English 292-001/FST 369-002: Writing About Film
Course Schedule
(home)

Week One
Th, 1.8 First class, introduction

Week Two
T, 1.13
Reading: Chapter 1 in Corrigan, pgs 1-16
Writing: Exercise #1 on pg. 16

W.1.14 Last day to add or drop (without a grade)

Th, 1.15
Reading: Chapter 2 in Corrigan, pgs 17-34; look over film terms, pg 173
Writing: Journal (film)

Week Three
Screening: Vertigo on reserve in the library
T, 1.20
Reading: Chris Marker's "A Free Replay (notes on Vertigo)"
and Matjaz Klopcic's "Vertigo"
Writing: Journal (outline your review of Vertigo, focusing on film terminology)

Th.1.22
Reading: Vertigo reviews (from links page)
Writing: discuss in detail one of the Vertigo reviews

Week Four
T,1.27
Reading: Chapter 3 in Corrigan, pgs 35-55
Writing: Review #1 (of Vertigo) due in class with journal

Th.1.29
Reading: Finish chapter 3 in Corrigan, pgs 55-78
Writing: Exercise #1 on pg. 78

Week Five
Screening: David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive on reserve
T, 2.3
Reading: Stephanie Zacharek’s and Nathanial Rogers’s reviews (linked on website)
Writing: Journal (find other reviews of Lynch’s work (at rottentomatoes.com) and discuss them—how do the reviewers approach his work? are there any “in jokes” or preconceived notions here? are they all talking about the same things?)

Th.2.5
Reading: Martha Nochimson’s “David Lynch at a Feminine Glance”
Writing: Journal (outline your review of Mulholland Drive, focusing on theme/argument)

Week Six
T.2.10
Reading: Chapter 4 in Corrigan, pgs 79-92
Writing: Review #2 due (on Mulholland Drive)

Th.2.12
Reading: Sample essays in Corrigan, pgs 92-105
Writing: Exercise #2 on pg 105

Week Seven
T.2.17
Screening: Blade Runner (on reserve in the library)
Reading: Bukatman's Blade Runner, pgs 1-41
Writing: Journal (find and discuss a review/critiques of Blade Runner)

Th.2.19
Reading: Bukatman's Blade Runner, pgs 41-63
Look through the Blade Runner shooting script:
http://www.dailyscript.com/scripts/blade-runner_shooting.html
Writing: Journal (look up information on other movies made my PK Dick and discuss)

Week Eight
T.2.24
Reading: Chapter 5 in Corrigan, pgs 106-123, Bukatman's Blade Runner, pgs 64-86
Writing: Journal (talk about how Bukatman builds his argument… who is his audience? how does the fact that this book is in a series affect it?)

Th.2.26
Reading: Chapter 6 in Corrigan, pgs 124-153
Writing: Work on draft.

Week Nine
T.3.2
Conferences
First Draft of First Essay Due

Th.3.4
Final Draft of First Essay Due with Journal

Week Ten
3.6-3.12 Spring Break

Week Eleven
Screening: Antonioni’s Blow Up on reserve
T.3.16
Reading: Julio Cortazar’s “Blow Up” (short story)
Writing: Discuss the role of sight and vision in Antonioni’s film

Th.3.18
Reading: Three works by Antonioni, “Reality and Cinema-Verite,” “Antonioni—English Style,” and “Antonioni Talks about his Work”
Writing: Review #3 (on Blow Up) due

Week Twelve
T.3.23
Reading: from Stan Brakhage's "Metaphors on Vision"; Peter Greenaway's "Just Place, Preferably Architectural Place"
Writing: Journal (film, focusing on sight, vision as a metaphor and tool in the film)

Th.3.25
Reading: Christian Metz “Identification, Mirror”
Writing: Journal (discuss Metz’s argument—if you are interested in this, check out articles by Laura Mulvey and Kaja Silverman)

Week Thirteen
Screening: Coppola’s The Conversation on reserve
T.3.30
Reading: Walter Murch's "Don't Worry, It's Only a Movie," his “Forward to Audio Vision” and Michel Chion’s “Projection of Sound on Image”
Writing: Journal (sketch out a one-scene audiovisual analysis of The Conversation using Chion’s example)

W.3.31 Last day to withdraw (with a 'w')

Th.4.1
Reading: Chion’s “Introduction to Audiovisual Analysis”
Writing: Journal (trace the lineage of The Conversation through other films, what do you find?)

Week Fourteen
T.4.6
Reading: John Belton, “Technology and Aesthetics of Film Sound”
Writing: Review #4 (of The Conversation) due with Journal

Th.4.8-4.11 Easter Break

Week Fifteen
T.4.13
Reading: Pauline Kael’s “On the Future of Movies”
Writing: Work on draft.

Th.4.15
First Draft of Final Essay Due in class

Week Sixteen
T.4.20
Course Evaluations/Peer Review

Th.4.22 Last Day of Class
Writing: Final Paper and Journal Due