Course Outline

  • Introduction: What is Film
  • What makes a film good or bad?
  • The Director's Decision: What type of film to make.
  •     Entertainment
  •     Informative
  •     Persuasive
  • Pre-Production
  •     Scriptwriting
  •     Production Design
  •     Storyboarding
  •     Casting
  • Production
  •     Cinematography
  •     Acting
  • Post-Production
  •     Film Editing
  •     Sound Editing
  •     Musical Score
  • Marketing the Film

Course Objectives

Students will
  • analyze the structure of the narrative of a film and outline the levels of development
  • determine the intent of the film and outline the components of the narrative
  • analyze the design of a film including the costume, set, and lighting components
  • evaluate the performance of an actor and define why the actor has "star" quality
  • explain why a director is considered "auteur" using examples from the director's work
  • analyze the mise en scene of a film explaining how the director and cinematographer designed each shot
  • create a storyboard for a film sequence and produce the film
  • create a video montage that portrays a narrative
  • edit a film clip for consistency
  • alter a film clip by altering the sound track and explaining how the change in sound track changes the film

Grading Criteria

The grading of the course will consist of the cumulative points earned for various activities. These activities include:
  • The analysis of a genre
  • The analysis of the narrative structure of a film
  • The analysis of the persuasive structure of a film
  • The creation of a screenplay utilizing one of the studied narrative structures
  • The research and reporting on a significant auteur director
  • The analysis of the mise en scene of a film clip
  • The research and reporting on a significant actor
  • The design and defense of a production design for a screenplay
  • The creation of a video montage
  • The development and defense of a storyboard
  • The editing of a score for a short film clip
  • Tests and quizzes of unit chapters
  • Other activities as they develop through the course of the class