Syllabus for American Cinema - Honors

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COURSE TITLE
The American Cinema - Honors

COURSE CREDIT
Three credits per semester

INSTRUCTOR
Dr. Costanzo

COURSE OBJECTIVES
The course will help students:

1) to gain a working knowledge of American film history, from the silent cinema to the present day.

2) to develop their cinematic literacy: in other words, to teach them to recognize and use the basic technical and critical vocabulary of motion pictures.

3) to understand how the technology of the cinema relates to film art.

4) to grasp a fundamental understanding of the economics of film industry.

5) to understand the role of genre in American film history, recognizing how some of the most popular genres express American and cultural tensions.

6) to develop a more sophisticated conception of "realism" as it relates to motion pictures.

7) to question their own roles as passive spectators, and to increase their ability to watch films actively and critically.

8) to develop their ability to write critically and creatively about film

9) to do substantive research in film studies and present their findings effectively to an audience of peers in both written and oral forms

INSTRUCTIONAL METHODS
Methods include screening and analysis of selected films, class viewing of PBS videos, oral and written presentations, class discussion, group work, individual projects, research, and selected readings.

SUPPLEMENTAL LEARNING OPTIONS
The class may find opportunities for extending its interests in American cinema by attending current film screenings together, visiting the set or editing facilities of a film in progress, or engaging in simple film production activities.

REQUIRED TEXT:
John Belton, American Cinema/American Culture, NY: McGraw-Hill, 1994

COURSE COMPETENCIES
Students will be able to:

1) demonstrate a general knowledge of American film history from the beginning of Hollywood to contemporary independent film makers.

2) recognize basic film techniques (such as montage, mise-en-scene, high-angle shot, voice over narration) and use a core vocabulary of film terms to identify, analyze, and evaluate the aesthetic choices made by film artists and technicians in their films.

3) understand the economic bases of film as an industry, from the Studio System of the 1920s to today's conglomerates and independent producers.

4) identify the chief elements of major film genres and understand their importance in American culture.

5) be aware of the representation of gender, race, ethnicity, class, and ideology on the screen.

6) become active, critical viewers of film.

7) develop and apply their own criteria for judging the artistic merits, entertainment value, and ethical implications of the movies that they watch.

8) write film reviews, documented essays, or film treatments that demonstrate critical analysis, research skills, and creative judgment

9) give a collaborative oral presentation on a given film topic that involves sound research, careful planning, preparation of appropriate materials, and

OFFICE HOURS
Please make an appointment if you wish to see me before or after class. My office is Science 360. If you need to reach me by telephone, call 606-6930.

TOPIC OUTLINE AND READINGS

1. Introduction and Early Film History - Chapter 1

2. How Movies Are Made - Chapter 2 / Video 1

3. Classical Hollywood Style - Chapter 3

4. The Studio System - Chapter 4 / Video 2

5. The Star System - Chapter 5 / Video 3

6. American Film Comedy - Chapter 7 / Video 5

7. The War Film - Chapter 8 / Video 6

8. Film Noir - Chapter 9 - Video 7

9. The Western - Chapter 10 / Video 4

10. Film in the Television Age - Chapter 12 / Video 8

11. The Film School Generation - Chapter 14 / Video 9

12. The 1990s - Chapter 15 / Video 10

GRADES
Your course grade will depend on your performance in several areas:

Group Presentation (30%)
Individual Project (20%)
Final Exam (20%)
Quizzes (20%)
Class Participation (10%)

ATTENDANCE
Attendance is vital to your learning and to the success of others in this class. The seminar approach requires active participation from every student. Since each day is the equivalent of one week of fifty-minute classes, you are permitted no more than two unexcused absences.

GROUP PRESENTATION
The Group Presentation is an opportunity to learn about one of the film topics in depth and to present what you have learned to others in the class. Since this is a major portion of your grade (30%), you will want to give this project considerable time and serious attention.

