Instructor’s Manual and Test Bank for
Pramaggiore/Wallis
Film: A Critical Introduction Third Edition
prepared by
William Christy Ohio University-Zanesville
Maria T. Pramaggiore North Carolina State University
Tom Wallis North Carolina State University
Table of Contents Preface ............................................................................................................................................ ii Sample Syllabi .............................................................................................................................. iii Sample Course Schedule 1 ...................................................................................................... vi Sample Course Schedule 2 .................................................................................................... viii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................ 1 CHAPTER 2: AN APPROACH TO FILM ANALYSIS ........................................................... 6 CHAPTER 3: WRITING ABOUT FILM ................................................................................ 17 CHAPTER 4: NARRATIVE FORM ........................................................................................ 31 CHAPTER 5: MISE EN SCÈNE .............................................................................................. 42 CHAPTER 6: CINEMATOGRAPHY ...................................................................................... 56 CHAPTER 7: EDITING ............................................................................................................ 80 CHAPTER 8: SOUND................................................................................................................ 96 CHAPTER 9: ALTERNATIVES TO NARRATIVE FICTION FILM: DOCUMENTARY AND AVANT-GARDE FILMS ............................................................................................... 115 CHAPTER 10: FILM AND IDEOLOGY............................................................................... 130 CHAPTER 11: SOCIAL CONTEXT AND FILM STYLE .................................................. 149 CHAPTER 12: FILM STARDOM AS A CULTURAL PHENOMENON .......................... 161 CHAPTER 13: GENRE ........................................................................................................... 169 CHAPTER 14: FILM AUTHORSHIP ................................................................................... 184 CHAPTER 15: CINEMA AS INDUSTRY: ECONOMICS AND TECHNOLOGY .......... 197 TEST BANK Chapter 1 ................................................................................................................................... 212 Chapter 2 ................................................................................................................................... 216 Chapter 3 ................................................................................................................................... 225 Chapter 4 ................................................................................................................................... 235 Chapter 5 ................................................................................................................................... 243 Chapter 6 ................................................................................................................................... 252 Chapter 7 ................................................................................................................................... 266 Chapter 8 ................................................................................................................................... 277 Chapter 9 ................................................................................................................................... 286 Chapter 10 ................................................................................................................................. 294 Chapter 11 ................................................................................................................................. 301 Chapter 12 ................................................................................................................................. 308 Chapter 13 ................................................................................................................................. 315 Chapter 14 ................................................................................................................................. 323 Chapter 15 ................................................................................................................................. 330
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This manual is intended to enhance the pedagogical value of the third edition of Film: A Critical Introduction by emphasizing important topics and content covered in each chapter. It offers in-class exercises designed to help launch invigorating discussions, and out of class exercises designed to encourage students to think actively and critically as they read the material. Learning objectives, chapter overviews and detailed summaries from the textbook are combined with exercises in the manual and electronic resources (PowerPoint slides and sample test questions). Finally, two sample syllabi appear in the appendix to this manual. These syllabi are designed to illustrate the textbook’s flexibility and adaptability to a variety of approaches to introductory film courses. By no means are these options exhaustive. Instructors are encouraged to modify course materials as they see fit and should feel free to use alternative film titles at their discretion. Furthermore, instructors should realize that a rigorous and invigorating course designed around this textbook does not necessarily have to cover every chapter.
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Sample Syllabi Introduction to Film Office: Phone: Hours: e-mail: . Textbook: Film: A Critical Approach (3rd Ed.)by Maria Pramaggiore and Tom Wallis Pearson/Allyn and Bacon, 2012 Course description: This class will focus predominantly on teaching students to recognize and analyze the narrative, visual, and aural elements of film. The course will be structured so that each unit will focus specifically on one of five facets of the cinema. To illustrate the breadth of film’s expressive potential, the class will expose students to a variety of film styles (Classical Hollywood, realism, expressionism, short films, and documentaries) over the course of the semester and consider how external forces (economics, politics, culture, etc.) shape film aesthetics and reception. Student Learning Outcomes: This course is designed to help students: 1. Identify the narrative, visual, and aural elements of films. 2. Analyze how these elements can contribute to a film's overarching aesthetic and thematic concerns. 3. Identify the narrative, visual, and aural characteristics of Classical Hollywood cinema, documentaries, and avant-garde cinema. 4. Recognize alternatives to the Classical Hollywood aesthetic, including Art Cinema, Neorealism, and Third Cinema. 5. Begin conducting research in film studies by focusing specifically on how the historical circumstances of a film’s production shape its aesthetic sensibility. 6. Improve their writing skills. Course requirements: sequence analysis paper (4-6 pages)=15 pts. midterm exam =20 pts. film analysis (8-10 pages)=25 pts. film review (2-3 pages)=10 pts. final exam=25 pts. (open note, but not open book) participation=5 pts.
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Grades: Students earn points up to a total of 100 points. Final grades will be assigned on a +/scale as follows: A+ = 98-100 B+ = 87-89 C+ = 77-79 D+ = 67-69 F = Below 60 A = 93-97 B = 83-86 C = 73-76 D = 63-66 A- = 90-92 B- = 80-82 C- = 70-72 D- = 60-62 Attendance: *Attendance at class discussions and screenings is required. Please note that missing just one class is equivalent to missing an entire week’s worth of material. You are allowed one unexcused absence, but every additional unexcused absence will result in a 3-point reduction from the final grade point total. *Regularly arriving at class a few minutes late will affect your participation grade. Arriving at class more than ten minutes late or leaving class early will count as a partial absence. *On most days I will take attendance by having you sign your name on a sheet of paper. You are responsible for making sure that you have signed the roll; if you arrive late or the sheet passes you by, please see me after class. *Written documentation of an excused absence must be provided within one week of returning to class. *Late papers will result in as much as half of a letter grade reduction for each day the paper is late. If you are unable to attend class when papers are due, you may submit your work electronically as long as you provide a hardcopy when you return to class. *Makeup quizzes will not be administered without a documented excuse or approval in advance. Makeup quizzes must be taken in my office within a week of the date they were originally administered to the rest of the class. *If you anticipate having difficulty completing an assignment by its due date, please feel comfortable asking me for an extension in advance. I will make appropriate accommodations whenever possible, but you must make your request well before the paper is due. *Refer to the university’s attendance regulations for if you have questions regarding the distinction between excused and unexcused absences. Classroom etiquette: *Please turn off cell phones when you come into the classroom; disconnect yourself from the rest of the world for 2 hours! *Movie theaters are public spaces that demand silence so that all patrons are able to enjoy the product they have purchased. Talking and creating disruptions during any public screening is unacceptable behavior. Furthermore, this theater is an academic setting, so disrupting a screening of a film will threaten your classmates’ ability to succeed in the course. Talking during in-class screenings--this includes the opening credits--will result in a half-point deduction from your final grade. *If you must leave the theater in the middle of a screening or lecture, please exit through the door in the rear. Please keep the door from slamming shut behind you when you leave or enter the room. *Please--no food in the classroom. Rattling snack wrappers are EXTREMELY disruptive during screenings. *Please take any trash with you when you leave. *Some of the films we will discuss cover sensitive material. Respect your fellow students as you watch the films and when you participate in class discussion. iv .