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Updated 3 May 2007
ENGLISH 114, INTRODUCTION TO FILM
Section 2: Monday 6:00-9:30 p.m., Wiecking Auditorium
Spring 2007, 4 credits
Professor: Donald F.
Larsson E-Mail Address: donald.larsson@mnsu.edu
Office: 301L Armstrong Hall (third floor, facing fountain) Office Phone: 389-2368
Office Hours: Monday, 4-5 pm; Wednesday 10:00-Noon; Friday, 11:00 am-1:00 pm;
and by appointment*
*Note: I am on campus much of the day, almost every day of the week, but if you want to be sure to find me, please let me know that you want to meet! You can leave messages at my office phone or by email.
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Updated! |
NOTE: Any changes from the print
version of this syllabus will be highlighted in yellow!
This online version will be the “official” version of the class syllabus.
A CAUTION AND AN INVITATION:
Contemporary films shown in this class sometimes include strong language, nudity and "sexual situations," and/or scenes of violence. As adults, you are expected to approach these films with the same seriousness as you would approach any object of study in college. However, if you have genuine objections to watching such material, let me know.
This is a very large class, so I rarely get to know more than a few of you by name. But I welcome your comments, compliments, and complaints, in class and out of class. Remember that there is no such thing as a dumb question (except, maybe, "Did I miss anything important?" and "Do you have a stapler?") I am happy to offer advice about papers and exams or just to talk about movies. Always feel free to drop by during office hours. If you can't make it during my hours, let me know when you're free and we'll set up a time together. You can leave messages by e-mail or on my office phone any time. I hope to get to know at least some of you outside of class and to hear what's on your mind. Even in a film class, we shouldn't have to work in the dark.
I also welcome comments, questions and conversations by e-mail: (donald.larsson@mnsu.edu).
1. TEXTS AND OTHER MATERIALS
§
Richard Barsam,
Looking at Movies: An Introduction to Film
Textbook Website: http://www.wwnorton.com/web/movies/template.asp
(your registration code should inside your textbook)
§ 5 Test Answer ("Scantron") Sheets (full size--8 1/2" x 11", available at University and Maverick Bookstores) and a Number 2 Pencil
§ A set of 3” X 5” index cards for Extra Credit Questions or Observations. (See below for details.)
2. COURSE OBJECTIVES (for General Education Category 6 Outcomes, see the web site)
This class starts with one basic assumption: Viewing and understanding films require our active participation as viewers.
We tend to think of watching film as a passive activity--we kick off our shoes, put up our feet and just let the images and sounds wash over us. Sometimes, after a hard day, that kind of "passive" viewing is necessary. But unless we are asleep, we always take part in what we watch--we catch clues and cues, anticipate events, react to characters, and notice themes and meanings. Much of the time, we aren't aware of this participation. But when we do notice it, our active involvement in watching the film can reward us. And as we learn more about how to look and listen and what to look and listen for, we can find more rewards: more to think about, more to appreciate, and even more to enjoy.
This course, then, will be about how to watch and listen to films. Using individual movies as examples, we'll consider how events, characters, and meanings give stories their shape. Just as important, we'll examine how these elements of narrative depend on and interact with the elements of the film's style. And we'll discuss how all these elements reflect the visions and beliefs of different filmmakers and the times and places they came from, as well as our own visions and beliefs.
Most of our examples will come from the tradition we are most familiar with--that of the Classical Hollywood Narrative Film--but we'll also view examples of other types of film as well as movies from other countries and the silent era.
By the end of the semester, you should be able to
- Identify the major stages in making a film and how different types of tasks are handled by different individuals or groups of people at each stage
- Demonstrate your knowledge of different types of films
- Demonstrate your understanding of narrative form, especially the differences between “story” and “plot”
- Define “mise-en-scene” and identify major elements of film design
- Identify different elements of cinematography and demonstrate your understanding of how they affect specific shots and scenes in films
- Identify the major the elements of “continuity editing” and demonstrate your understanding of some alternatives to such editing
- Identify major elements of sound in film and demonstrate your understanding of sound interacts with the film image
- Identify how these concepts and terms function in individual films
- Demonstrate your understanding of how narrative and style create different kinds of meaning in the films and clips that we watch in class
- Look at movies with greater understanding and comprehension
3. ATTENDANCE AND CLASS POLICIES
I will not call attendance each week for a class this large. However, you should attend consistently. Some weeks will be devoted to screening a full-length film with a lecture and discussion. Other weeks will be devoted primarily to lecture and discussion, supplemented by short films, clips and slides. I will have class notes available online, but some films and the clips and slides will not be readily available. The notes are no substitute for being here!
