SYLLABUS EMC 3000-001 / JOUR 3000-001 Introduction to Motion Pictures, Fall 2011 Location: Com 103 M/W 12:40

-2:05 PM Faculty: Edward Bowen, (Office location and telephone TBD), edward.bowen@mtsu.edu Twitter: http://twitter.com/enbowen Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/TheMovies-with-Professor-Bowen/256648551012921 YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/ProfBowen Office Hours: Monday/Wednesday 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM, other times by appointment Assistant: Susan Nogues, senogues@sbcglobal.net The task I'm trying to achieve is above all to make you see." D. W. Griffith The best movie course that I can imagine would be one that let you see movies all the time. That's how you learn about movies." Jim McBride . . . and I learned far more by seeing films than from reading heavy tomes on film esthetics." Stanley Kubrick I learned as much from the silent movies as I did from Ford and Hitchcock and Lean and Truffaut. Steven Spielberg CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION: The development and role of motion pictures in America, including the history of films and filmmakers, the influence of film on American culture, and film criticism. OBJECTIVES: The basic premise of the course is that one best learns film history, technique, and influence by the analytical viewing of film. Film communication is a phenomenon of the twentieth century, and its history, technique, and impact can be documented by the viewing of films that mark milestones or represent trends in cinematic development. The specific objectives of the course are that students will: Be able to identify and describe the planning, equipment, personnel, and production requirements of creating motion pictures; Be familiar with the terminology necessary to discuss the technical, dramatic, auteur, rhetorical, genre and historical dimensions of film communication; Be knowledgeable of the basic developments in the history of the motion picture industry internationally, but with an emphasis on the American film Industry and films that influenced the American cinema; Be aware of the impact of the cinema and its influence on, and reflection of, society; Be conscious of the unique aspects of the cinema as a basis for comparison and contrast with other modes of communication.

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Consideration of films in this course will be organized around the following major analytical concepts: The Technical Dimension: All of the communication devices that arise from the process of motion photography and production, including camera movement, composition, sound, lighting, editing, etc. The Dramatic Dimension: All of the factors involved in the telling of the story, be it fiction or non-fiction, including theme, plot, characterization, story structure, etc. The Auteur Dimension: All of the factors in a work that characterize the film as the unique product of a director, or of a studio, producer, or actor; that is, the person or persons who can be considered the author of the work. The Genre Dimension: All of the factors in a work that result from it being in one, or a combination of, genre(s) (that is, classes or types of stories), and how the history of and expectations engendered by the genre service the film. Genres can be based on one or more of many factors such as location (the western), type of story (action, love, mystery), content (musical, science fiction, nature), or style (experimental, avant-garde, etc.). The Rhetorical Dimension: All of the factors in a work that deal with its impact on an audience ("rhetoric" means "to influence an audience), the point or points the film may be trying to make, the messages the film may be trying to convey, the call-to-action the film may be championing. The Historical Dimension: An understanding of where the film rests in the history of motion pictures and of the world and society in general.

TEXT: How to Read a Film: The World of Movies, Media, and Beyond, James Monaco, 2009. Other readings from the internet will be required. GRADING: Your grade will be based upon your performance on: Three tests (60% of the final grade) One paper or project (20% of the final grade Ten mini-quizzes (20% of the final grade) The paper should be between five and ten pages in length. It should address one specific feature length movie of your choice, but one made before you were born. The paper should address the technical, dramatic, auteur, rhetoric, genre and historic dimensions of the film, and will require some research. You may consider the film in general or focus intently on one aspect or scene. The paper or project is due on November 30, 2011 Additionally, other options for this project will be considered, such as productions or research-intensive papers, but must be approved by the instructor in advance. A = 90 100; B = 80 89; C = 70 79; D = 60 69; F = 0- 69

