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
- 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:
-
To analyse the behaviour and characteristics of audiences in the contemporary audiovisual environment.
-
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.
-
To explain the aesthetic evolution of audiovisual artworks throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.
-
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.
-
To understand the economic dimension of their professional field, as well as the management of companies in the audiovisual sector.
-
To recognise the legal and institutional framework within which they will carry out their professional activities.
-
To identify the laws governing the production and distribution of information and audiovisual content, including aspects of intellectual property and image rights.
-
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.
-
To identify the main contemporary content creators and their target audiences in order to recognise their influence on different generations.
-
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.
-
To apply aesthetic criteria to understand, evaluate and relate audiovisual works, developing taste and sensitivity in artistic contexts.
-
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. 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.