READING THE MOVING IMAGE
Ages 16-29
Summer 2019, Johns Hopkins Homewood

This film studies workshop will emphasize close observation and critical thinking.  Through in-class screenings and group discussion, student fellows will practice noticing: seeing and hearing with fresh eyes and ears, and taking nothing on screen for granted.  And they’ll learn to reflect on and contextualize what they find, drawing evolved conclusions about how film texts communicate ideas and what those ideas may be.  They’ll consider representations of gender, race, and class; and take into account an array of analytical frameworks including genre, historical era, authorship, and mode of production.  They’ll explore all elements of cinematic form, learning the vocabulary to help them grasp and talk about the complexities of mise en scène and editing, and they’ll have the option to develop oral presentations and short critical writings about their discoveries.  They’ll also have the option to share their written critical analyses on the program website.  Limited to 12 student fellows.

Lucy Bucknell teaches screenwriting and film studies in the Film and Media Studies Program at Johns Hopkins University.  She is the founding director of Writing Outside the Fence, a writing program for returning citizens and their extended community.