• OUTLINE Elements of Cinema is a course designed to introduce the student to the art, craft, and cultural importance of the world of film. The course will also examine the grammar of cinema and the various components that make up the language of this modern art form, which found its genesis in the late 1800s, came to prominence in the 20th century, and continues to be an artistic force in this millennium. At the end of the academic year, the student should come away from this course with a better understanding of how film tells a story, and to better appreciate the complex ingredients that make for great story telling and great film making. The course is designed to give an overview of the history of film, as well as to give an introduction to the basic language of this medium. Our study begins with the earliest movies of the Lumière Brothers, and Georges Méliès in France, as well as the early film experiments of Thomas A. Edison and Edwin S. Porter in America. The course will begin in the early years of this medium, as the silent cinema takes hold in the cultural landscape of America and the world. The students will study how American and European “silents” gave way to the invention and the adoption of sound in the late 1920s, and how movies came of age as the “talkies” shaped film into the art form that we know today. Important films from selected periods of film history will be viewed and studied. The study of cinema is not just a study of history as seen from the point of view of the movies. It also takes into consideration an in-depth study of the particular “language” with which the movies tell their unique story. The students will, therefore, learn and be able to recognize the various techniques that when assembled together make up a motion picture. The course aims to make the students fluent in the cinematic “syntax” that are the building blocks of a film. At the end of the year, the student should come away from this course with a better understanding of how film is able to tell a story, as well as a greater appreciation of the complex language that make up a film. The students will gain thorough knowledge of the famous actors, directors, writers and technicians that make up the high points in the history of cinema. In addition, the class will feature guest lectures by prominent industry professionals who are actively working in this medium. Through class discussions, in-class viewing, as well as home-viewing of films, the students will gain a deeper understanding of the history and craft of this medium, while also understanding that the cinema is a highly sophisticated craft, a business, as well as the most popular art form in the world. In this class the students will come to appreciate that the cinema is one of the most important artistic expressions of our modern culture. • INTELLECTUAL REQUIREMENTS Students should come to class prepared to think. This faculty should be demonstrated in a willingness to challenge assumptions, as well as having assumptions challenged. Students should come to class with an open mind, and a willingness to dialogue with the teacher and with one another. • MATERIALS NEEDED FOR THIS CLASS It is your responsibility to have the following items in your possession within the first week of the beginning of the school year. Make sure that you always bring the following items to class. A notebook. Either a composition style notebook, or a spiral notebook is fine. You will be taking plenty of notes, and experience has shown that a small notebook will not last you for very long. Therefore, make sure that you purchase one that has plenty of pages so that it will last you for the entire school year. It is good to have all your notes together in one notebook, especially during Midterm and Finals time. A folder. Please keep your returned graded quizzes and homework in it. A binder with loose-leaf. This is for quizzes, or class work that you must hand in.
• HOMEWORK The work that you take home that reinforces the previous day's work, usually referred to as homework, is an integral part of your education. Homework will be assigned every night and it will be collected the next day. Homework is to be HANDWRITTEN in blue or black ink, on white loose-leaf paper. Collected homework will generally be worth 10 points. There will be times when you will have to type the homework, but this would be the exception rather than the rule. Failure to hand in homework in the proper format will result in a grade of zero (0) for that assignment. • QUIZZES & GRADING In this class there will be frequent quizzes. It might be tough at first to realize that you are being tested so frequently and that you are required to know new material on a daily basis, but with time you will understand the importance of this procedure in order to learn this subject. A quiz will cover the material covered the day before. Each quiz will generally be worth 20 points. There will also be weekly Internet Assignments that normally will be worth anywhere from 40 to 80 points. With so many grades accumulating day in and day out, it is not unusual at the end of the quarter to have over 500 points worth of quizzes and homework. • WHAT IF YOU ARE ABSENT? It's important to take into consideration that as a student you are responsible for everything that happens in this class whether you are present or not. In the rare case that you are absent for health, retreat or other personal reasons, it is your responsibility to get in touch with one of your classmates and to find out the work that you missed (homework, and the topic for the quiz.) Upon your return you are required to present your homework, and to be ready to take the day's quiz, plus the quiz that you missed on the day of your absence. There are no exceptions to this rule. By the end of the first week of school you must secure the phone numbers of at least two students from the class that you can call, and that you feel will provide you with accurate and reliable information. |
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