The Art Of Filmmaking
Professor: Kenneth Kotowski
Email: kotowskik@wpunj.edu
COMM Office: 973-720-2167
Attendance:
• You are expected to attend all classes. Being ON-TIME is Mandatory Please do not
be late.
Course Description
This course is an introduction to the study of film as a language and as an art. We will examine
the aesthetic and social factors that construct our responses to films. Using multiple approaches
to understanding and discussing a film, you will be introduced to the technical and aesthetic
terminology and to a range of elements in the filmmaking process such as narrative structure,
camera movement, composition, editing, and sound. This course is composed of lectures,
discussions, screenings, and shot-by-shot analysis of works by major directors throughout the
history of Cinema. Text: Film Art : An Introduction 9th Edition, Bordwell & Thompson ©2010
McGraw Hill
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES:
The purpose of this course is to introduce you to the fundamental concepts of film appreciation.
Film as an art form as well as a medium for communicating ideas, has been entertaining and
informing audiences for more than a century, we will examine how and why Film has become the
preeminent medium used to share a narrative (or story) and express ideas.
- You will gain an appreciation for the history of American Cinema.
- You will learn to develop the ability to analyze and evaluate underlying meanings of
program content, primarily by deconstructing the visual language of any given piece of work.
- You will learn the fundamentals of objective analysis and criticism of the narrative form.
- You will gain an appreciation for the technical and artistic process that is, making a movie.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES:
Upon completion of the course, the student will be able to:
a)
Watch, understand and appreciate the medium of Film.
b)
Analyze and objectively dissect the content of a Film
c)
To communicate, in an effective and articulate manner, an objective review of a Film.
d)
To understand the process that goes into making a Film, technically, artistically and
monetarily.
e)
Understand the collaborative nature and history of the Film production process.
CONTENT AND SCOPE:
Watching movies is a huge part of this class. Be prepared to watch movies, this means staying
attentive and awake. You will be exposed to content you may or may not already have seen, do
not assume that just because you’ve already seen a movie that your attendance is not required.
In order to fulfill the requirements of this class some Films will require repeat watching so get your
Netflix memberships and Blockbuster cards ready. You will also be writing about movies so bring
a notebook to class.
Assignment: The Film Review
The film review makes evaluation far more central. It is essentially a judgment about the quality
of the movie, backed up with enough information to indicate that your judgment is based on
good reasons. You are to write as if you are informing the movie going consumer. The best
reviews aren’t simply thumbs-up-thumbs-down opinions. For one thing, a good review avoids
extreme judgments (“a thoroughly bad movie,” “a flawless film”). Most good films aren’t perfect,
and many weak films have some good points. The sensitive critic tries to take both pluses and
minuses into account.
The review is also expected to mention striking aspects of the film: impressive sets or costumes,
notable visual qualities such as color design or editing or music, and, above all, acting. The
review should also compare the film at hand with other films that belong to the same genre,
which are made by the same filmmaker, or which raise similar thematic issues. This convention
demands that the critic be familiar with a wide range of films and some film history. (2 pages
double-spaced)
Key Questions for a Film Review
1.
Have you somewhere clearly indicated your judgment of the film’s quality?
2.
Have you provided a brief plot synopsis?
3.
Have you mentioned specific elements of the film which support your judgment? Have
you described these quickly and vividly, using concrete language and metaphors?
4.
Have you qualified your judgment by balancing positive and negative aspects of the film?
5.
Have you begun the review with an attention-grabbing opening? Have you concluded it
with a striking sentence?
Class Schedule
Section 1
07/18
Intro: The Art Of Filmmaking
Discuss: How movies happen, a brief overview.
Screen: Sunset Boulevard
Section 2
07/18
Film Form
Discuss: The concept of Form in Film
Screen: The Usual Suspects
Section 3
07/19
Narrative Construction
Discuss: The idea of storytelling as a formal system.
Screen: Citizen Kane
Section 4
07/19
Genre
Discuss: Film Genres
Screen: Double Indemnity
Section 5
07/20
Cinematography
Discuss: How composition lighting and movement help to tell the story.
