Pre-register on WebSIS and attend first class.
Listeners allowed, space permitting
Prereq: Permission of instructor
Level: U 6 units Standard A – F Grading Can be repeated for credit
Examines works of film, television or other screen-based media, with emphasis on texts that are related by genre, time period, style, or director. Works studied vary from term to term. May be repeated for credit once with permission of instructor.
We will explore various elements of cinematic texts–the setting of action in time and space, the landscape, ldecor, placement of camera, and story or plot-line–to determine what makes a film an instance or version of a film of a particular kind, discernibly expressing the same underlying narrative pattern as others of the kind and yet communicating a different view of reality. Judgment by kinds is not an empty exercise in classification; it is implicit in understanding film narrative–why the action makes sense and what it means in relation to lived experience. Genres to be examined will include: Westerns, Detective Films, Gangster films, Romance, Screwball Comedies, Film Noir.
No previous experience with film analysis or critical theory is presumed.
