FAVz033 Studying History of Film Style: Sound, Staging, Color

Faculty of Arts
Autumn 2012
Extent and Intensity
2/0/0. 5 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
Charles O’Brien (lecturer)
Mgr. Radomír D. Kokeš, Ph.D. (assistant)
Mgr. Michal Večeřa, Ph.D. (assistant)
Guaranteed by
doc. Mgr. Petr Szczepanik, Ph.D.
Department of Film Studies and Audiovisual Culture – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: doc. Mgr. Petr Szczepanik, Ph.D.
Supplier department: Department of Film Studies and Audiovisual Culture – Faculty of Arts
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
The capacity limit for the course is 120 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/120, only registered: 0/120, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/120
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 14 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
At the end of the course students should be able to:
understand and explain principles of the history of film style
Syllabus
  • “Studying Film Style: Songs in Films”
  • This intensive course introduces students to the study of the history of film style through a focus on the topic of songs in narrative films. Covering films from Hollywood, France, Germany, Britain, and India, the course explores how popular songs function in movies, as well as how their circulation in the culture at large can affect film narration and style. Specific topics include: the history of film style as a research object; songs as film accompaniment versus orchestral music; national style differences and similarities (e.g., Bollywood films versus Hollywood); statistical methods for film-style analysis; and sound-era changes in acting, staging, and editing.
  • Three preparatory readings:
  • Rick Altman, “Cinema and Popular Song: A Lost Tradition.” In Soundtrack Available: Essays on Film and Popular Music, eds. Pamela Robertson Wojcik and Arthur Knight. Durham, North Carolina: Duke University Press 2000. 19-30.
  • David Bordwell, “Poetics of Cinema,” Poetics of Cinema. London and New York: Routledge, 2007.
  • Richard Dyer, “Introduction,” In the Space of a Song: The uses of Song in Film. London and New York: Routledge, 2012. 1-56.
  • Three readings for the exam (two more to come…):
  • Anna Morcom, “The Production Process of Hindi Film Songs,” Hindi Film Songs and the Cinema. London: Ashgate, 2007. 25-60.
Literature
  • BORDWELL, David. Poetics of cinema. New York: Routledge, 2008, xii, 499. ISBN 9780415977784. info
Teaching methods
lectures
Assessment methods
Preparatory written test (three questions, 40 % of the final assessment), final written test (three questions, 60 % of the final assessment).
Language of instruction
English
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
Information on completion of the course: Full time students: 100% presence at the lectures is required. Distance students: two absences are tolerated.
The course is taught only once.
The course is taught: in blocks.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
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