Assignments

English 3950/5950 Evolution of Film, Fall 2023

T 5:00-7:45 p.m., Arts & Sciences 366

In Class Activities

1. Films and Their Movements

Today, let's begin to get to know each other by dividing into groups; and let's begin to make connections between historical film movements and individual films by summarizing key ideas from the chapters and analyzing key aspects of the film. After dividing into five groups, elect a secretary to share your group's discussion with the class. Here are the groups and questions:

  1. Chapter 4 France in the 1920s (FH 71-84): Identify three main ideas from the chapter; be sure to address French Impressionism in your discussion.
  2. Chapter 5 Germany in the 1920s (FH 85-100): Identify three main ideas from the chapter; be sure to address German Expressionism in your discussion.
  3. Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans: Identify three ways (or scenes) in which the film illustrates German Expressionism.
  4. Chapter 6 Soviet Cinema in the 1920s (FH 101-21): Identify three main ideas from the chapter; be sure to address Soviet Montage.
  5. Battleship Potemkin: Identify three ways (or scenes) in which the film illustrates Soviet Montage.

2. Film Elements

In preparation for the scene analysis assignment, let's break into groups to practice interpreting a scene from M through its film elements. Here are the instructions:

  1. Break into four groups.
  2. Each group reviews its assigned film element from the film analysis handout.
  3. Each group discuss its assigned scene in terms of its assigned film element.

Here are the groups:

  1. mise en scène (the staging of the film): introducing the underground courtroom, 1:34:18-1:35:55
  2. cinematography (film stock, lighting, and the camera): gangsters in the backroom, beggars in the basement, and both on the the first floor, 42:00-45:00
  3. editing: evidence and profiling, 14:55 to 16:20
  4. graphics and sound: 21:05 to 23:30

3. Film Industries around the World

Today, let’s break into groups in order to highlight key film history points regarding the various film industries in the developing world and Asia. First, break into groups. Second, after receiving your assigned group section, compose a brief (one or two sentence) response to each of the three topics that highlights the region’s film industry on this Google Doc.

 

Here are the three topics to highlight:

  1. Describe the film industry of your in terms of financing, production, distribution, and exhibition.

  2. Describe the film industry in terms of government regulation and/or support.

  3. Describe the film industry in terms of notable genres and directors.

Here are the groups:

  1. Chapter 26 A Developing World: Continental and Subcontinental Cinemas Since 1970 / New Cinemas, New Audiences (580-6)
  2. Filmmaking in the Middle East (586-92)
  3. South America and Mexico: Interrupted Reforms and Partnerships with Hollywood (593-602)
  4. India: Mass Output and Art Cinema (602-8)
  5. Chapter 27 Cinema Rising: Pacific Asia and Oceania Since 1970 / Australia and New Zealand (610-4)
  6. New Cinemas in East Asia (614-20)
  7. Japan (621-6)
  8. Hong Kong (626-30)
  9. South Korea (631-4))
  10. China: The Great Success Story (634-41)

Annotated Bibliography

In order to practice film research and expand our class's historical, aesthetic, and interpretive of representative canonical films, undergraduate students will compose an annotated bibliography of 6-8 scholarly journal articles and book chapters on a select film and its period. The sources should comprise a mix of scholarly journal articles and scholarly book chapters, as well as a mix of sources solely on the film and sources on the film period that the film represents. Each annotation should be approximately 100 words long and describe 1) the topic of scholarly discussion, 2) the main idea, meaning, or conclusion as it relates to the film or film period, and 3) how the source helps your understanding of the film or film period. The OWL provides additional strategies of summarization, evaluation, and reflection as well as sample annotations. Additionally, you will select one source for the entire class to read and discuss. If two students are scheduled to complete an annotated bibliography on one film, then they should select the one source for the class to read together. While the annotated bibliography is due in GeorgiaVIEW > Annotated Bibliography on the day the class discusses the film and period, the selected source for the class to read is due via email to your professor (via pdf attachment or permalink) on the Tuesday before the film is discussed in class.

