Film & Media Studies

This course adheres to the concept of general education, based on the main body of film art, and also on the appeal of film works and the unique analysis of artistic styles. It uses film case analysis as a method and audiovisual language as a basic tool. The audio-visual language and narrative techniques of movies are studied for their artistic and ideological nature, so that students can understand the rules of film art creation, and master the great aesthetic value of the film (ideological and emotional), so as to cultivate their thinking ability and creative ability.

Cinema dance is an intensive workshop to make a short film. The practicum is offered over four intensive days under the supervision of FAMU faculty. Entering the practicum with an explored given theme, students (in teams of five) proceed through all stages to the production of a 5-minute narrative film. Stages include preparation of screenplay under mentorship supervisor, creating shot list, rehearsing actors, receiving instruction on technical equipment, shooting on location, and the post-production processes of editing and creating a soundtrack. Every phase of their work is carried out under the supervision of faculty mentors, and the support of FAMU production staff.

This course provides a way to deeply understand the relationship between micro-films and micro-eras. Take micro-films as a social and historical phenomenon in the micro-era, as a testimony to a cultural state, and to study things that can extend or change certain social reality. On the one hand, it organizes and summarizes the definition, classification, origin and attributes of micro-films in the micro-era with rich data and case analysis combined with theoretical knowledge; on the other hand, conducts in-depth analysis and interpretation of micro-films according to the themes and narrative methods through thematic forms. It is divided into ten topics including growth topic, old age topic, love topic, experimental narrative topic, poetic narrative topic, interview narrative topic, human nature topic, life perception topic, human geography topic, and micro-record topic.

This course deals with the most important developments in the history of the media concerning social aspects and key perspectives on them; special emphasis is placed on Swedish circumstances and present-day social media, which are approached from a historical perspective. Students focus on the different historical forms of participatory media and the changing concept of the audience.

This course develops a transdisciplinary theoretical framework and methodological toolbox to guide us in critically reflecting on our ‘ways of seeing’ (John Berger). Our analytical inquiry tackles questions about the politics of images and image-making (e.g. topics such as visual representation of class, race and gender; conditions for production and circulation of image-making; or decolonial film cooperatives). Learn how to use creative practice (photography for the visual anthropology assignment; and moving images for the video essay assignment) for research.

This course aims to interrogate core concepts in the humanities and social sciences through the lens of India’s most powerful film industry. Through an exploration of selected films, students will think critically and creatively about key cultural, social and political themes originating in the subcontinent. They will analyze important developments in India and the diaspora through the study of Bollywood cinema. The course will thus facilitate a nuanced understanding of the relationship between text and context, with a focus on Bollywood.

This course examines ideas of culture, ideology, and hegemony, discourse, media aesthetics, and digital convergence. Class discussions investigate the history of communications techniques, the implication of media in the workings of power in modern societies, the politics of media aesthetics, the role of audiences in shaping media, and the impact of digital technologies. Specific examples are introduced to clarify the main ideas, including the printing press, 19th-century visual entertainments, early and avant garde films, fan-fiction, and computer games.