Film 2100 Spring 2018

Class Hours: Th 6:00-10 pm FMAB Auditorium

Critical Introduction to Film
Instructors:
 Sharon Swenson swensons773@gmail.com
 David L Thorpe davidliddellthorpe@gmail.com

Course Description
This course introduces students to the visual vocabulary of cinema. Readings from a textbook,
additional readings available on e-reserve, class lectures, and discussions will facilitate the
learning of this material. In general, classes will begin with lecture/discussion, of week’s
previous film and that week’s assigned reading, followed by a screening of a film.

Course Objectives
 To explore the nature of cinema as a technology, business, cultural product, entertainment
and, primarily, art form.
 To appreciate a wide variety of cinematic styles, genres and modes
 To study the styles of outstanding filmmakers
 To understand cinema's relationship with other art forms and social conditions
 To provide a critical methodology and practical application of that methodology that will
lead to increased abilities to understand, critically analyze and appreciate/enjoy film.

After completion of the course, students should:

i) be aware of the main ways in which a film can be critically analyzed
ii) use the appropriate terminology in discussing and writing about films
iii) present an argument about a film or films in written form in which evidence is advanced
in order to justify a claim
iv) be aware of the relationship between the business and art of cinema
v) appreciate the different aesthetic decisions made in the development and realization of a
film
vi) articulate the major differences between different kinds of cinema

Content Overview
At the beginning of the course, we consider the business of Hollywood cinema and of
cinema in general, followed by a study of the two main ways in which audiences are pulled into
the theaters: genres and stars. We then break down the study of the aesthetics of cinema into its
basic components: mise-en-scene, cinematography, editing, and sound. We study the various
narrative strategies of fiction cinema, before looking at the basic, alternative modes: documentary
and experimental cinema. Towards the end of the course, we consider film-making practices
from other parts of the world and ways in which spectators shape and are shaped by their film
viewing experience.

Readings

*Phillips, William H. Film: An Introduction, Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 4th edition, 2009. (this is
the REQUIRED text for the class)

*Readings on reserve at the Marriott Library—indicated with an (E-R) on the schedule

Readings are taken from the following sources:

  Prince, Stephen. Movies and Meaning: An Introduction to Film. Boston: Allyn and Bacon,
1995.
 Richie, Donald. Ozu. Berkeley and Los Angeles: U. of California P., 1974. ELEC
 Sobchack, Tom and Vivian Sobchack. An Introduction to Film (2nd edition). Glenview, IL:
Scott Foresman, 1987.

Requirements and Grade Weighting

Assignments and Points

Film Journals (12 x 20) = 240

Reading Responses (10) = 100

Midterm Film Analysis Essay (3-5 pages) = 200

Final Film Analysis Essay (5-7 pages) = 275

Attendance (5 x 12) = 60

Final Exam 125 points

Grade Scale

A 100 - 93% C 76-73%

A- 92-90% C- 72-70%
B+ 89-87% D+ 69-67%
B 86-83% D 66-63%
B- 82-80% D- 62-60%
C+ 79-77% E 59-0%

 12 Film Journals: 20 points each: 240 possible total points towards final grade.

In addition to the two major writing assignments, each student is required to write
a weekly thought paper on the film screened in class. There is some flexibility in
connection with these papers: they should be approximately two pages long,
double spaced, and should discuss the film within the context of the element the
film was chosen to illustrate (i.e. cinematography, editing, sound, etc.). However,
there are very many ways to successfully complete a thought paper. Be assured
that this is not simply a make-work assignment. Some of students' best, most
articulate and personal work will often come out of these papers. And excellent
 thought papers can go a long way in making up for substandard performance in
more conventional assignments.
 10 reading responses: 10 points each, 100 possible total points toward final grade

The readings are some times detailed and extensive. Select TWO terms/concepts
from the reading and for each;
o summarize its meaning
o give a detailed, clear example, from a film seen in or out of class
o explain how your example illustrates the importance of the concept in
general
o add how this element/example work to convey an important idea/theme of
the film

 Midterm Film Analysis Essay: Identify a single film (one we’ve seen in class or
you’ve seen on your own) and analyze. Summarize clearly and in detail (at least
two paragraphs) what one of the values/themes you feel the filmmakers were
attempting to convey. Select a single aspect/concept of film that is connected to
the film concepts we’ve discussed so far and select three ways in which the film
uses that to convey the values you’ve identified. Be specific and clear in both
defining the value and giving the examples. 3 to 5 pages