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SCREENINGS: You will be required to view at least 10 of 13 specific feature length movies outside of class time. For your convenience, we will schedule a weekly screening outside of class time; that time and place is be determined. When possible, copies of the films will be placed on reserve at LRC for a period of two weeks, and can be viewed there on their equipment. You may also rent or stream from a personal Netflix or Amazon account if you wish. Some are available through YouTube. The films are: 1. INCEPTION (Christopher Nolan, 2010) (available LRC) 2. JAWS (Steven Spielberg, 1975) (available LRC) 3. NICKELODEON (Peter Bogdanovich, 1976) (available LRC & Amazon Instant $2.99) 4. THE BATTLESHIP POTEMKIN (Sergei Eisenstein, 1925, Silent) (available LRC, Netflix Streaming, Amazon Instant $2.99, YouTube http://youtu.be/Bh2SuJrEjwM) 5. SHERLOCK JR. (Buster Keaton, 1920, Silent) (available YouTube http://youtu.be/pRwl8OpUbWU, Netflix streaming) 6. SUNRISE (F.W. Murnau, 1927, Silent) (available LRC, YouTube in 9 parts http://youtu.be/m6t0DCtIOBA) 7. SINGIN IN THE RAIN (Gene Kelly & Stanley Donen, MGM Studios, 1952) (available LRC, Amazon Instant $2.99) 8. CASABLANCA (Michael Curtiz, Warner Brothers, 1942) (available LRC, Amazon Instant $2.99) 9. CITIZEN KANE (Orson Welles, 1941) (available LRC) 10. THE SEARCHERS (John Ford, 1956) (available LRC, Amazon Instant $2.99) 11. VERTIGO (Alfred Hitchcock, 1958) (available LRC, Amazon Instant $2.99) 12. ON THE WATERFRONT (Elia Kazan, 1954) (available LRC, Amazon Instant $13.99) 13. NOTHING BUT A MAN (Michael Roemer, 1964) (available LRC) JAWS, at least one silent feature, and CITIZEN KANE are required. A mini-quiz will be given on each film in class the Monday following its screening. The purpose of the quiz is ONLY to confirm that you watched the movie prior to the class. CLASS ATTENDANCE: Regular and prompt attendance is required for all scheduled class sessions. For each unexcused absence in excess of 3 per semester, 3 points may be deducted from the final grade.

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The Virtual Classroom: The conscientious student will avail themselves of all opportunities to learn about motion pictures. Sources, revelations and ideas can be shared with fellow students at http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Movies-withProfessor-Bowen/256648551012921. Start or contribute to a conversation. Postings will be considered student participation, and that pushes marginal final grades up a step. In addition, here are some valuable sources (Many of these have excellent podcasts available.): Yale Film Studies: http://classes.yale.edu/film-analysis/ InPoint The Online Production Resource Centre at Pacific Cinematheque: http://www.inpoint.org/ AMC Filmsite: http://www.filmsite.org AMC FilmSite Film Terms Glossery: http://www.filmsite.org AMC Filmsite Film History by Decade: http://www.filmsite.org/filmh.html Whos Who in Victorian Cinema: http://www.victorian-cinema.net/intro.htm Spectacular Attractions Film in All Its Forms - http://drnorth.wordpress.com/ Old Hollywood: http://drnorth.wordpress.com/ Turner Classic Movies: http://www.tcm.com/ Leonard Maltin Movie Crazy: http://blogs.indiewire.com/leonardmaltin/ The Sexualized Position of American Women in Movies: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-media-zone/201104/the-sexualized-positionamerican-women-in-movies A Concise History of The Origins of Cinema: http://vimeo.com/12566432 The Picture Show Man Movie Timeline: http://www.pictureshowman.com/timeline.cfm The American Society of Cinematographers: http://www.theasc.com/ The American Film Institute: http://www.afi.com/ The Film Programme: http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/film Film Weekly: http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/series/filmweekly Filmspotting: http://www.filmspotting.net/ Independent Film Channel: http://www.ifc.com/ KCRWs The Treatment: http://www.kcrw.com/etc/programs/tt IGN Movies: http://movies.ign.com/ A.V. Club Film: http://www.avclub.com/section/film/ A Glossary of Film Terms: http://homepage.newschool.edu/~schlemoj/film_courses/glossary_of_film_terms/ The Internet Movie Database: http://www.imdb.com The Internet Movie Database Movie Terminology Glossary: http://www.imdb.com/glossary/ Film History An International Journal: http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/fih/ The History of American Film - Digital History: www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/historyonline/hollywood.cfm The Society of Independent Motion Picture Producers Archive: http://www.cobbles.com/simpp_archive/index.htm#about History of African Americans in Film: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/34246559/ns/today-entertainment/t/history-africanamericans-film/#.TlfF4c3iWFc Blacks in Film and Television: http://www.oxfordaasc.com/public/features/archive/1208/index.jsp

