Intendierte Lernergebnisse
The course will encourage and equip the students to become active spectators of film and, consequently, engaged, sovereign writers, articulating their viewing experience. The basis of active viewing is to think carefully about movies and take an analytical approach to understanding their meaning. Therefore, the course will provide insight into prevailing types of film analysis and offer strategies and resources for exploring and interpreting different means of film expression. The final goal is to engage students in transforming the excitement and pleasure of watching a film into the satisfaction of articulating ideas and insights about a particular movie. After the course, the students will have a broad knowledge of cinema’s artistic and ideological history, a solid understanding of the language used to discuss film, and a desire to confidently explore further aspects of the art of moving images.
Lehrmethodik
The course lessons combine lectures and seminars, which are intensively supported by film screenings and discussions about selected texts and movies. Duringthe seminar, students will write short examples of different types of film texts, such as a screening report, a movie review, and a critical essay.
Inhalt/e
Timothy Corrigan, an author of A Short Guide to Writing about Film, is convinced that “students write better about a subject they know and like and that few subjects today are enjoyed and understood more universally than the movies”. The purpose of the course is based on this conviction and assumption that the foundation to develop skills for balance between personal opinion and critical evaluation of the movie is a profound understanding of means of film expression. The starting point of becoming an active and critical spectator is the ability to analyze these means and articulate analytical outcomes. Therefore, students will learn the basic types of film analysis, such as shot-by-shot analysis, mise-en-scène analysis, analysis of film aesthetics, narrative structure analysis, analysis of film style and contextual analysis. At the same time, the course will equip the students with the skills to articulate a particular analysis’s findings, allowing them to transform their insight into a persuasive vocabulary for writing assignments. However, the important aim is also to ensure that careful thinking and analytical writing don’t disrupt the enjoyment of the movie-watching experience. On the contrary, it enriches it with the confidence of a more in-depth understanding of a film’s meaning and the cinematic techniques used to provide it.Part of the course is an excursion to the Slovenian Cinematheque in Ljubljana. The excursion includes a visit to the exhibition about one of the most eminent directors of theYugoslav “black wave” cinema movement, Karpo Godina, and a screening of his short alternative films. The author will also be present and available to discuss his creative experiences with the students.
Literatur
Timothy Corrigan, A Short Guide to Writing about Film, Boston (etc.), Pearson, 2015, (selected chapters p.p. 15-32 and 145-164). Michael Ryan and Melissa Leons, An Introduction to Film Analysis: Technique and Meaning in Narrative Film, London, New York, Continuum, 2012 (selected chapters p.p. 1-46). Robert Edgar-Hunt, John Marland and Steven Rawle, The Language of Film, Lausanne, AVA Publishing SA, 2010 (selected chaptersp.p. 118-148).