Film Criticism in Context by CooperDP

TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction......................................................................................................................... 4 Chapter 1............................................................................................................................. 5 Chapter 2............................................................................................................................. 8 Chapter 3........................................................................................................................... 13 Chapter 4........................................................................................................................... 15 Conclusion........................................................................................................................ 18 References......................................................................................................................... 19

Dear Reader, While this book isn't for everybody, if you are pursuing a degree in Film Studies & Production or are interested in the art of film criticism, it will prove be a beneficial resource. In my research, I have identified the components of professional film criticism and have applied it to the film program at the University of Denver. While reading and writing film criticism may seem mundane and boring at first glance, it is a valuable skill for any filmmaker. Having an understanding of film criticism means that you can look at films through a variety of different perspectives and obtain meaning from the content. The ability to read and write film criticism, in college and beyond, is not only advantageous for a filmmaker, it is expected of them. Throughout this book, we will look at how film criticism is written and how we may write it in a real world context, at the University of Denver and beyond. The main components of the book are divided into chapters. Chapter 1 is a literature review; here we will look at many film experts’ insight on writing film criticism and go on to explore what has been left unsaid. Chapter 2 is a genre investigation; here we will look at defining the subject of genre and how it pertains to film criticism. Chapter 3 is an interview with Dan Ketchum, a graduate Film Studies & Production student at the University of Denver; here we will hear his insight on writing film criticism both as a student and as a professional. Chapter 4 is a proposal to the University of Denver’s Media Film and Journalism Studies (MFJS) department; here we will look at the current state of the undergraduate Film Studies & Production curriculum and how may improve upon it moving forward. One may wonder why this book is necessary, as nobody needs a help guide to succeed in the Film Studies & Production program. However, it doesn’t serve solely as a help guide; it also serves as a reference tool. As an undergraduate Film Studies and Production major myself, I will admit that some things were very tricky when I first got started. While the department’s guidelines aren’t unreasonable by any stretch, I aim to offer the best advice I can as a peer. Anybody who takes a basic, entry level film criticism class will already know the fundamentals of film criticism, so I will not dwell on that. Instead, my goal is to expand upon it. While you may understand what is asked of you, it is certainly easier said than done. As there is no definitive “right” or “wrong” way to watch a film, one may get confused as to how they could write satisfactory film criticism. Although, this could also prove to be advantageous as you may have more freedom if you know how to structure your writing. The goal of this book is to provide the writer an understanding of how the individual components of film criticism function and tie together. Enjoy, Cooper Dahlen-Pagano

CHAPTER 1 While there are not many definite, concrete rules for writing about film (critically as opposed to writing a screenplay), there are many techniques and forms that have become commonplace in the medium. A writer’s general opinion on a film, whether or not he liked it and what he did or didn’t like about it, is generally not reflective of the viewing experience. As an artistic medium, film is open for interpretation and is subjective to the viewer. Moreover, a proper film critique aims to dig deeper; it should explore what the film presents rather than what the writer thinks of it personally. A film critic or analyst should be looking for deeper meaning to share with his audience, finer details to take out of the viewing experience or something more to consider. Furthermore, to write exemplary film criticism, the writer must develop a hermeneutic, his own unique process or strategy for approaching the film. By understanding the process of writing film criticism and developing a hermeneutic, the writer will know how to share his own take on the film. We will discuss the concept of hermeneutics later; first we will look at how we may approach film. The term “criticism” is a bit misleading; the writer doesn’t necessarily have to be judgmental and look for faults or mistakes. The writer is looking at what is presented and noting what that presentation entails. More or less, the writer should write about his observations of the film. As film is open for the viewer to develop his own opinion, writing about it doesn't have to be subjective. Eliza Pezzotta, a film professor at the University of Bergamo, notes, "it (film criticism) furnishes verifiable data,” (Pezzotta). While the viewing experience and take away will be different for every viewer, the actual film will remain the same. Thus, the writer must find a way to generalize a part of the viewing experience and then expand upon it. Furthermore, the writer should find his own understanding of the content. The writer doesn’t have to do an in-depth study surrounding the film to understand what he is writing about. That isn’t to say that it wouldn’t make for interesting writing, but it is unrelated to the subject of film analysis. The primary source the writer will need is the actual film. In fact, the writer probably won’t need any other sources, as film analysis is context-independent. As a film is made up of many different elements, the writer should consider how different elements shape the finished product, a diagnosis of sorts. For example, Film historian and scholar Michel Marie proposes that a film “should be divided in sequences and, then, each scene should be described. The description should mention: the number and length of each sequence; the scale, the editing, camera movements of characters and/or object in frame through arrows, a description of the décor; and the soundtrack.” (Pezzotta). Although Marie’s approach is an effective one, the writer can take any approach he wants. Whichever approach the writer takes, his approach should be able to substantiate logic, make claims and back those claims up with evidence. According to Christopher P. Jacobs, a film professor at the University of North Dakota, a few examples of different approaches to film include:

