Study the enduring appeal and social/political commentary of film noir's dark shadows, corruption, seductive femme fatales, alienated antiheroes, mid-century psychological struggles, and rain-slicked streets, often adapted from pulp novels and hard-boiled crime fiction.
This course examines the international history of cinema from the 1960s to the present. The development of film technology, aesthetics, and genre are covered from the documentary and experimental films of the 1960s to the digital cinema of the current era. Topics include New Hollywood, political cinema of the 1960s and 1970s, continental and subcontinental cinemas post 1970, media conglomerates, and global film culture.
Jobs usually arranged by the student, subject to Cinema Department approval. Job experience at CCSF, such as issuing film equipment, mentoring/tutoring cinema students, crewing or editing sound or picture for a local production company, are within the scope of this learning experience of film/video industry or related projects. One unit of credit is earned for 54 hours of unpaid or paid work.
An intermediate course in writing for cinema, emphasizing professional format, screenplay structure, building conflict, character and thematic development, and visual storytelling skills. These skills are employed in creating the second act of an original screenplay.
An advanced screenwriting course focused on professional format, deep character, theme, and plot development, escalating conflict, and enhanced visual storytelling skills. Students in CINE 75C will complete Act III, the final act of a feature screenplay ideally developed in CINE 75B, and engage in intensive revisions.
An introductory course in writing for cinema, emphasizing professional format, screenplay structure, building conflict, character and thematic development, and visual storytelling skills. Students will create the first act of an original screenplay.
The course offers instruction in basic film production, including fundamentals of digital and analog camera operation, basic editing principles, and an overview of lighting and sound. In-class equipment and crew workshops, assigned technical and creative exercises, individual off-campus film and video projects, in-class screening and critique of student work. Each student completes at least two individual projects.
Exploration of the distinctive qualities of documentary film and how visual rhetoric shapes sociopolitical landscapes. Learn about how the aesthetics and structure of documentary films affect considerations of ethics, point of view, and persuasion. Topics of study include the voice of documentary, documentary modes, the influence of social media, cultural and national representation in documentary, and digital technology in the context of nonfiction.
This course examines the international history of cinema from its late 19th century origins to the 1930s. The development of film technology, aesthetics, and genre are covered from 1880s France to the establishment of the Hollywood Studio System. Topics include early film technology, the development of Classic Hollywood style, French Impressionism, German Expressionism, Soviet Montage, early animation, the introduction of sound technology, and the establishment of the Hollywood studio system.
An introductory course that addresses the formal analysis of cinema. The course covers filmmaking techniques such as cinematography, editing, mise-en-scène, sound, lighting, acting, and narrative.