Fall 2022 Courses

SCRN Courses

 

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Course Descriptions

SCRN 2001-1 | Introduction to Screen Arts

Paul Catalanotto

In this introductory course taught by Artist-in-Residence Paul Catalanotto, students can expect to get a taste of different aspects of filmmaking and video production as well study a variety of filmmakers, styles, and genres. 

SCRN 2001-2 | Introduction to Screen Arts

June Pulliam

This introductory course explores film, television, and video.

SCRN 3001-1 | Comedy in American Cinema

Kalling Heck

Comedy has been a fundamental American movie genre since the earliest days of cinema. Despite this, comedic films are often overlooked in discussions of the value, place, and potential of the cinema—particularly when they are first released. This class will seek to correct this oversight by rigorously engaging with comedic films in the hopes of developing a deeper understanding of the role of comedy in the history and theory of the cinema, and indeed in humanistic inquiry more broadly. Through weekly screenings, readings and responses this class will consider how and why comedy has played (and continues to play) a central role in cinema’s development.

SCRN 3010-1 | Cinematography

Glen Pitre

A mostly workshop course designed to teach motivated beginners how to use digital cameras to tell compelling stories with moving images. Each student works on four successively more ambitious films. Working hands-on with gear (available for check out from Screen Arts), planning and reviewing students’ films, and practicing film industry procedures occupies the bulk of class time.

No mid-term, no final. Instead of required reading, a roughly hourlong illustrated video lecture is posted every week and each class starts with a brief multiple-choice quiz to test whether you watched it. Course grades are approximately 40% quizzes, 40% the films you make (based on effort more than artistry), and 20% class participation. The class is fun, but the workload is significant.

SCRN 3011-1 | Editing

Paul Catalanotto

SCRN 3011 explores editing theory and history as well as offering students a chance to learn practical skills on the Adobe Premiere editing platform. The course functions as an in-depth study of the history, concepts, and skills involved in film and video editing techniques. Additionally, students will receive formal instruction and practice in non-linear editing software as a means to gain a better understanding of concepts such as montage, continuity, and narrative.

SCRN 3503-1 | Introduction to Japanese Cinema

Kathryn Barton

This course offers an introduction to the study of Japanese cinema. We will pay close attention to the languages and styles of films as well as the film-historical and socio-cultural contexts. An analysis and appreciation of major works and genres such as Jidaigeki (period/samurai films), Anime, and J-Horror will be explored, and directors such as Kurosawa, Ozu, and Kitano will be introduced. Through secondary readings, lectures, and discussions, students will critically examine how Japanese cinema as an institution both responds to and intervenes in the social, cultural, and political history of Japan. 

SCRN 3505-1 | Cinematic Ghosts

June Pulliam

“Ghosts are the only monsters that most people actually believe exist,” Frank deCaro, folklorist

This course will introduce students to the wide variety of film and television about ghosts and hauntings. Some of these works are purely fictional, beginning with George Melies’ silent film The Haunted Castle (1896), as well as part of broader literary traditions such as the many versions of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” or Masaki Kobayashi’s 1964 film Kaiden, which is based on well-known Japanese ghost stories. Others are based on supposedly real events such as The Amityville Horror (1979). Some films and television series are comic takes on the ghost such as Ghostbusters (1984) or the BBC television series Ghosts, which inspired an American series of the same name. While Western ghosts are usually represented as otherworldly visitors with unfinished business, ghosts in Japanese and Korean cinema are more frightening because they are not rational actors. This is the case in the 2002 Japanese film Ju-on (The Grudge). The line between fiction and reality is blurred, meanwhile, in paranormal television shows about spirit mediums and supernatural investigators who use modern equipment to document hauntings. James Wan’s series of The Conjuring films blurs these lines even further—each dramatizes famous cases undertaken by real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, who took a conservative Catholic view of ghosts as demonic spirits. In the Cinematic Ghost, we will examine examples of all of these types of ghost stories as well as consider why ghost lore is found in every culture.

SCRN 4001-1 | Documentary Fieldwork

Zach Godshall

In this course you will get hands-on experience working with various methods of documentary research and production, such as written and visual observation, audio and video interviews, and poetic and journalistic approaches. Each week, you will reflect on your experiences via a documentary journal and in-class discussion. The course will culminate in the creation of creative portfolio of documentary material.

