2020 Faculty Courses Liberal arts and basic science courses Humanities and social science courses
Studies of Culture and Representation C
- Academic unit or major
- Humanities and social science courses
- Instructor(s)
- Kyohhei Kitamura
- Class Format
- Lecture (Zoom)
- Media-enhanced courses
- -
- Day of week/Period
(Classrooms) - 3-4 Mon (W631) / 3-4 Thu (W631)
- Class
- -
- Course Code
- LAH.H314
- Number of credits
- 200
- Course offered
- 2020
- Offered quarter
- 2Q
- Syllabus updated
- Jul 10, 2025
- Language
- Japanese
Syllabus
Course overview and goals
Our everyday life is surrounded by “image” more than ever before. "Screens" and ubiquitous—not only movie or television, but also streaming content on computers and mobile devices and digital signage—and we subconsciously absorb the “meaning” these images produce. However, our familiarity with images often compels us to overlook how they affect our emotions. This course understands the characteristic form of audio-visual media, mainly movies, and explores why film expression attracts us. We grasp the techniques of film by breaking down images into its basic components such as direction, shooting, editing, audio/visual effects, and performance. Movies taken up in the class are Hollywood, Japanese, and European, but animated movies or drama is also referenced; for instance—Kurosawa Akira, Mizoguchi Kenji, Ozu Yasujirô, Kawashima Yûzô, Sômai Shinji, Kurosawa Kiyoshi, Kitano Takeshi, Miyazaki Hayao, Shinkai Makoto, Alfred Hitchcock, Orson Welles, Roman Polanski, Jean-Luc Godard, Federico Fellini, Stanley Kubrick. Because this class has time of practice exercises to analyze movies interactively, the active involvement of participants is welcomed.
The aim of this lecture is to understand various film expressions in the 20th century, and to cultivate the ability for participants themselves to analyze and criticize movies.
Course description and aims
At the end of this course, students will be able to:
1) Understand the characteristics of film expression, and explain them to others.
2) Comprehend the history of audio-visual expression in the 20th century.
3) Analytically grasp the expression by film and write critiques of movies or visual images.
Keywords
Cinema history, Auteur, Film expression, Cinematic body, Critique, Film remake, Film adaptation, Animation
Competencies
- Specialist skills
- Intercultural skills
- Communication skills
- Critical thinking skills
- Practical and/or problem-solving skills
Class flow
Based on lecture-style presentations with practical sessions. Students are occasionally given exercise problems related to the contents.
Course schedule/Objectives
| Course schedule | Objectives | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 1 | Guidance and introduction | Study a basic grammar of film and film expressions. |
| Class 2 | Mise-en-scène/Mise-en-shot: Filming | Learn "filming" such as camera position, movement, shot scale, and length of shot. |
| Class 3 | Mise-en-scène/Mise-en-shot: Sound effects | Think about the relationship between sound and image. |
| Class 4 | Mise-en-scène/Mise-en-shot: Meaning | Learn "staging" such as composition, sets, props, actors, costumes, and lighting. |
| Class 5 | Mise-en-scène/Mise-en-shot: Visual design | Consider effects of color or CG. |
| Class 6 | Mise-en-scène/Mise-en-shot: Cinematic body | Consider the body of actor in films. |
| Class 7 | Mise-en-scène/Mise-en-shot: Cinematic gaze | Understand how to constitute "gaze" in films. |
| Class 8 | Mise-en-scène/Mise-en-shot: Film editing | Learn montage and continuity editing. |
| Class 9 | Exercise 1: The Love Suicides at Amijima (Shinoda Masahiro, 1969) | Analysis of the film. |
| Class 10 | Cinematography of Shinoda Masahiro | Think about traditional performance art and his avant-garde. |
| Class 11 | Exercise 2: Sonatine (Kitano Takeshi, 1993) | Analysis of the film. |
| Class 12 | Cinematography of Kitano Takeshi | Think about "play" and "violence" in Kitano films. |
| Class 13 | Film adaptation/remake | Analyze the film adaptation/remake of Mori Ōgai's "The Wild Geese" and Endō Shūsaku's "Silence," "Ringu." |
| Class 14 | Techniques of animation | Analyze Miyazaki Hayao or Shinkai Makoto's animated films. |
Study advice (preparation and review)
To enhance effective learning, students are encouraged to spend approximately 100 minutes preparing for class and another 100 minutes reviewing class content afterwards (including assignments) for each class.
They should do so by referring to textbooks and other course material.
Textbook(s)
None required.
Reference books, course materials, etc.
Bordwell, David and Kristin Thompson. Film Art: An Introduction. Nagoya: Nagoya University Press. ISBN: 978-4815805678 (Japanese)
Kitamura, Kyohhei and Miyoko Shimura eds. Creativity of Film Remaking. Tokyo: Suiseisya. ISBN: 978-4801003002 (Japanese)
Evaluation methods and criteria
Class participation (40%) and final report (60%)
Related courses
- LAH.H113 ： Studies of Culture and Representation A
- LAH.H215 ： Studies of Culture and Representation B
Prerequisites
Should the number of applicants for this course exceed the limit, a lottery system will be used to determine which students are admitted. Be sure to attend the first class.
Contact information (e-mail and phone) Notice : Please replace from ”[at]” to ”@”(half-width character).
kitamura.k.af[at]m.titech.ac.jp