Reading images: exploring film studies
Time: 19:30 - 21:00
Location: Keeley Street
- Course Code: HF189
- Dates: 29/05/24 - 03/07/24
- Time: 19:30 - 21:00
- Taught: Wed, Evening
- Duration: 6 sessions (over 6 weeks)
- Location: Keeley Street
- Tutor: Cristina Massaccesi
Course Code: HF189
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?
During the course we will cover basic ideas about film history (e.g. cinematic avant-gardes), film analysis (e.g. mise-en-scène, editing and sound) and film theory (e.g. genre theory).
What will we cover?
- The key formal elements involved in filmmaking from a range of periods and nations.
- The artistic and industrial processes behind filmmaking.
- Film history
- Film aesthetics
- Film theory
- Film analysis and film criticism
Proposed timetable
Week 1: The Birth of Cinema
Week 2: Cinematic Avant-gardes: German Expressionism and Soviet Montage
Week 3: Setting the scene: Mise-en-scène and Cinematography
Week 4: Creating a Story: Editing
Week 5: Hearing Films: Elements of Sound Design
Week 6: Introduction to Genre Theory.
What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...
- Identify a range of key formal elements in films.
- Have an understanding of, and appreciation for, the process behind filmmaking.
- Demonstrate familiarity with key moments in film history and film aesthetics.
- Discuss films analytically and critically.
- Have some understanding of film theory and the associated terminology.
What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
This is an introductory course for anyone interested in film studies, but it does involve some film theory, which involves an engagement with some intermediate ideas.
You should have the ability and willingness to read texts and watch films, think about them in critical ways and discuss them in an open and supportive manner with the other people in the class.
How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?
The classes will be structured around a combination of tutor presentation, viewing of film extracts and class
discussions.
Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?
There are no additional costs and the tutor will supply all reading and viewing material.
When I've finished, what course can I do next?
Look at our range of film studies courses at www.citylit.ac.uk/history, culture & writing/film studies.
Dr Cristina Massaccesi is a Senior Teaching Fellow in the School of European Languages, Cultures and Society of University College London. Her fields of teaching and research are Film Studies and Sequential Art. She's published a book on FW Murnau's Nosferatu (Auteur and Columbia University Press, 2015) and is currently working on a new book project on James Cameron's Aliens (1986) for Auteur's forthcoming Constellations series.
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.