Select your topic from the Topic Outline (5-12) and join a group of like-minded students to work with. Screen the video together, taking careful notes. Next begin your preliminary research. Find out what is available about your topic (historical, biographical, technical, artistic, and so on). At some point, you will want to divide tasks among your group. For example, if your group chooses the topic of Westerns, some students might read background material about the real west. Others might consult film histories to learn how the Western genre changed from decade to decade. Still others might watch a representative film and select a segment to analyze in class.

Prepare an engaging, well-organized, informed presentation for the class. Your presentation will start with a brief quiz: ten factual questions about the video that can be answered in a word or phrase. The purpose of these questions is to test students' understanding of significant facts and ideas presented in the video. Quizzes usually take the form of multiple choice, short answers, or true/false questions.

The quiz is followed by a class discussion which you lead by drawing from a list of carefully-prepared discussion questions. The discussion should involve the entire class in a careful exploration of the topic, enabling you to introduce your research findings whenever relevant. Good presentations will also include a creative project before or after the discussion. The creative project goes beyond a simple presentation of facts to recast the work and pertinent background information in more imaginative terms. You might interview filmgoers and professionals, analyze segments from selected films in class, created original videos, demonstrate the lighting of a movie set, or involve the class in group activities (like writing a script segment for a Western or taking a group survey of viewing trends)--any relevant activity to make the topic come alive.

Your group presentation will be evaluated according to the following criteria. All materials (bibliography, quiz, discussion questions) must be neatly typed.

1) Bibliography. Your group must consult a minimum of four works, but most groups read about ten and some use more than twenty for their research. Follow the MLA format for bibliographies and be sure you use every work on the list.

2) Quiz. Be sure that your ten questions and the answers are completely accurate and fair. Their purpose is to test the class's understanding of significant facts and ideas presented in the text (American Cinema/American Culture). Make copies for each student in the class. You will score these and hand them to me by the following week.

3) Discussion Questions. These should be based on your research as well as on a thorough understanding of the video. They are intended to guide the class discussion, getting students to think carefully and productively about the topic. They should engage the entire class. Some seminar leaders list as many as 30 questions, as few as 10. Submit one copy of the questions to me.

4) Creative Project. The key to a successful project is the quality of imagination, thought, and effort you invest. If you show enthusiasm and initiative, if your project captivates your audience and illuminates the topic, you will have made a worthwhile presentation.

INDIVIDUAL PROJECT
You will receive a handout describing the options for your individual project. The project will be worth 20% of your final grade.

INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT OPTION 1:
SEGMENTATION AND SCENE ANALYSIS
Good movies, like good stories, poems, and plays, are best read more than once. Under close analysis, a well-made film can reveal qualities and meanings which we miss the first time through. The purpose of this assignment is to take another, careful look at a familiar film--close up and as a whole--in order to appreciate how it was made and how it works.

First, select a film to study from the course list. View the entire film and do a formal segmentation as described in Chapter 2 of Belton's text. Write an explanation of your findings, including any patterns of narrative progression, symmetry, or circularity. What is the overall shape of the plot? How does the narrative pattern contribute to the movie's theme?

Second, choose a scene (from 10 to 20 shots in length) to analyze. Prepare a shot-by-shot analysis of the scene. Your analysis should include the following for each shot: 1) a brief description of the shot (action, setting, characters), 2) framing (close up, medium shot, long shot), 3) camera angle (low angle, high angle, eye level), 4) camera movement (tilt, crane, tracking, none), 5) lighting (high key, low key, normal), 6) sound (describe any dialogue, music, voice over, or sound effects), and 7) transition (cut, dissolve, wipe, other optical effects). Note: You may list the elements (1-7) for each shot or describe them in paragraph form, but they must all be accounted for. Check the library reserve folder ("Scene Analysis") for a sample shot-by-shot analysis.

Third, answer the following questions about your chosen scene:

1) PLOT. How does this scene contribute to the ongoing story? Give a brief overview of your chosen film (What is it about?) and tell how the scene fits in.