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Reelwomen: http://www.reelwomen.com/ Molly Haskell: http://www.mollyhaskell.com/ Women In Film: http://www.greencine.com/static/primers/womeninfilm.jsp The Motion Picture Production Code of 1930: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5099/ The Hollywood Thirties: http://hollywoodthirties.50webs.com/ Reel Bad Arabs A Study Guide: http://www.mediaed.org/assets/products/412/studyguide_412.pdf Images of Native Americans in US Cinema: http://tvmultiversity.blogspot.com/2011/02/stereotypes-of-native-americans-in-us.html Asians on Film: http://www.asiansonfilm.com/ Slanted Screen: http://www.slantedscreen.com/ THE FINE PRINT: STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES: Reasonable Accommodations for Students with Disabilities - If you have a disability that may require assistance or accommodations, or if you have any questions related to any accommodation for testing, note taking, reading, etc., please speak with me as soon as possible. You may also contact the Office of Disabled Student Services (898-2783) with any questions about such services. LOTTERY SCHOLARSHIPS: Do you have a lottery scholarship? To retain Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship eligibility, you must earn a cumulative TELS GPA of 2.75 after 24 and 48 attempted hours and a cumulative TELS GPA of 3.0 thereafter. You may qualify with a 2.75 cumulative GPA after 72 attempted hours (and subsequent semesters), if you are enrolled full-time and maintain a semester GPA of at least 3.0. A grade of C, D, F, or I in this class may negatively impact TELS eligibility. Dropping a class after 14 days may also impact eligibility; if you withdraw from this class and it results in an enrollment status of less than full time, you may lose eligibility for your lottery scholarship. Lottery recipients are eligible to receive the scholarship for a maximum of five years from the date of initial enrollment, or until a bachelor degree is earned. For additional Lottery rules, please refer to your Lottery Statement of Understanding form, review lottery requirements on the web at http://www.mtsu.edu/scholarships/telsconteligibility_scholarships.shtml, or contact the Financial Aid Office at 898-2830.

EMC 3000 Introduction to Motion Pictures, Fall 2011 SCHEDULE (Subject and Likely to Change) WEEK 1 MON 8/29 WED 8/31 WEEK 2 MON 9/5 WED 9/7 Introduction The 14 Year Old Girl The Technology of Motion Pictures READ: Chapter 2 pages 76 through 141 prior to class LABOR DAY HOLIDAY NO CLASSES The Technical Dimension Inside the Frame; Within the Shot READ: Chapter 2 pages 141 through 164 prior to class EVENING SCREENING: INCEPTION WEEK 3 MON 9/12 Mini-Quiz on INCEPTION The Technical Dimension Light and the Moving Frame READ: Chapters 1 and 3 prior to class The Technical Dimension Between the Shots EVENING SCREENING: JAWS WEEK 4 MON 9/19 Mini-Quiz on JAWS TEST ONE The Dramatic Dimension Jaws and the Dramatic Dimension Film History until 1910 Actuality and Magic READ: Chapter 4 prior to class EVENING SCREENING: NICKELODEON WEEK 5 MON 9/26 Mini-Quiz on NICKELODEON Film History until 1910 Actuality and Magic READ: Chapter 4 prior to class Film History 1910 to 1920 Griffith and Storytelling READ: Film and Media: A Chronology prior to class

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WED 9/14

WED 9/21

WED 9/28

EVENING SCREENING: THE BATTLESHIP POTEMKIN

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Mini-Quiz on The Battleship Potemkin The Birth of a Nation Race and Movies The Battleship Potemkin - Rhetoric and Propaganda Film History 1920 to 1930 Cinema Europe READ: Chapter 5 prior to class EVENING SCREENING: SHERLOCK JR.

WEEK 7 MON 10/10 Mini-Quiz on SHERLOCK JR. Film Genres Silent Comedy WED 10/12 Film Genres - Comedy EVENING SCREENING: SUNRISE WEEK 8 MON 10/17 FALL BREAK WED 10/19 Mini-Quiz on SUNRISE The Art of Silent Films EVENING SCREENING: SINGIN IN THE RAIN WEEK 9 MON 10/24 Mini-Quiz on SINGIN IN THE RAIN Film History Silence to Sound WED 10/26 Film Genres The Musical EVENING SCREENING: CASABLANCA WEEK 10 MON 10/31 TEST TWO Mini-Quiz on CASABLANCA WED 11/02 Film History 1930 1950 The Studio System. The Well-Made Film EVENING SCREENING: CITIZEN KANE

EMC 3000 Introduction to Motion Pictures, Fall 2011 WEEK 11 MON 11/7 WED 11/9 Mini-Quiz on CITIZEN KANE Citizen Kane The Auteur Theory Orson Welles EVENING SCREENING: THE SEARCHERS WEEK 12 MON 11/14 Mini-Quiz on THE SEARCHERS Film Genres The Western WED 11/16 Auteurs John Ford EVENING SCREENING: VERTIGO WEEK 13 MON 11/21 Mini-Quiz on VERTIGO Auteurs - Alfred Hitchcock WED 11/23 Auteurs - Alfred Hitchcock EVENING SCREENING ON THE WATERFRONT WEEK 14 MON 11/28 Mini-Quiz on ON THE WATERFRONT Social Realism in American Film Film History 1950 to 1960 Cold Wars WED 11/30 Elia Kazan and Arthur Miller, A Case Study EVENING SCREENING: NOTHING BUT A MAN WEEK 15 MON 12/5 WED 12/7 Mini-Quiz on NOTHING BUT A MAN An American Voice The Digital Revolution

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MON 12/12 12:30 PM FINAL TEST