Introduction

You may already consider yourself a film buff – or get called a film geek behind your back (absolutely nothing wrong with that, all the best film students and film scholars start out that way). If you have a passion for film of any kind, hold on to it. Wear your film-geek label with pride.

But if you want to become a successful film student, you need to add a few tools to your toolbox, which is where this book comes in. A good film student doesn’t simply memorise film facts – who played who in what and whether they received Oscars that year. After all, the Internet now remembers all these details. Instead, a film student can take a movie to bits to see how it works, place it into its historical or social context, or use it to help explain and understand aspects such as politics and national identity. Film studies isn’t about what and who, it’s about how and most importantly why.

If you take a class in film studies – or choose to pursue a degree in it – I’m afraid that you’re going to have to put up with lots of sniggering about ‘Mickey Mouse studies’. Everybody watches films, don’t they? Does that mean universities should hand out degrees with subscriptions to Netflix? Ignore these people. They’re just jealous.

Unlike many other forms of art, films were and continue to be genuinely, staggeringly popular – and some people confuse popularity with stupidity. But that’s the stupidest mistake of all. To be popular, films need to resonate deeply with great swathes of the world’s population while also providing a direct emotional connection with every single ticket-buying audience member. And that, in my humble opinion, is rather clever.

To those who question the value of your chosen subject, remind them that studying novels or plays was considered frivolous and ridiculous as recently as 100 years ago. The world has changed, and cinema has reflected and sometimes contributed to these changes.

For those lucky enough to study or teach it, film studies isn’t just a hobby – it’s an academic discipline that stretches and tests your skills and knowledge. Unfortunately, when film became a discipline, it also acquired bucket loads of jargon. And nothing is more likely to make you feel like a dummy than a dense, unreadable book that presumes you already know a lot more than you do.

So this book is Film Studies For Dummies not because I think you’re an idiot (on the contrary, you’ve already shown wise judgement in reading this far!) but because I’m aware of the barriers that some (but not all) film studies books put up to readers. Don’t worry, this book doesn’t do barriers.

About This Book

Scholars have a few conventional ways of writing about films, which generally involve keeping things as clear and uncluttered as possible. So I use such conventions in this book to help you get accustomed to them.

I put film titles into italics to help separate them visually from the rest of the text. The first time I mention a film in a section, I include a year after it in brackets. This year is when the film was first released in cinemas, not when it was produced (which often takes several years anyway). The release date gives you an instant idea of historical context and avoids confusion between films with similar or identical titles.

When talking about film characters, knowing who plays them is important. So the first time I mention a character, the actor’s name appear in brackets afterwards. Some film studies books also give the director’s name in brackets after the film’s first mention, but I don’t follow that convention. Doing so tends to signal a reverence for directors over and above the other people who collaborate on a film, which is a matter of some debate in film studies (as you find out as you read on).

Films made in other countries around the world usually have two titles, one in the original language and an English translation. The one that I place first and use for subsequent mentions often comes down to familiarity. Some foreign films are very well known by their English titles and so I place that first, for example The Seventh Seal (Det sjunde inseglet) (1957). Whereas others tend to keep their original title and sometimes require no English translation, such as La Dolce Vita (1960).

When analysing and describing films, I introduce certain technical terms to you. Most are clear and easy enough to understand and use. However the terms used to describe shots (short sections of continuous action which are edited together into longer sequences) can cause confusion. To be clear from the word go, I have stuck to the following conventions when describing the amount of time that a shot takes or the distance of the camera from the shot:

• Close-up: The camera is close to the subject (such as an actor) and it therefore fills the frame.
• Wide shot: The camera is far away from the subject and it appears small in the frame, surrounded by its environment.
• Short take: The shot is over in a few seconds before it is replaced by another image through editing.
• Long take: The shot lasts for a long time, such as minutes or even (very occasionally) hours.

Finally, notice that I coop up some sections of text in grey boxes. Poor sidebars. They contain detailed information or specific examples that you don’t strictly need to remember. You can ignore them if you want. But doing so makes make them sad.

Foolish Assumptions

You may have some assumptions about me as a film scholar. You probably think that I spend too much time watching films and need to get out more. You aren’t far wrong. But enough about me, here’s what I think about you:

• You already love films, have seen plenty of them and want to see more.
• You may well be coming to the end of your formal education and considering your options for further study. May I suggest doing film studies? This book can help you decide whether it’s right for you and get you going in the correct direction.
• If you’re already doing film studies, well done. Good decision. This book can serve as your handy reference guide to important topics – or as a way of finding new methods or theories to use.
• If you have no interest in doing film studies at university, but simply want to deepen your knowledge of one of life’s great pleasures – watching movies – great. You’re also in the right place.

If any or several of the preceding sound like you, read on.

Icons Used in This Book

If you like films, you’re probably a visual person. So this book uses the zippy visual convention of icons to draw your eyes to important sections or help you scan through for the bits you want.

This icon indicates handy hints and small activities that you can do to help practise the big ideas.

Some bits of this book are more important than others. They may be key concepts or facts that you need to grasp in order to move forward. This icon highlights them so that you don’t have to use a highlighter pen.

Examples make all ideas easier to get your head around, and so this book features plenty of mini case studies of films. To pick them out, follow the icon.

If you’re scared of theory, this icon may not have the desired effect. But I hope that this book shows that you can understand the difficult concepts and cure your theory-phobia.

Film scholars love a good argument. This icon signals when two different ways of understanding a particular topic exist.

Beyond the Book

In addition to the amazing content that you hold in your hands, this book also includes companion digital content. Check out the free Cheat Sheet at www.dummies.com/cheatsheet/filmstudies for definitions of essential film studies terms, quick bite-sized chunks of meaty film theory and a handy overview of film history broken down into well-known movements.

Each part of this book features a link to an online article by yours truly. Check out each part page or go to www.dummies.com/extras/filmstudies to find articles that extend the content covered in the book.

Where to Go from Here

Film studies is big, and so is this book. If you have no idea where to begin, I recommend reading Chapter 1 first, because it serves as a kind of overview of the whole field. I hope that it starts those little light bulbs going off above your head. If this happens, look for more on that topic in the contents page and off you go.

Each part brings together chapters that look at films in similar ways. To explore different types of films, Part II is your place to start. Or if you want to get theoretical, head straight to Part IV. You can choose to read the book from beginning to end if you like, or you can jump around from section to section. The choice is yours. Enjoy the ride.