- A formalist approach: evaluating the form of the film and its composition. This approach entails an examination of how we perceive the plot based on the film’s presentation and how our perception would differ if the presentation differed. - A contextualist approach: evaluating a film’s situational circumstances and background. This approach entails a consideration of how and why the film is being made and how it relates back to its inspiration or source material. - A realist approach: evaluating a film’s worldview or the “reality” that the filmmaker presents. This approach entails an investigation of the influential values and ideas that the filmmakers hope to impose upon their audience. A film can be looked at through a variety of lenses, as there are many different themes and ideas open for interpretation. While a filmmaker may have certain intentions when making their film, the message they wish to convey may or may not reach his audience. No filmmaker can tell his audience how to react to his piece as that is beyond his control. In their book, The Film Experience: An Introduction, Timothy Corrigan and Patricia White suggest that “our different viewing experiences determine how we understand the movies, and, ultimately, how we think about a particular movie-why it excites us or disappoints us,” (Corrigan and White). Therefore, the writer should have an awareness of what he is noticing, in other words he should understand his hermeneutic. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines a hermeneutic as “a method or principle for interpretation”. The term originated from Hermes, the Greek messenger god, who was believed to have developed language. As Hermes was a well versed interpreter but also a notorious liar, hermeneutics represent the ambiguity of interpretation. As interpretation is subjective, the writer should also be aware of what he is not noticing. Given that film is a medium consisting of many different elements interwoven with each other, the various hermeneutics one may use to watch a film are all connected as well. If a writer wants to obtain the richest understanding possible, he should look at a film with as many different approaches as possible so that he may have a better understanding of the unified whole. The greater the writer’s understanding, the more he will be able to write about as he discovers more when developing an understanding. Any film critic or professor would agree that the writer needs to have an approach, but he should also know what his approach entails and how he is using it. The writer should also understand what he gets out of his hermeneutic. Choosing a hermeneutic doesn’t mean the writer has to watch a film in one particular way. Let’s say that the writer looks at a film through a formalist lens, considering what goes in to every scene. As the writer would be acknowledging the driving forces of the story as he is watching it, there are many driving forces he could consider. Cynthia Baron, an associate professor at Bowling Green State University suggests that the writer could ask questions such as “What are the given circumstances for each character in the scene? What is each character’s objective in the scene? What are the actions each character/actor uses to achieve the objective?” (Baron). However, the writer could also look at it from a technical standpoint and consider how the different technical aspects impact the storytelling. Here the writer could ask questions such as, how does the lighting set the tone for the scene? How does the soundtrack reflect the

environment in the scene? What exactly do the different camera angles show us? Even though the writer would be using one hermeneutical approach here, he has the freedom to take that approach in any direction that he sees fit. As none of these questions have clear or obvious answers, it is up to the writer to make sense of the unified whole. The writer should find new insight when taking the time to evaluate a film, as there are many different elements he could chose to focus on while viewing it. Michele Pierson, a senior lecturer in the film department at the King’s College London, notes that “we know that film analysis cannot but produce a new object: the film as the scholar, reviewing it at close range, and in light of a research question, an idea, sees it.” (Pierson). Whichever way the writer looks at the film, he should be seeking out new substance and the substance he gains is what he should write about. Robert O. Wyatt and David P. Badger, journalism professors at Middle Tennessee State University, state that “most editorials and some commentaries and analyses are conventional forms of rhetoric that usually consist of arguments intended to change reader’s views or present perspectives” (Wyatt and Badger). Moreover, a strong analysis or critique consists of more than the general impressions that any viewer could obtain upon viewing the film. That isn’t to say the writer can’t express his opinion, but he should direct his focus towards his insight in addition to his initial reaction. While film is typically made for entertainment purposes and not entirely for scholarly ones, every film makes a statement, whether it is intentional or unintentional. Film theorist and historian David Bordwell asserts that “criticism studies the particular: this film, that filmmaker.” (Bordwell). So it is the writer's duty to decipher what he believes the meaning to be. The writer will find that a single film can convey many, if not infinite, meanings. Most importantly, the writer should keep his writing focused and structured. The writer should base his theories around an element that drives the film, a foundation of which the film is grounded in. He should study the film, make sense of it and explore the meaning depending on his hermeneutic. Writing about film, or any artistic medium for that matter, is not necessarily an easy task. It takes discipline and focus on a film. The writer must not only have an understanding of the content but he should also have the ability to share his understanding fluently. As I have previously mentioned, there is no “right” or “wrong” when approaching a film, just as long as the writer’s approach is logical. As any film viewer can gain new insight from repeat viewings, there are limitless hermeneutical approaches the writer may take. It is up to the writer to decide which kind of hermeneutic he will use when examining a film and to understand that hermeneutic. Once the writer has a grasp of his hermeneutic, whatever it may be, he will be prepared to write film criticism.

