| American Film History I, II, III, IV |
Film History I: The Silent Era |
This sequence of courses is a thorough examination of the significant developments in American film and the structure of the industry from the birth of cinema and its origins in photography to the present.
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This course includes the great silent work of comedians like Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin to the masterpieces of the silent film form at the dawn of sound such as Victor Sjostrom’s The Wind.
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| Film History II: The Golden Age |
Film History III |
This course takes us from the early sound masterpieces such as Ernst Lubitch’s Trouble in Paradise, through the great Film Noir and Classical Hollywood films of the 30’s and 40’s . Studios reached their peak of power and control in this era with stables of stars under contract like Humphery Bogart and Greta Garbo.
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Film History III examines the effects of the end of the Studio System in the 50’s and the emergence of television, the influence of popular culture, experimental film, and politics in the 60’s, and the maverick auteurs of the early 70’s including Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, and Robert Altman.
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| Film History IV |
Film Language and Grammar |
Film History IV follows the rise of the blockbuster films starting with Jaws in 1975 and continuing to the present with films like "Lord of The Rings." A particular focus is paid to films from 2000 to the present to identify patterns and developments such as the influence of digital video and digital editing technology and the rise of the mirror opposite of the studio blockbuster film- the low budget independent film.
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The language of film has its own syntax. Students will become fluent in this language with a deep understanding of Shot Composition, Mise-en Scene, Continuity, Montage, Collision, Sequence, Point of View and more. Concepts will be demonstrated through the staging, shooting, and editing of actual scenes on 16mm film and DV.
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| FILMMAKING CRAFT: Script to Screen |
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Classes in script analysis, directing, editing, cinematography, and production introduce students to the creative and technical demands of cinematic storytelling. As a class exercise, students will recreate and shoot a scene from a feature film script. When available they may use the original storyboards from the film (the drawings that directors use to describe the shots they want) as they attempt to follow the director’s vision. Each student will have the opportunity to work with the same footage to edit a unique version of the scene on Final Cut Pro. Filmmaking Craft gives students invaluable insight into how a film is shaped by the real world process of taking it from script to screen. Their understanding of the films they study will be enhanced as they recognize that the final product is often very different from the original conception or intention of the filmmakers. |
| New Media Studies |
Film Criticism and Theory |
From sites like Rotten Tomatoes to Variety, the Internet has multiplied the reach and influence of the film reviewers and thinkers beyond the imagination. This class will follow the developments of film criticism and blogging on the web. The New Media class will also explore how the Internet and other new media platforms (like I-Pods and Cell Phones) are changing the way films are made and experienced. As part of the class requirement each student will write and post film reviews to a class website and maintain a film blog.
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This course provides a survey of the historical development of film criticism and an introduction to the current range of theories from Bazin to Lacan and Semiotics.
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| Film Genre |
The course examines the conventions and systems of meaning of the major film genres: The Western, Film Noir, Romantic Comedy, Horror. Hybrid examples reveal the power of genre to shape the audiences' assumptions and experience.
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| European Cinema |
Asian Cinema |
This course is an in depth study of the most influential films, directors and genres in European Cinema. The well-known cinema movements of Italian neo-realism and French New Wave will be studied along with contemporary developments as well as the astounding work of the Eastern European masters of the communist period.
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A study of the unique cinematic traditions of Japan, Korea, and China from masters like Ozu to Wong Kar Wai.
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| World Cinema |
From the great Persian masters Abbas Kiarostami
and Mohsen Makhmalbaf to Sembene Ousmane,
the "father of African Cinema" in
Senegal, and Arturo Ripstein in Mexico, film
is a universal language that exposes audiences
all over the world to cultures and stories
of people who do not get prime time coverage.
Please note: Curriculum subject to change
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For more information, please email: Michael Young MYoung@nyfa.edu |
