#NewsBytesExplainer: Decoding film studies—definition, general curriculum, famous film schools
What's the story
Like every other course or art, filmmaking, too, can be studied theoretically and demands years of practice before one can professionally foray into the field.
This study of filmmaking is known as film studies and is one of the most sought-after, albeit demanding, courses.
Let's take a look at the course, its broad curriculum, and some globally reputed film schools globally and in India.
Definition, meaning
Film studies covers 'form, narrative, technique, socio-political contexts'
Sociology Group defines film studies as an "institutionalized academic discipline" focusing on the in-depth study of movies, cinematic history, and film culture that is "majorly informed by film theory."
It doesn't only analyze a film's content but also looks into the "form, narrative, technique, stylistic elements, and the historical, socio-political, economic, and cultural aspects and context surrounding it," it adds.
Origin
First film school was set up in 1919!
The first film school was reportedly set up in Moscow in 1919, and subsequently, more institutions emerged in France, the United States, and the UK over the following couple of years, dedicated mostly to filmmaking and production.
As the medium of cinema grew, courses on film appreciation gradually started in these schools and later spread to other parts of the world, too.
Subjects, themes
What do they teach at a film school?
Film studies is an extensive course that covers everything about the field.
Some of the most common subjects are classical cinema, continuity editing, film noir, genre, melodrama, method acting, mise-en-scène, mode, montage, propaganda, production cycle, realism, vertical integration, auteur theory, and cognitive theory.
Deconstruction, feminism, formalism, ideological analysis, post-colonialism, postmodernism, reception studies, semiotics, structuralism, and cinema of attraction, among several others, are also studied.
Global film schools
These are most sought-after schools internationally
Some of the most popular film schools are located in the West.
Among these are the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts; New York University Kanbar Institute of Film & Television; American Film Institute; UCLA School of Theatre, Film, and Television; DePaul University School of Cinematic Arts; New York Film Academy; Wesleyan University College of Film and Moving Image; among others.
Indian film schools
These are some popular film schools in the country
India has no dearth of reputed film schools, either!
National School of Drama, Delhi; Whistling Woods International, Mumbai; Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute, Kolkata; Asian Academy of Film and Television, Noida; LV Prasad College of Media Studies, Chennai; Film and Television Institute of India, Pune; National Institute of Film and Fine Arts, Kolkata; and Institute of Creative Excellence, Delhi, among others.