An “emergent” discipline?:
An “emergent” discipline? University film programs as early as 1910s
True beginnings in 1960s (first Ph.D. granted at USC?)
Society for Cinema and Media Studies b. 1959
Film programs still often houses in other disciplines (e.g., literature, languages, art history)
Legitimizing the study of film:
Legitimizing the study of film Cinema and media studies: field has opened up to explore not just film but television, “new media” (e.g., digital forms of film and television, cell phones, Internet-related technologies, etc.)
We’ll begin the semester with a study of genre next week.
What Is Film Criticism? (Robinson):
What Is Film Criticism? (Robinson) Macquarie Dictionary: criticism = “the act or art of analyzing and judging the quality of an artistic or literary work”
But reviews or discussions in (and of) the media can vary greatly. For example:
General assessments or statements of a film’s overall quality
A focus on a specific aspect of a film. For example:
Use of stylistic elements (e.g., lighting, sound, editing, actor performance)
Narrative structure
Politics
Themes
What Is Film Criticism? (Robinson):
What Is Film Criticism? (Robinson) Q: “Who can be described as a film critic? Who is qualified?”
A: “We are all film critics and engage in film criticism whenever we discuss a film.”
Reviews and discussions may be produced for different audiences:
Consumers of mass media (i.e., large, varied, popular audience --> examples?)
Academic audiences (i.e., smaller, more focused audience --> examples?)
Creators of media
They will all express the author’s opinions, views, experience, and knowledge.
But the nature of their arguments, evidence, and vocabulary may differ.
Academic v. Popular Criticism:
Academic v. Popular Criticism Academic:
Usually written by scholars for other scholars in the same field and for students
Appears in scholarly, peer-reviewed journals and books
Often features a specialized vocabulary, like any other discipline or profession (e.g., medicine, law, psychology)
Popular:
Usually written by journalists
Appears in newspapers, magazines, trade journals
Usually (though not always) written in more accessible language