History and the Appreciation of Film

 

History and the Appreciation of film is an elective course designed for juniors and seniors at Redwood high school. Overall, the course examines the beginnings of early film making starting in the late 1800s up to its modern, or current form in 2015. In the first portion of the year we will look at the development of film making technology, the creation of narrative, the development of editing, and other important details that help form the foundation for the modern films we all enjoy together. In the second portion of the course, we will look at film making advancements from international filmmakers (i.e. Germany and France) and the making of celebrities. Third, we will examine the heyday of Classic Hollywood and view some of the most important films (i.e. Citizen Kane, Vertigo, etc.) of all time because of their transformational effect on movie-making and the industry itself. Fourth, we will begin to examine the transformation of film-making and the industry as a whole from the 1950s-1980s, where we see the decline of "Classic" Hollywood but the rise of postmodernism and political films. Finally, we will examine the role history played in forming the foundation for modern film making (1990-2015) as well as important technological changes (I.e. Computer Graphic Imaging) that have allowed for new, imaginative, and creative storytelling not previously possible.