Film studies taster
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Learning modes and locations may be different depending on the course start date. Please check the location of your chosen course and read our guide to learning modes and locations to help you choose the right course for you.
- Start Date: 13 Sep 2025End Date: 13 Sep 2025Sat (Daytime): 12:30 - 14:30OnlineFull fee £19.00 Senior fee £15.00 Concession £12.00
- Start Date: 15 Nov 2025End Date: 15 Nov 2025Sat (Daytime): 10:45 - 12:15In PersonFull fee £19.00 Senior fee £15.00 Concession £12.00
- Start Date: 11 Dec 2025End Date: 11 Dec 2025Thu (Daytime): 12:30 - 14:00OnlineFull fee £19.00 Senior fee £15.00 Concession £12.00
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What is the course about?
Cinema is not only entertainment; it is the art and culture of our time. Hollywood, as one of the dominant film producing industries, has frequently remade films from other film producing nations. Detailed analysis of some of these remake pairings can provide fascinating insights, into cultural difference and national identity but it can also tell us a great deal about film aesthetics. We’re surrounded by moving images; studying film will give you the tools to understand and analyse them.
What will we cover?
There’s a reason why film has become one of the defining art forms of our generation, and created so many iconic images in pop culture. This course will explore how film fits into history and culture, consider the relationship between film and society, and look at different styles of filmmaking. By examining a number of remake pairings we will explore film’s formal properties, and look at questions of style and technique, including cinematography, editing, mise en scene, music and sound.
What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...
- Have a clearer idea of what is involved when studying film
- Demonstrate familiarity with some of the formal properties of film
- Discuss a range of key concepts in the study of film.
What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
This is a taster: no previous background in film studies is expected. Anyone with an interest in film is welcome.
How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?
Opening talk and a variety of film clips; group discussion.
Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?
None. A notepad or device to take notes.
When I've finished, what course can I do next?
HF152 How to Read a Film: A Beginner's Guide to Cinema and HF211 Cultureplex Cine-Club, but also look for other Film Studies courses under History Culture and Writing/Film Studies at www.citylit.ac.uk.
Dr. Paul Sutton is an independent film scholar who has taught Film Studies in UK higher education for over 25 years. His research covers psychoanalytic and film theory as well as Italian and French cinema and critical theory. He has published articles in journals such as Screen, French Studies and the Journal for Cultural Research. He is currently writing a psychoanalytic book on film spectatorship, Afterwardsness in Film, and has recently published work on television as a form of palliative care, and an assessment of the films of the Italian experimental filmmaker Ugo Nespolo.
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.