Film Studies

Channel your inner Scorsese.

  • Course Length: 18 weeks
  • Course Type: Elective
  • Category:
    • Humanities
    • High School

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You don't have to be a USC film student to start your path toward becoming a film expert—in Shmoop's Film Studies course, we've got fifty lessons on everything from Alphaville to Zoolander.

Well, we'll be honest…neither of those films are actually studied in this course. But we'll fill these five units with film screenings, the lowdown on film criticism, and the cinematic vocabulary to write a glowing review. (We're expecting one for this course, by the way.)

  • We'll get you up to speed on the history of the industry's development and the technologies and systems that make it all possible.
  • You'll come out with a deep understanding of filmmaking techniques, film theory, and directing, and we'll cover mainstream blockbusters, independent cinema, auteurism, and some seriously crazy foreign dudes. 
  • You'll generally learn how to talk about film with sophisticated, flashy vocab.

Sound like it's too good to be considered schoolwork? It should.

However, don't be fooled—it's also going to be a ton of work. But by the end of this course, you should be able to watch and analyze films like you're the second coming of Siskel and Ebert.


Unit Breakdown

1 Film Studies - The Origin of Film

We'll start with a solid background in the evolution of film's science and technology, from the camera to the montage. We'll also examine the studio system and television's rise—you'll be a smooth-talkin' Tinseltown bigshot by the time this introductory unit's through.

2 Film Studies - The Nuts and Bolts of Filmmaking

Our second unit goes over all the cinematography techniques that make movies…films. You'll learn about editing techniques, sound design, lenses, shots, and more; plus, you'll watch a ton of films, from The Birds to Citizen Kane.

3 Film Studies - Storytelling and the Narrative Voice

Unit 3 is a quick but thorough lesson in plot and story. For example, did you know there's a difference between the two? Through two deceptive films—Memento and Fight Club, we'll cover plot, story, linear and non-linear devices, and narrative technique.

4 Film Studies - Auteurism and Genre

This unit examines some of the most influential directors of all time. We'll open with a discussion of what constitutes both a genre and an auteur, and then go into works from a huge diversity of backgrounds and experiences. 

5 Film Studies - Writing About Film

Our course concludes with a couple of lessons about film writing, both reviews and critique. Plus, we'll look at pioneers like Roger Ebert and Pauline Kael as examples of signature film-writing styles.


Sample Lesson - Introduction

Lesson 1.02: It's All About the Technology

Thomas Edison invented the light bulb, but did he invent cinema? Your call.
(Source)

Worry not: You definitely don't have to understand every technical aspect of a film's making—from the film stock used to the kind of socks the assistant director was wearing—to enjoy or analyze a film.

That said, if you want to talk knowledgably about film as an art, it's a good idea to get a sense of how it came into being

And that, of course, involves learning about how early cinematic technology evolved. Lots of unexpected inventions will pop up in your research process, from the flipbook to the lightbulb.

This lesson will take you through a few key innovations and innovators who each played a big role in bringing the cinema into existence. By discussing early film technology and picking some faves and heroes, you get to decide who "invented movies." Film scholars haven't been able to agree, so we hope you're up to the task in an hour-long lesson.


Sample Lesson - Reading

Reading 1.1.02: The History of Early Cinema

Ever hear that old saying that Rome wasn't built in a day

Well, neither was the cinema. There were a lot of people and events that built toward the birth of movies. Who and what were they? 

Check out this brief history on the origins of film and filmmaking for the deets. 


Sample Lesson - Activity

Activity 1.02: Who Invented Cinema? You Be the Judge

Today's reading walked you through how cinema inched toward being born, rather than popping out suddenly. Muybridge created his Zoogyroscope in 1879. Why "Zoo"? The term is Greek for "life," suggesting that Muybridge's device created living images.  Of course, the illusion of a living image was really based on a perceptual trick known as the persistence of vision. Meanwhile, in France, Etienne-Jules Marey created his chronophotographic gun in 1882 (yep, it looked like a gun). Before all these, there was the Zoetrope, created much earlier in 1834. The Zoetrope, or "wheel of life" (again drawing on the Greek root "zoo" for "life"), was not a camera, but simply a spinning wheel that held a series of static photos: Spin the wheel and the images would 'come to life' (so to speak). Early cinema? You decide.

But let's play devil's advocate and assume that there was only one invention or moment that was the crucial moment in making modern cinema possible. Of all the inventions and inventors we have studied today, which do you think represented the biggest turning point in "creating" the cinema?

  • Do the true roots of cinema lie in the 1834 invention of the zoetrope?
  • Was it when Muybridge took his horse photos?
  • Was it Marey with his chronophotographic gun (we just like saying that)?
  • Or were Dickson and Edison Labs the culprits?
  • What about those Lumières?
  1. Part A

    So, which invention/inventor was the most responsible for the modern cinema, as we know it today? Write at least 150 words arguing for the invention/inventor you think was the most crucial in giving birth to the big baby that is cinema. 

  2. Part B

    Now that you've made your decision about the most important innovator, do some additional research about your chosen inventor and/or invention. When you're done reading, give us a list of five new things you learned about this inventor/invention and discuss and why it's so important.

    For example, Shmoop might write, "One thing we learned was that Edison pioneered film through electrocuting an elephant on camera. Cool, and yuck. (Source)"

    1. Fact 1

    2. Fact 2

    3. Fact 3

    4. Fact 4

    5. Fact 5