TEXTBOOKS

Bordwell, David Film Art: An Introduction, Fifth Edition

Cook, David A. A History of Narrative Film, Third Edition

Rosa and Eschholz The Writer’s Brief Handbook, Third Edition

• Manchel, Frank Film Study: An Analytical Bibliography Vol. I, II, III & IV

 * Indicates we begin class at 7:45 am, because film runs longer than seventy-five minutes.

The following is how your grade will be determined in the course:

• Annotated Bibliography (25 %)
• Three announced quizzes on readings, screenings, and lectures (20 %)
• Midterm (25%)
• Final (Cumulative Examination) (30%)

Anyone missing more than three classes (without permission) will be penalized with a drop in grade.Anyonearriving more than a half hour late or leaving a half hour early will not get credit for that class.

CLASSES AND READINGS:

Classes will consist of lectures and screenings. All assigned readings should be completed PRIOR to the appropriate class so that you can understand the lectures as well as participate in the discussions.

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY (DUE April 22):

Each student is required to turn in one annotated bibliography on five articles from academic journals, or a combination of book chapters and articles (published after 1993), related to a significant MOVIE in sound film history. Each article/chapter read must be a minimum of ten pages. No more than two book chapters may be used in the project. Suggestions for your topics are listed PRIMARILY in Film Study: An Analytical Bibliography II and IV. Many film periodicals are available in Bailey Howe Library. Use the SAGE databases to find journal articles on your director. The SAGE web site is http://sageunix.uvm.edu/collections/

The format for your annotated bibliography is as follows: 1) book annotations begin with listing at top of page. Start with last name, first name of author(s). Next, give the title of the chapter in quotation marks, with comma inside quotation marks. Next, give title of the book underlined or in Italics, followed by period. Next, give city, colon, publisher, comma, date, period. Finally, indicate page numbers. For example, Taves, Brian. "The B Film," Grand Design: Hollywood as a Modern Business Enterprise, 1930-1939, ed., Tino Balio. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1995. 313-350. Articles are listed with Last name, first name period. The title of the article goes in quotation marks, with comma enclosed. The title of the periodical is underlined or in italics. Next comes the volume number, colon, issue number. Next, in parentheses, the date, end of parentheses, colon, the page numbers, period. For example, Manchel, Frank. "Review Article--A Reel Witness: Steven Spielberg’s Representation of the Holocaust in Schindler’s List," THE Journal of Modern History 67:1 (March 1995):83-100. 2) After you've completed your five annotations, arrange them in alphabetical order. 3) The annotated bibliography should have a cover sheet, indicating your topic, date of submission, and your name. 4) The bibliography needs to be typed, double-spaced, and proofread before being submitted for a grade. ALL WRITTEN WORK MUST DEMONSTRATE BASIC SKILLS IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE TO RECEIVE A PASSING GRADE. Since there are many different style manuals, the one used for this course will be The Writer’s Brief Handbook, Third edition. Please consult Rosa and Eschholz for the rules on documentation and plagiarism. You should consult with me about the topic for your individual paper. I encourage you to discuss with me work in progress.

No Late papers will be accepted.No articles or chapters published before 1993 will be accepted. Please do not come to me on April 22 with the excuse that your computer malfunctioned. Work should be done the week of April 13, so that there will be ample time for proofreading.

CLASSROOM PROTOCOL*

1. Students are expected to attend and be prepared for all regularly scheduled classes.

2. Students are expected to arrive on time and stay in class until the class period ends. If a student knows in advance that he or she will need to leave early, he or she should notify my assistant or me before the class period begins.

3. Students are expected to treat faculty and fellow students with respect. For example, students must not disrupt class by leaving and reentering during class, must not distract class by making noise, and must be attentive to comments being made by me and by peers.

4. Assignments must be submitted in person and on time.

5. Makeup exams or paper extensions will not be given save for documented illness or similar appropriate reasons and must be requested in advance. Non-submission of an exam or paper will be recorded as a zero, not merely an F.

6. I reserve the right to quiz you whenever the lack of class discussion reveals lack of reading.

7. This syllabus is subject to change as announced in class. You are responsible for any such changes whether or not you are in class on the days they are announced.

*Abridged from School of Business Classroom Protocol and Professor Mark Stoler’s syllabi.

SAMPLE ANNOTATION

Ehrenstein, David. "David Lean." American Film 15.6 (1990): 20-7.

David Ehrenstein interviews David Lean in depth about his career in film and why he is such a success. While much of the article deals with Lean's life in general, we get a peek into the mind of one of the greatest directors of all time for techniques he used to make his films a hit. He discusses his important relationships with his cameramen, how to make an impact on the audience with visual tricks, and how he plays with long shots and close-ups to get a certain reaction from his audience. This interview with Lean reveals a very modest, yet confident, film director.

Lean says in this interview that one of his favorite techniques using the camera is playing with the focal length of the lenses. He begins with a fairly wide angle, with everything very much in focus, and then he gradually ups the focal length so that he'll end on a close-up of somebody in which everything is a blur except the eyes of the face (24). He uses this to control what the audience sees. In order to make an impact with color, Lean will make the scene preceding the colorful scene dull and grey so that the color will then jump out at you. Lean uses this technique in Dr. Zhivago. Also, when he is shooting on location he makes an effort to keep the performers in the foreground except when he wants the scenery to take over. This also leaves a powerful impact. Tricks of the trade from a man who seems to make a powerful impact with whatever he does.

I enjoyed this article mostly because it was David Lean talking about himself rather than other people talking about him. He sounds like a simple man and makes his accomplishments in film appear to be trivial. This definitely reveals a modest side to Lean, yet we sense his confidence in producing great work.

Professor Manchel's office and office hours: Old Mill 301 656-4039
1:00-3:00 p.m. Wed. and by appointment
Email address: fmanchel@zoo.uvm.edu
Randall Scott McCord's Office and Office Hours: Old Mill 301
1:00-3:00 p.m. Mon. and Wed. and by appointment
Email address: rmccord@zoo.uvm.edu