CINE 726: Film Theory
Spring 2008
Thursday 2:10 to 4:55
Office:
FA 536
Email: amkerner@sfsu.edu
Website: http://online.sfsu.edu/~amkerner/index.html
Office
Hours: TBA
Course Description: In many respects this is a companion course to CINE 770. While in CINE 770 students should be developing a script, in CINE 726 students should be thinking about how their particular project is situated theoretically and historically. At the end of the term students should have a fairly tight thesis proposal, which contextualizes the proposed project in a convincing and thorough manner.
During the initial weeks of the course we will be working on the development of a CV, which will be included in your project proposal. In the succeeding weeks we will go through project proposals as a group; everyone should present their proposal at least twice: 1) a preliminary draft during the first half of the course, followed by, 2) the presentation of a more polished working draft in the latter half of the semester. Hopefully after these presentations students should have a good idea of what works, and what perhaps needs further refinement.
Students will need to sign-up for a presentation date, and circulate - via email - your draft amongst the class. Everyone should thoroughly read the circulated proposal and be prepared to ask questions, make suggestions, etc., based on the proposal and the presentation. Presenters should present their proposal, or even present a series of questions in an effort to work through issues that you might find problematic. Presenters might want to bring in media examples (e.g., audio, video, PowerPoint) as supporting material.
Structurally at least, the proposal should emulate a grant proposal (subject to further discussion in class).
Preliminary proposal should address:
In addition, during
the first few weeks the course will focus on the gaze. This exercise will hopefully be
productive given that everyone, regardless of the genre employed will
need to address 'how the camera looks,' and the network of power
relationships between, the object of the camera's gaze, the filmmaker
and the spectator.
Course
Requirements:
1. Attend all class meetings
2. Readings must be completed by the assigned dates
3. All written work must be submitted on time
4. Participation
Citations:
Readings are on electronic reserves unless
stated otherwise.
Course Assessment:
|
Presentation 1 |
20% |
|
Presentation 2 |
20% |
|
Final Draft Proposal |
30% |
|
Attendance/Participation |
30% |
Course
Schedule
Introduction:
Session 1 January 24th:
Curriculum Vitae Workshop
Discussion:
- Genre
- Truth in Fiction?
- Politics
Screening:
The Funeral Parade of Roses, Toshio Matsumoto, 1969
The Gaze/Looking/Scopophilia/Voyeurism
Session 2 January 31:
Curriculum Vitae Workshop
Discussion:
- Pleasure in looking: should we feel guilty?
- The body on film.
- Greenaway: equal opportunity voyeur?
Screening:
The Pillow Book, Peter Greenaway, 1996
Reading:
1. Paula Willoquet-Maricondi, "Fleshing the Text: Greenaway's Pillow Book and the Erasure of the Body," Postmodern Culture, vol. 9, no. 2 (1999): ¦ 22. Available through the Project Muse database.
2. "Peter Greenaway: An Interview," interviewed by Lawrence Chua, Peter Greenaway Interviews, Vernon Gras and Marguerite Gras, eds., (Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 2000), 176 - 185. [click here to download article]
Session 3 February 7:
Screening:
Removed, Naomi Uman, 1999
Fuses, Carolee Schneemann, 1967
Discussion:
- Representations of sexuality/sex/eroticism.
- Representing the invisible.
- Is voyeurism one-size-fits-all?
Reading:
1. Kelly Dennis, "Leave it to Beaver: The Object of Pornography," Strategies for Theory: From Marx to Madonna, Randy Rutsky, and Bradley Macdonald, eds. (New York: State University of New York Press, 2003), 187 - 224. [click here to download the article]
2. OPTIONAL: An Interview with Carolee Schneemann, Wide Angle vol. 20, no. 1 (1998): 20 - 49. Available through the Project Muse database.
Session 4 February 14:
Screening:
Past MFA Films
Discussion:
- Strategy for "success"
- The proposal compared to the finished product
- What to expect for the MFA Thesis Defense
Reading: