Authorised by Academic Registrar, April 1996
Synopsis This subject is an introduction to the study of film and television/video as mediums of fictional and documentary narrative. The syllabus will include examples of major developments in the history of cinema, both as popular entertainment and as an art form. Films will be analysed formally in terms of narrative, editing, mise en sc_ne, shots, lighting and sound, and stylistically in terms of genre and authorship. In broader terms, consideration will be given to some of the different theoretical approaches to screen studies, such as aestheticism, discourse analysis and semiotics. Some attention will also be given to the cultural contexts of the films and to the differences between cinema, television and video watching. For the benefit of distance education students, most of the syllabus films will also be widely available on videotape, and a supplementary list of films will enable these students to choose alternative films to those on the syllabus. Details of the syllabus will be given to all students before the start of the semester.
Assessment Short assignment (1000 words): 20% + Essay (3000 words): 50% + Examination (2 hours): 30%