300. Filmmaking I. (3). (Excl).
This course is required for Film and Video concentrators and is
designed to give students a basic understanding of the language
of film and how its repetoire can be used to create individual
works of film as means of personal expression. Aspects of production
demonstrated and discussed are: preparation of the script (including
synopsis, treatment, story board, shooting script); shooting, mainly under daylight conditions; cinematographic principles of
camera, projector and lenses; film stock and processing; and editing.
On completion of this course, students should have the basic knowledge
for formal aesthetic analysis of film. Limited to 20 students, with preference given to Film and Video concentrators. [Cost:2]
[WL:2] (Ludwig)
301. Video Art I. (3). (Excl).
This course is required for Film and Video concentrators. It is
designed to provide students with an introduction to the aesthetics, technology, and uses of video as an art media. The course concentrates
on hands-on use of Super-VHS equipment for shooting and editing.
Students work in groups of 3-5 to design and produce their video
projects under supervision of the instructor. Limited to 20 students, with preference given to Film and Video concentrators. [Cost:2]
[WL:2] (K.Hurbis-Cherrier)
360. The History of World Film (3). (HU).
This course is required for concentrators in the Program in Film
and Video Studies, but is open to all students. The course examines the rich contribution of nations other than the United States
to world cinema, understanding their films as both responses to the dominant American film industry but also as expressions of their own national cultures. The influence of these national films
on one another as well as on the American film will also be discussed.
The course will survey the history of world cinema from the earliest
explorations of the film medium by the Lumiere brothers and the
Milies in France to the contemporary third-world cinema. Such
groups of films as German Expressionism, Italian neorealism, French
New Wave, and contemporary South American cinema are likely to
be included. As well as focusing on fictional films the class
will also be concerned with avant-garde cinema, the documentary, and animation. Students will attend three hours of lectures and discussions as well as view two or three hours of film each week.
There will be two assignments and both a midterm and a final examination.
Cost:2 WL:1 (Ukadike)
399. Independent Study. Permission of
instructor. (1-4). (Excl). (INDEPENDENT). May be repeated for
credit.
Directed research under supervision of a faculty member associated
with the program in Film and Video Studies.
400. Filmmaking II. Film and Video 300
or equivalent experience in filmmaking and permission of instructor.
(3). (Excl).
Filmmaking II explores filmmaking as a relation of the language
and technique of film on an intermediate level. Students learn
experimental and artistic forms of filmic expression as well as
traditional movie-making techniques, using 16mm equipment. Students
work on exercises, in small groups, to learn cinematography, lighting, and to understand motion and pace in editing. Work in all stages
of production is analyzed and critiqued in the class room. Shooting
is prepared with a shot-by-shot storyboard or scene-by-scene exposition
of a film's intended structure. This preparation provides the
filmmaker with a flexible and economical means of translating
ideas into cinematic form. Montage and related film theory are
used to help students understand the storyboard as a practical
visual link between a film's idea and its realization. Discussions
underscore the theoretical principles that must be acquired in
order to make a valid film. Course requirements include a film
script, storyboard, and a complete five-minute sound film. Cost:5
WL:2,3 (Dobele)
401. Video Art II. Film and Video 300
or equivalent experience with video production and permission
of instructor. (3). (Excl).
The course allows students to explore advanced topics of video
production including the art of editing, directing of actors, expanded video, video performance, and the history of video art.
Requirements include in-class production assignments, video exercises
done outside of class, and a final individual project. Cost:2
WL:2 (Kober)
406. Computer Animation II. Film and Video
301 or equivalent experience with video production and permission
of instructor. (3). (Excl).
A hands-on intermediate level course that will suggest basic strategies
to build three-dimensional objects on the Apple Macintosh II utilizing
3D software "Swivel 3D Professional". Students are required
to complete specific exercises and a final project, exploring the relationship of moving elements of complex objects. Students
should be familiar with basic Macintosh skills Cost:2 WL:2 (Kober)
412/English 412. Major Directors. (3).
(HU). May be repeated for credit with department permission.
See English 412.
413/English 413. Film Genres and Types. (3).
(HU). May be repeated for credit with department permission.
See English 413.
440/CAAS 440. African Cinema. (3). (Excl).
See CAAS 440. (Ukadike)
455. Topics in Film Studies. (3). (Excl). May be repeated for a total of nine credits.
Section 001: Gender and Film. This course will focus on feminist film criticism from 1975 to the present. We will analyze representations of women in film, and discuss the paradigm shifts in gender representation in films by women. We will also discuss how masculinity is constructed in both classical and avant garde film. The readings will be largely psychoanalytic in nature, starting with Laura Mulvey's 1975 essay "Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema," and will include the works of Kaja Silverman, Mary Ann Doane, Linda Williams, E.Ann Kaplan, and others. We will discuss the notion of the cinematic "gaze," the role of sound in positioning women on film, social class, mother-daughter relationships, male bonding, and other topics. We will approach this set of issues in a straightforward and open-minded way: the goal is the development of a complex, though relatively jargon-free approach to issues of gender and film. Many film genres will be examined during the course of the term, including melodrama (Stella Dallas, Written on the Wind ), FILM NOIR (The Big Sleep, Gilda, Chinatown), science fiction (Invasion of the Body Snatchers), the gothic thriller (Rebecca, Vertigo, Peeping Tom), the war film ( The Deer Hunter, Full Metal Jacket), and experimental feminist cinema (Jeanne Dielman ). Students will write several papers during the course of the term, take a midterm and a final exam. Cost:2 WL:1 (White)
Section 003: Hollywood and the Construction of "America". See English 317-002. (Freedman)
480. Internship. Concentration in Film
and Video Studies. (2). (Excl). Offered mandatory credit/no credit.
(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.
490. Senior Honors Research. Acceptance
as an Honors Candidate in Film and Video Studies. (1-4). (Excl).
(INDEPENDENT). May be repeated for a total of four credits.
This course is restricted to students taking Honors in the Film
and Video Studies. Students work independently with a faculty
member in the Program during their senior year.
500. Directed Study in Film and Video. Permission
of instructor. (1-4). (Excl). (INDEPENDENT). May be repeated for
a total of six credits.
Advanced course permitting intensive study under supervision of
a Film/Video faculty member.
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