FMS 100   Intro to Film (3 Hours)

The holistic intent of this course is to introduce students to film as an art form that goes beyond entertainment. This is an introduction to film through analyzing and thinking critically about film as a visual art medium. Students will analyze a film’s impact on society and the use of film as a medium of expression and will watch films in order to evaluate the strategies used by the filmmaker to create meaning for the viewer. Students will read and interpret basic signs, syntaxes and structures of cinematic language; locate film in historical, cultural, political and social contexts; and critique film using various methodologies. Students will also recognize and identify filmmaking as a business by defining stages of filmmaking, the various employed positions and the duties used in the making of a film. They also will evaluate the effect of the film industry on the society within which films are being made.