2008) For specific sections of the course: Part 1: Film Language: Session 2 o Cousins, Mark. Technical Thrill ( ): The sensations of the first movies, in Mark Cousins, The Story of Film (Pavilion Books, 2006), pp Session 3 o Kuhn, Annette. Classic Hollywood Narrative, in Pam Cook (ed.), The Cinema Book (3rd edition, BFI, 2008), pp Session 4 o Kuhn, Annette. The Pleasure Machine, in Annette Kuhn, Women s Pictures: Feminism and Cinema (2 nd edition, Verso, 2006), pp [extract] Session 5 o Bordwell, David & Kristin Thompson. The shot: Mise-en-Scene, in David Bordwell & Kristin Thompson, Film Art: An Introduction (8th edition, McGraw-Hill, 2008), pp o Sturken, Marita. BFI Modern Classics: Thelma & Louise (BFI, 2000) 7

8 Session 6 o Mason, Fran. The Public Enemy: modernity, space, and masculinity, Modernity and the Classic Gangster Film, in Fran Mason, American Gangster Cinema: From Little Caesar to Pulp Fiction (Palgrave Macmillan, 2002), pp [extract] o Munby, Jonathan. The Enemy Goes Public, in Jonathan Munby, Public Enemies, Public Heroes: Screening the Gangster from Little Caesar to Touch of Evil (University of Chicago Press, 1999), pp [extract] Part 2: The Studio System: Session 7 o Gomery, Douglas. Warner Bros., in Douglas Gomery, The Hollywood Studio System: A History (BFI, 2005), pp [extract] o Schatz, Thomas. Warner Bros: The Zanuck Era, in Thomas Schatz, The Genius of the System: Hollywood Film-making in the Studio Era (Pantheon, 1988), pp o Sennett, Ted. Society s Losers: The Crime and Social Dramas, in Ted Sennett, Warner Brothers Presents (Arlington House, 1971), pp [extract] Session 8 o Gledhill, Christine. History of Genre Criticism, in Pam Cook (ed.), The Cinema Book (3rd edition, BFI, 2008), pp [extract] o Langford, Barry. Film Noir, in Barry Langford, Film Genre: Hollywood and Beyond (Edinburgh University Press, 2005), pp o Root, Jane. Film Noir, in Pam Cook (ed.), The Cinema Book (3rd edition, BFI, 2008), pp [extract] Session 9 o Johnston, Claire. Double Indemnity in E. Ann Kaplan (ed.), Women in Film Noir (BFI, 1998), pp o Place, Janey. Women in film noir in E. Ann Kaplan (ed.), Women in Film Noir (BFI, 1998), pp o Shickel, Richard. BFI Film Classics: Double Indemnity (BFI, 1992) Session 10 o Deutelbaum, Marshall & Leland Poague. Taking Hitchcock Seriously, in Marshall Deutelbaum & Leland Poague (eds.), A Hitchcock Reader (2 nd edition, Wiley-Blackwell, 2009), pp.1-15 o Truffaut, François. Introduction, in François Truffaut, Hitchcock (revised edition, Simon & Schuster, 1985), pp o Wood, Robin. Plot Formations, in Robin Wood, Hitchcock s Films Revisited (revised edition, Columbia University Press, 2002), pp Session 11 o Hillier, Jim. Independent Cinema Since the 1980s, in Linda Ruth Williams & Michael Hammond (eds.), Contemporary American Cinema (Macgraw-Hill, 2006) pp o Howard, Christopher. Jim Jarmusch, in Yoram Allon, Del Cullen & Hannah Patterson (eds.), Contemporary North American Directors: A Wallflower Critical Guide (2 nd edition, Wallflower, 2002), pp o King, Geoff. Introduction: How Independent?, in Geoff King, American Independent Cinema (I.B. Tauris, 2005), pp.1-10 o Peranson, Mark. Stranger than fiction: The rise and fall of Jim Jarmusch, in Yvonne Tasker (ed.), Fifty Contemporary Filmmakers (Routledge, 2002), pp

