LEARNING OUTCOMES
The Theory, Art & Artistic Practices course aims providing tools for critical perspectives to filmmaking and film watching through introducing basic understanding on the essential maker s theory, critical theory, and artistic research approaches to cinema language. This course will provide students with tools for conceptualising cinematic representation from the perspectives of various essential theoretical frameworks.
Credits: 2
Schedule: 10.01.2022 - 14.01.2022
Teacher in charge (valid for whole curriculum period):
Teacher in charge (applies in this implementation): Arturo Delgado Pereira, Susanna Helke
Contact information for the course (applies in this implementation):
Theory, Art and Artistic Practices 1 (ELO-E1011)
RETHINKING CONVENTIONS and CINEMA MANIFESTOS
Department of Film, Television and Scenography
ELO, Aalto University
2021/2022
Dates: 10-14.01.2022
Time: See individual schedule below.
Place: THE COURSE IS SCHEDULED FOR FACE-TO-FACE TEACHING. HOWEVER, WE ARE WAITING FOR CONFIRMATION OR UPDATES ABOUT AALTO HEALTH POLICIES FOR THIS COURSE.
Responsible teachers: Prof. Susanna Helke/Prof. Arturo Delgado Pereira
Teaching Language: English
Credits: 2 cr.
Email: susanna.helke@aalto.fi / arturo.delgado@aalto.fi
CEFR level (valid for whole curriculum period):
Language of instruction and studies (applies in this implementation):
Teaching language: English. Languages of study attainment: English
CONTENT, ASSESSMENT AND WORKLOAD
Content
valid for whole curriculum period:
Critical perspectives on filmmaking and film representation, makers theories, artistic research applied to cinema. The emphasis of the course is often in the perspective of the filmmakers, exploring how filmmakers create interpretation of the world we inhabit and how the responsibility and power of constructing the image of reality is at the heart of their work.
The course will be delivered through lecture by faculty and visitors, film screenings and discussions.
applies in this implementation
DESCRIPTION OF THE COURSE
Theory, Art and Artistic Practice 1 will focus on helping the students to gain an understanding of different approaches and methodologies for practice-led research, research through artistic practices and makers’ theories.
The course will also place an emphasis on cinematic conventions and cinema manifestos. What are they? How do they work? How different artists have positioned themselves towards conventions -and towards the world- for instance by writing cinema manifestos?
Through lectures, discussions and assignments, students will become familiarized with critical perspectives related to the film medium and some of its conventions. Students will be encouraged to reflect upon their own practice and the conventions they engage with and/or respond to. As an assignment for the course, students will be required to write a short cinema manifesto.
Contextualizing theory within art practice and identifying potential research questions that stem from the students’ film practice and artistic work are desired outcomes for this course. This course is reading intensive. Students will have to attend the lectures and complete the assignments in order to gain credits for this course.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
- Students will become familiar with makers´ theories, practice-led research methods and artistic research relevant to their field of study.
- Students will develop critical reading capacities of film representation and practice.
- Students will start identifying potential research questions that stem from their film practice and artistic work.
Assessment Methods and Criteria
valid for whole curriculum period:
Lectures, film screenings and discussions. Completion of the course requires active participation in class activities and completion of an essay assignment.
applies in this implementation
ASSIGNMENTS
1. Pre-assignment.
Prior to the first session. Please read Georges Perec’s “Approaches to What?” You can find the pdf in the material section of the course.
2. Assignment: due Friday 14th January (in-class presentation)
The assignment for the course consists on writing a small film manifesto (maximum 1-A4 page). The students will have the opportunity to present their manifesto to the class on Friday 14 January. More details about the assignment on Monday 10 January.
Workload
valid for whole curriculum period:
Lectures: 16-27h
Independent study: 27-38happlies in this implementation
DETAILS
Substitutes for Courses
valid for whole curriculum period:
Prerequisites
valid for whole curriculum period:
FURTHER INFORMATION
Further Information
valid for whole curriculum period:
The final credits are determined by the students´ active participation in the course and successful completion of the course assignment.
Students must attend the first session of the course to secure their place of study.
Teaching Period:
2020-2021 Spring III
2021-2022 Spring III
Course Homepage: https://mycourses.aalto.fi/course/search.php?search=ELO-E1011
Registration for Courses: Sisu replaces Oodi on 9 August, 2021. Priority order to courses is according to the order of priority decided by the Academic committee for School of Arts, Design and Architecture: https://www.aalto.fi/en/services/registering-to-courses-and-the-order-of-priority-in-aalto-arts
Kursseille ottamisen prioriteettijärjestys ARTSissa 1.1.2018
Details on the schedule
applies in this implementation
SCHEDULE
Reading Materials will be available in MyCourses (Materials Section)
Monday 10 January. Q202, Väre. Artistic Research.
10-11:30. Prof. Susanna Helke: Artistic Research as Critical Praxis.
11:45-12:30. Discussions of pre-assigned texts. Georges Perec’s “Approaches to What?”
13:30-16:00. Independent Study: Scott Mackenzie’s Film Manifestos and Global Cinema Cultures.
All students read: Intro + 2 manifestos of your choice.
Tuesday 11 January. Q201, Väre. Makers’ Theories and Cinema Manifestos.
10-12. Cinema Manifestos + Manifesto case study (teachers presentation)
13-15:30. Discussion about Manifesto reading. (teachers will provide guidelines for discussion)
Discussion on course assignment: My Film Manifesto.
Wednesday 12 January. Q201, Väre. Discussing Conventions.
9-12 Independent study: Reading of texts for “Discussing Conventions”
14-16 Discussion session group 1: Montage as Convention
(Half of the students; group formed on Monday 10 Jan.)
14-16. Discussion session group 2: What is a Story?
(Half of the students; group formed on Monday 10 Jan.)
Group 1 read:
Sergei Eisenstein: Film Form.
“A Dialectical Approach to Film Form.” (starting from page 45)
“Methods of Montage” (starting from page 72)
Group 2 read:
Raul Ruiz: Central Conflict Theory.
Lebow and Juhasz: Beyond Story.
Thursday 13 January. F102, Väre. Independent Study.
Students work on Film Manifesto assignment.
Friday 14 January. Q201, Väre. Presentation of Film Manifestos.
10-16: Presentation of assignment: MY FILM MANIFESTO (for all students)