FIL-10015 - Module Specification
School of Humanities
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

Programme/Approved Electives for 2021/22

Available as a Free Standing Elective

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

None

Barred Combinations

None

Description for 2021/22

Of all forms of communication, film often seems the most obvious, pleasurable and self-explanatory. Today, however, Films are produced and consumed in contexts where they interact with other media texts in complex ways: from promotional materials such as posters and online viral videos, to audiences criticizing, rating and debating popular films online. This module aims to introduce students to the essential elements of film and engage them in thinking critically about the choices made by film-makers in constructing the look and sound of their films. At the same time, the module will explore the relationship between film and other forms of media in the contemporary moment, particularly social media. We will be asking, therefore, how meaning is created in the cinema, as well as what ideas and arguments such meanings may generate among spectators. In doing so we will explore the richness and complexity of cinema's potential to communicate with its spectators through a carefully selected variety of films. Students will consider not only how technical choices around image and sound influence meaning in film, but also how film and other media represent different identities, considering particularly issues around race, gender, and sexuality. This course will also offer students the opportunity to study the conventions of film genre. 

To familiarise students with essential terminology and concepts used in film and media analysis
To identify and analyse through diverse film and media examples the five key areas of moving image aesthetics
To enable students to practice close visual analysis through verbal and written exercises relating to examples from film and media texts

Intended Learning Outcomes

engage in detailed film and visual media analysis using appropriate terminology accurately: 1,2
identify and describe the defining features of film narrative: 1,2
discuss the role of different aspects of film aesthetics in the production of narrative meaning in the cinema and other visual media: 1,2
write concisely and competently, in both short and extended written forms, about a variety of cinema and visual media: 1,2
analyse genre and different genre conventions: 1,2
identify key theoretical concepts in media around identity and politics: 1,2

Study hours

11 x 1 hour lectures = 11 hours
11 x 1 hour small group classes = 11 hours
Class and presentation preparation: 58 hours
Assessment preparation, writing, supervision and feedback 70 hours

School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment