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Module Information
Module Leader & Moderator at: The Atrium (University of Glamorgan, Cardiff)
Dr Lesley Harbidge (Award Leader & Senior Lecturer in Film Studies)
Office: Atrium CA407
Phone: 01443 66(8576)
E-mail: lharbidg@glam.ac.uk
Module Aims:
To encourage students to see how film, as a most specific art form, conveys meaning in and through its varied formal techniques.
Module Synopsis
An introduction to the chief visual and aural formal techniques of cinema, FV1S05 Screen
Language provides students with the terminology required to talk and write learnedly about film and cinema. Through extensive study of areas such as camera movement, framing, lighting, editing, mise-en-scene, narrative, sound and music across a wide range of films, students will be equipped with the necessary foundational knowledge and understanding for formal study of film at further levels. Taking a deconstructive approach, students will not only be able to identify and name the constituent parts of a film, but, further, be encouraged to recognize their complex workings; to consider the reasons for specific choices made during the production process; to recognize the meanings attached to the visual, narrative and aural techniques adopted; and to assess their significance within the film text as a whole. While the precise nature of this module means that lectures and seminars will draw upon a variety of film examples, analysis of techniques will focus specifically on the following films: Sweet Sixteen (dir. Loach, 2002); An Affair To Remember
(dir. McCarey, 1957); Do The Right Thing (dir. Lee, 1989); The Conversation (dir. Coppola,
1974); American Graffiti (dir. Lucas, 1973); and Citizen Kane (dir. Welles, 1941). While copies of these texts will be available in the LRC and can be booked in advance using OPAC, access to them will necessarily be restricted, particularly at points of assessment on the course. It is therefore advisable that you personally, or in groups with friends, purchase your own copies of these films, all of which are readily and inexpensively available locally or from www.amazon.co.uk
.
Module Learning Outcomes
On completion of this module you should be able to:
1. Understand and appreciate the formal workings of film as a specific visual/verbal/narrative/moving medium.
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2. Talk and write learnedly about film and cinema, and closely analyze filmic and literary texts using the appropriate terminology.
Week number
1
2-3
4
Lesson content
Intro to module
Camera in film
Lighting in film
5
6-7
12 (5 th Dec)
13 (12 th Dec)
Cinematography in film & Visions of Light(dir. Glassman et. al,
1992)
Editing in film
th
st
8 (7 th Nov)
9 (14 th Nov)
Sweet Sixteen (dir. Loach, 2002) Screening & seminar
Preparation for Assessment 1: Exercise
10- 11 (21 st Nov-28 th Nov) Mise-en-scene& Do The Right Thing (dir. Lee, 1989) screening & seminar.
Intro to 2 nd assessment: Class test
Narrative in film
(Draft Deadline for Exercise: 5 th Dec 14)
(Final deadline for Exercise: 12 th Dec 14) Seminar & narrative analysis for An Affair To Remember (dir. McCarey, 1957)
14 (19 th Dec)
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College early closing for Christmas
nd
nd
Intro to Orson Welles & Citizen Kane (dir. Welles, 1941)
16-17
18
19
Seminar on Citizen Kane & analysis workshops on extract analysis mise-en-scene/ narrative/ camera/ editing.
Preparation for class test (Study Skills session)
Mock Test: Assessment 2
Final Test: Assessment 2 (6 th February 2015)
20
21
22-23
24-25
26
27
28-30
Intro to assessment 3. Film Sound
th
Introduction to final assessment Seminar: The Conversation
(dir. Coppola, 1974)
Music in film
Seminar: American Graffiti (dir. Lucas, 1973)
Preparation for final assessment
Draft deadline for essay
Final deadline for essay
Module wind-up, feedback & preparation for year 2 (New
Hollywood & Career Development).
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This module is assessed in four parts:
Assessment Type
1.
2.
Written
Assignment
Set Exercise (Time constrained)
3.
Description
Extract Analysis 20%
Classroom Test
Essay
Weighting Word count Deadline
20%
40%
1000 words 12/12/14
2 Hours no word limit
6/2/15
2000 words 24/4/15
4.
Written
Assignment
Practical 20% N/A Seminar
Assessment Mark
(frequency of participation & quality of participation)
From Sept
– May
Assessment 1: Exercise (Written)
Deadline for Submission: Friday 12 th December 2014
Discuss the use of camera, lighting and editing in the chosen sequence from Sweet Sixteen.
NB. The sequence begins at 00.00mins and ends at 02.42mins, and features the exterior stargazing scene and the interior pub scene.
You should perform a close analysis of the techniques of the sequence. Remember, don’t simply describe what is being shown; you must analyze the formal properties utilized and discuss how these contribute to the meaning of the sequence, and, as appropriate, of the film as a whole.
Please note that you are expected to be creative and original in your response to the sequence, and to bear in mind that depth of analysis of the sequence at hand is what is sought.
Remember that your analysis must be expressed in continuous prose, and that you must avoid subjectivity and uncritical vocabulary. Answers in the form of notes will be failed.
Please also note that the regulations outlined in the Film Studies Writing Guidelines
(available on Socs-Media) should be properly adhered to. INACCURATE FORMATTING,
POOR SPELLING AND GRAMMAR ETC. WILL BE REFLECTED IN A LOWER MARK.
Exercises should be submitted WITH COMPLETED COVER SHEET (available from Socs-Media) to the college Reception.
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Word length: 1,000 Assessment Weighting: 20%
Assessment 2: Class Test (Written)
TO TAKE PLACE: Friday 6 th February 2015 at 10am
Analyze and discuss the use of camera, editing, mise-en-scène, and narrative in the extract shown from Citizen Kane (dir. Welles, 1941).
You must perform a close textual analysis of the extract and use the terminology you have been taught throughout the course. Do not simply describe what is being shown; you must analyze the extract’s formal properties and discuss how these contribute to the meaning of the extract, and, as appropriate, to the film as a whole.
Remember that your response must be expressed in continuous prose, and that you must avoid personalization and uncritical vocabulary. Poor spelling, grammar and punctuation will be penalized, and consistent errors will result in a fail.
***The clip will be unknown until the day of the test***
Word length: there is no set word length for this assessment
Assessment weighting: 20%
Assessment 3: Essay (Written)
Deadline for Submission: Friday 24 th April 2015
You must answer ONE question from below:
1.
In what ways, and to what ends, does The Conversation (dir. Coppola, 1974) depict a surveillance society?
2.
In what ways, and to what ends, does American Graffiti (dir. Lucas, 1973) depict teen experience?
In both cases, your answer should identify and discuss, with precision and accuracy, relevant formal and narrative techniques. It should be constructed as a piece of critical analysis which should offer objective, well founded and argued insights into the roles these techniques play in the creation of meaning.
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Please note that you are expected to be creative and original in your response to this question, and to bear in mind that depth of analysis of the film is what is sought.
Paraphrasing of the criticism or plagiarism will result in a fail.
Remember that your response must be expressed in continuous prose, and that you must avoid subjectivity personalization and uncritical vocabulary. Poor spelling, grammar and punctuation will be heavily penalized, and consistent errors will result in a fail.
If you are citing secondary sources, you must make sure you refer to the Film Studies
Writing Guidelines (available on Socs-Media) to ensure accuracy.
Essays should be submitted WITH COMPLETED COVER SHEET (available for download from
Socs-Media) to the college reception.
Word length: 2,000
Assessment weighting: 40%
Assessment 4: Seminar Participation Mark (Practical)
Involvement, attendance and participation in lessons as well as undertaking the additional reading and viewing of films.
Assessment weighting: 20%
Marking Criteria for Written Work
All written work is graded according to the following criteria:
First Class (70-100%) EXCELLENT
 Sophisticated critical and conceptual analysis of issues
 Individuality of exposition or treatment of material
 Innovative thinking applied to problem solving
 All relevant issues reviewed in arriving at a conclusion
 Extensive research or investigation incorporated effectively into work
 Clarity of argument, expression and presentation
Upper Second Class (60-69%) VERY GOOD




Sound critical and conceptual analysis of the issue
Accurate and well informed exposition or treatment of material
Coherent critical thinking applied to problem solving
Most of the relevant issues reviewed in reaching a conclusion
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

Work informed by assiduous, but not especially broad or deep research or investigation
Well-organized and structured presentation
Lower Second Class (50-59%) GOOD
 Limited critical and conceptual analysis of issues, with tendency to rely on others' arguments
 Generally accurate exposition or treatment of material, with some omissions or errors



Partial review of relevant issues in reaching a conclusion
Careful but limited research or investigation incorporated in the work
Clear presentation, but showing very limited recognition of the potential of the chosen medium
 A good answer to a related question, but not the one set
Third Class (40-49%) PASS
 Little critical and conceptual analysis of subject matter, with considerable reliance on easy and readily available solutions or arguments
 Few of the relevant issues used as a basis for reaching a conclusion
 Very limited research or investigation incorporated in the work
 Does not answer the question directly
 Important information omitted, and/or important inaccuracies
 Assertion without supporting evidence
 Presentation with minimal organization and chosen medium exploited superficially
Fail (0-39%)
 No critical and conceptual analysis of subject matter, with total reliance on others'
 work
 Only basic issues used in reaching a conclusion, and those are insufficient
Inappropriate material or inadequate information
 Very restricted and inadequate research or investigation incorporated in the work
 Flawed and uncertain presentation. Does not answer the question or anything
 similar to it
Fails to meet the specified word length
SAM/Seminar Assessment Mark
The Seminar Assessment Mark will serve to encourage and develop students’ ability to communicate confidently and effectively in group discussion. Assessment is based on two general criteria: frequency and quality of participation.
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It is expected that all students will participate voluntarily to weekly discussions. Again, the lecture is not an opportunity for your Tutor to recap Lecture material, but for you to become actively involved in debating the films introduced in Lectures and any relevant criticism. Whilst the practicalities of a large Lecture mean that student involvement is minimal, this is not at all the case with the lecture: this is your opportunity to share your ideas with the Tutor and your peers.
In some cases, articles/pieces of criticism will be made available on Socs-Media for you to print off. These should be read in advance of the lecture and brought along on the day. As you read, you may find it useful to highlight any key passages, and to jot down any queries you have about it, and would like to raise with your Tutor.
Those students who will receive a high mark for their SAM will be those who are willing, not just to become involved in debate, but to initiate it. This may include asking questions of the
Tutor or of other students, and exploring or contesting views expressed by others. The more
Marking Criteria for the Seminar Assessment Mark
Seminar participation is graded as follows:
First Class (70-100%) EXCELLENT
 A leading role in each seminar
 Sophisticated and innovative responses to the film(s) and/or literary texts in each seminar
Upper Second Class (60-69%) VERY GOOD


Regular participation in the majority of seminars
Sound and accurate responses to the film(s) and/or literary texts in the majority of seminars
Lower Second Class (50-59%) GOOD


Participation in at least half of the seminars
Limited critical and conceptual analysis of the film(s) and/or literary texts under discussion
Third Class (40-49%) PASS
 Occasional participation in seminars
 Little critical and conceptual analysis of the film(s) and/or literary texts under discussion
Fail (0-39%)
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

Persistent silence in seminars
No critical or conceptual analysis of the film(s) and/or literary texts being discussed
Further Assessment Information
Exercise
The Exercise will serve to develop analytical writing skills, as well as the ability to adhere to a short word limit. Details of it are available at the end of this Guide and classes previous to the submission date will provide further direction. You will also find in this Guide the Film
Studies Guidelines for Submission which you MUST adhere to.
Class Test
The Class Test will serve to asses students’ knowledge of formal techniques and the meanings attributed to these techniques. Further details will be provided in due course, but you should note that this is an unseen paper, and one that is to be taken under test conditions. Therefore, no study materials will be allowed into the test. Sample details of the test are available in this Guide and classes previous to the submission date will provide further direction. NB. Please not that if you fail the Class Test, you will have to retake it in
Cardiff in the Summer resit period.
Essay
The Essay will serve to develop students’ writing, analytical, critical and research skills, as well as the ability to construct an argument. Details of it are available in this Guide and classes previous to the submission date will provide further direction. You will also find in this Guide the Film Studies Guidelines for Submission which you MUST adhere to.
Late Submissions
The University has very strict regulations regarding the deadlines for assessment submission. If you submit your work within 5 working days of the submission deadline, it will be capped at 40%. If you submit after this period, it will automatically attract a mark of 0%, and therefore has to be done as a resit over the Summer vacation. Resit work can only get a maximum of 40%, no matter how insightful it is. As such, you should be aware that this may affect your chances of successfully passing Screen Language, and may well impact on your ability to complete your course or progress onto the next level of study.
All written assessments must simply be stapled together (not put in a plastic folder) and be appended by a Coversheet which will be prepared by your Module Leader and will be made available to you via Socs-Media and Googlemail as well as the Screen Language website. You must complete the relevant sections and attach all pages to your work prior to submission.
If you attempt to submit work without the completed coversheet you will be referred back to the Module Leader. Assessments without the coversheet will not be accepted under any circumstances.
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All written assessments should be submitted at college (Aberdare House) reception by 4pm on the day of submission. Under no circumstances are assessments to be submitted to the tutor.
Upon submission, you will sign and date that you have handed in your work.
Please note that academic staff have no power whatsoever to grant extensions.
Collection of Feedback
Once your work has been marked and moderated it will be given back to you by your tutor: this all takes 21 working days.
Mitigating Circumstances
If you believe that your performance in any element of assessment (written or otherwise) was affected by circumstances beyond your control, or you were prevented from handing in work on time, you should submit evidence of these circumstances and explain how they affected your studies. The reason for poor performance may be personal or medical and may affect an individual or a whole group of students. You will need to contact the course leader or module tutor about this.
Student Attendance & Conduct
Attendance at both lectures and screenings is absolutely essential.
In order to get the most from lectures and screenings, and to minimize disruption for your peers, you are advised to turn up to classes in good time and to refrain from chatting or texting. While we appreciate that watching film can be a very social experience, chatting during clips and screenings is extremely off-putting. Please therefore leave your discussions of the clips/films until after the lecture/screening.
Please also note that you are expected to respond to these films AS ACADEMICS, not as members of the general viewing public. It is therefore VITAL that you attend the screenings
– viewing these films as their makers intended (on the big screen, and in a group) is crucial to your learning experience. Further, timely viewing of these films is paramount if you’re to be able to talk learnedly about them in seminars. Simply having seen the film years ago, and vaguely remembering the plot, DOES NOT constitute viewing these films within an academic context.
Crucially, do be reminded that successful seminar discussions absolutely require your input. Seminars are not an opportunity to simply reiterate lecture content, so do not expect your Tutor to do this. Her job is to facilitate you in deepening/broadening your understanding of the issues raised in the previous week’s classes. If you do not come
prepared to get involved, you cannot expect to do well in your SAM.
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Staff/Student Contact
Please note that NO CONCESSIONS WHATSOVER WILL BE MADE TO STUDENTS WHO FAIL
TO RECEIVE PERTINENT INFORMATION VIA Socs-Media OR EMAIL or the Screen Language
website. You are obliged to check your e-mail (which can be easily accessed remotely)
EVERY DAY. Please also note that you must use ONLY your University e-mail account to contact your lecturer and tutor (as this is the only way you can be properly identified). Any
e-mails sent from non-college accounts will NOT be replied to.
Should you have to miss a lesson for good reason, you must endeavor to inform your Tutor
(via e-mail) of your absence ASAP. It is then your responsibility to check with your Tutor re. anything you’ve missed and need to catch up on. Likewise, do email your Lecturer if you’re unable to attend the Lecture or Screening.
Recommended Reading List
You will be provided with weekly readings to be done in advance of each seminar.
The range of books on Film Studies is vast, yet you should find the following titles, available from the LRC (at either Cardiff & The Vale College or at The Atrium in Cardiff), particularly useful. Please note, however, that new titles are continually arriving in the LRC and so you should get used to regularly checking OPAC and the shelves for additional reading material.
While lectures and seminars will draw upon particular readings, and the Lecturer is always on hand to suggest relevant sources, you should also note that, for the purposes of the
Essay in particular, it is very much down to you to source appropriate material. Finally, please note that, particularly coming up to points of assessment, there may well be high demand for some of these titles. Remember that you can book any LRC holding using
OPAC(Atrium) or on the Widget search at college. Frantic last minute emails to the Lecturer claiming that you can’t get hold of any books will NOT be received sympathetically.
Belton, John (2004) American Cinema, American Culture London: McGraw-Hill.
Blandford, Steve, Grant, Barry and Hillier, Jim (2001) The Film Studies Dictionary London:
Arnold.
Bordwell, David and Thompson, Kristin (2000) Film Art London: McGraw-Hill.
Bordwell, David and Steiger, Janet (1988) The Classical Hollywood Cinema: Film Style and
Mode of Production to 1960 London: Routledge.
Brown, Royal S. (1994) Overtones and Undertones: Reading Film Music Berkeley: California
University Press
Cook, Pam (1999) The Cinema Book London: BFI.
Davis, Richard (1999) Complete Guide to Film Scoring: The Art and Business of Writing Music
for Movies and TV Boston: Berklee
Gledhill, Christine and Williams, Linda (2000) Reinventing Film Studies London: Arnold
Goldmark, Daniel, Kramer, Laurence and Leppert, Richard (eds.) (2007) Beyond the
Soundtrack: Representing Music in Cinema Berkeley: California University Press
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Hayward, Susan (2000) Cinema Studies: The Key Concepts London: Routledge
Hill, John and Gibson, Pamela (eds.) (2000) Film Studies: Critical Approaches Oxford: OUP.
Hill, John and Gibson, Pamela (eds.) (2000) American Cinema and Hollywood Oxford: OUP.
Hill, John and Gibson, Pamela (eds.) (1988) The Oxford Guide to Film Studies: Oxford: OUP.
Hollows, Joanne, Hutching, Peter and Jancovich, Mark (2000) The Film Studies Reader
London: Arnold
Izod, John (1984) Reading the Screen Harlow: Longman.
Kassabian, Anahid (2001) Hearing Film: Tracking Identifications in Contemporary Hollywood
Film Music London: Arnold
Kerr, Paul (1986) The Hollywood Film Industry: A Reader London: Routledge
Kolker, Robert (2000) A Cinema of Loneliness Oxford: OUP
Lacey, Nick (2000) Narrative and Genre: Key Concepts in Media Studies Basingstoke:
Macmillan
Larsen, Peter (2007) Film Music London: Reaktion
Lewis, John (1998) The New American Cinema London: Duke.
McDonald, Paul and Wasko, Janet (2008) (eds.) The Contemporary Hollywood Film Industry
Oxford: Blackwell
Monaco, James (2000) How to Read a Film Oxford: OUP.
Nelmes, Jill (2007) An Introduction To Film Studies New York: Routledge
Petrie, Duncan (2004) Contemporary Scottish Fiction: Film, Television and The Novel
Edinburgh: EUP.
Petrie, Duncan (2000) Screening Scotland London. BFI.
Prendergast, Roy (1991) Film Music: A Neglected Art New York: Norton
Reay, Pauline (2004) Music in Film: Soundtracks and Synergy London: Wallflower
Russell, Mark and Young, James (2000) Film Music RotoVision
Weis, Elisabeth and Belton, John Film Sound New York: Columbia University Press
NB. The two books highlighted, Bordwell’s Film Art and Cook’s The Cinema Book, are fundamental texts in the study of film. It is advisable that you purchase your own copies of this book (the most recent editions), both of which will serve you very well throughout your studies of Film at Glamorgan.
Further Viewing
In addition to the core films studied on the course, you are advised to view extensively.
Therefore, and in order to supplement your learning on FV1S05, we encourage you to view all available material (on TV, at the cinema etc.) with a critical eye, but you may find
the following key titles particularly useful:
2 ou 3 choses que je sais d’elle (dir. Godard, 1969)
À bout de souffle (dir. Godard, 1959)
Annie Hall (dr. Allen, 1977)
Apocalypse Now (dir. Coppola, 1979)
Bicycle Thieves (dir. De Sica, 1948)
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The Blair Witch Project (dirs. Myrick and Sánchez, 1999)
Bonnie and Clyde (dir. Penn, 1967)
Bringing Up Baby (dir. Hawks, 1938)
Carlito’s Way (dir. De Palma, 1993)
Carrie (dir. De Palma, 1976)
Cidade de Deus (dirs. Meirelles and Lund, 2003)
The Departed (dir. Scorsese, 2006)
Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari (dir. Weine, 1920)
Early Cinema: Primitives & Pioneers Volume 1 (BFI)
Early Cinema: Primitives & Pioneers Volume 2 (BFI)
Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind (dir. Gondry, 2004)
Falling Down (dir. Schumacher, 1993)
Gosford Park (dir. Altman, 2001)
It Happened One Night (dir. Capra, 1934)
Jules et Jim (dir. Truffaut, 1961)
Jurassic Park (dir. Spielberg, 1993)
The Long Goodbye (dir. Altman, 1973)
Mean Streets (dir. Scorsese, 1973)
Memento (dir. Nolan, 2000)
Metropolis (dir. Lang, 1927)
Moulin Rouge (dir. Luhrmann, 2001)
Punch Drunk Love (dir. Anderson, 2003)
Quatre Cents Coups (dir. Truffaut, 1959)
Reservoir Dogs (dir. Tarantino, 1992)
Run, Lola, Run (dir. Tykwer, 1998)
Sweet Sixteen (dir. Loach, 2002)
Syriana (dir. Gaghan, 2005)
The Searchers (dir. Ford, 1956)
Taxi Driver (dir. Scorsese, 1976)
The Maltese Falcon (dir. Huston, 1941)
The Shining (dir. Kubrick, 1980)
The Sound of Music (dir. Wise, 1965)
The Talented Mr Ripley (dir. Minghella, 1999)
Thelma and Louise (dir. Scott, 1991)
Time Code (dir. Figgis, 2000)
Tirez sur le pianiste (dir. Truffaut, 1960)
Trainspotting (dir. Boyle, 1996)
Vantage Point (dir. Travis, 2008)
General Guidelines for Film Studies Submission
NB. These Guidelines are precisely GENERAL. All work should adhere to the broader
conventions set out in the BA Film Studies Writing Guidelines (available from Blackboard)
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i.
A: General Submission
Written work should be submitted to the College Reception ON TIME. Submissions received within 5 working days will be capped at 40. Submissions received after this will receive an automatic 0. ii.
A fully completed Coversheet (available from socs-media) should be attached to the front of your work. Please note that, in signing this sheet, you are declaring that your work is free of any plagiarism or paraphrasing. iii.
Simply staple your work together. DO NOT place in a plastic folder. i.