 Final Film Analysis: Using a film in current or recent release (seen in the
theaters), analyze its use of some of the film elements that we have been
discussing. You might begin by identifying one of the film’s themes or main
points. Then show how this theme is communicated through the utilization of
three of the main film elements (script, direction, acting, production design,
cinematography, editing, music, sound). You should also feel free to discuss
anything relating to what you believe are the central values/ideas/themes the film
wants to communicate.
Then, share your insights regarding your own development as a film viewer. How
has your approach to film changed since you’re your midterm analysis in this
course—both in terms of reasons for selecting the films you'll view and in terms
of analyzing the films you view? This paper should be from five to seven pages,
double spaced

 Attendance: will be taken 5 minutes after class begins.

 Final Exam: 150 possible points total towards your final grade.

The final exam will involve your seeing a film and then writing on its use of the
different cinematic elements. As this description suggests, you cannot really study
directly for the exam. Through the semester, through the successful completion of
readings and assignments, as well as through your energetic participation in class
discussions, you will hopefully have acquired the tools needed to effectively and
insightfully account for this film.
SUBMIT ALL ASSIGNMENTS ELECTRONICALLY TO SWENSON & THORPE.

LATE SUBMISSION POLICY

 Film Journals and Reading Responses may be submitted up to one week late for a
maximum of 75% credit. Without special permission from the TA, papers
beyond one week late will not be accepted!
 Without special permission from the TA, no Final Film Analysis Papers will be
accepted late.
Schedule
Since we only meet one day a week, attendance at and participation in the class is crucial.
The readings are due on the date listed and journal entries on the films are due the week after the
film is screened. Both are due electronically.

Week One (1/11): Overview: Film as Technology, Business and Art

Citizen Kane (Orson Welles, 1941, NR, 119 min)

Week Two (1/18): Hollywood Classical Cinema, Genres, and Stars

Read: Sobchacks, pp.3-21, 222-234 (E-R); Prince, pp.255-271 (E-R)
The Great Train Robbery (Edwin S. Porter, 1902, 12 min); Stagecoach (John Ford, 1939,
NR, 96 min)

Week Three (1/25): Artisans, Auteurs and Artists

Read: Sobchacks, pp. 300-312 (E-R); Phillips pp.307-333 (ch.7)
The Searchers (John Ford, 1956, NR, 1 hr 59 min)

Week Four (2/1): Mise-en-scene/Visual Design

Read: Phillips ch.1
Life of Pi (Ang Lee, 2012, PG 2 hr 7 min); Strictly Ballroom (Baz Luhrman, 1992, PG, 94
min)

Week Five (2/8): Cinematography

Read: Phillips ch.2
Pride & Prejudice (Joe Wright, 2005, PG, 2 hr 7 min); Black Stallion (Carol Ballard, 1979,
G, 1 hr 58 min)
excerpt from Touch of Evil (Orson Welles, 1956)

Week Six (2/15): Editing

Read: Phillips ch.3
Shadow of a Doubt (Alfred Hitchcock, 1948), PG, Alfred Hitchcock)
"Odessa steps" sequence from Battleship Potemkin (Sergei Eisenstein, 1925)

Week Seven (2/22): Narrative and Point-of-View

Read: Phillips pp. 254-289 (ch.6)
Beasts of the Southern Wild (Benh Zeitlin, 2013, PG-13, 1 hr 33 min)

Week Eight (3/1): Sound

Read: Phillips ch.4
 Night of the Hunter (Charles Laughton, 1955, NR, 1 hr 32 min) or O Brother ,Where Art
Thou? (Joel & Ethan Cohen, 2000, PG-13, 1 hr 47 min)
FIRST PAPER DUE

Week Nine (3/8): Avant-Garde and Experimental Film

Read: Phillips 399-417 (ch.9)
32 Short Films About Glenn Gould (Francois Girard, 1993, NR, 1 hr 38 min)
“Symphonie Diagonale” (Viking Eggeling, 1922); “Ballet Mechanique (Fernand Leger,
1924); “Un Chien Andalou” (Luis Bunuel, 1929) “Meshes of the Afternoon” (Maya Deren,
and Alexander Hamid, 1943); “Begone, Dull Care, (Norman McLaren, 1949)

Week Ten (3/15): Documentary

Read: Phillips pp. 363-398 (ch.8)
To Be and To Have (Etre et Avoir) (Nicholas Filibert, 2002m NR, 1 hr 44 min)
excerpt from Triumph of the Will (Leni Riefenstahl, 1935);