2) POINT OF VIEW. Does this scene present an objective view of events, or does it represent someone's subjective account? Explain. How is the camera used to emphasize this point of view?

3) CHARACTER. What does this scene tell you about the major character or characters? Refer as specifically as you can to the actors' movements, words, and dress as revealed by the camera.

4) TONE. Describe the overall mood of this scene. Is it mysterious, funny, sad? How do the lighting and camera work help to create this mood?

INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT OPTION 2:
THE CONTEMPORARY FILM REVIEW
This assignment is an opportunity to apply what you have learned this term to a contemporary film of your own choice. Select a new film that has just been released or one that has been made available recently on video cassette. Choose a movie that genuinely interests you or puzzles you--a movie that you want to think about and examine more carefully than usual. Since this will be a critical review, you need to go beyond a simple statement of your likes and dislikes. Be prepared to use what you have learned about film technique, theory, and history to illuminate this film. Find out more about the director, the actors, the issues so you can make an informed evaluation. You may want to consider some of the following topics in your review:

Personal Issues. What struck the most responsive chords in you? How can you account for such a strong emotional or intellectual response? To what extent do you believe that your response can be generalized to other viewers? Why?

Technique. Were there any exceptionally good (or bad) uses of music, dialogue, camera work, editing, or special effects? Considering what you now know about the process of producing a film, what are the film's technical strengths and weaknesses?

Acting. What were the principle roles and how well were they performed? Were the actors type-cast or miscast? How credible were their performances?

Plot. Outline just enough of the story so a reader who has not seen the film can understand your comments. How original, how compelling did you find the plot?

Themes. What are the main ideas or issues of the film? Is it a simple love story, or does it make a thought-provoking statement about certain kinds of relationships? Are there any hidden or blatant messages? Are the messages distracting, intrusive, or integrated with the plot?

Genre. Does this film belong to a class of similar films, like Westerns, horror films, or musical comedies? If so, what other films does it resemble? What are the common characteristics of these films? Why do you think this genre is popular today?

Representation. How does the film represent different kinds of people: men and women, rich and poor, various ethnic groups? Why do you think it represents them in this way?

Ideology. What cultural beliefs (about sexuality, politics, family) were challenged or confirmed by the film? How was this accomplished?

INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT OPTION 3:
BEHIND THE SCENES

We often appreciate a movie more when we know how it was made. What went into its creation behind the scenes? For example, how did the art director design the sets for Citizen Kane? How did the photographer achieve those striking camera movements and lighting effects? Where did the ideas for the screenplay come from, and what did each writer contribute to the script?

This assignment is an opportunity to look behind the scenes at a particular aspect of filmmaking which interests you. First, select a film from one of Belton's flimographies. Be sure to check with me know before you start. Then, choose one of the following topics and write a report (5-7 typed pages) on what you learn.

A. Script Writing. Who was responsible for the film script? Where did the main idea originate? If the film is based on literature, read the original text and compare it to the final film.

B. Photography. Who was the film's chief cinematographer? What is he or she most noted for? Are there any technical innovations in camera work or lighting? How were they achieved?

C. Set Design. Who was involved in selecting and creating the film's sets? Were any special problems encountered in making the sets? How were they solved? How important are the sets in the final film?

D. Music. Does the film use familiar music or an original score? What musical decisions were made by the composer? What effects was the composer striving for? Are different melodies used for different characters or scenes? How do they contribute to the total film experience?

E. Direction. Some directors have a stronger hand than others in the making of a film. Directors may be interested in different elements of filmmaking. What role did the director have in producing the film you chose? What are the director's hallmarks in this and other films?

F. Acting. Select one or more actors in the film and find out more about them. Why do you think they were chosen for the film? What other roles have they played? Are they versatile or stereotyped? What can you learn about their behavior on or off the set during the film's production?

G. Reception. Do some research to find out how the film was received during its first release. What did the critics say? How did the general public respond? How do you account for the reception its own time and today?

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