Look Back: Class Feature Film 110

(This was my very first feature article about a class for the ICC Harbinger. It was for journalism class that had use writing/contributing to the newspaper to get a feel of what it's like working for the newspaper. It was literally cool and a bit stressful at times. But I learned a lot.)

Class Feature: Film 110

If you are a movie lover with interest in a different genre and you think you have a bit of Roger Ebert in you, than Film 110 is the class for you to take.

Film 110 is a course of breaking down feature films.  Students in the class get to view the film, analysis, discuss in class and write about parts in the movie from character to actor to even the writing and music scores of the film.  Such films like “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” Forrest Gump,” “Gone in 60 Seconds”and“Silence of the Lamb” are just some examples of films that they’ll get to view.

“This course focuses on as a narrative art,” says Jennifer Richrath, just one of the instructors who teach Film 110. “It’s looking at how the story is told.”

She also said that they’re not trying to make movies and not really getting into the production of things but what they are looking at is the different elements and trying how the different elements that can contribute to the whole film.

In this course they take a look at a whole genre of films from classic to silent even from American to foreign films.

“I want to show films that students haven’t seen before,” Richrath said. “Exposed them to new film, not new like just recently made but more like the film from 1975 ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’ that’s a classic that they’re not familiar with.”

There are students that seem to enjoy this class that never knew a class about film.

“I like movies,” said Nicole Foairty. “And I never knew that there were straightest to watching movies.”

For students who think that this is a class that only about just watching movies, it’s not. There are assignments where students will have to write about the film. Another would be a PowerPoint presentation about a director’s work. Also reading the course book is also recommended as well.

“What sometimes trips up students is if they come into a film course thinking that they’re just going to watch movies, eat popcorn and get an A,” Richrath said. “I can’t judge on how well they eat popcorn.”

One thing that Richrath want students to notice this semester is the visuals. Learning on why it was done like that or with a certain rhythm that’s being created by just editing in the film.

For example the 1989 German film “Run Lola Run,” set in German techno music during extreme fast pace as the lead character is running. Showing how editing fits with that kind of rhythm for it to show.

“It felt pretty cool learning the different lenses and techniques they use,” Foairty said.

Richrath encourages students to take this film class. She said that it opens the mind to a wide variety of films using critical thinking. By thinking critically by analysis and arguing a point about it, talking about it that the subject matter tends to level people to excitement if they want to be invested and willing to allow them to do that.

“There’s a lot more in different movie,” Foairty said.