Academic Catalog 2022-2023 
    
    Mar 28, 2024  
Academic Catalog 2022-2023 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

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EGL 290 - Studies in Film Genre/Style: The Essay Film

Course Units: 1.0
(Winter: Troxell and de Sève) Deriving its meaning from the French essayer: to try; to attempt, the essay film is an experiment in form and expression.  Weaving together elements of fiction and documentary, the essay film foregrounds the subjectivity of the filmmaker and engages the viewer as participant and collaborator.  Relaying heavily on montage, the essay film often employs found footage as well as cinema verité techniques-where the camera acts as quasi-therapist, eliciting new performances and confessions.  In an approach combining theory and practice, we will explore the many aspects of the essay film genre.  Foundational readings by Michel de Montaigne, Georg Lukács, and Phillip Lopate will be paired with visual essay by Issac Julian, Chantal Akerman, Mona Hatoum, and Marlon Riggs among others.  Experimenting with form and method, students will produce weekly writings and visual exercises and an extended essay film.  Prerequisite(s): One 100-level English course or a score of 5 on the AP English Language or Literature and Composition test, or permission of the instructor. CC: HUM ISP: FLM



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