FAMS 101: Introduction to Film & Media Studies
This is a foundational course that introduces students to the basic concepts, theories, and methods in film and media studies. We will study the histories and genres of cinema as well as formal techniques, including cinematography, editing, and sound, to develop a critical understanding of film as a mode of representation. We will also study other forms of contemporary moving-image media to gain a better understanding of the perspectives and practices of emerging technologies and forms of distribution. Through required weekly screenings, readings, writing and regular discussion, we will analyze these various kinds of screen medias as they influence our world. No prerequisites. FAMS F & CCS HUM. Katherine Groo. M 7:00-9:50 PM & TR 2:45-4:00 PM, Buck Hall – Landis Cinema (Rm. 101).
FAMS 102: Integrated Practice I
This course introduces students to the creative, theoretical, and practical aspects of media production and is designed to provide a foundational understanding of audio-visual storytelling. Students will learn the technical fundamentals of composition, lighting, audio recording, digital video cameras, and non-linear editing. The class will be grounded in discussions of theory, ethical media-making and responsible practices that move between past, present, and future. Prerequisite: FAMS 101 or permission of instructor. Drew Swedberg. MW 1:10-4:00 PM, 248 N. 3rd St. – Media 1 (Rm. 102).
FAMS 202: Integrated Practice II
In this course, students produce research-based creative work in the form of stop motion animations, digital cutout animations, and green-screen composite videos. Students integrate the written word into their projects during the conceptual phase and as companion texts such as artist statements. Students also learn the essential practice of designing budgets for large scale collaborative projects. FAMS P. Prerequisite FAMS 102 or permission. Adam MacHose. TR 9:30 AM-12:20 PM. 248 N. 3rd St. – Media 1 (Rm. 102).
FAMS 220: Film Theory (W)
The study of film theory provides foundational insight into the moving image, allowing one to explore cinema’s relationship to historical, aesthetic, social, political, and technological influences. Through weekly screenings and readings, we will study some of the key debates and concepts in film theory, including ontology, semiotics, materialism, psychoanalytic criticism, feminist and queer theory, genre theory, theories of race and identity, and phenomenology. FAMS T & CCS course. (W, GM1) Prerequisite: FAMS 101 or by instructor’s permission. Katherine Groo. TR 11:00 AM-12:15 PM, 248 N. 3rd St. – Media 2 (Rm. 121).
FAMS/ENG 251: Introduction to Screenwriting: Adaptation
This course will introduce students to screenwriting adaptation in feature films focusing on the delights and challenges of adapting fictional and non-fictional narratives to film. Students will examine various tools and methods of screenwriting including story structure, logical cause and effect, character development, use of conflict, scene writing and dialogue. The class will also seek to address the ethics of adaptation, and some of the questions and techniques surrounding the process of fictionalizing “truth” and revising fiction for dramatic purposes. Students will read and analyze fictional and non-fictional narratives and their accompanying script adaptations to illustrate universal script principles. These formal investigations will be applied to students’ own original material in a workshop environment. Prerequisite permission of instructor. FAMS E, CCS HUM & W. Jennifer Gilmore. MW 1:1 -2:30 PM, Pardee 216.
FAMS 362: American Cinema of the 1970s
Called a “Decade Under the Influence,” and the “Last Golden Era of American Film,” the 1970s were a wrenching cultural pivot point and an astonishingly rich extended moment in the history of American Cinema. From Vietnam to Watergate, from disco to gas lines to Americans held hostage, from women’s liberation to the beginnings of pay per view and video games, it was a decade of trauma and change. In Hollywood, the long-established order of the studio system collapsed, independent artists were suddenly tolerated and even enabled, and, by decade’s end, corporate-controlled franchises and blockbuster expectations had become the new normal. We will examine memorable American films from the late sixties through the late seventies, and the cultural contexts from which they emerged. Through regular readings, screenings, writings, and discussions, students will learn to treat films as complex texts and interpret cinema as a potent cultural force. Prerequisites: FAMS 101 or permission of the instructor. CCS HUM & W. Andy Smith. TR 1:10-4:00 PM, 248 N. 3rd St. – Media 2 (Rm. 121).
FAMS 420: Capstone
This required course for FAMS majors is a chance for students to synthesize their course of study into one major individual project. The capstone is a workshop-based experience where students design and complete either a critical or creative (or some combination of the two) media project that results in a public presentation of their most advanced work as FAMS majors. CCS W. Open to senior FAMS majors only. Two sections offered: (01) Katherine Groo, M 1:10-4:00 PM. (02) Andy Smith, W 1:10- 4:00 PM, 248 N. 3rd St. – Media 2 (Rm. 121).