When watching the film, concentrate on what you see and hear.
§ Take notes during or after the screening. The online Study Guides for feature-length films can give you some guidance in what to look and listen for. I will leave the lights partially on so you can at least see your notebook during the films.
§ Laughter, gasps, and applause are fine, but PLEASE DON'T TALK until after the screening.
§ On the other hand, I encourage you to talk and ask questions during lecture and discussion!
§ It's as important to see all of a film as it is to read a novel from beginning to end. Please arrive at class on time and do not leave the auditorium until the lights start coming up.
§ If you must leave during a film screening for a bathroom break or emergency, please do so as quietly as possible. Please try to keep the door from banging shut!
§ Laptop computers may be used for note-taking only. All other electronic devices (cell phones, iPods, PDAs, etc.) must be silenced and put away during class. No electronic devices of any kind should be on during film screenings or Tests.
§
You should do the assigned reading in the class schedule
for each week before coming to class. The lists of Terms to Know (see
web site) will help you to know what to concentrate on as you read.
There are at least three advantages to doing this reading in advance:
§ You will know what to look and listen for in the films we see (several of them are at least mentioned in Looking at Movies and some are discussed in depth);
§ Lectures and discussions will refer to terms from the reading and you will be better able to discuss the terms and concepts and ask questions about them;
§ Many of the terms will appear in one form or another on Tests and the Final Exam, and you will not have to cram them all in just before the exam itself.
4. GRADING
The main part of your final grade will be based on four Tests and one Final Exam in multiple-choice/true-false format.
§ Tests: Taken at the beginning of a class (6:00 p.m.). Tests usually cover about 2-4 weeks of class and 1-2 chapters of the textbook, as well as feature-length films, short films or film clips that have been screened in class. Tests will often have several questions based on a film clip shown in class. 4 Tests @ 25 questions each = 100 points. You can make up tests if you have a legitimate reason. Make-up tests will be in short essay form.
§ Final Exam: Held at 6:00 p.m. on Monday, May 7. There will be three main parts to the Final Exam:
o Questions related to the last 2-3 weeks of class
o Cumulative questions about terms and concepts covered in the reading and in class and the feature-length films seen in class
o Questions about mise-en-scene, cinematography, editing and sound in a film clip shown during the exam.
Final Exam @ 50 questions = 50 points.
See the Schedule for exact dates for Tests and Final Exam. If you miss any Tests, they can be made up only by taking a written essay-form alternative.
TOTAL POSSIBLE SCORE=150 POINTS
(Total Possible Extra-Credit = 30 points. See below!)
EXAM MAKE-UP POLICY: Any in-class Quizzes or Exams that are missed for any reason can be made up only by taking a written essay-form Quiz or Exam that I will administer. If you miss a quiz or exam, contact me as soon as possible.
The final grade will be based on the total of points on your quizzes and final exam, adjusted by any extra-credit work.
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A = 135-150 |
B = 120-134 |
C = 105-119 |
D = 90-104 |
F = 0-89 |
5. EXTRA CREDIT
There are two optional, extra-credit assignments that can help to raise your final grade. You will not lose any credit if you do not do these assignments (but you won't get any extra points either!).
Extra Credit Question/Observation (10 possible points): At the end of the period on each week listed in boldface with an asterisk (*), you can hand in an index card (3” X 5”) that includes a question or observation related to that week’s film, reading or discussion.
- Each valid question or observation will add one (1) point to your total score.
- The question or observation must relate directly to the film or issues being discussed. Questions dealing with other matters (“What is your favorite film?”; “When is our next Test?”; and so on) will not receive credit.
