Rationale
This introductory module is designed to stimulate the student’s intellectual curiosity. It will develop the student’s critical knowledge and skills base in ways which complement and inform the conceptual and practical work being done in Video Practice and Production: Introduction, as well as students’ work in the other Level 4 modules. The module introduces Film Studies as an academic discipline, provides the student with a toolkit of concepts for the close analysis of a range of film texts and genres, links concepts to longstanding issues within film criticism and theory, and sets the student on the path of historical and contextual film enquiry through the study of a diverse range of films from around the world. The student will be introduced to a range of subject-specific and generic skills needed for the development of effective academic study. Links between criticism, theory, practice and creative work will be stressed throughout, with the overall aim of developing the student’s critical abilities in the close analysis of texts within appropriate historical and other contexts. These are vital in developing the student’s intellectual capacities as a confident independent learner with a critical voice of their own and as a knowledgeable reflective practitioner.
Indicative Content
The module begins with a session on the nature and scope of Film Studies, introducing the subject’s emergence as an academic discipline and outlining some of its key concepts. Full length screenings and clips from a diverse range of films will be linked to particular concepts and theoretical issues in the field.
The first half of the module will focus on concepts such as form, narrative and non-narrative, mise-en-scene, cinematography, editing and sound (several of which can be linked to production ‘craft skills)’ and genre, and will touch on issues such as authorship, performance/stardom and canonicity, critical paradigms and taste.
In the second half of the module the focus will be on representation and issues of race and ethnicity in American film and how these representations of certain groups of people compare to examples from other national cinemas.
The module also focuses on developing essential academic skills for film study, so attention is given to the requirements of independent and self-directed study, using the VLE, viewing (including viewing foreign language films), reading, note-taking, researching in the library and online, discriminating between different types of sources, planning and writing essays, referencing and plagiarism and exam skills.
Assessment
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Practical Analysis, 1500 words, 35%
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Essay, 2500 – 3000 words, 65%