9 Part 3: Film Form: Session 12 o Nichols, Bill. What Types of Documentary Are There?, in Bill Nichols, Introduction to Documentary (Indiana University Press, 2001), pp o Ward, Paul. Documentary, in Jill Nelmes (ed.), An Introduction to Film Studies (4 th edition, Routledge, 2007), pp Session 13 o Nichols, Bill. Documentary in Pam Cook (ed.), The Cinema Book (3rd edition, BFI, 2008), pp.81-3 o Nichols, Bill. Why Are Ethical Issues Central to Documentary Filmmaking?, in Bill Nichols, Introduction to Documentary (Indiana University Press, 2001), pp.1-19 Session 14 o Abrams, Nathan, Ian Bell & Jan Udris. Alternative Cinema and Other Film Styles, in Nathan Abrams, Ian Bell & Jan Udris, Studying Film (Hodder Arnold, 2001), pp & pp [extracts] o Bordwell, David & Kristin Thompson. Documentary and Experimental Cinema in the Postwar Era, 1945-Mid-1960s, in David Bordwell & Kristin Thompson, Film History: An Introduction (2 nd edition, McGraw-Hill, 2002), pp [extract] o Butler, Alison. Avant-garde and counter cinema, in Pam Cook (ed.), The Cinema Book (3rd edition, BFI, 2008), pp [extract] Session 15 o Gillespie, David. Sergei Eisenstein and the Mytho-poetics of Revolution, in David Gillespie, Early Soviet Cinema: Innovation, Ideology and Propaganda (Wallflower, 2000), pp Session 16 o Feldman, Seth. Peace between Man and Machine : Dziga Vertov s The Man with a Movie Camera, in Barry Keith Grant & Jeanette Sloniwoski (eds.), Documenting the Documentary: Close Readings of Documentary Film and Video (Wayne State University Press, 1998), pp o Hicks, Jeremy. New Paths: The Eleventh Hour, Man with a Movie Camera, in Jeremy Hicks, Dziga Vertov: Defining Documentary Film (I.B. Tauris, 2007), pp [extract] o Macdonald, Kevin & Mark Cousins. Kino Eyes and Agit Trains, in Kevin Macdonald & Mark Cousins (eds.), Imagining Reality: The Faber Book of Documentary (revised edition, Faber, 2006), pp [extract] o O Pray, Michael. The 1920s: Soviet Experiments, in Michael O Pray, Avant-Garde Film: Forms, Themes and Passions (Wallflower, 2003), pp [extract] o Roberts, Graham. Signification and significance, in Graham Roberts, The Man With the Movie Camera (I.B. Tauris, 2000), pp [extract] Part 4: National Cinemas: Session 17 o Aldgate, Anthony & Jeffrey Richards. Naval Cavalcade: In Which We Serve, in Anthony Aldgate & Jeffrey Richards, Britain Can Take It: British Cinema in the Second World War (new edition, I.B. Tauris, 2007), pp o Chapman, James. World Cinemas: Theoretical and Historical Perspectives, in James Chapman, Cinemas of the World: Film and Society from 1895 to the Present (Reaktion Books, 2004), pp o Higson, Andrew. British Film Culture and the Idea of National Cinema, in Andrew Higson, Waving the Flag: Constructing a National Cinema in Britain (Oxford University Press, 1995, reprint 2003), pp

10 o Street, Sarah. Contemporary British cinema in Sarah Street, British National Cinema (2 nd edition, Routledge, 2009), pp Session 18 o Kuhn, Annette. British Social Realism , in Pam Cook (ed.), The Cinema Book (3rd edition, BFI, 2008), pp o Lay, Samantha. 1950s and 1960s: Social Problems and Kitchen Sinks, in Samantha Lay, British Social Realism: From Documentary to Brit Grit (Wallflower, 2002), pp o Street, Sarah. Genres from austerity to affluence, in Sarah Street, British National Cinema (2 nd edition, Routledge, 2009), pp [extract] o Welsh, Jean. Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, in Sarah Barrow & John White (eds.), Fifty Key British Films (Routledge, 2008), pp Session 19 o Reza Sadr, Hamid. The 1990s, in Hamid Reza Sadr, Iranian Cinema: A Political History (I.B. Tauris, 2006), pp [extract] o Rosenbaum, Jonathan (with Mehrnaz Saeed-Vafa). Open Spaces in Iran: A Conversation with Abbas Kiarostami, in Jonathan Rosenbaum & Adrian Martin (eds.), Movie Mutations: The Changing Face of World Cinephilia (BFI, 2003), pp o Tapper, Richard. Introduction, in Richard Tapper (ed.), The New Iranian Cinema: Politics, Representation and Identity (I.B. Tauris, 2002), pp.1-25 Session 20 o Abrams, Nathan, Ian Bell & Jan Udris. World Cinema and National Film Movements, in o Nathan Abrams, Ian Bell & Jan Udris, Studying Film (Hodder Arnold, 2001), pp Nagib, Lucia. Towards a positive definition of World Cinema, in Stephanie Dennison & Song Hwee Lim (eds.), Remapping World Cinema: Identity, Culture and Politics in Film (Wallflower, 2006), pp.30-7 Session 21 o Bowyer, Justin. Introduction, in Justin Bowyer, The Cinema of Japan and Korea (Wallflower, 2004), pp.1-9 o Chapman, James. Cinema Without Frontiers, in James Chapman, Cinemas of the World: Film and Society from 1895 to the Present (Reaktion Books, 2004), pp o Freiberg, Freda. Japanese Cinema, in John Hill & Pamela Church Gibson (eds.), World Cinema: Critical Approaches (Oxford University Press, 2000), pp o Hill, Derek. Yakusa / Gangster, in John Berra (ed.), Directory of World Cinema: Japan (Intellect, 2010), pp o Mottram, James. Directors: Takeshi Kitano, in John Berra (ed.), Directory of World Cinema: Japan (Intellect, 2010), pp Useful websites: details of film and media resources held at Birkbeck Library information about the activities of the British Film Institute extensive database on film and television comprehensive guide to British film and television history online journal devoted to the serious and eclectic discussion of cinema. 10