CHAPTER 2 Genres are used to categorize and differentiate various types of written texts and other types of artistic work. The word “genre” stems from the French language and translates to “type” or “sort” in English. Different types of work have different purposes, and a work's purpose, to a great extent, determines how we should look at it. For example, we would approach a tragic piece much differently than we would a comedic piece. When examining a text, the opposite dynamic tends to hold true as well; knowing the genre of the text helps the reader better understand its intended purpose. Here we will first discuss the meaning of genre and then look at how it pertains to the Film Studies & Production major and film criticism altogether. We interpret different genres with different critical and rhetorical approaches. With the tragedy vs. comedy example, we would take a tragic text as more serious in nature and the comedic text as more light in nature. The producers of tragic texts don't want their pieces to be taken lightly; likewise, the producers of a comedic texts don't want their pieces to be taken seriously. “Semiotically, a genre can be seen as a shared code between the producers and interpreters of texts included within it.” (Chandler). Understanding genre means understanding context. While the deeper meaning of a text is always open for interpretation, the context of which it is written should be clear to the reader while they are reading it. When classifying the genre of a particular text, we examine its structure and compare it to similar texts. Each genre has typified features or reoccurring aspects. When we find structural patterns in different kinds of texts, we can classify them as being in the same genre and examine them with a similar mindset. Furthermore, when we notice that texts are structured differently, we examine them with different mindsets. While genre is an abstract idea in and of itself, it is simply a method of classification. Although genre doesn't just sort different types of texts, it serves as a guide for approaching different types of texts, both as a writer and as a reader. Let’s look at different types genres along with examples pertaining to the Film Studies & Production Major: Syllabi Syllabi can be seen as course outlines which detail all of the basic information a student will need when starting a class. An instructor usually passes out a syllabus on the first day of class so that his class will have the proper resources moving forward. A syllabus may be used as a reference for students throughout the academic term as it is designed to answer general questions concerning the class. Some may compare it to a contract, as it outlines everything the student needs to know about taking the course and how they may excel when taking it. Even though a syllabus alone is not very exciting, it serves a great purpose as it functions as the backbone of almost every major academic class.

While syllabi will vary depending on the course and on the instructor, the typified features that we could expect to find in any syllabus include (in no particular order): - Contact Information - Office Hours - Tentative Schedule - Course Description - Course Objectives - Policies (by the department and/or the Professor) - Required text(s) (if applicable) - Grading rubric/scale - Assignment overview - Disability accommodation Introduction to Film Criticism is the gateway class for a film studies major at the University of Denver; it also fulfills course requirements for other majors in the Media Film and Journal Studies department. The most recent course sections were taught in the 2014 Winter Quarter by Professor Tyrone Davies. His syllabus for the course followed the standard template any student would come to expect: - Contact information: Professor Davies' telephone number and e-mail - Office Hours: after class, 12-2PM Tuesday/Thursday - Tentative Schedule: Lecture Tuesday/Thursday 2:00-3:20PM and Lab Wednesday 2:00PM-4:20PM (also includes activities planned for each day of lecture and assignment due dates) - Course Description: "This course introduces students to essential film analysis approaches that are chiefly practical in nature and explore how cinematography, editing, narrative, sound and other elements of film production make a film what it is..." - Required text: Film Art: an Introduction by Bordwell and Thompson ninth edition - Grading rubric/scale: "Participation and written responses - 100 points, Paper 1 - 100 points, Paper 2 - 100 points, Paper 3 - 200 Points... 500 Points Total; 100% of your grade." - Assignment overview: Writing Assignments (Responses and Larger Papers) - Disability accommodations (Resources and information for the University's Disability Services Program). There is nothing here that sets it apart from any other class syllabus, but that is perfectly fine. A syllabus doesn’t have to make any particular argument or take some sort of stance. Its purpose is rather simple: provide a basic summary of the class. Furthermore, Professor Davies' syllabus is exemplary as it serves it's purpose. As an informative piece, a proper syllabus will inform the audience (students) of what the professor believes they should know to succeed in taking their course. Student-produced Writing Assignments College students in every field of study are given writing assignments as a way of measuring knowledge and understanding within their field. While assignments will vary

