Course Description:

This course tackles various components and facets of the directorial process specific to the cinema. Notably, it is neither a critical study of existing films, nor is there any technical instruction of equipment or general, industry- related skills. Instead the course attempts to understand both the role of a director in the creation of a film, and the disparities in important film directors’ processes as a means of synthesizing a fluid and evolving method through which students may begin to find their own directorial voices. A wide variety of readings, from writers as different as Gilles Deleuze and Quentin Tarantino, will serve as the conceptual framework for the discussions in this class, while suggested film screenings will be used as concrete examples of theoretical concepts.

Course Goals:

Students who complete this course successfully will be able to:
● Identify a wide variety of specific directorial choices, ranging from camera and performance to editing and sound design/mixing
● Draw upon a range of important texts in the world of directorial theory when thinking about the work of the film director
● Conceptualize simple yet effective formal frameworks within which to go about directing any kind of film-related project
● Begin creating a general methodology which which to find their own defining directorial voice.

Major Assignments: Descriptions

1. Short Paper (2-3 pages): In this introductory paper, students will select a film director with whose work they are familiar and identify specific, conscious choices that this director has made throughout the course of his/her films. Afterwards, students will discuss either A) how these choices have evolved over time and B) what these choices indicate about an overall perspective or worldview.
2. Directorial Concept (2-3 pages): Once students have a grasp on various components of the directorial process, they will be given an uninflected, interpretive scene description, and they will describe the specific set of directorial choices they would use to bring the scene to life. Topics can include lens choice, camera movement, sound cues, modes of performance, etc.