FLM 108 - The Art of Cinema

Credits: 3
3 Lecture Hours

Description
In The Art of Cinema, students sharpen their analytical and critical thinking skills about films by closely reading, comprehending and applying theory and criticism. The first half of the course develops and evaluates these critical thinking skills, particularly as they relate to understanding the significance of cinema’s relationship to time, space and culture as well as mise-en-scene, framing, sound, animation and editing. The second half of the course asks students to apply their critical thinking, creativity and knowledge of film history and theory to create a final film analysis. The class as a whole collaborates through focused workshops to build an educational experience together through the discussion of choices made in these creative-critical productions. Creative-critical work produced in this course illuminates the complex relationship between production and interpretation/criticism through application.

Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of the course, the student will:

Analyze framing, staging, lighting and editing in cinema by forming a thesis statement.
Outline how cinema-specific choices shape and create meaning, tone and style through the screening of global films.
Identify key cinema movements and debates through assigned readings of film theory and criticism.
Apply concepts in film theory and criticism to analyses of shots, scenes and sequences.
Compose short analyses of clips and scenes from films, noting details about specific shots, lines of dialogue, staging, image composition, sound, etc.
Design a final analysis using the principles of film theory and criticism.

Listed Topics

Film analysis terms
Mise-en-scene
Cinema movements and debates
Sound in film
The essay film
Research methods for film analysis
Realism in cinema
Motif
Diegesis
Film spectatorship

Reference Materials
Film, video, media, lecture, internet and textbooks

Students who successfully complete this course acquire general knowledge, skills and abilities that align with CCAC’s definition of an educated person. Specifically, this course fulfills these General Education Goals:

Critical Thinking & Problem Solving
Information Literacy

Approved By: Dr. Quintin B. Bullock Date Approved: 3/16/2022

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FLM 108 - The Art of Cinema