VSA1040

Australian film and television

Proposed to be offered next in 1999

Deane Williams

6 points
* 4 hours per week
* First semester
* Clayton

Objectives By the completion of this subject students are expected to demonstrate an ability to engage with a range of film and televisual texts as representations of Australian social experience; skills in the analysis of texts in relation to current film theoretical debates; an ability to engage with written and filmic texts in a clear and confident manner.

Synopsis The aim of this subject is to provide a background for approaches to the study of cinema in general and to provide the opportunity for students to see a range of works which represent various traditions in Australian film and television production. The subject will focus on representations of Australian social experience as constructed by both fiction and non-fiction texts for Australian screens. We will look at approaches taken in Australian film and television texts to questions of class, ethnicity and gender, paying particular attention to Australian conceptions of identity and place. Works produced for mainstream film and television as well as independent production will be studied. Theoretical perspectives that inform film theory and criticism will be introduced. There will be an emphasis on works which seek a critical engagement with dominant screen culture, including documentary films, short fiction and recent feature films.

Assessment Short assignment (1500 words): 35%
* Essay (2000 words): 45%
* Visual test (1 hour): 20%

Recommended texts

Dermody S and Jacka E The screening of Australia: Anatomy of an industry vol. 1, Currency, 1988
Moran A and O'Regan T (eds) An Australian film reader Currency, 1985
O'Regan T Australian television culture Allen and Unwin, 1993