The Filmcake

I finished reading Film Art, 7th ed. last week. It was a delicious aperitif. It didn’t quite satisfy my hunger so much as prepare me for further voracious eating.

I’m not sure how the book is read in the context of an introductory film course. I’m not sure which, if any, parts are skipped over. Nor do I know what sort of clips or screenings would be shown in conjunction with the reading. Basically, I just decided to read the book cover to cover (aside from the Sample Analyses). After reading through the third chapter, I decided to watch Citizen Kane again. This way, I could follow along with Film Art’s discussion on Narrative Form. And, then as I read through Chapters 4 & 5 on the types of films, I was able to find many of the referenced short films online (e.g. The River, Ballet Mecanique, etc.). I’m certain that this endeavor–teaching myself about film–would be much more difficult if it weren’t for YouTube, Internet Archive, and Google.

I watched North by Northwest again and read the Sample Analysis that is included in Chapter 11. Over the next few days, I plan on doing the same–watching the film and reading the included analysis–with The Thin Blue Line and His Girl Friday.

I’m not sure where to go from here. Some of the topics brought up in the book that interested me most were lighting techniques and editing. I hadn’t before appreciated the craft that went into both of these elements. I’m also very curious about film history, especially the French New Wave.  And just more generally, I want to learn more about film theory. There’s plenty of places to go from here.

I have a couple of books on Kubrick and several on Hitchcock, as well as a decent collection of their films, so I might set off on looking at the work of one of these great directors. Still, I’d like to partake of some more general film knowledge before getting into a particular director. We’ll see…

I finally received my used copy of Film Art from Powell’s. It’s a little dog-eared but I’m not complaining (it was under $25 including shipping). Since it’s an introductory textbook, I figure I’ll just read it from beginning to end and then figure out where to go next. Each chapter ends with a section that suggests where to go for further reading. So, this ought to give me a good idea of where to carry on from here.

Into the fourth chapter, one thing is for certain–I need to watch Citizen Kane again. But, No Country for Old Men just came out on DVD and I want to watch that again, too. And, I’ve got to watch The Assassination of JJ by the CRF so I can exchange it at BB for something else so I can finally cancel my BB Online membership and move over to Netflix. And, as I read through Film Art and browse film blogs and film magazines, my List of Movies to Watch grows ever bigger. So much to see…not enough time.

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.

And now an attempt at defining this blog’s purpose:

Initially, I imagine this blog to be a record of my attempt to teach myself Film Studies. It will be a notepad, journal, and blue book where I record my personal journey into and through the study of film.

In a way, I’ve been teaching myself for quite some time as I watch, analyze, and discuss movies. But a part of me is so enamored with the art of film that it wants more. And I can only grow as a student of film with the knowledge that can only come from others. Certainly, I’d love to attend classes at a university, but I can’t justify the cost of tuition. Still, I want to approach this in a somewhat systematic way. I want to open my eyes to new films and new approaches. I want to approach it in the way that, say, Berkeley does…

teaching students to think historically, theoretically and analytically about a wide range of cinematic forms. At the same time, it encourages students to look at moving-images from the vantage point of other disciplines

or Yale:

interdisciplinary program that focuses on the history, theory, and criticism of cinema and other moving image media

…by studying the history, theory, and analysis of film via an interdisciplinary approach. I’d like to take a look at the curriculum that some of these schools offer for their film programs. Perhaps, even steal from some of their syllabi. Read some of those textbooks and articles. And I plan on reading whatever I can find on the internet, find at the library, or afford to purchase for myself. I’ve already found a handful of websites, blogs, and podcasts that will undoubtedly teach me so much. And, of course, I will watch, absorb, and digest as much film as possible.

Certainly, it will be my own brand of film school filtered through my own unique eyes.