Exploring film directors

Course Dates: 02/05/25 - 06/06/25
Time: 18:00 - 19:30
Location: Online
Tutors: 
Jon Wisbey
Seen as the unifying and creative force in a film, directors have become important for both an audience's engagement and a film's marketing and 'positioning'. This course explores the work of a range of directors, or 'auteurs', their approach to filmmaking and their thematic interests, while assessing the concept of authorship and the contexts in which a director's work is produced and consumed.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
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Full fee £119.00 Senior fee £119.00 Concession £77.00

Exploring film directors
  • Course Code: HF203
  • Dates: 02/05/25 - 06/06/25
  • Time: 18:00 - 19:30
  • Taught: Fri, Evening
  • Duration: 6 sessions (over 6 weeks)
  • Location: Online
  • Tutor: Jon Wisbey

Course Code: HF203

Fri, eve, 02 May - 06 Jun '25

Duration: 6 sessions (over 6 weeks)

Please note: We offer a wide variety of financial support to make courses affordable. Just visit our online Help Centre for more information on a range of topics including fees, online learning and FAQs.

What is the course about?

This online film studies course explores the work of a range of film directors working within a variety of production contexts, and will consider the terms in which they have been understood as auteurs and the ways their auteurist qualities have functioned in the circulation of their work. We will also be thinking about the ways in which some directors' authorial style is associated with the generic context in which they work, for example John Ford and the western, and Alfred Hitchcock and the suspense film, while also thinking about the formal and cultural context of art cinema in which directors such as Ingmar Bergman and Jean-Luc Godard, for example, have been understood. In doing so we will consider the concept of authorship and its application to filmmakers and the cultural function and value of their work.

We will be looking at the work of one or two directors each week, with a course programme, including directors for consideration, being supplied at the start of the course.

This is a live online course. You will need:
- Internet connection. The classes work best with Chrome.
- A computer with microphone and camera is best (e.g. a PC/laptop/iMac/MacBook), or a tablet/iPad/smart phone/iPhone can be used if you don't have a computer but please note the experience may be less optimal.
- Earphones/headphones/speakers.
We will contact you with joining instructions before your course starts.

What will we cover?

• Theories of authorship
• Authorial style
• Genre
• Popular cinema
• Art cinema
• Audiences
• Critical accounts of directors under consideration
• Film history.

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

• Discuss theories of authorship and their application
• Evaluate the authorial style and promotion of directors under consideration
• Describe and evaluate the critical concept of genre in relation to authorship
• Describe and evaluate the characteristics of popular cinema
• Describe and evaluate the characteristics of art cinema
• Evaluate the work of directors under consideration in connection with its exhibition
• Evaluate a range of critical accounts of directors under consideration
• Assess the film historical context in which auteurist works have been understood.

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 the subject but will also be useful for those wishing to build on existing knowledge in the subject area.

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

Screenings of extracts from films, talks by the tutor, reading materials, small and large group discussions. It might also be a good idea to see what you can find out about the subject 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. The tutor will show extracts from films and you do not have to obtain them.

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

Look for other film studies courses at www.citylit.ac.uk/history, culture & writing/film studies.

Jon Wisbey

Jon Wisbey teaches film at City Lit and Morley College. He was for many years a committee member and vice-chair of Chelmsford Film Club, screening contemporary and classic world cinema releases. He has an MA in Film Studies from the University of East Anglia. His teaching focuses on classical and post-classical Hollywood, European cinema, British cinema, film noir and horror cinema.

Please note: We reserve the right to change our tutors from those advertised. This happens rarely, but if it does, we are unable to refund fees due to this. Our tutors may have different teaching styles; however we guarantee a consistent quality of teaching in all our courses.