Film 114 Schedule - Pomeroy

English 114 - Introduction to Film - Schedule

Section 03 • Spring 2010 • Mondays 6:00 - 9:30 p.m. • Wiecking Auditorium

Instructor: Leigh Pomeroy Phone: 317-9421 (no calls after 9:00 PM) E-mail: leigh.pomeroy@mnsu.edu	NOTE: This schedule is constantly being revised. Check it at least once a week. Last revised: Monday, March 1, 2010 5:27 PM
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Date	Tentative Film(s)	Subject	What's Due Next Week
Jan. 11	NO CLASS, however ... assignments are due for Jan. 25. See "What's Due Next Week".		Read the syllabus! Film survey — worth 3 points in the course. Due 8:00 a.m. Jan. 25. Read/view: "James Cameron’s New 3-D Epic Could Change Film Forever" — WIRED "5 Steps to Avatar: Reinventing Moviemaking" — WIRED "A dazzling revelation: James Cameron's 'Avatar' restores a sense of wonder to moviegoing that's been missing" — Los Angeles Times If you have seen the film, do you agree? The list of reviews for AVATAR on Movie Review Query Engine You don't have to read them, but just by looking at the sources, which do you think are the strongest? Which are so-so? Why?
Jan. 18	NO CLASS, Martin Luther King Day. However ... assignments are due for Jan. 25. See "What's Due Next Week".
Jan. 25	NO CLASS TODAY due to weather!		Read: "Film History of the 1950s" Do the first assignment
Feb. 1	Hopefully we will have class today.... Films of the '50s: IMDb list I will not show Seven Samurai since it is too long for one sitting and I don't want to take two class periods showing it. I will find a suitable replacement, which is... Some Like It Hot (1959)	Syllabus, schedule, and other details of the course Why is there no textbook? Film resources on the Internet Film survey results By survey order By preliminary rating Discuss assignments — readings and film terms	Read: "Film History of the 1960s" Study: Film Terms 1 - General Film Terms 2 - Camera and lighting
Feb. 2	Caucus night: No evening classes at MSU. To learn where your caucus site is, go to http://caucusfinder.sos.state.mn.us
Feb. 8	So far in the 21st century: IMDb list • They Shoot Pictures, Don't They? list Dan Dusek will show and talk about World's Greatest Dad (2009) — starring Robin Williams — on which he was a location manager.	Special guests: Feature film production manager Dan Dusek and music video producer and filmmaker Wes Schuck will be discussing feature film development and production.	Read: "Film History of the 1970s" "What's the best film of the 70s, Hollywood's last golden era?"
Feb. 15	Films of the '70s: IMDb list Chinatown (1974)	General film terms Camera and lighting terms The 1970s Sample Test #1 - Note: the sample test is only an example of the type of test I will be giving. It doesn't reflect the films or the material we have covered so far. Questions about the test: Are we to buy another answer sheet? Are we taking the test inside of class or on our own? If we are taking the test in class, are we able to use notes? What will it cover?	Check out earlycinema.com. Read: "Film History Before 1920" American Masters on PBS Charlie Chaplin Buster Keaton D. W. Griffith "Film History of the 1920s" parts 1 & 2 Study for test
Feb. 22	Early film and silent films Selections from: Landmarks of early film Vol. 1 Questions to consider: Early technology ... Was it standardized? Early film subjects ... What were they? Did the first films tell stories? Early film technique ... Lighting? Camera movement? Editing? What was unique about George Méliès's Voyage to the Moon (1902)? What was the importance of the Lumière Brothers? What were some of the problems of early filmmaking? What drove U.S. filmmaking from its New York origins to southern California (and other states)? Buster Keaton's Sherlock Jr. (1924) Notes and questions to consider: Early films were not entirely an all-male pursuit. Early actresses included Louise Brooks, Clara Bow, Mary Pickford, Marion Davies, Lillian Gish, and Vilma Banky [Source]. Perhaps the most successful early female director was Lois Weber. Did filmmakers add color to black-and-white films? If so, how did they do it? Were silent films accompanied by sound? If so, where did it come from? What was going on in other countries beside s the U.S.? Who was Sergei Eisenstein? What was he best known for? Answer: montage. What important futuristic film did Fritz Lang make in Germany in 1927?	Continue with lighting and camera Early history of cinema and silent films Test #1. Don't forget to bring your full-size General Purpose Scantron answer sheet #4521 and a pencil! The test will cover: Film terms 1 & 2 (through "Lighting Terms" only) All films through Chinatown All readings through the 1970s but does NOT include: Film history of the 1960s Early cinema or film history before 1920	Read: "Film History of the 1920s" parts 3 & 4 Study: Film Terms 4 - Sound Film Terms 5 - Genre
