Intro. to Cinema Studies // Schedule
Spring 2017 // T 6–8:45 PM
@Jessifer // cinemastudies.slack.com
This schedule will evolve as the term proceeds. Watch regularly for more details. You can annotate any Medium page. Feel free to make comments or ask questions right on this page (or any other within our course site).
WEEK 1
Jan. 17: Introduction / Lemonade (2016) [will watch in class]
Recommended: Lemonade Syllabus
WEEK 2: Narrative
Jan. 24: Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012) [iTunes] [Amazon]
bell hooks, “No Love in the Wild”
Silpa Kovvali, “What ‘Beasts of the Southern Wild’ Really Says”
Assignment: 1) Sign up for Medium, upload a picture, create a profile, write an initial post, responding to Lemonade, Beasts of the Southern Wild, and/or the reading for this week. Tag your post with #cinemastudies. 2) Sign up for our Slack channel by going to cinemastudies.slack.com/signup, say hello, start getting your bearings there, and share a link to your Medium post.
WEEK 3: The Film Frame
Jan. 31: Run Lola Run (1998) [Amazon] [iTunes]
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, “Hush” (1999) [will watch in class]
Understanding Comics, pp. 2–59
The Filmmaker’s Eye, pp. 29–69
Assignment: 1) Publish a post to Medium (of 500–1500 words) analyzing a single frame from Run Lola Run, Lemonade, or Beasts of the Southern Wild. I recommend pausing on the frame and writing with it on screen. Include a still of the frame in your post. Tag your post with #cinemastudies. 2) Search #cinemastudies on Medium. Find posts by a few of your peers in the class and add comments. Respond to comments.
WEEK 4
Feb. 7: Brave (2012) [Amazon]
Brenda Chapman, “Stand Up for Yourself, and Mentor Others”
Brave director criticises Disney’s ‘sexualised’ Princess Merida redesign
Assignment: Bring several ideas (or “log lines”) to pitch for a potential film treatment. Glance at the assignment for next week for more details.
WEEK 5
Feb. 14: The Birds (1963) [YouTube]
Assignment: Film Treatment. Publish to Medium with #cinemastudies by end of day on Feb. 13. Submit to our class publication.
WEEK 6 (HCC Digital Auditorium)
Feb. 21: Alien (1979) [will watch in class]
Assignment: Fill out this Google Form before end of the day on Feb. 20
WEEK 7 (HCC Digital Auditorium)
Feb. 28: Continue discussion of Alien and work on final class project
“Woman: The Other Alien in Alien”
WEEK 8
Mar. 7: SPRING BREAK
WEEK 9 (HCC 407)
Mar. 14: SNOW DAY
WEEK 10 (HCC 407)
Mar. 21: Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001) [Amazon]
(Optional): Boys Don’t Cry (1999) [YouTube]
Assignment: Midterm Self-evaluation
WEEK 11 (HCC Digital Auditorium)
Mar. 28: Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) (120 min) [will watch in class]
WEEK 12 (HCC 407)
Apr. 4: Final Film Work Day (in class)
Optional: Advantageous (2015) [Amazon] [Netflix] [short]
Optional: Black Mirror, “San Junipero” (2016) [Netflix]
Assignment: Determine what you will accomplish with your group during this class period. Have a clear sense of what each member of your group should produce or prepare in advance of class. During the class session, you will have the opportunity to work together, and we will also have department heads meet together as a group.
The post-production group could, for example, each collect different kinds of royalty free sound files: music, sound effects, etc. During class, then, they might practice editing a short film with these sounds and video files. The filmmaking group could use this time to start shooting scenes for our film. Etc.
Optional Assignment: Write a reaction to Advantageous (the short or the longer version of the film) OR the Black Mirror episode, “San Junipero.” Think about how the film, episode, or short engages any of the questions we’ve been exploring this term. Or how it might inform or inspire our final film. If you’ve missed class discussion, haven’t written all the previously assigned Medium posts, do this :)
WEEK 13 (HCC Digital Auditorium)
Apr. 11: Final Film Work Day (in class)
WEEK 14 (HCC Digital Auditorium)
Apr. 18: Final Film Work Day (in class)
WEEK 15 (HCC Digital Auditorium)
Apr. 25: Final Project Screening
WEEK 16 (HCC 407)
May 2, 7:00 — 9:30pm (Optional): The Social Network (2010) [will watch and discuss during the final exam period]
Assignment: Final Self-evaluation (Due before 7:00pm, May 2)