SCRN 4012-1 | Advanced Film Directing

Glen Pitre

Students who already have some background in practical filmmaking will learn in depth and detail the practices and disciplines that go into film directing by applying what they learn in class to, working together over the course of the semester, making one or more complete or near-complete short films suitable for submission to competitive film festivals, etc. Students will be shepherded by the instructor through the pre-production, production, and at least some post-production. These projects will be made as team efforts alongside fellow members of the class and may also employ the services of people outside the class. Enrolled students will hold directing-related crew positions such as screenwriter, producer, casting director, director of photography, editor, production designer, script supervisor, as well as director per se and may be asked to perform other roles as needed. Video lectures, workshop sessions, one-on-one consultations, and student presentations for class discussion and critique will all be employed in order to provide educational content and improve the quality of the finished films.

SCRN 4015-1 | Virtual Production

Jason Buch

Get practical experience with Virtual Production techniques by collaborating on a series of interconnected short film segments to be produced on LSU's Extended Reality stage. Students will take on roles in various departments or specialties of a film crew and will have the opportunity to fill different positions on each segment of the production while learning the ins and outs of the Virtual Production workflow filming against an LED wall with backgrounds rendered real-time in the Unreal Engine. 

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ENGL 2009-2 | Writing Screenplays

Mari Kornhauser

Story tellers!  Come and learn the ins and outs of creating a feature film script by writing a series of short scripts and the first act of a feature (with the rest of the script outlined). You’ll watch films and tv shows of your choice to study, culminating in a short critical paper. Other forms of writing, such as collaborating with writing partners, writing for web-series and television, may be discussed and/or practiced. Plus, you will workshop each other’s work. MOST OF ALL, IT WILL BE FUN! (Note: story telling works on cats too.)

ENGL 4000-1 | Writing for Virtual Production

Jason Buch

Get practical experience writing for Virtual Production by collaborating on a series of interconnected short film segments to be produced on LSU's Extended Reality stage. Students will participate in a "writers' room" and will have the opportunity to take on roles in various departments or specialties of a film crew. They will learn the Virtual Production workflow while filming against an LED wall with backgrounds rendered real-time in the Unreal Engine. This course is a collaboration with Screen Arts to allow screenwriters and production crew to work together on a semester long production.

ENGL 4009-1 | Intermediate Screenwriting

Mari Kornhauser

Writers! Now’s the time to finish, via workshop, your TV pilot or feature film script. Using your own scripts, you’ll learn to scene card or outline your scripts as well as critique each other’s work – and we play great games of Spitball. You’ll watch films or TV shows of your own choosing and present an analysis of films or TV watched over semester. This is a workshop to complete a rough (did I say rough? YES I DID) draft of your script, not a lecture course, so learning to have fun while writing is part of the process. *Prerequisite: ENGL 2009

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CMST 3107-1 | Rhetoric of Contemporary Media

Joni Butcher

This course will focus on TV sitcoms and opening theme songs from the 1960s to present day. We will use various methods of rhetorical criticism to examine the vocal, visual, and musical texts along with the historical contexts (including political, social, and economic) surrounding these shows and their opening themes. 

ENGL 2231-2 | Reading Film--The Global Action Film

Kalling Heck

This class introduces students to film analysis through a sustained look at a single genre, the action film. This genre is uniquely structured around the aesthetics of the medium, and so provides a great way to explore cinema’s formal properties. Action films are additionally singular in their international appeal, and so will provide the opportunity for thinking about filmmaking in a global context. Screening materials will include films from a range of regions, including Hong Kong, France, Thailand, and the U.S. 

ITAL 4100-1 | Federico Fellini

Kevin Bongiorni

This course is dedicated solely to Federico Fellini. From 1945-1993 Fellini defined Italian cinema in Italy and globally. Thanks to him, we are familiar with the expressions “La Dolce Vita,” “paparazzi,” “Fellinièsque.” He continues to influence cinema today in filmmakers like Quentin Tarrantino, Paolo Sorrentino, Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, and more. During this semester we will be examining his films, writings and criticism of his works. We will also explore his influences and legacy. Through our study, we will come to an understanding of how and why this single film director has had such an influence in film, media, and global culture. Throughout the course we will study many of Fellini’s films. Students will engage in discussions, make presentations and develop and present a final paper on a topic/film related to this course.