Mar. 1	An example of homage: The Smashing Pumpkins' "Tonight, Tonight" End of the 1920s: The transition to sound Singin' in the Rain (1952) Notes and questions to consider: Your instructor chooses Singin' in the Rain to show in nearly all his film classes for two primary reasons. What are they? What were some of the problems in first adapting sound to motion pictures? The Hollywood studio system of the '30s, '40s and '50s trained actors to be multi-talented. What skills were actors taught and why? Why might actors be considered athletic in those days? Singin' in the Rain had examples of both montage and tableau. What were they? What sound recording, syncing and editing challenges might there have been in making Singin' in the Rain — or any musical, for that matter?	Discuss Test #1 Extra credit opportunity Continue with history of film through the silent era Genre and sound	Read: "Film History of the 1930s" All about color motion pictures on Wikipedia Study: Film Terms 3 - Editing & Effects
Mar. 8	Hooray! You've made it through this far! Spring Break! No class!
Mar. 15	Films of the '30s: IMDb list FILM TBD Notes and questions to consider: Despite the country being in the depths of the Depression, the 1930s are often considered the golden era of Hollywood. Why do you suppose that is so?	The Hollywood system	Read: "Film History of the 1940s" Film Editing from Wikipedia
Mar. 22	Films of the '40s: IMDb list Casablanca (1942) Notes and questions to consider: How do the choices made in terms of selecting the material and filming the picture reflect the times in which it was produced? Exposition of the backstory of the main characters is a key element. What choices did the writers make in getting this necessary information into the film? How did the writers use foreshadowing to bring us up to key points in the film like introducing a major character or a major turning point? The writers didn't know what the outcome of the film would be until after principal shooting began. Even then, multiple endings were shot. How do you think that affected the believability of the performances?	Editing Review for test	Read or be familiar with: Ken Burns entry on IMDb.com Barbara Kopple entry on IMDb.com Michael Moore entry on IMDb.com "Make Your Own Documentary Film: 10 Easy Steps from Conceptualization to Completion" Study for test
Mar. 29	Documentaries and social issue films Top documentary films on IMDb Video Librarian's Best Documentaries of 2008 Academy Award winners and nominees for Best Documentary 2009 Cinema Eye nominees for best documentary International Documentary Association Awards 2008 FILM TBD	Test #2. Don't forget to bring your full-size General Purpose Scantron answer sheet #4521 and a pencil! The test will cover:	Read: "Film History of the 1980s"
Apr. 5	Films of the '80s: IMDb list FILM TBD	Discuss Test #2	Read: "Film History of the 1990s" "Bollywood" from Wikipedia
Apr. 12	Films of the '90s: IMDb list • AboutFilm.com list • FilmHead.com list FILM TBD	Film structure chart	View: "How DLP® technology works" digital light projection (DLP) demo video Review: "Film History of the 1960s"
Apr. 19	Films of the '60s: IMDb list FILM TBD	Review for Test #3	Study for test
Apr. 26	CLASS CHOICE FILM All extra credit is due TODAY! NOTE: I retain the right to REJECT any attempt at extra credit if I feel you have not viewed the complete film. Hence, your writing needs to reflect MORE than just a cursory summary and analysis. Class evaluations after you complete the test.	Class evaluation forms Test #3. Don't forget to bring your full-size General Purpose Scantron answer sheet #4521 and a pencil! The test will cover: Review for final	Study for final
May 3	No film	Discuss Test #3 Final exam (covers entire semester). Don't forget to bring your full-size General Purpose Scantron answer sheet #4521 and a pencil! The final will cover the entire semester. You DO NOT need to take the final if you have already taken the three tests AND you are happy with your grade!	Nothing.... You're done!

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