depending on the major, students are expected to demonstrate use of the concepts that are explored in their classes. For a Film Studies and Production major, written assignments include critical and analytical essays, focused towards film theory and form. Dan Ketchum is a graduate student at the University of Denver, currently working on his thesis about transgender characters on television (we will talk to him to a greater extent in Chapter 3). Mr. Ketchum was kind enough to share with me a few examples of his own student-produced work. These include "Exploring Time and Space in Frame-byFrame Filmmaking", an analysis of two short stop motion animated films, and "Sexposition, Women and Representation", a critical essay inspecting the sexual themes in HBO's Game of Thrones. In "Exploring Time and Space in Frame-by-Frame Filmmaking", Ketchum takes a formalist approach while examining the filmmaking components in Brakhage's "Night Music" and PES' "Fresh Guacamole". As a compare and contact essay, he presents two different examples of experimental stop-motion films and explores the elements unique to each one. When comparing the two filmmaker's uniques styles, Ketchum states "PES creates fluid transformations of space in apparent real time through rich and precise animation and sound, while Brakhage intentionally fragments his silent film into about 300 distinct individual frame canvases, played in rapid, disjointed succession," (Ketchum). He than goes on to explain the different filmmaking processes, describing the different cinematography techniques, sound design and editing methods. While the piece is not very complicated, it is effective because he is able to demonstrate knowledge. In "Sexposition, Women and Representation", Ketchum takes a realist approach while examining the use of sex/nudity in Game of Thrones. In comparison to the previous essay, the rhetorical purpose of the writing is much different. Rather than looking at the film's composition from a filmmaker's perspective, he looks at the composition through a viewer's perspective. By looking at key scenes from the show, Ketchum is able to illustrate how sex is used as storytelling device. Beyond his own interpretation, he uses a variety of sources stemming from other film critics, analysts and viewers which help support his own ideas as well as give us an idea of the common consensus among the show's viewing audience. Not only does he demonstrate an understanding of the context of the content but an extensive knowledge of Gender and Women's studies to give the text a much more worldly view. All and all, it is an effective text because he is able to look at the material through many different lenses. While the content of these texts are different, they both share a similar structure. As they are both class assignments, Ketchum did have to follow particular guidelines and did have to demonstrate particular knowledge. Although, the assignment prompts were different and Ketchum looked at different aspects of different films, he still wrote them with the purpose of fulfilling class requirements. That being said, any student-produced work written for a class is written with the intention of meeting an instructor's expectations. That isn't to say this is a bad thing, but student-produced works can be very limited in their scope. However, that isn't typically the case with professionally produced works, where the writer will has much more freedom.

