VSA1050

Contemporary popular film

(ART)

Leonie Naughton

6 points + 4 hours per week + Second semester + Clayton

Synopsis: The focus of this introductory subject will be primarily upon contemporary film. Topics to be discussed will include the characteristics and conventions of popular film, which will be considered in relation to alternative film practices. Attention will be paid to the principles of genre (eg melodrama, horror, 'teen pics,' action cinema or comedy) and of Auteur criticism. Students will be encouraged to engage with recent theories of film, including those which address the socio-political significance of the medium and the ways in which it may reinforce conceptions of social and sexual identity.

Assessment: Essay (1200 words): 25% + Essay (2300 words): 50% + Visual test (1 hour): 25%