Film Studies

This course introduces students to the aesthetic or formal properties of cinema, including narrative, performance, mise-en-scène, cinematography, editing, and sound. Students then examine genre filmmaking and different modes of cinematic representation, including animated and avant-garde cinema, as well as works in documentary and nonfiction.

In this course, students receive instruction in academic reading and writing, including writing processes, effective use of language, analytical thinking, and the foundations of academic research.

This course provides an exploration of intellectual, psychological, social and physical factors that impact lifelong learning, well-being and success. Topics include motivation and self-efficacy; critical thinking, academic integrity and active study strategies; health issues and lifestyle choices; relating to others as a global citizen; written and oral communication; time management; career exploration; and educational planning.

A broad survey is made of the history, theory, techniques, and development of motion pictures. The history of film as a major art form and its major artists, works, and styles are emphasized. Film examples are screened in class.

STAT C1000 (or MATH 54) or MATH 21 recommended

See the full list: Cal-GETC Area 2 Course

In this course, students receive instruction in critical thinking for purposes of constructing, evaluating, and composing arguments in a variety of rhetorical forms, using primarily non-fiction texts, refining writing skills and research strategies developed in ENGL C1000 Academic Reading and Writing (or C-ID ENGL 100) or similar first-year college writing course.

could be 1 unit course if a 4 unit math course is taken

This course examines cinema as a reflection of and influence on American society. Films are situated within the political, cultural, and economic contexts of their times, and are analyzed as records of the industrial practices, thematic trends, and social attitudes of the past that help to shape the present.

consider additional major preparation for transfer schools

consider additional major preparation for transfer schools

This course will explore the history of animation through its earliest beginnings to the present. In addition to the chronological order of events, this course will look at the multi-faceted aspects of this relatively modern art form. The influences of economics and social/political pressures on the art form will be examined. Included will be the study of individual animators and studios, big and small; different art techniques, materials 2D and 3D. The class will also examine the principles of movement and how they apply to the zoetrope as well as the computer.

This course introduces documentary film and media through a formal, historical, social and political perspective. Focuses on analysis of various types of domestic and international documentaries with a wide range of subject matter.

This course examines the construction and representation of gender and sexuality in cinema both in the U.S. and internationally, including majority as well minority groups. Students will analyze films to understand how the concepts of gender and sexuality have been imagined, complicated, and challenged cinematically. Issues of access—who does and does not get to produce, distribute, and exhibit cinema—will also be examined. While gender and sexuality are in the foreground, issues like age, race, ethnicity, nationality, and ableism will also be considered.

This course examines the construction and representation of race and ethnicity in cinema, both in the U.S. and internationally, including majority as well as minority groups. Students will analyze films to understand how the concepts of race and ethnicity have been imagined, complicated, and challenged cinematically. Issues of access—who does and does not get to produce, distribute, and exhibit cinema—will also be examined. While race and ethnicity are in the foreground, issues like nationality, gender, sexuality, age, and ableism will also be considered.

This course introduces students to the concept of genre—or ‘category’—in cinema, exploring the economic, aesthetic, and cultural reasons for genre film making. Typically, it will focus on one genre and its development over time—like Romantic Comedy, Horror, or the Western—and why some genres endure while others fade away. The genre under examination may change each semester.

This course examines the artistic, cultural, and economic contributions of a screenwriter, director, producer, star, or studio. By exploring their various works, we can understand the development of their style, their ideological or social concerns, as well as their standing in the film industry and beyond. Specific film artists will vary from semester to semester.

This course introduces students to the ways scholars have explained cinema as an art form, entertainment, and social force since the late 1800s. It begins with theories connected to the early development of cinema and moves on through the mid-20th century. It then examines theories emerging today as cinema intersects with new forms of expression. Students will learn to use theory in analyzing cinema, composing essays and presentations for popular and academic contexts.

This course explores the process of transforming works from various sources—including literature, television, radio, video games, comic books, and historical events—into movies. Students will study various approaches to adapting source material into cinema, the expressive powers and limitations of the sources in question, and how to evaluate the adapted work in relation to its original format.

This course is designed to teach the student the basic tools of scriptwriting for film, television, or theater, focusing on the aesthetic and commercial demands of each medium.

This course is designed to provide intermediate level training in skills required to create scripts for film, television, or theatre. Techniques of writing and marketing scripts are explored.

This course is designed for students who are interested in transforming a creative concept into a practical production plan. By viewing, discussing, and analyzing scripts, television, and film, students will learn skills necessary to start production of a film or video.

This is an introductory course covering both the basic techniques of digital filmmaking and of critical appreciation, while emphasizing students' personal and creative expression. Topics will include the theory and practice of visualization, the grammar of cinematic storytelling, the aesthetics of various film movements, camera technique, lighting, sound recording, directing, and other fundamentals related to learning the craft of digital filmmaking. Students will engage in critical appreciation and individual and group analysis of movies, as well as in filming exercises under the direct and continuous supervision of their instructor.

In this hands-on course, students will delve into the art and craft of cinematography:the methods and techniques by which motion picture photography and lighting help give a film meaning and aesthetic purpose. Through lectures, demonstrations and exercises in a supervised classroom environment, students will learn to operate state-of-the-art digital and electronic equipment while applying the fundamental principles of lighting, composition, exposure, focus, lens selection, and camera dynamics into purposeful visual storytelling.