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Professional Work Kethcum's work isn't much different from what one might expect in a professional work (when I use the term professional work, I mean that it has been published and is now accessible to a wider audience). Much like in Ketchum's work, professional film critics dig deep for content. The two examples I pulled are both centered around the 1998 film The Truman Show, directed by Peter Weir and starring Jim Carrey. "The Truman Show as a Study of 'The Society of the Spectacle'" by Peter McGregor, and "Reading The Truman Show Inside Out" by Simone Knox both look at the film with a contextual approach, but each of the author's findings are different from one another. That isn't to say that the authors would disagree with one another, but film is open for interpretation as an artistic medium. Therefore, despite writing about the same subject matter, both writers have different ideas to share. McGregor, a lecturer in Media and Social Studies at the University of Western Sydney, focuses directly on the idea of audience spectatorship. Pulling from Guy Debord's 1967 book, The Society of the Spectacle, he uses Debord's ideas as a lens for examining the film. “Truman’s ‘deceived gaze’; and Truman’s social relationships’ with the other Seahaven folks are subordinated to the ‘mediated images’ of the contrived lifeplan, the soap-opera destiny that Christoph has created for Truman,” (McGregor). He goes on to examine Truman, as a character, and how he fits into his world and how his world fits around him. As Truman questions his own identity, McGregor asks what Truman’s identity is exactly. With his life on display for the whole world to see, is Truman an authentic and meaningful human being even if the world around him is not? Along with the fictional viewers of the show within the movie, McGregor asks what it means for the audience as we ourselves watch the fictional viewers of the show within the movie along with Truman as the narrative’s protagonist. Knox, a lecturer in Film, Theatre & Television at the University of Reading, looks beyond the narrative structure and shifts her focus toward the narrative structure in regards to the film’s composition altogether. By examining the camera angles and what is shown on screen, she is able to demonstrate how the cinematography drives the storytelling. As the film heavily focuses on the fictional reality television show based on Truman’s life, the direction has different focus towards the show within the movie and the overall narrative. “What complicates the film’s discourse on reality and representation is the fact that, beginning with the lantern as the first shown disruption or glitch within ‘The Truman Show’ it uses ‘film’ rather than ‘television’ shots in moments of (diegetic) disruption,” (Knox). Knox’s argument is that the context of which it is filmed helps give us a context of how we may evaluate it. As The Truman Show looks at authentic reality in comparison to false reality, we should consider how these different realities are presented to us. The differences in the content of these texts are what is particularly worth noting. Both writers had the freedom to share different ideas, both of which are valid. Much like Kethcum's work, they are making claims and supporting them with evidence. However, the purpose of their writing is much different. Although they may have a few restrictions set by a publisher or editor, professionals don’t have to satisfy a professor’s requirements.

They don’t have to demonstrate knowledge of particular themes or ideas; they can demonstrate knowledge of whatever they believe is relevant to the rhetorical situation. Unless otherwise assigned to do so, a professional writer can write about what he wants to. Nonetheless, they can write however they see fit regardless. All and all, by considering how different genres contrast allows the reader to properly read them. By knowing each text’s purpose, the reader may better discern what a writer is trying to say and why he wrote a piece. It’s one thing to understand the content of the writing, but understanding the context of the writing can prove to be just as helpful. Correspondingly, as genre applies to film as much as it does written texts, understanding genre will help us understand different types of films by the same token. While nobody can necessarily be a “genre expert”, an understanding of genre will only prove to be beneficial.

CHAPTER 3 Dan Ketchum is a graduate student in the University of Denver’s Media Film and Journalism Studies (MFJS) department. He aspires to be a professor and a documentary filmmaker. Currently, Dan is finishing his thesis about transgender characters on television, examining how they reflect the LGBT community and our society altogether. While Dan is by no means an authority on film or film criticism, he is quite knowledgeable having nearly completed the graduate program. After studying film for the past six years, Dan had a lot of insight to share with me. When I met with Dan, we discussed film criticism in depth, what makes good film criticism, what sort of research goes into writing film criticism and much more. When writing film criticism as a student, as opposed to writing it in a professional setting, the writer will have certain restrictions. However, the writer will have more freedom with his writing as he gets further into academia. Now as a graduate student, Dan has very few limitations and has the freedom to pursue what he wants to study and write about. He may now pursue more advanced forms of rhetorical argument as well, such as video essays. Dan says that a video essays is “still writing but it is a much more visual approach”, something that is more suitable for talking about the film medium. With that reasoning, Dan uses a lot of figures in his more standard written essays, primarily still frame screenshots from the film he is discussing to help highlight what he is discussing, something that would also be expected in a professional film critique. Although before writing about a film,the writer needs to know how he may approach the film. Whilst watching a film, the writer should be watching closely and critically, looking for details and noting the structure. Dan says that when he is looking at something through a critical lens, he takes a step back to look at what is more “ideologically compelling”. While a lot can be said about the story or the screenplay, the writer can obtain a lot of insight by examining the subtext. For example, the use of music in a particular scene can tell us a lot. Whether the song is loud or quiet, happy or sad, it’s placement in the film is not an unconscious decision on the part of the filmmakers. As it was deliberately and intentionally placed there, the writer may consider the emotion that scene conveys. Dan also suggested that one should also look at the gaze exchange in a scene and how that helps drive the story, considering “what character has power in a gaze exchange, who’s commanding the exchange, who’s looking, who’s being watched, who’s watching, who initiates the conversation, who interrupts… these are the ways that you can figure out who has power in a scene”. While there are certainly many other components of filmmaking the writer could look at, the elements displayed on screen and the audio played out are a good starting ground as much of it may go unnoticed throughout the viewing experience. Of course the writer isn’t going to critique every single aspect of a film detail for detail, that would be too treacherous. Instead, the writer should narrow their focus to a few certain details or elements in the film(s) that stand out to him that he feels are worth exploring. A summary of the film is not insightful nor is it exciting. Dan says that “film criticism isn’t compelling at all if you reiterate and describe what is happening on screen,

