I agree that there are some very important points raised in Weddle's
article. Specifically, the points that come to my mind are:
1. Is film theory taught in a way that is suitable for undergraduates at
USCB? I took one of the first film theory courses in Australia in the
mid-1970's and it was not well taught. With almost no introduction to the
subject we were given essays by Christian Metz to read and write essays on.
We were swamped by jargon from semiotics and expected to apply all this
theory to Goddard films. Fortunately I actually managed to do well on the
course the experience of writing essays for it was totally unlike writing
essays for other subjects I was taking like history. In a history essay I
was able to examine various interpretations of an event and present my own
views. In relation to the ideas of Metz and Barthes etc I could only explain
what I thought they were saying. This is not to say that film theory is
unsuitable for undergraduates but it needs to be taught and presented in a
particular way. Later I went to LSE and studied various theorists like Marx,
Bourdieu etc and experienced really excellent lecturers and tutors who were
able to explain complex theory. I raise these points because in the Weddle
article I think the exam question which is cited is badly worded and is an
example of bad teaching.
2. The second question the article raises for me is the relevance of film
theory to practical film making. I suspect that this is a very personal
thing and some prospective film-makers will be find it useful to learn how
to analyse and deconstruct a film (afterall directors like Goddard started
this way) and others will be more immersed in the less intellectual aspects
of film. Given this, if film theory is to be a mandatory part of a course on
film-making then it seems even more important to teach and explain the ideas
well to undergraduates and offer options for more advanced courses to those
who are more drawn to film theory.
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