Advanced Diploma in Film Studies

Get a historical overview of cinema and study the work of major filmmakers and their contributions to movies in this free online course. The material covers the fundamental principles and practices in film-editing techniques, colour theory and canonical texts. You will study French, Italian, Japanese and American cinema and learn about auteur theory, expressionism and key concepts of different genres in cinema.

What You Will Learn In This Free Course

Introduction of Film Techniques, Colors and Semiotics

In this module, you will be introduced to the concept of film techniques, theories and movements in cinema. You will learn about the roles of colors, semiotics, enigmatic codes, cultural codes and key connotations in filmmaking. You will be introduced to David Fincher?s Seven “a movie from 1995”. You will watch Seven in particular regarding the enigmatic code and cultural code used in this movie.

Plots, Narratives and Characters in Cinema

This module will introduce you to the concept of plots, narratives, unreliable narrator and defamiliarization. You will study the different types and myths in plots. You will learn about the characters in cinema which is another critical element of plots. You will look at accents, dialects, and the vocabulary of different characters. Famous movies that you will look at during this module will be Raging Bull, Rebel without a Cause, Disco Dancer & Ocean’s Eleven.

Editing Techniques in Cinema

In this module, learn about the key features of editing in cinema. You will be introduced to the concepts of jump cut and montage editing techniques. You will then study how montage can lend a particular ideological meaning to the proceedings. This module will give you the key ideas of realism, color theory and practice, and Dogme principle in cinema. You will also study about the work done by important theoreticians of colors such as Rudolf Arnheim, David Bodwell, and Christen Thompson.

Introduction of Intertextuality, Modernism and Expressionism

This module will introduce you to the key features of intertextuality, modernism, and expressionism in cinema. You will study popular movies such as Matrix, Casablanca, and The Blade Runner in detail with regard to intertextuality. You will look at what is modernism. And the factors that led to its growth. This module will cover the work history of famous modernists and the pioneers such as Fritz Lang, F W Murnau, Jean Renoir, Jacques Tati, and Max Ophuls.

Diploma in Introduction to Film Studies – First Assessment

You must score 80% or more to pass this assessment.; Module

The French Masters and Concept of Canonical Text in Cinema

In this module, you will study the brief history of The French Masters and their contribution to cinema. You will study the history of Jean Renoir in more detail, who is considered as one of the most formidable influences on the entire French New Wave. This module will help you learn the concept of canonical text and a brief overview of the new Hollywood movement in detail. You will look at the famous movies such as Godfather and Citizen Kane concerning the canonical text.

Classic Hollywood

This module will introduce you to the historical overview of The Academy Awards and classic Hollywood. You will also study the great work of major filmmakers in classic Hollywood and Melodrama, such as George Stevens, William Wyler, Billy Wilder, Elia Kazan, and George Cukor. It will then follow into the study of cinema of Douglas Sirk, a German film director best known for his work in Hollywood melodramas of the 1950s.

Introduction of German Expressionism, Italian Cinema and Japanese Cinema

In this module, you will get detailed knowledge of German expressionism. You will learn about Italian cinema, Italian neo-realism, and work of great Italian masters, such as Federico Fellini, Michelangelo Antonioni, Pier Paolo Pasolini, and Bernardo Bertolucci. You will also be introduced to the Japanese cinema and major filmmakers in Japanese cinema that includes Kenji Mizoguchi, Ozu, Akira Kurosawa, and Nagisha Oshima.

Auteur Theory, New Hollywood and Major Filmmakers in New Hollywood

This module will help you learn about auteur theory, new Hollywood and major filmmakers in new Hollywood. You will be introduced to the work history of Alfred Hitchcock, Martin Scorsese, John Milius, Spielberg and George Lucas in detail. In addition to this, you will study some of the famous movies such as Star Wars, Indiana Jones and Jaws. You will also look at the end of new Hollywood and the key reasons for its demise.

Introduction of Genre, Post Modern Cinema and The Western

In this module, you will get brief introduction of the genre, postmodern cinema and the western. You will study different categories of genres, such as the genre of poetry, drama, fiction, short story, and non-fiction. This module will help you learn about the gangster cinema and major movies in postmodern cinema such as Face/Off and Natural Born Killers. You will also look at some of the great directors of the western genre, that includes John Ford, Howard Hawks, and Sam Peckinpah.

Diploma in Introduction to Film Studies – Second Assessment

You must score 80% or more to pass this assessment.; Module

Course assessment