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Communication 240
MODES OF FILM COMMUNICATION
Fall, 2005
Prof. Marty Norden
409 Machmer, 545-0598
norden(at)comm.umass.edu
Prof. Norden's home page: www-unix.oit.umass.edu/~norden
Teaching Assistants:
T.A. phone number: 545-1311 (leave message)
COURSE SUMMARY:
This course is designed to provide an introduction to the nature
and functions of film in its narrative, documentary, and experimental
forms. We will look at the various components of film expression
(composition, movement, editing, sound, set design, acting), developments in
screen narrative, film's relationship to other arts and media, and its role as
an instrument of social expression.
The lecture period at 4-5:15 on Tuesday in Thompson 102 will be followed
by a screening session (listed as lab) at 5:30-7:30 in
Thompson 106. The lecture period on Thursday, also at 4-5:15 in Thompson
102, will contain a discussion component.
TEXTBOOK:
Stephen Prince, Movies and Meaning: An
Introduction to Film, 3rd edition. Boston: Pearson/Allyn &
Bacon, 2004. This textbook is available at the Jeffrey Amherst College
Store, 26 S. Prospect St., downtown Amherst.
OUTSIDE READINGS:
The required reading for this class includes two online articles
courtesy of Wikipedia.
The links for these articles are listed in the "READING(S)" column below. To
access each article, just click on its title.
Each reading assignment noted below should be completed
before class on the indicated date to correlate with that
week's lecture material and film(s), and to facilitate discussion.
Additional topics and readings may be assigned at a later date. The
Glossary that starts on p. 437 of the Prince text will be helpful to
you at various points in the semester.
ANOTHER WORD ABOUT OUR ONLINE SYLLABUS:
In addition to the article titles, all film titles
listed below on our syllabus are active hyperlinks. If you would like more
information on any film, simply click on the appropriate link.
In most cases, it will take you to the corresponding entry at the Internet Movie Database for that film.
COURSE SYLLABUS AND READING ASSIGNMENTS:
WEEK OF: LECTURE: SCREENING(S): READING(S):
Sep. 8 Course intro
Sep. 13-15 The Film Biz Behind the Screens (2000) Chap. 8
Living in Oblivion (1995)
Sep. 20-22 Cinematography I Visions of Light (1992) Chap. 1
Sep. 27-29 Cinematography II Seconds (1966) Chap. 2
Oct. 4-6 Editing Rear Window (1954) Chap. 4
Oct. 11-13 Sound The Conversation (1974) Chap. 5
Oct. 18-20 Production design Citizen Kane (1941) Chap. 3
and acting
Oct. 25-27 Screen storytelling Thelma & Louise (1991) Pp. 214-243
Nov. 1-3 Genre patterns White Heat (1949) Pp. 243-260
****NOTE: A MIDTERM EXAM IS SCHEDULED FOR THUR., NOV. 3 @ 4-5:15 p.m.****
Nov. 8-10 Screen realities Week End (1967) Chap. 7; and pp.
338-343, 358-364
Nov. 15-17 Documentaries I No Lies... (1975) Wikipedia article:
This Is Spinal Tap (1984) "Documentary Film"
Nov. 22 Documentaries II Bowling for Columbine (2002)
****NOTE: HOLIDAY ON THUR., NOV. 24****
Nov. 29- Experimental film [to be announced] Pp. 343-347; and
Dec. 1 Wikipedia article:
"Experimental Film"
Dec. 6-8 Film criticism Drugstore Cowboy (1989) Chap. 10
Dec. 13 Film theories Elephant (2003) Chap. 11
Changes in the above schedule may arise with the addition or substitution
of other films. In addition, we plan to show numerous excerpts from other
films throughout the semester to help illustrate the readings and lecture
material.
FILMS ON RESERVE:
We will routinely place video copies of our
main movies on reserve in the "Audio-Visual reserve" section of the Du
Bois library's third floor. Each copy will typically be put on reserve
after our Thursday class period and will be available for only about
a week. The copies are intended for students writing papers on those
films or who unavoidably missed a Tuesday screening. You
should not plan to view the course films on a regular basis by
borrowing our video copies. To set up screening times, visit the Reserve
Office or call them at 545-2358.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
A. TESTS
Two tests will be given in this course: a midterm exam, scheduled for Thur.,
Nov. 3 during our afternoon class period; and a final exam. The final
will only cover material studied since the midterm. The format of the exams will be discussed in class at
a later date. Each test will be worth approximately 25% of your final
grade. Make-up exams will not be given except through special arrangement made in
advance with me.
