Cultureplex ciné-club taster

What is the course about?

André Bazin’s ciné-club was set up by him not simply as an opportunity for the screening and discussion of films, but as a tool for education. Bazin was as much a passionate advocate for the transformatory effects of community learning as he was for the significance of cinema and the ciné-club represented an opportunity for him to promote both. As one commentator has noted, ‘though he didn’t live to see the first flowering of academic film theory in the late 60s, the pedagogic side of Bazin would doubtless have been gratified that cinema was no longer a trivial pursuit but henceforth a serious discipline calling for the most concentrated attention and rigour’. In following Bazin, the Cultureplex Ciné-Club shares these same goals. This is a film studies course that foregrounds the importance and the value of the collective film viewing experience, but which also is concerned to ensure that the film screened is introduced and discussed with the rigour associated with the study of film at City Lit.

The short film that will be screened will come from the list below:

The Rink (Charlie Chaplin 1916 US, 30 mins)
Shoulder Arms (Charlie Chaplin 1918 US, 36 mins)
Un chien andalou/An Andalusian Dog (Luis Bunuel and Salvador Dali 1929 France, 16 mins)
Charlotte et son Jules/Charlotte and her Boyfriend (Jean-Luc Godard 1958 France, 13 mins)
La Jetee/The Pier (Chris Marker 1962 France, 28 mins)
La guerra e finita/The War is Over (Nina Mimica 1997 Italy, 7 mins)
Fast Film (Virgil Widrich 2003 Austria, 14 mins)

Please note that films screened are subject to availability and may change.

What will we cover?

• A detailed examination of a short film
• The historical and cultural context of the chosen short film
• The development of cinematic self-expression through the articulation of a distinct visual style
• Film spectatorship, understood in both personal, historical and theoretical terms.

What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...

• Demonstrate familiarity with a short film
• Subject a film to detailed critical analysis
• Demonstrate familiarity with the key technical terms necessary for critical film analysis
• Have a broad awareness of an important moment in film history as expressed through an individual film
• Be familiar with a range of theoretical perspectives in film studies
• Feel confident in discussing films in a group setting.

What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?

The course is suitable for all levels and you do not require any particular skills - just an enthusiasm for film and discussing film. The course will provide an introduction to aspects of the film subject area, in part through the collective viewing of a film, but it will also be useful for those wishing to build on existing film knowledge.

How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?

An introduction by the tutor, the screening of an entire film, and large group discussion after the film has been shown. It might also be a good idea to see what you can find out about a given film in advance of the class but this is not essential.

Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?

You will require a pen and paper (or laptop/device) but the tutor will provide all other materials such as handouts.

When I've finished, what course can I do next?

You may wish to take other Cultureplex Ciné-Club courses after this one in Terms 1, 2 and 3, beginning this coming September, but look also for other Film Studies courses under History Culture and Writing/Film Studies at www.citylit.ac.uk.