Film Studies is a genuinely interdisciplinary academic field. Encountering films of different genres, styles, periods and national industries is the core of the subject. As a film student you will naturally devote a lot of time to viewing films, reading and writing about them, and discussing their meaning and importance. Through practical modules, you will also gain hands-on experience of the roles of producer, director, screenwriter and actor, gaining crucial insights into the fundamental aspects of film production. However, this is just the beginning. Film Studies is a ‘gateway subject’ that inevitably fosters an understanding of visual aesthetics, narrative forms and technological ability, but that also leads students into areas of study as diverse as history, politics, philosophy, technology and performance.
Film Studies demands creative and original thought: it asks us to question, for example, how class, race, ethnicity and sexuality are represented on the screen, and investigates why this might be different from country to country, or from period to period. It asks us to think about film production in terms of the development and impact of new media technologies. It examines the effects of international commerce on the type of films that we get to see, and probes the impact of practices and regulations such as censorship, cultural policy, star systems, festivals and industry awards. It invites us to think critically and theoretically about media practices, and to anchor this understanding in a framework that is both intellectually rigorous and culturally relevant. |