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Parameters

Scene Analysis

Undergraduate students will work in pairs to analyze a 2-3 minute scene in a formal 5-6 page paper and formal 7-10 minute presentation, which includes screening the scene. Your essay and presentation should 1) incorporate two or three elements of film (such as mise en scène, characterization, cinematography, editing, sound, narrative) from our film analysis handout, 2) interpret how the scene broaches the core conflict and overall theme of the film, and 3) address how the film exemplifies social or filmic history or film movement. Your single, collaboratively written essay should be driven by a thesis that argues the work's theme and logically organized by close reading of the text: unpack the tension and conflict, idea and theme. Your well-organized presentation should clearly convey your ideas to the class, and each member should speak during the presentation.

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Parameters

Historical Influence Paper

While the scene analysis essay and presentation compels undergraduate students to closely view a film and the annotated bibliography assignment obliges them to conduct film research, and while the teaching demonstration compels graduates students to research and teach a film and the book review obliges them to evaluate a film history book, the historical influence paper asks both undergraduate students and graduate gtudents to examine a film of their choosing in historical connection with a film or film period discussed in class. The historical influence paper should 1) analyze the current film and 2) argue for why and how the current film is influenced by the prior film or period in terms of 3) genre and theme, technique and style, and/or technology and industry. In other words, your essay should interpret a film in the present in relationship to film history, as an effect of the past.

Research Paper

Undergraduate Students

Research either 1) the meaning of one film or 2) a film issue (thematic, theoretical, technical, or aesthetic) across two or three films (subject to professor approval if any of the films are outside of class), and write an 8-10 page paper that puts the film in its film historical context using not only relevant chapters from our Film History textbook but also incorporates 3-4 scholarly books, book chapters, and/or journal articles researched specifically for the paper. Here's how to conduct research at GCSU.

Graduate Students

You will write a research paper that enters, engages, and advances the scholarly discourse of a film or film history issue either discussed in class or selected by you and approved by the professor. First, you will compose a 250 word conference paper proposal following the suggestions by Owl. Your final 12-15 page essay should be worthy of being presented at a conference, integrate at least 5 scholarly books, book chapters, and/or journal articles on film or film history issue and include appropriate evidence from our Film History textbook. Here's how to conduct research at GCSU. The week before your final paper is due, you will be given 10 minutes to present your paper in progress in class; then you will participate in a question and answer session with the class and can incorporate feedback into your final paper.

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Exam

In the Scene Analysis and Historical Influence Papers, undergraduate students interpreted a film scene and connected films to their historical and film historical contexts. In the Annotated Bibliography and Research Papers, you researched not only film interpretation but also film history. In the take-home essay exam, undergraduate students will write 2 (two) 4-5 (four-five) page essays, the first focusing on film history and the second focusing on film analysis.

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Teaching Presentation

Graduates students will research a film on the syllabus, compose an annotated bibliography of at least 10 scholarly sources (scholarly journal articles and book chapters) interpreting the film and its historical context, and teach the work to the class, i.e., lecture and moderate class discussion, with some help from the research. One week before the presentation/teaching demonstration, meet with the professor to go over the lesson plan. The citations in the annotated bibliography should be formatted to MLA style, and each annotation should be approximately 100 words long.

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Parameters

Book Review

While the annotated bibliography and presentation require graduate students to research, evaluate, and teach a text, the book review compels you to read and evaluate a book of film history. After consulting with the professor on a suitable book (for instance a book from which our class is reading an excerpt, or another of your choosing), write a 8-10 page essay that summarizes the book's overall critical claim and then evaluates the thesis and methodology. Your essay should both appreciate and interrogate the book. The GeorgiaVIEW course packet contains book reviews by TBA; and you can find more examples using GALILEO.

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