Course

Unit I

Introduction to film studies.

Ways of looking at film. Film as art. Intersection of film with other forms of art – music, literature and theatre. Introduction to film language. Story and theme. World cinema and film movements: Socio-political contexts.

Unit II

Film Language: Audio and Visual

Cinematography and Sound. Types of shots and their effect on the theme, character perception and story. Diegetic sound, non-diegetic sounds, music, sound effects and silence.

Unit III

Mise-en-Scene and Editing

Aspects of mise-en-scene – 4 Ps and 2 Ls, hair, costume and make cup. Functions of editing – rhythm and pace. Montage, Kuleshov effect. Continuity editing. Manipulating time and space with mise en scene and editing. Alternative to continuity editing.

Unit IV

Film Narrative and Genres

Principles of narrative construction – story and plot, time and space. Three act structure and the story arc. Linear and non linear narratives. Non narratives. Introduction to different film forms: Experimental film, Documentary film, Short film and Animated film. Film genres – definition & concept, types.

Unit V

Theoretical Aspects and Trends

Structuralism and Semiotics, Apparatus Theory, Psychoanalysis and feminist film theory, Sound theory, Cognitivist film theory, Auteur Theory, Narrative theory, Cinema and the virtual, Embodiment, Affect, and the Spectator, Cinema and/as media, Audience studies, New Cinema History.

Course Objective:

This course offers students an enriching exploration into the world of cinema, providing them with a solid foundation in film language, history, and appreciation. Students will delve into the fundamentals of film language and its evolution over time, gaining insights into the historical contexts that have shaped cinematic artistry. Moreover, the course will examine the concepts of film form and various genres, enabling students to discern the unique stylistic elements and narrative structures that characterize different types of films. The course aims to instil in students a deep appreciation for films while also empowering them to incorporate the basics of cinematic language into their own creative endeavors, thereby fostering a holistic understanding of cinema as both an art form and a means of self-expression.

Course Outcomes (COs):

After completing the course, learners should be able to:

1. Understand the basics of film
2. Review the nuances of a film and the response to it as a
3. Analyse the narrative complexity and appraise different film forms – experimental film, documentary film and animated films.
4. Appraise cinema and its connection to culture, society and
5. Critically analyse a film and write its

CO – PO Mapping:

References:

1. A Companion to Indian (2022). United States: John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated.
2. Dix, (2016). Beginning Film Studies: Second Edition. United Kingdom: Manchester University Press.
3. Nichols, (2010). Engaging Cinema: An Introduction to Film Studies. United Kingdom: W.W. Norton & Company.
4. Sikov, E. (2020). Film Studies, Second Edition: An Introduction. United Kingdom: Columbia University Press.
5. Bordwell, , Thompson, K., Smith, J. (2023). Film Art: an Introduction. United States: McGraw Hill LLC.
6. Monaco, (2013). How To Read a Film: Technology: Image & Sound: Enhanced and Expanded. (n.p.): Harbor Electronic Publishing.
7. Murch, (2001). In the Blink of an Eye: A Perspective on Film Editing. United States: Silman- James Press.
8. Seung-hoon Jeong, Cinematic Interfaces: Film Theory after New Media. New York/ London: Routledge, 2013
9. Rick Altman, “Moving Lips: Cinema as Ventriloquism” in Yale French Studies, 60, Cinema/Sound (1980)
10. Jean-Louis Comolli, Cinema against spectacle: Technology and ideology Trans. Daniel Fairfax. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, 2015
11. Laura Mulvey, “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema” in Leo Brody and Marshall Cohen (eds) Film Theory and Criticism. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009
12. Christian Metz, “Some points in the Semiotics of the Cinema” in Leo Brody and Marshall Cohen (eds) Film Theory and Criticism. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009.
13. Mary Ann Doane, “The voice in cinema: The articulation of body and space” in Leo Brody and Marshall Cohen (eds) Film Theory and Criticism. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009
14. Christian Metz, “Identification, Mirror” and “The Passion for Perceiving” in in Leo Brody and Marshall Cohen (eds) Film Theory and Criticism. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009
15. Dmytryk, E. (2018). On Film Editing: An Introduction to the Art of Film United Kingdom: Taylor & Francis.
16. A Film Theorist’s (2023). United States: Cognella Academic Publishing.
17. Roland Barthes, London: Vintage Classics, 2000.
18. Robert Stam et al. New Vocabularies in Film Semiotics: Structuralism, post-structuralism and beyond. London/New York: Routledge, 1992.
19. Gilles Deleuze, Cinema-1: The Movement-Image. Hugh Tomlinson and Barbara Habberjam. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1986.
20. Gregory Currie, “Cognitivism” in Robert Stam and Toby Miller (Eds) A Companion to Film Oxford: Blackwell Publishing, 1999
21. Vivian Sobchack, Carnal Thoughts: Embodiment and Moving Image Berkeley: University of California Press, 2004
22. Cateridge, (2015). Film Studies For Dummies. Germany: Wiley.
23. Ricciardelli, L., Shanahan, J. O., Young, G. (2019). Undergraduate Research in Film: A Guide for Students. United Kingdom: Taylor & Francis.
24. Explorations in New Cinema History: Approaches and Case (2011). Germany: Wiley.
25. Stam, Robert (2017): Film Theory : An Introduction, John Wiley &