FAVBPa090 Film Narrative Analysis

Faculty of Arts
Spring 2023
Extent and Intensity
0/4/0. 5 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Radomír D. Kokeš, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. Martin Kos, Ph.D. (seminar tutor)
Mgr. Daniel Krátký (seminar tutor)
Mgr. Zdeňka Pitrunová (assistant)
Guaranteed by
Mgr. Radomír D. Kokeš, Ph.D.
Department of Film Studies and Audiovisual Culture – Faculty of Arts
Supplier department: Department of Film Studies and Audiovisual Culture – Faculty of Arts
Timetable
Wed 8:00–11:40 C34
Prerequisites (in Czech)
FAVBPa010 Introduction to Film Studies
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The aim of this course is to familiarize and train the student in the means, procedures and functions of film narrative analysis, as well as in the ability to read critically the texts that work with this type of analysis.
Learning outcomes
After finishing this course, students will have been able to:
- apply basic conceptual frameworks of analysis and historical periodization of film narration;
- recognize, classify and put in the context the individual components of the film narrative within a particular film and within the narrative tradition to which the work may relate;
- formulate a research project, research issues and research questions related to an inward analysis of narratives;
- formulate and argue their theses in various forms of naratological analysis with the so-called analytical essay;
- critically read and analyze expert analytical text in English.
Syllabus
  • The course takes the form of systematic analytical, presentation and discussion work, which develops in individual seminar meetings and regularly delivered homework.
    The course with two forms of main continuous outputs: analytical and meta-analytical.
    In the first case, the student submits every two weeks the so-called analytical cards, in which he analyzes the given film from various aspects of stylistic analysis. From the individual categories of film style, they gradually move on to their comprehension and formulation of more complex research problems, questions and theses connected with the inward analysis of a particular film. These cards do not take the form of a coherent text, but a structured curriculum of possible future work. The final essay as the final output of the course, has the form of a coherent text.
    In the second case, the student submits the so-called reading cards every second week in which he analyzes the given analytical texts in Czech or English, focused on the film style, formulating their research problems, questions, theses and logic of concrete argumentation. At the same time, the student regularly submits opponencies throughout the semester where he reflects critically on one of the analytical cards of his classmates while he regularly obtains such opponencies from his classmates as well.
    Seminar classes themselves are in the form of papers and detailed discussions over individual tasks.
Literature
    required literature
  • Narration in the Fiction Film. David Bordwell. Wisconsin: Wisconsin University Pressm 1985, s. 384, ISBN 0-299-10174-6
  • KOVÁCS, András Bálint. Screening modernism : European art cinema, 1950-1980. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2007, xii, 427. ISBN 9780226451657. info
    not specified
  • Point of view in the cinema :a theory of narration and subjectivity in classical film. Edited by Edward Branigan. 1 online r. ISBN 9789027930798. info
  • THOMPSON, Kristin. Breaking the glass armor : neoformalist film analysis. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1988. x, 361. ISBN 0691067244.
  • KOKEŠ, Radomír D. Světy na pokračování. Rozbor možností seriálového vyprávění (Worlds To Be Continued. Analysing Possibilities of Serial Narrativity). Praha: Filip Tomáš – Akropolis, 2016, 240 pp. ISBN 978-80-7470-146-7. Autorovy stránky o knize. info
Teaching methods
Seminar discussions, regular papers, regular homework in the form of three types of so-called cards: analytical cards, reading cards and opponencies.
Assessment methods
Requirements during the semester:
(1) Students submit their work into the Homework Vault. i Late submission are considered not submitted without exception. To be successfully admitted to the final work, it is necessary to have submitted everything without exception.
(2) Students are required to attend all seminars, participation must be 100% and exceptions are not granted. In the first and second case, unpreparedness for the seminar is penalized by extracts from a large test in English, in the third case, it is classified as non-attendance and student is not admitted to the final work.
(3) Any attempted fraud means failure to meet the conditions of the course and disciplinary proceedings.
(4) Students receive a certain number of points for each assignment and activity during seminar lessons, with a minimum of at least 55% of the points they could gain during the semester to be admitted to the final exam.

Final exam:
The final exam consists of two types of consecutive papers, while the second part is subject to obtaining at least 55% of the points gained from the first part. The first part is a system analysis of the style of several given films and the student presents only research problems, questions and concrete analytical theses of possible analysis. The second part consists of an eight-page analysis of one of the films, to which students had submitted issues, questions and theses within the first part of the exam.
Language of instruction
Czech
Further Comments
Study Materials
The course can also be completed outside the examination period.
The course is taught annually.
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2020, Spring 2021.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
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