111-106 Introduction To Cinema B: Film and History Silent Beginnings to Cinematic Spectacle

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Subject Description:

This subject will primarily focus on three areas: pre-cinematic origins and early silent cinema; film technology, economic and the industry during the classical era; and an introduction to the development of the Australian film industry. Areas to be covered may include: developments in pre- and early film history; the coming of sound and colour; the star system; distribution and standardisation of the film product in Hollywood cinema; B-films and serial forms; animation; the coming of television and its impact on the cinema. The examination of the Australian film industry may consider such topics as: the beginnings of silent film production; the influence of British and Hollywood models; the Bush vs. the City and the mythic Australian hero; overseas markets and government interventions; the Australian Film Commission and the 'AFC genre'; issues of national identity in light of the increasing internationalisation of Australian cinema.

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Prescribed Texts:

• Bordwell D Thompson K, Film Art: An Introduction, (3rd ed) McGraw-Hill New York 1990.