you have to do that first but then you have to pick it apart”. In other words, the writer has to dig deeper to find new insight. When approaching his thesis, Dan said he simply doesn’t have the time to watch every episode of every season of every show he is discussing. Instead, he skims through each episode and watches every scene featuring the element(s) he is writing about (in his case, gender-neutral characters). Writing film criticism will be much easier once you know what to write about. Once you have chosen your topic, you can watch, and research, accordingly. I learned a lot talking to Dan. While consulting a professor can be helpful, peerto-peer advice is not something that should be taken for granted. As somebody who has worked through the program, Dan is able to see things from my perspective coming in. As studying film is very challenging, we should not ignore how other students in the program have come to succeed. Although each student is responsible for his own success, a little advice can help a lot. I hope that Dan's advice is as helpful to you as it is to me. There is no easy way getting around the program but knowing how one can reach what is expected of them certainly makes it easier.

CHAPTER 4 While researching the University of Denver’s film program, I was surprised to find that there wasn’t as much focus on film criticism as I thought there would be. Even though the Introduction to Film Criticism class serves as the gateway course for Film Studies & Production majors, there is still a lot left to be desired. The class covers the basic terminology and techniques every filmmaker should know, but there is little focus on the “criticism” aspect. Truthfully, a more appropriate title for the class would be Introduction to Film Studies. I have no problems with the class; in fact, I really enjoyed taking it. It lays a solid foundation for film majors as they move forward in the program. However, there is a lot of valuable content left uncovered. I propose that the University and the MFJS department should add a course continuing off of what Introduction to Film Criticism class starts, perhaps Film Criticism II or Advanced Film Criticism, as an in-depth understanding of film criticism is beneficial to any filmmaker. The writing in the intro class is not very complicated. It primarily consists of short response papers for the films that are screened in class and three longer papers focusing on certain elements in a particular film (for example, the mise-en-scene in Inglorious Bastereds). While the type of writing and the assignment expectations are appropriate for an introductory level course, there is more emphasis on students showing an understanding of the content rather than applying their knowledge and digging deeper. Students shouldn’t just know how to review films; they should be able to explain how the filmmaking and the finished product impact the viewing experience for the audience. As it would be difficult to fit more content in the intro class, adding a continuation class would mean that nothing would have to be sacrificed. A continuation class would not have to be overly complicated; the expectations for the writing would just be a bit more strict and structured. As the intro class serves as a backdrop for introducing film subjects and topics, leading the way for future film classes like editing or screenwriting, the continuation class could focus solely on the criticism aspect. A student would have to ask “how” and “why” along with asking “what”. Moving past summarizing the story and describing what happens, a student would look into finding meaning in a film’s subtext. Furthermore, research elements could come into play as students could investigate particular themes and ideas, so that they may justify their explanations. Since there is no right or wrong way to watch a movie per-se, work can be evaluated by effort, quality and rationality (claims are reasonable and justified). As the intro class’ purpose is for students to become familiar with the content, a continuation class’ purpose would serve for students to become more conscious of the content. If a student is able to recognize meaning in other works, they will better be able to apply this type of thinking when making their own films. An advanced film criticism class doesn’t have to be directed towards students in the MFJS department alone; it could be cross-listed with the Writing Department. The ability to dig deeper and approach film and other media through a critical lens could be beneficial to someone pursuing academic writing as well. Being able to distinguish what is known from what is unknown, what is true or false and what is possible and impossible

