Scene Presentations:

1) Each group should work on 2-3 scenes from the relevant film.  There should, of course, be some reason that you choose to discuss the clips you do.  Why are they particularly important to the movie in question?  How do they speak to other work that we’ve encountered over the semester?  Not every individual within a group has to pick a clip, and we’ll definitely run out of time if you do that.  Some (or all) of you should work in pairs or with 3 people.  No group working on a single scene should be larger than 3, and solo work is fine.  Just don’t come with a total of more than three clips taken altogether. 

2) It’s best to put the clips into a Google (or some other accessible) folder and send links in the chat at the start of class.  Shared video playback over Zoom is pretty awful.

3) Film, of course, is a visual medium, so treat it like one.  When you think about the movie, ask yourself visual questions about how it achieves its effects and communicates meaning or emotion.  Where are elements of a shot positioned within the frame?  What’s the impact of the lighting?  The angle of sight?  What is the effect of the cuts and editing? How does the audio (movies aren’t only visual) work? Is there something about a particular performance, facial expression, etc of note?  I don’t mean these questions to be prescriptive.  You don’t have to address them one by one, and you may have others that demand attention.  But, in general, you do need to think about the visual techniques for creating meaning and narrative and also about how the film might connect with other course material.

4)  I’m assuming that we’ll spend at least 10 minutes per clip in class, by the time people play them back, speak, and (with any luck) we all talk more about the scenes.  This will be the primary discussion on the given day.

5)  Questions?  Confusion?  Feel free to let me know.