B. PAPER
One paper is required for this course. It will be worth approximately
25% of your final grade and will focus on a film screened in class. Click here
to learn which film you'll be writing about. Your paper
will be due at the beginning of the lecture period two weeks after that
film's screening in class. It MUST follow one of the two forms below:
1. A close analysis of some aspect of the film's style or technique.
Analyze how the film uses a specific cinematic element or combination of
elements to create meaning of an emotional effect. For example, you may
want to examine a film's use of black-and-white cinematography, or the
camera's perspective and movement, or sound, or editing, as any one of these
items relates to a film's exposition and narrative progression. Think about
what central idea or ideas the film may be attempting to communicate and how
certain elements or techniques are being used to achieve that communication.
Consider the relationship between what the film says (its content) and how
the film says it (its form). Also, think about how the film's narrative
structure might work to create meaning or make you as a viewer respond or
react in a certain way. Suggest by your analysis how well or poorly the
filmmakers employed the stylistic element or technique. This does not
necessarily have to be a research paper (though you may find outside research
helpful), but if you use research sources -- newspaper and magazine
articles, books on the filmmakers involved, websites, etc. -- they should be
appropriately cited.
2. A critical essay that examines the ways that the film functions as
a social document. Evidence and arguments may be drawn from a variety
of sources. To make a point, you may want to refer to the film itself and
tie it in with historical research, personal experience, and articles from
film journals. Be creative, but remember to give specific examples in
support of your arguments. Please consider the following questions: In what
respect does the film serve as a socio-cultural artifact? In other words,
what does the film tell us about the filmmakers' conception of the
socio-cultural setting in which the film was made? (This setting is not
necessarily the same thing as the time-period depicted in the film.) Given the prevailing social attitudes,
preoccupations, and restraints of the time, how effectively does the film
you have chosen reflect or attack the society and culture from which it
emerged? Appropriate citations are a must for this project.
The paper should be from five to six pages in length and must be
typed, double-spaced, with one-inch margins. Please do NOT rely
solely on web-based materials for your paper's sources -- the web should
stand alongside the library as a resource, not replace it. If you have never
written a paper about a film before (or even if you have), I recommend
that you look over Timothy Corrigan's excellent book A Short Guide to
Writing About Film, available on reserve. You might also check out
the online resources at Dartmouth
College's Writing Program. Its Materials
for Students section contains many helpful links, including -- drumroll
please -- a unit on Writing
About Film. I also suggest that
you look through Chapter 10 of the Prince book ("Film Criticism and
Interpretation") for some practical suggestions. Finally, I recommend that
you make and keep a copy of the paper (whether a photocopy, a computer
print-out, or an electronic document stored on a computer diskette or
hard drive) until you receive the original back from me.
Do not e-mail me your paper under any circumstances. Submit a hard copy
only, please.
As noted above, the paper is due two weeks after the movie's screening. I
will accept late papers but for reduced credit and only if you have
made arrangements with me in advance.
C. WEEKLY RESPONSE PAPERS
Beginning on Sep. 22, you will be required to submit a brief (approximately 1-to-3
paragraph) essay written in class each Thursday. You will write
this essay in response to one or two questions that I will pose on the
film that we have just seen and discussed. This series of weekly writing
projects is designed to allow you to articulate your views, if in a
highly abbreviated way, on each major film that we see. (It will also
function as a once-a-week attendance monitor.) We will set aside the
last ten minutes or so of each Thursday period to allow you to work on
this assignment. Please submit your essay directly to a Teaching
Assistant (one will be assigned to you shortly) before you leave class on
Thursday. Each of these very brief weekly papers will receive a mark ("+"
for very good, a check mark for average, "-" for sub-par, or some similar
scheme) and together will account for approximately 25% of your final grade.
Importantly, they will also help prepare you for the two tests and the
paper.
Please be forewarned that I have a near-pathological aversion to handing
out "incompletes." I will give such non-grades only under the most
extreme of circumstances (such as illness or your own death) and even
then grudgingly. Otherwise, any missing work will be averaged into the
final grade.
Please contact me if you have any questions about our course
requirements.
A STATEMENT ABOUT COPYRIGHT:
Many of the materials created for this course are the intellectual
property of the instructor. This includes, but is not limited to, the
syllabus, lectures, and course notes. Except to the extent not protected
by copyright law, any use, distribution or sale of such materials
requires the permission of the instructor. Please be aware that it is a
violation of university policy to reproduce, for distribution or sale,
class lectures or class notes, unless copyright has been explicitly
waived by the faculty member.
Copyright (c) 2005 Martin F. Norden
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