are crucial when doing any sort of academic research and in trying to make a clear, concise argument. Without teaching critical thinking, students’ possibilities are being limited as their worldview is much more restricted. As the application of critical thinking is a skill the University greatly values and a skill that would be beneficial to any student in their future career, we should not undermine the potential to promote it to a greater extent. The undergraduate Film Studies program at Yale University is much like the one at the University of Denver. After introducing students to key concepts, students take a variety of different film centric classes and then move further in to the concentration before obtaining their degree. However, the core of the program is much more intensive than the one at the University of Denver with three required gateway classes instead of one. These classes being Introduction to Film Studies, Close Analysis of Film and either Theory of Media or Early Film Theory. While the Introduction to Film Criticism class at the University of Denver is more or less the same as Yale University’s Introduction to Film Studies class, it is worth nothing that there is no equivalent to the Close Analysis of Film class. While both colleges set out to introduce the key terms and concepts first, Yale takes things a step further by further exploring the critical aspects. The University of Denver doesn’t need to follow Yale University’s program detail for detail, but we should consider that the school has more focus on analysis/criticism. The University of Denver’s Film Studies and Production major description states, “you’ll (a student in the program) acquire critical thinking skills in the reading and analysis of media texts while also developing skills in various modes of motion picture production”. While it is worth noting that film criticism is a key concept in every film class, it isn’t given that much attention on it's own. As a knowledge of film criticism is important for any film class a student might take, wouldn’t it be to the student’s benefit to have as great of an understanding of substantial, significant film criticism as possible? If anything, it would allow students to further excel in more advanced classes, as their base in film criticism would be much stronger. While film criticism and critical thinking skills can’t necessarily be taught on it’s own, it is a skill that can be learned and one that can improve with practice. While I am sure that the MFJS department wouldn’t necessarily be opposed to the idea of pushing more focus on film criticism, the only concern may be that there isn’t enough room for it. Nothing should have to be sacrificed in place of film criticism; it would actually be more reasonable to expand the film program requirements. The current bachelor of art’s program requires a minimum of 40 credit hours, 60 credit hours maximum. With an academic minor (approximately 20 credit hours) or even a double major for the sake of argument (approximately 40 credit hours) and the University’s common curriculum requirements (at least 75 credit hours) a student is fully capable of taking an extra film class given the 183 hours required to graduate. Whether you increase the minimal film studies requirement by 4 credit hours (one class) or even make an advanced film criticism class one an optional pre-requisite, it would be beneficial to all seeking a career in film.

Of course such a class won't happen just because I think it's a good idea. However, if you agree with me we are certainly capable of making this a reality together. An individual student doesn't have much influence, but collectively our voices can be heard. Accomplishing such a task wouldn't be as difficult as it may seem. When submitting a film course evaluation, you could add a comment indicating your interest in taking more film criticism classes and why you believe it's important. By the same token, you could e-mail your professors and advisors if you wanted to share your thoughts personally and directly. Asking for change doesn't have to be an arduous effort, it just requires communication. I sincerely hope that you consider my proposal; I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think film criticism is something we should take for granted.

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CONCLUSION It is important for every Film Studies and Production major, whether or not they attend the University of Denver, to have an understanding of film criticism. By understanding film criticism, you are able to understand the medium of film. Whether you are making a film or watching one, having the ability to deconstruct a film will allow you to find meaning in the content. Throughout this book, we looked at film criticism in a variety of different settings in a real world context and many of these ideas tie into each other. One of the primary themes evident throughout this book is the idea is that film criticism doesn’t have to be focused on any particular elements but the writing itself should be structured. Like writing any sort of research in any field, you should provide a strong argument that you are able to justify and back up with evidence. While the research itself may be different, you can write exemplary film criticism if you can make sense of your own insight and can share this with your audience. It is also worth noting that in order find meaning in the film, you must also understand what film criticism is. As film criticism is different from other genres of writing and research, you should be able to classify its distinctions. The distinction in researching the content is obvious; the experience of watching a film is much different than that of a written text. On that note, the key to obtaining new insight is taking your own approach, in other words finding a hermeneutic, you can apply as you are researching the content and as they move forward in writing. Yet, you must also be aware of what you are not looking at and have a hyperawareness of your hermeneutic. You must remember that film is open for interpretation; your goal should be to make sense of it. If you choose to study Film Studies & Production you will learn that having knowledge of film criticism will assist you through your academic and professional career. Furthermore, the skills you will obtain will help you be more critical of our culture and our world altogether. When I wrote this book, my hope was to help set the stage for what you may expect moving forward in your pursuit of film studies.

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