Bookstore
After a quick web search of film studies programs, their curriculum seems to be similarly structured:
- A couple classes on the History of Film
- A class or two on Film Theory
- A whole mess of Genre, Auteur & Interdisciplinary-specific courses
- A class on screenplays/screenwriting
- And, sometimes classes on production…if the program leans that way
This structure will be of some help. But, mostly, I think it will be important that I read as much as I can and watch as many films as I can, especially for those aspects of film that I’m not necessarily as familiar with or are not as accessible.
Looking through syllabi and blogs, I’ve identified a handful of books that seem to pop up for introductory film courses. I’ll certainly have to keep an eye out for them:
- Oxford Guide to Film Studies by John Hill & Pamela Church Gibson
- The Cinema Book by Pam Cook
- Film Art: An Introduction by David Bordwell & Kristin Thompson
- History of Narrative Film by David A. Cook
- Film Analysis A Norton Reader by Jeffrey Geiger & R. L. Rustky
- Film Theory & Criticism by Gerald Mast, Marshall Cohen & Leo Braudy Cohen
I just ordered a used copy of the 7th edition of Film Art from Powell’s. Hopefully, it arrives in decent enough condition. It was a hell of a lot cheaper than the textbook price of the newest edition.
