Universitat Internacional de Catalunya
Audiovisual Culture
Other languages of instruction: Catalan, English
Teaching staff
Office hours for this course are available on Thursdays from 10:15 to 10:45, by prior appointment requested either in person or by email.
Introduction
Audiovisual Culture is a broad introductory course to audiovisual language and style. Its primary objective is to provide students with the essential concepts, terminology, and analytical tools needed to examine and evaluate any audiovisual work or media product, from a classic Hollywood film to a TikTok reel.
Upon completing the course, students will also have the foundational knowledge required to successfully engage with the subsequent theoretical courses in the degree program, all of which build, to varying degrees, on the concepts and skills acquired in Audiovisual Culture.
Pre-course requirements
Because it serves as a foundational course, this course has no prerequisites.
Objectives
- To build a solid foundation in audiovisual literacy that students can use as a basis for the formal analysis and evaluation of film and audiovisual texts.
- To learn the fundamental principles of visual composition and audiovisual language.
- To gain an introduction to film syntax.
- To acquire and apply the terminology and analytical tools used in film analysis.
- To apply the knowledge and skills acquired in the course to a wide range of audiovisual media and productions.
Competences/Learning outcomes of the degree programme
| TRAINING ACTIVITY | ECTS CREDITS |
| Lectures. In lectures, lecturers/professors not only transmit content or knowledge, but also, and above all else, attitudes, motivation, skills and values, etc. They also ensure that participants can express their opinions and arguments to the other students. | 2 |
| Coaching. Monitoring how students learn the content of the subject, either individually or in groups. In the coaching sessions, mistakes will be corrected, queries answered, and exercises and activities to achieve the established objectives will be suggested. | 0.25 |
| Focused Praxis. Handing in occasional exercises to learn theory through practice. | 0.75 |
Learning outcomes of the subject
- Identify the fundamental categories of framing and shot composition (camera angle, height, distance, and tilt, color treatment, graphic codes, etc.).
- Understand the key elements of mise-en-scène, including lighting, architectural space, and performance.
- Distinguish among the different editing techniques and transitions between shots (cuts, fades, dissolves, etc.).
- Identify the components of the soundtrack (sound effects, dialogue, and music) and understand how they interact with the visual image.
- Break down a complete film text into its fundamental parts in order to isolate manageable units for analysis.
Syllabus
Topic 1. Introduction to Audiovisual Language. Definition and types of signs. The audiovisual text as an act of communication.
Topic 2. Tools for Film Analysis. Segmentation, stratification, and découpage.
Topic 3. Audiovisual Style, Film Form, and Cinematic Aesthetics.
Topic 4. Framing and Shot Composition.
Topic 5. Mise-en-scène.
Topic 6. Editing and Shot Sequencing.
Topic 7. Sound.
Topic 8. The Affective and Conceptual Dimensions of Audiovisual Works.
Topic 9. Intertextuality and Sociohistorical Context.
Teaching and learning activities
In person
| TRAINING ACTIVITY | ECTS CREDITS |
| Lectures. In lectures, lecturers/professors not only transmit content or knowledge, but also, and above all else, attitudes, motivation, skills and values, etc. They also ensure that participants can express their opinions and arguments to the other students. | 2 |
| Coaching. Monitoring how students learn the content of the subject, either individually or in groups. In the coaching sessions, mistakes will be corrected, queries answered, and exercises and activities to achieve the established objectives will be suggested. | 0.25 |
| Focused Praxis. Handing in occasional exercises to learn theory through practice. | 0.75 |
Evaluation systems and criteria
In person
The assessment for this course is divided into three distinct components:
- Participation, interest, and attendance – 8% of the final grade. Attendance at at least 80% of class sessions is a mandatory requirement for this course. More than three unexcused absences will automatically result in the loss of the right to take the final exam.
- Individual assignment – 25% of the final grade. This assignment is mandatory and must be submitted in written form and presented in class in order to pass the course. Failure to submit the assignment within the established deadlines will automatically result in the loss of the right to take the final exam.
- Final exam – 66% of the final grade. A minimum score of 5 out of 10 is required to pass the exam, both in the regular and the resit examination periods.
Bibliography and resources
Aumont, Jacques. El cine y la puesta en escena. Ediciones Colihue, 2013.
Aumont, Jacques, Alain Bergala, Michel Marie y Marc Venet. Estética del cine. Espacio fílmico, montaje, narración, lenguaje. Paidós, 2008.
Aumont, Jacques y Michel Marie. Análisis del film. Paidós, 1990.
Bazin, André. ¿Qué es el cine? Rialp, 2004.
Bordwell, David y Thompson, Kristin. El arte cinematográfico. Paidós, 1995.
Bordwell, David. On the history of Film Style. Harvard University Press, 1998.
Burch, Nöel. El tragaluz del infinito. Cátedra, 1987.
Burch, Nöel. Praxis del cine. Fundamentos, 2017.
Carmona, Ramón. Cómo se comenta un texto fílmico. Cátedra, 2010.
De la Prida, Rubén. Teorías analíticas y metodológicas del relato fílmico. UNIR, 2023.
Sánchez Noriega, José Luis. Historia del Cine. Teorías, estéticas, géneros. Alianza Editorial, 2018.
Stam, R., Burgoyne, R. y Flitterman-Lewis, S. Nuevos conceptos de la teoría del cine. Paidós, 1999.
Zunzunegui, Santos. Pensar la imagen. Cátedra, 2010.
Zunzunegui, Santos. La mirada cercana. Microanálisis fílmico. Shangrila, 2016.