- Observations can relate to anything particular that you noticed in the film or connections you make regarding a term, idea or concept from the reading or discussion.
- Questions and Observations will be collected only at the end of that week’s class. If they are turned in earlier during the class or after the class is over, they will not receive credit.
NOTE: Selected answer to questions and responses to observations are posted on the class Desire2Learn site.
Analytical
Paper (Mise-en-Scene,
Cinematography, Editing). You can earn 15-20
points by writing an optional paper that analyzes the use of mise-en-scene,
cinematography, or editing in a film seen outside of class. For more
information, go to the Extra Credit Paper Assignment page at the class web
site:
Extra
Credit Assignment: http://english2.mnsu.edu/larsson/introfilm/excredasgn.html
Extra Credit Examples
using The General: http://english2.mnsu.edu/larsson/introfilm/example.html
A FINAL NOTE ABOUT GRADING:
You are responsible for keeping track of your progress on Tests, but the scores will be posted on D2L. Let me know if you see any errors or omissions in your scores as the semester progresses. No extensions on the Extra Credit Paper deadline are possible, but I am happy to talk with you about early drafts of that paper, and you may turn it in before the deadline if you wish. The grade point totals listed above are final. I will gladly correct any genuine errors, but if your grade total falls one or two points below a higher grade, I will not give you points you have not earned.
6. SCHEDULE OF READINGS IN LOOKING AT MOVIES,
TOPICS AND FILM SCREENINGS
English 114: Introduction to Film, Section 2 (Monday night)
You are expected to read the chapter before coming to class.
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Week |
Date |
Topics and |
Films |
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1 |
Jan. 15 |
MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY, NO CLASS |
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Jan. 22 |
Chapter 1: What Is a
movie? (also see Appendix, 457-477) § Fundamental principles |
A Star Is Born (1937); directed by William Wellman, with Janet Gaynor, Fredric March, Lionel Stander |
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3* |
Jan. 29 |
Chap. 1: Types of movies Chapter 2:Form & narrative § What Is form? § Principles of form |
Clips from A Star Is Born and short films |
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Feb. 5 |
Chap. 2: Narrative |
Bonnie and |
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Feb. 12 |
Test 1 (Chapters 1 and
2, A Star Is Born, Bonnie and |
Tootsie (1982); directed by Sidney Pollack; with Dustin Hoffman, Jessica Lange, Bill Murray |
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6* |
Feb. 19 |
Chapter 5: Acting |
Clips from Tootsie and other films |
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7* |
Feb. 26 |
More on acting and mise-en-scene |
The General (silent, 1927); directed by and starring Buster Keaton |
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Mar. 5 |
Test 2 (Chapters 5 and
3, Tootsie, The General) |
Hamlet (2000); directed by Michael Almereyda; with Ethan Hawke, Kyle MacLachlan, Julia Styles |
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Mar. 12 |
SPRING BREAK, NO CLASS |
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9* |
Mar. 19 |
Chapter 4: Cinematography |
Vertigo (1958); directed by Alfred Hitchcock, with Jimmy Stewart, Kim Novak |
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10* |
Mar. 26 |
More on cinematography |
Clips from Hamlet, Vertigo and other films |
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April 2 |
Test 3 (Chapter 4, Hamlet, Vertigo) |
Run Lola Run ( |
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12* |
April 9 |
Chapter 6: Editing |
Magnolia (1999); directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, with Julianne Moore, William H. Macy, Tom Cruise |
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13* |
April 16 |
More on editing |
Clips from Run Lola Run, Magnolia, and other films |
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April 23 |
Test 4 (Chapter 6, Run Lola Run, Magnolia) |
Citizen Kane (1940); directed by Orson Welles; starring Welles, Joseph Cotton, Dorothy Comingore |
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April 30 |
Chapter 7: Sound |
Clips from Citizen Kane and other films |
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May 7 |
FINAL EXAM (covers Chapter 7, Citizen Kane, and cumulative terms for Chapters 1-6); same time and place! |
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*Weeks in boldface with an asterisk (*) are the weeks on which I will collect Extra Credit Questions