Courses in Film and Video Studies (Division 368)

Spring Half-Term, 1998 (May 5-June 23, 1998)

200. Introduction to Film, Video and Television Production. (3). (CE). Laboratory fee ($50) required.

This course will provide students with a basic introduction to hands on production in film, video, and television. Pre-production, production, and post-production (from basic script form to directing to editing) are all covered, and the differences as well as the similarities of these three related media are explored. Cost:3 WL:2 (Sarris)
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300. Filmmaking I. Film-Video 200. (3). (Excl). Laboratory fee required.

This is the introductory 16mm motion picture production course. This laboratory-workshop course is designed to give students a solid understanding of how film technique can be used to communicate ideas in narrative, documentary, and experimental expression. Working in small groups, students script, shoot and edit exercises built around these three types of film. In creating their short motion pictures, students learn master-shot/coverage procedures, screen direction continuity, and artificial and available lighting techniques. Lectures and exercise critiques engage students in theoretical/aesthetic discussions of the relationship between film idea and film form. Evaluation: production assignments, midterm test, final project. Text: Cinematography by Kris Malkiewicz. Cost:4 WL:2 (Beaver)
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310. Screenwriting. Film-Video 200. Completion of the introductory composition requirement. (3). (Excl). Laboratory fee required.

This course teaches students to write a feature-length screenplay in acceptable format. Students will learn to develop an idea first into a written "concept," then into a "treatment," "step outline," and finally into a full script. The class will focus on such subjects as screenplay structure, plot and subplots, characterizations, shots, scene, sequence, dialogue, thinking visually, and soundtrack. Students will also learn the importance of rewriting their work. As part of the process, the class will study select screenplays, then view the films which were made from these scripts. Students will also read and discuss each other's work. Given this "workshop" approach, attendance is critical. Students can expect to write between five and ten pages a week. Cost:2 WL:2 (Winsten)
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399. Independent Study. Permission of instructor. (1-4). (Excl). Does not count toward concentration requirements. Laboratory fee required. (INDEPENDENT). May be repeated for credit.

Independent study on a subject to be determined by student in conjunction with a faculty member. Does not count toward concentration requirements. Must be approved by Program in term prior to enrollment. In exceptional cases, students can petition for enrollment during current term.
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455. Topics in Film Studies. (3). (Excl). Laboratory fee ($35) required. May be repeated for a total of nine credits.
Section 101 – Sexual Politics in Film Noir. Through screenings, lectures, and in-class discussion, this course will examine the sexual politics in film noir, its figuration of fantasy and the perverse tenor of its vision of hetero- and homo-social and sexual relations. Emerging in American films most forcefully during the 1940s, film noir is associated with an elaborate visual style and cynical world view, but also by an explosive sexuality that emerges as the catalyst for crime or psychotic behavior. We will explore how and why sexual paranoia animates this genre and why it continues to influence "neo-noir" filmmaking into the 1990s. Films to be screened will likely include White Heat, Kiss Me Deadly, Kiss the Blood Off My Hands, The Big Combo, Murder My Sweet, The Maltese Falcon, Pitfall, Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Angel Heart, In a Lonely Place. Readings will include two novels from which films are adapted. There will be a midterm exam, final exam, and one paper. Cost:3 (Studlar)

Section 102 – The Horror Film. This course focuses on the horror film as a specific genre of motion picture, discussing a number of films from diverse perspectives. The class studies: (1) the psychological impact of these films (why certain motifs continue to be popular and how they affect the viewer); (2) their cinematic techniques (how directors use certain kinds of setting, lighting, shots, and editing to achieve particular effects); (3) their cultural background (the history of certain character types and subject matter in fiction, poetry, and painting); (4) their social background (variation and change according to the contemporary scene); and (5) their place in the history of the genre. These films are a starting point for an examination of what people fear and how they handle their fears through ritual, religion, and art. The class will view such classics of the genre as The Haunting, King Kong, Bride of Frankenstein, Horror of Dracula, Psycho, The Exorcist, Halloween, and Alien, while reading the novels, Castle of Otranto, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Frankenstein, and Dracula. (Konigsberg)
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This course is restricted to Film/Video concentrators who work, under careful supervision, in some part of the film or video industry. Students will work in some aspect of preproduction, production, or postproduction, in the creative or business areas of film and video, documenting their experiences and learning in a journal that must be submitted for final credit.
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500. Directed Study in Film and Video. Permission of instructor. (1-4). (Excl). Laboratory fee required. (INDEPENDENT). May be repeated for a total of six credits.

Advanced course permitting intensive study of film and/or video subject under supervision of a Film/Video faculty member.
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Summer Half-Term, 1998 (June 29-August 18, 1998)

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310. Screenwriting. Film-Video 200. Completion of the introductory composition requirement. (3). (Excl). Laboratory fee required.
This course teaches students to write a feature-length screenplay in acceptable format. Students will learn to develop an idea first into a written "concept," then into a "treatment," "step outline," and finally into a full script. The class will focus on such subjects as screenplay structure, plot and subplots, characterizations, shots, scene, sequence, dialogue, thinking visually, and soundtrack. Students will also learn the importance of rewriting their work. As part of the process, the class will study select screenplays, then view the films which were made from these scripts. Students will also read and discuss each other's work. Given this "workshop" approach, attendance is critical. Students can expect to write between five and ten pages a week. Cost:2 WL:2
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399. Independent Study. Permission of instructor. (1-4). (Excl). Does not count toward concentration requirements. Laboratory fee required. (INDEPENDENT). May be repeated for credit.
Independent study on a subject to be determined by student in conjunction with a faculty member. Must be approved by Program in term prior to enrollment. In exceptional cases, students can petition for enrollment during current term.
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480. Internship. Concentration in Film and Video Studies. (2). (Excl). Offered mandatory credit/no credit. May not be included in a concentration in Film/Video. (EXPERIENTIAL). May be repeated for a total of six credits.
This course is restricted to Film/Video concentrators who work, under careful supervision, in some part of the film or video industry. Students will work in some aspect of preproduction, production, or postproduction, in the creative or business areas of film and video, documenting their experiences and learning in a journal that must be submitted for final credit.
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500. Directed Study in Film and Video. Permission of instructor. (1-4). (Excl). Laboratory fee required. (INDEPENDENT). May be repeated for a total of six credits.
Advanced course permitting intensive study of film and/or video subject under supervision of a Film/Video faculty member.
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