B: General Formatting
Work should be typed in either Arial or Times New Roman font 12. ii.
Work should be double spaced. iii.
Work should include a Filmography and, if appropriate, a Bibliography.
C: General Writing i.
Stick to the word limit set: work that goes over or under the limit will be penalized or even failed. ii.
Spell check and thoroughly proof read your work before submission. It is a good idea to get a friend to cast an independent eye over the final draft before submission in order to pick up any errors. iii.
Properly reference any secondary material consulted. This includes any material from DVD extras or Directors’ Commentaries. Not doing so is tantamount to plagiarism. iv.
Write well. Very high standards of writing are required in Film Studies, so ensure sound spelling, punctuation, general grammar, paragraphing sentencing etc. v.
frame your answer with an introduction and conclusion. vi.
Write in the present tense (i.e. the point-of-view shot reflects the character’s subjectivity vs. the point-of-view shot reflected the character’s subjectivity……). vii.
Do not use uncritical vocabulary. Words like ‘excellent’, ‘brilliant’ ‘rubbish’ etc. have no place in a piece of academic writing. viii.
Do not personalize and remain objective (i.e. avoid phrases like ‘I think’ and ‘In my opinion’).
While markers are looking for insight and argumentation, submissions which fail to meet basic writing criteria will be heavily penalized, and even failed. Please remember that content and form are equally as important.
D: Filmography/Bibliography
All Film Studies submissions should include a Filmography and, if appropriate, a Bibliography detailing all the film and literary texts you are referencing. NB. Your word count DOES NOT include the Filmography or Bibliography, but it DOES include any footnotes or endnotes.
You should have a separate page for each, and lay out as below:
Filmography
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The Conversation (dir. Coppola, 1974).
(Also include, in the same format, any other films you refer to.)
Bibliography
Brunette, Peter (ed.) (1993), Shoot The Piano Player Oxford: Roundhouse.
NB. If you are referencing a particular article or chapter in a book, reference as follows:
Brunette, Peter (1993), ‘Shoot The Piano Player as Postmodern Text’ in Brunette (ed.), Shoot
The Piano Player Oxford: Roundhouse, pp.3-22.
Please note that, for certain submissions, such as an Exercise or Extract Analysis, you are encouraged not to use any secondary critical material at all, but rather to concentrate on the formal working of the film itself. Your Lecturer will make it clear whether secondary material is to be used on not.
E: Referencing in your answer i. There is no need to include timings when you discuss a film. i.e. don’t do the following:
At 3.45 minutes into the film, Harry says….. ii. You should always italicize names of films; and the first time only you mention a film in your answer you should include the director and date in parenthesis. i.e.:
It is clear that The Conversation (dir. Coppola, 1974) draws upon the conventions of the psychological horror genre. iii. When you are quoting directly from a literary text, depending on the length of the quote, you should either run the quote on in your text, or set it apart.
So, for quotes of one or two words, simply put the quoted word/phrase in quotation marks and run it/them on in your text:
Brunette describes Shoot The Pianist as “supremely self-confident.”
And for quotes of up to two lines, put the quote in quotation marks, but precede it with a colon and run it on in your text:
As Brunette describes of the film’s self-consciousness: “Shoot The Pianist succeeds by flaunting it madeness.”
For quotes of over two lines, no need for quotation marks, but precede it with a colon and set the indented quote apart from your text:
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As Brunette describes of Truffaut’s artistic imprint:
Unlike the American films it simultaneously emulates and discards, it never ceases to push its authorship – the delightful fact that some very clever young man must have made it – in your face.
NB. The same format applies when quoting dialogue from a film, although there’s no need to include the related bracketed information outlined below. iv. Whichever of the above methods you’re using, after your quote you should put the relevant referencing details including author, date (the first time only you mention the book) and page number in brackets
So, the first time you mention the book:
Brunette describes Shoot The Pianist as “supremely self-confident” (Brunette, 1993: 3).
