Universitat Internacional de Catalunya
History of Film
Other languages of instruction: Catalan, English
Teaching staff
Introduction
The goal of this module is to provide the student with the necessary tools to learn about the history, the evolution and the main technical and artistic transformations that the world of cinema has suffered from its outset and up to this day. The syllabus is structured as a set of broad conceptual segments that draw a chronological and aesthetic itinerary through the main modes of representation, schools, periods and expressive trends of the History of cinema. In addition, the student will be asked to reflect on each one of these forms of expression, connecting and comparing authors and films, and to do so by means of collective debates in class, the analysis of fragments of films and the writing of an essay at the end of the term. This module's endeavour focuses on providing the student with a solid theoretical basis that may contribute to the development of their profession by incorporating valuable references and stimulating the formulation of new ideas.
Pre-course requirements
No.
Objectives
-Providing with a wide, well-documented vision of the main episodes of the History of cinema.
-Stimulating the student's interest in watching and examining films from previous times and encouraging critical thinking and analytical exercise so as to analyze different ways of understanding cinema.
-Strengthen the student's theoretical knowledge of cinema and of its connections with other areas of culture as well as other forms of artistic expression.
-Encouraging the practice of debating and analyzing films and fragments from different perspectives: cinematographic language, history, and artistic and technical expression.
-Contributing to the development of the student's reflective aptitudes as well as their capacity of abstraction, conceptualization and expression by means of the writing of an academic essay and their participation in class.
Competences/Learning outcomes of the degree programme
- CN02 - Identify the various stakeholders in the contemporary audiovisual sector, their roles and the operational dynamics of a digital and globalised environment.
- CN03 - Identify emerging trends and developments within the global audiovisual ecosystem, including new formats and production technologies.
- CN04 - Explain the current legal and ethical framework governing the creation and distribution of audiovisual products, taking into account the sector's regulatory requirements.
- CN05 - Identify the key factors involved in assessing the economic, technical and creative viability of an audiovisual product in the current market.
- CN06 - Recognise the funding systems used by media groups and companies to support the production of audiovisual projects.
- CN07 - Recognise the main contemporary artificial intelligence tools with applications in the audiovisual sector.
- CN08 - Identify themes and styles that make audiovisual projects appealing to different audiences and markets.
- CP02 - Critically examine contemporary social developments and contextualise audiovisual works appropriately.
- CP03 - Communicate information and original ideas effectively, both orally and in writing, in Spanish, Catalan and English.
- CP04 - Apply professional ethical principles and standards of academic rigour in the audiovisual field, respecting the fundamental right to equality between women and men, promoting human rights, a culture of peace and democratic values, including the use of inclusive, non-discriminatory and stereotype-free language.
- CP05 - Develop multi-platform scripts that take into account the specific characteristics of different audiovisual genres and formats.
- CP07 - Create audiovisual content for commercial purposes, making full use of the expressive possibilities of multimedia environments and maximising creative potential through emerging digital technologies.
- HB01 - Use a range of media research and documentation resources.
- HB02 - Apply professional techniques in body language and voice presentation to create impactful audiovisual content.
- HB03 - Critically analyse contemporary audiovisual genres and formats using professional aesthetic and narrative criteria.
- HB04 - Use bibliographic resources, specialised terminology and linguistic structures in English effectively for professional communication in the audiovisual field.
Learning outcomes of the subject
Students will be able to:
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To analyse the behaviour and characteristics of audiences in the contemporary audiovisual environment.
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To contextualise the main audiovisual products from the time of their creation in order to recognise their influence on the moral values of societies in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.
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To explain the aesthetic evolution of audiovisual artworks throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.
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To recognise the dynamics and influences of a globalised world, including the impact of the Internet on society, in order to create engaging audiovisual content for different publics and heterogeneous audiences.
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To understand the economic dimension of their professional field, as well as the management of companies in the audiovisual sector.
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To recognise the legal and institutional framework within which they will carry out their professional activities.
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To identify the laws governing the production and distribution of information and audiovisual content, including aspects of intellectual property and image rights.
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To keep up to date with the contemporary radio and television landscape and streaming platforms in order to identify how they adapt to audience demands.
