Film Art module (EN32020)

The first half of Film Art examines several key periods (the late silent era, 1960s European art cinema) and theoretical approaches to film (realist, formalist, abstract, non-narrative) which offer radically different perspectives of what film should be.

The second half examines the idea of cinema as a "total art form", one which draws from and combines other arts into something distinct and new. To this end the module will address cinema relationship to older art forms including painting, photography, design, architecture, music, radio, and choreography, before looking at its relationship with more recent artistic and technological phenomena like comics, interactive games, and the internet.

What you will learn

In this module, you will:

• learn to challenge personal and popular pre-conceptions about the aesthetics and purpose of cinema.
• gain exposer to a wide variety of films, key periods, and divergent theoretical approaches to the medium.
• study film in tandem with art history, theatre studies, and critical approaches to other media to gain a more holistic view of the medium and its history.
• develop a high level of visual and cultural literacy

By the end of the module you will be able to:

• deconstruct complex audio-visual texts
• discuss and write about film and other art forms in a sophisticated, informed manner

Assignments / assessment

• essay 1 (40%)
• essay 2 (60%)

Teaching methods / timetable

• lectures
• screenings
• seminars

To learn about the cinema, you need to watch films. Wherever possible copies of the additional 40+ films discussed in the lectures will be made available for you. This will give you an opportunity to expand your cinematic horizons and find potential topics for your final research essay.