The second time you mention the book:
As Brunette describes of Truffaut’s artistic imprint:
Unlike the American films it simultaneously emulates and discards, it never ceases to push its authorship – the delightful fact that some very clever young man must have made it – in your face (Brunette:
3).
Please note that all of these punctuation marks used in referencing (colons, commas, brackets etc) are not random. You should follow precisely these referencing formats. If
you’re at all unsure, please ask. v. If you’re quoting from a DVD commentary, you must clearly state so. i.e.: As discussed by Coppola in the DVD commentary of The Conversation, Harry is a very lonely man.
F: Plagiarism and Paraphrasing
Passing off someone else’s work as your own - i.e. using direct quotes from an article, book, or website and not bothering to reference it - is plagiarism. And plagiarism can result, not only in a fail for the piece of work, but also a fail for the entire course and, even, in some circumstances, a refusal of your Degree. Paraphrasing – slightly rewording another author’s text and passing these ideas off as your own – is tantamount to plagiarism.
Please note that in signing your Coversheet, you are stating that you have not plagiarized
or paraphrased any of the material in your work.
G: The Web
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While the web can be an extremely useful resource, use it wisely. Indeed, the obvious benefits for research promised by the web must be measured against its drawbacks. Ask yourself: 1. is the site academically credible?; and 2. can it be thoroughly referenced and traced? If the answer to either of these questions is no, then DO NOT use that source.
Quoting, for example, from purely informational websites such as imdb and wikipedia, or fan/review sites such as rottentomatoes is simply not on. Film Studies is an academic endeavour and should be approached as such. You should note that markers are entirely familiar with these sites and will treat as a fail any answer which relies on these and offers no independent or academic thinking.
You may, however, find the following websites/resources particularly useful: www.bfi.org.uk www.brightlightsfilm.com www.bftv.ac.uk www.cmstudies.org www.film.com www.filmandsound.ac.uk www.filmjournal.com www.film-philosophy.com www.filmquarterly.org www.guardian.co.uk/film www.imagesjournal.com www.scope.nottingham.ac.uk www.sensesofcinema.com www.unomaha.edu/jrf www.vertigomagazine.co.uk
Finally….
We are well aware that some students taking this module will not be as versed in academic writing as others, and thoroughly appreciate that many students are at CCI as they hope to become practitioners in their fields. That said, communicating your ideas clearly, concisely, coherently and learnedly is paramount in any discipline and career. You would not produce a poorly lit, badly edited film as you know it would obscure the content of your work. Likewise, you cannot submit a piece of written work that is full of spelling mistakes, grammatical errors and poor sentencing as your general presentation will obscure your ideas.
FV1S05 Screen Language is specifically designed to help you to become academic writers, and, as such, provides adequate support in writing skills. However, lectures/seminars can only go so far in helping you. If you find that you’re struggling with the demands of academic writing, you MUST seek further support. The Drop-In Centre and Online Study Materials are invaluable resources that you must draw upon if need be.
Similarly, precision in talking about film is paramount in FV1S05. While no-one can learn the terminology of Film and Cinema overnight (indeed, technology is developing at such a rate that new pieces of terminology are constantly being introduced), you must learn to be exact in your discussion of film technique. Students who have taken A Level Film Studies will
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already be familiar with many of the terms we use daily in Film Studies. That said, we can often be lazy in our use of these terms, resorting to unclear, imprecise, meaningless descriptions such as ‘moves’ and ‘goes’. The camera NEVER just ‘moves’: it ‘tracks’; it
‘dollies’; it ‘pans’. And the scene never ‘goes’ from one shot to another: it ‘fades’; it ‘irises in/out’; it ‘dissolves to’. Just as if you were learning a foreign language, you will be pulled up in seminars for inaccurate vocabulary. In short, in both your written and oral responses to the films shown, and in order to achieve a sound mark in FV1S05, you must learn and use filmic terminology.
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