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To identify the main contemporary content creators and their target audiences in order to recognise their influence on different generations.
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To recognise the social phenomenon resulting from the diversification of the range of series available on streaming platforms, as well as their influence on the values and subcultures of the twenty-first century.
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To apply aesthetic criteria to understand, evaluate and relate audiovisual works, developing taste and sensitivity in artistic contexts.
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To analyse contemporary and digital culture, identifying artistic avant-gardes and their historical evolution, detecting emerging trends and recognising the main references and styles in audiovisual language in order to understand their impact on human communication.
Syllabus
Topic 1: Filmed representation types throughout history. The invention of the cinema and the work of the pioneers. From the Primitive cinema to the Narrative Cinema.
Topic 2: The Origins of the American and European narrative cinema.
Topic 3: The Birth of the Vanguards and German Expressionism.
Topic 4: The Soviet Cinema. The eye-cinema. The Serguei M. Eisenstein assembly of attractions.
Topic 5: The directors of the North American Classic Movies. The first generation of talkies.
Topic 6: Neorealism and the great Italian directors.
Topic 7: The Modern Cinema. The Nouvelle Vague.
Topic 8: American Modernity and the Hollywood New filmmakers.
Topic 11: The Cinema of the Postmodernism. Review of the concept of authorship, visual baroque and digital cinema.
Topic 12: Other film cultures: Asia, Africa, Latin America ...
Bibliography and resources
AA. DD. El cine americano actual. Madrid: Cahiers du cinéma-Ediciones JC, 1995.
ALLEN, Robert C. - GOMERY, Douglas. Teoría y práctica de la historia del cine. Barcelona: Paidós, 1995.
ARANDA, Daniel – ESQUIROL, Meritxell –SÁNCHEZ-NAVARRO, Jordi (eds.) Puntos de vista. Una mirada poliédrica a la historia del cine. Barcelona: UOC, 2009.
ALTMAN, Rick. Los géneros cinematográficos. Barcelona: Paidós, 2000.
ALTMAN, Rick. Film/Genre. Londres: BFI Publishing, 1999.
AUMONT, J. y Marie, M. Análisis del film. Barcelona: Paidós, 1990.
BAECQUE, Antoine de. (ed.) Avatares de una cinefilia. Barcelona: Paidós, 2005.
BALIO, Tino. (ed) The American Film Industry. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1985.
BENET, Vicente. Un siglo en sombras. Introducción a la historia y estética del cine. València: Ed. de la Mirada, 1999.
BISKIND, Peter. Moteros tranquilos, toros salvajes. La generación que cambió Hollywood. Barcelona: Anagrama, 1998.
BORDWELL, D.; THOMPSON, K. El arte cinematográfico: una introducción. Barcelona: Paidós, 1995.
BORDWELL, D. On the History of Films Style. Nueva York: Harvard University Press, 1997.
BRESSON, Robert. Notas sobre el cinematógrafo. Madrid: Ardora, 2007.
CASETTI, Francesco. Teorías del cine. Barcelona: Paidós, 2002.
CAVELL, Stanley. Más allá de las lágrimas. Madrid: Antonio Machado Libros, 2009.
COOK, David A. A History of Narrative Film. Nueva York: W. W. Norton & Co. Ltd., 1996.
DELEUZE, Gilles. La imagen-movimiento. Estudios sobre cine 1. Barcelona: Paidós, 1986.
DELEUZE, Gilles. La imagen-tiempo. Estudios sobre cine 1. Barcelona: Paidós, 1986.
FONT, Domènec. Paisajes de la Modernidad. Cine europeo, 1960-1980. Barcelona: Paidós, 2002.
KRAKAUER, Siegfried. De Caligari a Hitler. Una historia psicológica del cine alemán. Barcelona: Paidós, 1985.
RANCIÈRE, Jacques. La fábula cinematográfica. Reflexiones sobre la ficción en el cine. Barcelona: Paidós, 2005.
ROSENBAUM, Jonathan. Essential Cinema. On the Necessity of Film Canons . Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2004.
ROSENBAUM, Jonathan. Goodbye Cinema, Hello Cinephilia: Film Culture in Transition. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2010.
STAM, Robert. Teorías del cine. Una introducción. Barcelona: Paidós, 2000.