| Week |
Subject |
Related Preparation |
| 1) |
Introduction to the Course
Syllabus
Introductory Speeches
What is the Moving Image?
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| 2) |
19th century: Invention of Photography and Cinema
Cinema of attractions
Invention of Narrativity-Griffith
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Screen Viewing: Movies Began
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| 3) |
Looking at Film (Is Film An Art?)
Rudolf Arnheim
Formalists _Bela Balazs
Bertol Brecht-Lucaks
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| 4) |
Film Screening in the classroom M (1931) – Fritz Lang
Relevant Theories: German Expressionism, Genre Theory, Psychoanalysis
M is a crucial film that bridges silent and sound cinema, featuring expressionist visuals, a psychological study of criminal behavior, and early examples of film noir aesthetics.
Quiz
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| 5) |
Formalist film analysis examines how a film’s visual and stylistic elements—such as cinematography, editing, mise-en-scène, and sound—contribute to its meaning and impact. It focuses on the artistic construction of a film rather than its social, political, or historical context, emphasizing the director’s choices in shaping the viewer's experience. Techniques like montage, color composition, and framing are analyzed to understand how they create emotions, symbolism, and narrative structure. This approach treats cinema as an autonomous art form, where meaning is derived from the interplay of formal elements rather than external reality. |
The film watched in Week 3 will be analyzed. |
| 6) |
Marnie (1964) – Film Information
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Screenplay: Jay Presson Allen (adapted from Winston Graham’s novel)
Cast: Tippi Hedren, Sean Connery, Diane Baker
Genre: Psychological Thriller, Drama
Duration: 130 minutes
Why Can It Be Analyzed Using Psychoanalytic Film Theory?
Marnie explores trauma, repressed memories, and sexual identity, deeply examining how past experiences shape the protagonist’s psychological struggles and behavior.
Quiz |
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| 7) |
Psychoanalytic film theory applies concepts from Freudian and Lacanian psychoanalysis to analyze how films shape unconscious desires, identity, and spectator engagement. It explores themes such as the gaze (male gaze and voyeurism), repression, and the unconscious, examining how cinematic techniques manipulate emotions and perception. This theory suggests that films act as a mirror for the viewer’s subconscious, reinforcing or challenging social and psychological constructs. |
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| 8) |
The Piano (1993) – Film Information
Director: Jane Campion
Screenplay: Jane Campion
Cast: Holly Hunter, Harvey Keitel, Sam Neill, Anna Paquin
Genre: Drama, Romance
Duration: 121 minutes
Why Can It Be Analyzed Using Feminist Film Theory?
The Piano challenges patriarchal power structures, female agency, and the male gaze, portraying a woman's struggle for autonomy, self-expression, and desire in a male-dominated society.
Quiz |
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| 9) |
Feminist film theory examines how cinema constructs and represents gender roles, often critiquing the male gaze, female objectification, and the lack of female agency in storytelling. It seeks to challenge traditional patriarchal narratives by analyzing how women are depicted on screen and advocating for alternative perspectives that empower female characters and voices in film. |
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| 10) |
Rear Window (1954) – Film Information
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Screenplay: John Michael Hayes (adapted from a short story by Cornell Woolrich)
Cast: James Stewart, Grace Kelly, Thelma Ritter, Raymond Burr
Genre: Thriller, Mystery
Duration: 112 minutes
Why Can It Be Analyzed Using Auteur Theory?
Rear Window showcases Hitchcock’s signature cinematic techniques, mastery of suspense, use of gaze (voyeurism), and meticulous editing, all of which define his distinctive directorial style and reinforce his status as an auteur in film history.
Quiz |
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| 11) |
Auteur theory argues that a director is the primary creative force behind a film, much like an author in literature, and that their personal style, themes, and visual techniques create a distinctive artistic signature. This theory suggests that even within the constraints of the studio system, certain directors leave a recognizable imprint on their films through recurring motifs, narrative structures, and cinematic techniques. |
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| 12) |
Pulp Fiction (1994) – Film Information
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Screenplay: Quentin Tarantino, Roger Avary
Cast: John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis
Genre: Crime, Drama, Dark Comedy
Duration: 154 minutes
Why Can It Be Analyzed Using Postmodern Film Theory?
Pulp Fiction is a prime example of postmodern cinema due to its nonlinear narrative structure, pop culture references, genre-blending, irony, and self-referential dialogue, deliberately breaking traditional storytelling conventions. |
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| 13) |
Postmodern film theory challenges traditional narrative structures and embraces nonlinear storytelling, intertextuality, self-awareness, and genre-blending to create a fragmented, often ironic cinematic experience. It questions the notion of objective reality in film, using parody, pastiche, and pop culture references to blur the boundaries between fiction and reality. |
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| 14) |
General overwiew |
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Program Outcomes |
Level of Contribution |
| 1) |
Being familiar to the main concepts and methods of the social sciences and the fine arts devoted to understanding the world and the society |
5 |
| 2) |
Having comprehensive knowledge regarding different media and branches of art |
5 |
| 3) |
Knowing the historical background of audio-visual moving images in the world and in Turkey and keeping pace with the new developments in the area |
2 |
| 4) |
Having a good command of the language and the aesthetics of audio-visual moving images in the world and in Turkey |
3 |
| 5) |
Being able to create a narrative that could be used in a fiction or a non-fiction audio-visual moving image product |
2 |
| 6) |
Being able to write a script ready to be shot |
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| 7) |
Having the skills to produce the photoboard of a script in hand and to shoot the film using the camera, the lights and other necessary equipment |
2 |
| 8) |
Being able to transfer the footage of a film to the digital medium, to edit and do other post-production operations |
3 |
| 9) |
Being able to create a documentary audio visual moving image from the preliminary sketch stage to shooting, editing and post-production stages |
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| 10) |
Being able to produce an audio visual moving image for television and audio products for radio from preliminary stages through shooting and editing to the post-production stage |
3 |
| 11) |
Being culturally and theoretically equipped to make sense of an audio-visual moving image, to approach it critically with regard to its language and narration and being able to express his/her approach in black and white |
3 |
| 12) |
Having ethical values and a sense of social responsibility |
5 |