Screen: Visions of Light (documentary)
Section 6
07/20
Editing and Sound
Discuss: The Editors contribution to the story, and how sound in Cinema works
Screen: The Cutting Edge: The Magic of Movie Editing (documentary)
Section 7
07/21
Style
Discuss: Style as a formal system.
Screen: Rear Window
Section 8
07/21
Style
Discuss: Style Continued
Screen: The Prestige
Section 9
07/22
Analysis – The Romanic Comedy
Screen: 500 Days of Summer
Due: Film Review
Viewing List
Recommended Viewing For Any Film Student
Narrative Films
Citizen Kane, Welles
Touch of Evil, Welles
Sunset Boulevard, Wilder
Double Indemnity, Wilder
The Apartment, Wilder
Rear Window, Hitchcock
Psycho, Hitchcock
North by Northwest, Hitchcock
The Birds, Hitchcock
12 Angry Men, Lumet
Network, Lumet
Dog Day Afternoon, Lumet
All The President’s Men, Pakula
Paths of Glory, Kubrick
Dr. Stranglove, Kubrick
A Clockwork Orange, Kubrick
Barry Lyndon, Kubrick
Annie Hall, Allen
Stardust Memories, Allen
Manhattan, Allen
Match Point, Allen
The Godfather 1 + 2, Coppola
Apocalypse Now, Coppola
Mean Streets, Scorsese
Taxi Driver, Scorsese
Raging Bull, Scorsese
Goodfellas, Scorsese
The Departed, Scorsese
Star Wars, Lucas
The Untouchables, DePalma
Jaws, Spielberg
Schindler’s List, Spielberg
Saving Private Ryan, Spielberg
Catch Me If You Can, Spielberg
Amadeus, Forman
Rosemary’s Baby, Polanski
Bonnie and Clyde, Penn
The Exorcist, Friedkin
Blazing Saddles, Brooks
Young Frankenstein, Brooks
Halloween, Carpenter
The Thing, Carpenter
Do the Right Thing, Lee
Malcolm X, Lee
Mo’ Better Blues, Lee
Inside Man, Lee
Fight Club, Fincher
Seven, Fincher
Social Network, Fincher
Aliens, Cameron
The Abyss, Cameron
Out of Sight, Soderbergh
The Limey, Soderberg
Traffic, Soderberg
Alien, Scott
Blade Runner, Scott
Black Hawk Down, Scott
American Gangster, Scott
Moulin Rouge, Luhrmann
Reservoir Dogs, Tarantino
Pulp Fiction, Tarantino
Jackie Brown, Tarantino
Kill Bill, Tarantino
Inglorious Basterds, Tarantino
Blue Velvet, Lynch
Mulholland Drive, Lynch
Night on Earth, Jarmusch
Coffee and Cigarettes, Jarmusch
Broken Flowers, Jarmusch
The Usual Suspects, Singer
Heat, Mann
The Insider, Mann
Fargo, Coen Bros.
The Big Lebowski, Coen Bros.
The Hudsucker Proxy, Coen Bros.
No Country For Old Men, Coen Bros.
True Grit, Coen Bros.
Punch Drunk Love, Anderson
There Will be Blood, Anderson
The Matrix, Wachowski Bros.
Brokeback Mountain, Ang Lee
American Beauty, Mendes
Road to Perdition, Mendes
Jarhead, Mendes
Revolutionary Road, Mendes
Memento, Nolan
The Prestige, Nolan
The Dark Knight, Nolan
Bloody Sunday, Greengrass
Green Zone, Greengrass
Children of Men, Cuaron
International Films
Run Lola Run, Tykwer
Breaking the Waves, von Trier
Dancer in the Dark, von Trier
The Celebration, Vinterberg
Amelie, Jeunet
Swimming Pool, Ozon
8 Women, Ozon
Hero, Zhang
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, A. Lee
Y tu mamá también, Cuaron
The Devil's Backbone, del Toro
Pan's Labyrinth, del Toro
Documentary Films
The Thin Blue Line, Morris
The Fog of War, Morris
Bowling For Columbine, Moore
The War Room. Pennebaker
Control Room, Noujaim
An Inconvenient Truth, Guggenheim
It Might Get Loud, Guggenheim
My Architect, Kahn
Dogtown and Z-Boys, Peralta
Religulous, Charles