Fall 2011 classes

Com 200 - Image Theory for film, photography and TV

This is a writing emphasis class requiring reports on selected reading such as: "Media Control -The spectacular Achievements of Propaganda" by Noam Chomsky, "The Mediumsus The Message Marshall McLuhan Quentin Fiore- An inventory of Effects" by Jerome Agel, and "Four Arguments For The Elimination of Television" by Jerry Mander, as well as art review, TV programs and movies. It is giving me a new prospective on my life's work.

Com 287 - Cinema and Digital Technology

This class requires the viewing of selected movies and writing a one page evaluation of what it supposedly was saying or showing. So far we've watched: "Blade Runner", "Cache' " (Hidden) and"Red Road" in class and I watched "Erasing David" for extra credit. This extra credit can be used for either class if there is a need before the end of the semester.

Here is a brief review of three of these movies:

"Blade Runner"

This movie is about Deckard, a blade runner, who has to track down and terminate 4 replicants who hijacked a ship in space and have returned to earth seeking their maker in hopes of being able to alter their genes to allow them to live a normal length of life instead of only 4yrs.
This movie's redeeming quality was that each side learns to forgive and realize that life is about loving others.

"Red Road"

Jackie works as a CCTV operator. Each day she watches over a small part of the world, protecting the people living their lives under her gaze. One day a man appears on her monitor, a man she thought she would never see again, a man she never wanted to see again. Now she has no choice, she is compelled to confront him. She learns to forgive.
As a bit of trivia we learned that there are
five million surveillance cameras around the UK!

"Cache' (Hidden)"

A married couple is terrorized by a series of surveillance videotapes left on their front porch.
This movie left a feeling of being incomplete. It was sort of a 'who done it' type of movie, which left the viewer hanging not knowing 'who done it'! Did the son do it or the father, or did the two sons in corroboration do it, or someone else, or was the wordless ending (which was presented while the credits rolled) about the two sons agreeing to forgive as the father was not able to do?

I still am not sure what the meaning of it was, but it most definitely had political overtones as have the others on one subject or other which is prevalent in society today.

Extra credit movie:

"Erasing David"

Director David Bond finds out how much private companies and government know about him by attempting to disappear. Tracked by two ruthless private investigators, his chilling journey forces him to contemplate the loss of privacy.
Interesting to contemplate this possibility in our society today.