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February 2007, Week 1

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Subject:
From:
Jennifer Schneider <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Film and TV Studies Discussion List <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Sun, 4 Feb 2007 10:17:38 -0700
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Hi,

I actually just use portions of both texts in my class, but here are some of
the exercises I do to keep things from being redundant or lecture-only:

I identify key terms I'd like the students to understand, and I assign these
to them in small groups.  They are then responsible for finding clips that
illustrate the terms (jump cut, swish pan, 180-degree rule, etc.).  They
show these to the class and explain the term.  I've been surprised at how
much they have enjoyed and learned from these mini-presentations.

For film history, we are working on a sort of genealogy project:  the first
day of class, I asked students to identify their favorite films, and to
explain why (this is tough for them to do at the beginning--most just say,
"I liked it," or "it was entertaining").  Anyway, from these films, we
choose one contemporary movie:  this film becomes a "branch" in a film
family tree.  In groups, students do presentations throughout the semester,
working backward from the contemporary tree, all the way to the origins of
film, making connections via directors, film movements, technical
innovations, and so on.  They need to use the B/T readings to justify their
presentation topics and our moves backward through time.  

The posters from each presentation are hung on the wall to form a timeline
or tree.  (This semester, we started with *Boondock Saints*; four weeks in,
we are now at *Spinal Tap*--can you guess the connections?).

I also have students carefully storyboard a clip from one of the films we
watch in class, using technical language from the readings (these always end
up being extraordinarily creative projects, and give students a nice command
of different types of shots, as well as an understanding of the role editing
plays in creating meaning).  This is very work-intensive for students, so
they need to be given time to complete them adequately (I use examples from
Giannetti's chapter on editing to illustrate a very basic storyboarding
model).

Finally, at the beginning of the semester, I give students a 20-question
self-interview assignment.  They have to tape (audio or video) themselves
answering the questions about film--value-based questions about what film
can mean, how it has shaped their views about race, gender, sexuality,
etc.).  They also write a brief, self-reflective essay.  I don't listen to
the tapes but I do read the essays.  At the end of the semester, the
students listen to the tapes and do a creative project representing how
their views on film have changed over the course of the semester (are they
still "witless receptacles,"?  How have the readings shaped or changed their
views?  If their views haven't changed, why?)

Anyway, perhaps this was much more detailed than what you were asking for,
and students at my school are perhaps less sophisticated with regard to
cinema than students at other schools.  But I've struggled with the same
dilemma you've had, and wanted to share.  I look forward to other responses.
Good luck!

Jen


Jen Schneider, Ph.D.
Lecturer, Liberal Arts and International Studies
Coordinator, Nature and Human Values and LAIS Writing Center
Colorado School of Mines
Stratton Hall 406, 1005 14th St.
Golden, CO  80401
 
Ph:  303-273-3628
[log in to unmask]
-----Original Message-----
From: Film and TV Studies Discussion List [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
Behalf Of Bartlett
Sent: Sunday, February 04, 2007 8:35 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [SCREEN-L] Teaching Intro to Film & Film History

I am slated to teach Introduction to Film and Film History courses next
year.  I 
want to use the Bordwell and Thompson book, Film Art, for the first course
and the B&T book, 
Film History, for the second.  However, these books seem so comprehensive
that I am concerned 
about how to use class time in a way that will not seem redundant to the
students.

I would appreciate any suggestions as to effective and interesting ways to 
approach teaching Intro to Film and Film History courses using these texts.

----
Online resources for film/TV studies may be found at ScreenSite
http://www.ScreenSite.org

----
Online resources for film/TV studies may be found at ScreenSite
http://www.ScreenSite.org

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