London, United Kingdom

Action! Introduction to Film Studies

This module will introduce students to the discipline of Film Studies by focusing on the main theoretical and technical aspects of filmmaking. Through lectures, seminars, screenings and excursions, students will learn how to approach and discuss films analytically and will acquire an awareness of the history and development of cinema and of the key concepts that can be used to discuss and write about films.

Course leader

Dr Cristina Massaccesi

Target group

This is a level one module (equivalent to first year undergraduate). No prior subject knowledge is required for this module, but students are expected to have keen interest in the area.

Course aim

Upon successful completion of this module, students will:

Have acquired appropriate technical vocabulary and cinematic terminology (e.g. mise-en-scène, editing, sound, etc.);

Have developed their analytical skills when conducting a formal investigation of films;

Have gained awareness of basic social, cultural and political issues that have triggered or are connected with key developments and tendencies in the history of cinema (e.g. silent cinema, the advent of synchronised sound, avant-garde, auteurism, digital cinema and genre theory);

Have developed their ability to discuss films in a written and oral manner through presentations, in-class discussions and sequence analyses;

Have discovered, through guided visits and excursions (for example, to the BFI and the Stanley Kubrick Archive at the London College of Communication), the rich wealth of cinematic material preserved in London.

Credits info

7.5 EC
7.5 ECTS / 4 US / 15 UCL

Fee info

GBP 2585: Students joining us for six weeks (two modules) will receive a tuition fee discount.
GBP : UCL offers accommodation close to campus in a vibrant area in the heart of London.