March 18-25: Spring Break

Week Eleven (3/29): International Cinema: From Italian Neo-Realism to

the Cinema of Iran
Read: Phillips pp. 333-342 (ch.7)
The Color of Paradise ( Rang-e khoda) (Majid Majidi, 1999, PG, 1 hr 30 min)
Friday, March 30 by midnight: Deadline for rewrites of first paper will be accepted

Week Twelve (4/5): A different aesthetic: Ozu and Japan

Read: Richie pp. xi-xvi, 1-17 (E-R)
Late Autumn (Akibiyori—A Calm Autumn Day) Yasujiro Ozu, 1962
1960, NR, 128 min)

Week Thirteen (4/12): Spectators & Perception

Read: Phillips pp. 503-550 (ch. 11)
500 Days of Summer (Marc Webb, 2009, PG-13, 1 hr 35 min)

Week Fourteen (4/19): Representation/Ideology/Culture

Hellboy (Guillermo del Toro, 2004, PG-13, 2 hr 1 min), Independence Day (Roland
Emmerich, 1996, PG-13, 2 hr 25 min)

Final Exam, Thursday, April 26, 6 to 8 p.m.,

Tuesday May 1 at Noon: SECOND PAPER DUE ELECTRONICALLY

ACCOMMODATIONS

*The University of Utah seeks to provide equal access to its programs, services and activities for
people with disabilities. If you will need accommodations in the class, reasonable prior notice
needs to be given to the Center for Disability Services, 162 Olpin Union Building, 581-5020
(V/TDD). CDS will work with you and the instructor to make arrangements for accommodations.
All written information in this course can be made available in alternative format with prior
notification to the Center for Disability Services.
*Some of the films screened in this course are unrated; others may be “R” rated. Because of the
aesthetic and historical significance of these films and their importance in illustrating the course
material, no content accommodations can be made. Please see
http://www.admin.utah.edu/facdev/accommodations-policy.pdf for more details of University
policy in this regard.

All students are expected to maintain professional behavior in the classroom setting, according to
the Student Code, spelled out in the Student Handbook. Students have specific rights in the
classroom as detailed in Article III of the Code. The Code also specifies proscribed conduct
(Article XI) that involves cheating on tests, plagiarism, and/or collusion, as well as fraud, theft,
etc. Students should read the Code carefully and know they are responsible for the content.
According to Faculty Rules and Regulations, it is the faculty
responsibility to enforce responsible classroom behaviors, and I will do so, beginning with verbal
warnings and progressing to dismissal from and class and a failing grade. Students have the right
to appeal such action to the Student Behavior Committee.

Title IX makes it clear that violence and harassment based on sex and gender (which Includes
sexual orientation and gender identity/expression) is a civil rights offense subject to the same
kinds of accountability and the same kinds of support applied to offenses against other protected
categories such as race, national origin, color, religion, age, status as a person with a disability,
veteran’s status or genetic information. If you or someone you know has been harassed or
assaulted, you are encouraged to report it to the Title IX Coordinator in the Office of Equal
Opportunity and Affirmative Action, 135 Park Building, 801-581-8365, or the Office of the Dean
of Students, 270 Union Building, 801-581-7066. For support and confidential consultation,
contact the Center for Student Wellness, 426 SSB, 801-581-7776. To report to the police, contact
the Department of Public Safety, 801-585-2677(COPS).
as fraud, theft, etc. Students should read the Code carefully and know they are responsible for the
content. According to Faculty Rules and Regulations, it is the faculty
responsibility to enforce responsible classroom behaviors, and I will do so, beginning with verbal
warnings and progressing to dismissal from and class and a failing grade. Students have the right
to appeal such action to the Student Behavior Committee.

Title IX makes it clear that violence and harassment based on sex and gender (which Includes
sexual orientation and gender identity/expression) is a civil rights offense subject to the same
kinds of accountability and the same kinds of support applied to offenses against other protected
categories such as race, national origin, color, religion, age, status as a person with a disability,
veteran’s status or genetic information. If you or someone you know has been harassed or
assaulted, you are encouraged to report it to the Title IX Coordinator in the Office of Equal
Opportunity and Affirmative Action, 135 Park Building, 801-581-8365, or the Office of the Dean
of Students, 270 Union Building, 801-581-7066. For support and confidential consultation,
contact the Center for Student Wellness, 426 SSB, 801-581-7776. To report to the police, contact
the Department of Public Safety, 801-585-2677(COPS).