Unit name | Close-Up on Film |
---|---|
Unit code | FATV10002 |
Credit points | 20 |
Level of study | C/4 |
Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
Unit director | Dr. Pete Falconer |
Open unit status | Not open |
Pre-requisites |
None |
Co-requisites |
None |
School/department | Department of Film and Television |
Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
This unit equips students with skills in understanding and presenting ideas about film, focusing on theoretical approaches to film as a medium. Issues to be explored include: the relation of film to other artistic and expressive forms, the particular ways in which films generate meanings and pleasures, and the distinctiveness of film as a medium. The unit is structured around a close examination of key theoretical writings, as well as a select group of case study films that resonate with these writings. Through student-led presentations informed by influential theoretical and critical perspectives, with question and answer sessions, students will apply and explore different ways of thinking about film.
Aims:
On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:
1. demonstrate skills in oral communication and presenting on film through individual and group work;
2. invite and respond to debates relating to film;
3. demonstrate foundational skills in critical and textual analysis;
4. analyse and evaluate issues related to film as a distinct medium;
5. engage critically with selected major thinkers, debates and intellectual paradigms within film studies and put them to productive use;
6. produce work which is informed by, and contextualised within, relevant theoretical issues and debates, including those around film as a medium;
Weekly 2hr seminar
1 x 15 minute group presentation (30%) ILO 1-6
1 x 10 minute individual presentation (70%) ILO2-6
Presentations will take place in seminar sessions. Group presentations will be awarded a single grade.
Perkins, V. (1972) Film as Film. New York: Penguin Books.
Bazin, A. (2005) What is Cinema? Berkeley: University of California Press.
Mast, G., Cohen, M. and Braudy, L. (eds.) (1992) Film Theory and Criticism, 4th ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Additional readings will relate to the specific case studies that are chosen.