Understanding Movies: the Language of Film
8-weeks | Unavailable
We've all been taught how to read literature, an art that deals essentially with words. Film, however, conveys ideas differently: there are images and sound to consider. This course provides insight into the variety of ways in which films communicate. We will examine the range of film’s unique language and form (e.g., shot composition, camera movement, sound, editing, etc.) and explore how the essential properties of the medium are used by filmmakers as a means of expression. In-class screenings will include sequences from recognizable films that illustrate the unique aesthetics of motion pictures.
NOTE: This is a REPEAT of the course offered in Fall 2018.
- Suggested Reading: Making Movies, by Sidney Lumet
Sybil Delgaudio
Sybil DelGaudio is Emerita Professor of Radio, Television and Film at Hofstra University, where she served for six years as Dean of its School of Communication. Her research has been published in books and journals and her production work has combined her interest in animation scholarship with a passion for documentary, resulting in two projects she directed for public television: Animated Women and Independent Spirits. Both works have been shown on PBS stations around the country as well as at international film festivals, garnering festival prizes, as well as an Emmy for Animated Women.
Skip Weisman
Skip Weisman grew up a 30-minute drive north on “Highway 9” from Springsteen's Freehold, NJ hometown. Forty-nine years after being introduced to Springsteen’s “Born to Run” album, Skip has attended 112 (thru May 2026) live Springsteen performances, with and without the E Street Band, in 10 countries across two continents. Skip moved to Dutchess County in 1994 to bring the Hudson Valley Renegades professional baseball team to the community. He served as team president/CEO for eight seasons through 2001. From 2002-2023, Skip was a business coach and professional keynote speaker/workshop presenter specializing in leadership and workplace communication.