Understanding Film: An Introduction Through Four Movies

This five-class series is the perfect introduction to film studies. Students will watch films outside of class and engage in a discussion-based live classes. Perfect for any movie buff hoping to gain a deeper understanding of the art form!

Our first class will give a brief overview of the history of film, an explanation of what makes film such a unique synthesis of art forms, why it's so important that we study it closely and learn about it, and a discussion that will cover what the students hope to get out of this class, what they should expect from it, and what I expect from them as students. Each class will conclude with a brief introduction of next week's movie, and what students should know, pay attention to, and think about while watching.

After the first week, classes will begin with a conversation about each film, where students are invited to give their own reviews, opinions and reactions to what we have watched. This will be followed by a discussion that will cover such broad concepts as story and plot, narrative structure, and theme, more technical concepts like editing, cinematography and production design, and a little bit of the history behind the filmmakers, as well as some of the social and political conditions relevant to their work.

STUDENTS WILL BE EXPECTED TO WATCH THE FILMS OUTSIDE OF CLASS, and are responsible (along with their parents) for finding access to the movies, either streaming online, through a library rental, or any other means. Not all movies are available for free, and students our responsible for obtaining access to the films. I recommend https://www.justwatch.com/ to find streaming options. Each week students will also be given a link to a supplemental video to watch on youtube, usually no more than ten minutes long.

On the fourth week (our second-to-last class) students will be given a short-response assignment and a quiz on the fourth week to be completed by the fifth week.

The four films covered in this course are:
- The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
- The Apartment (1960)
- Asteroid City (2023)
- Monster (2023)

SOME MOVIES INCLDUE MATURE THEMES. See the Parental Guidance section below, though I always suggest reviewing the Parental Guide at imdb.com for each film.

At Twin Oaks Learning Collective, all of our classes have a cameras-on policy. STUDENTS WILL BE REQUIRED TO KEEP THEIR CAMERAS ON FOR THE ENTIRETY OF THE LESSON. Students who are verified non-video learners (green checkmark accounts) are exempted from this policy. We have found that cameras on keeps student-teacher interaction strong and improves learning. If your learner is unable to take a course without keeping their camera on, please reach out to us to discuss an exception.