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Home Academics Programs and Majors Theatre Arts Film

Theatre Arts Film

Overview Degrees/Certificates Courses Faculty

Theatre Arts Film (TAFILM) Courses

TAFILM 300 Introduction to Film

  • Units:3
  • Hours:54 hours LEC
  • Prerequisite:None.
  • Advisory:Eligible for ENGRD 310 or ENGRD 312 AND ENGWR 300; OR ESLW 340
  • Transferable:CSU; UC
  • General Education:AA/AS Area I; CSU Area C1; IGETC Area 3A
  • Catalog Date:August 1, 2024

This course explores the artistic, business, and social elements of film. It examines components of film making, such as acting, directing, cinematography, writing, and editing. Films are analyzed to evaluate film making techniques and the impact of cinematic art and entertainment on society. This course is formerly known as TA 310.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

  • analyze film as a mode of artistic expression and communication.
  • synthesize information concerning filmmaking techniques and the impact of film on society.
  • evaluate the work of individual film artists in the development of the art of cinema.
  • demonstrate communication skills for film critique.

TAFILM 302 History of Film

  • Units:3
  • Hours:54 hours LEC
  • Prerequisite:None.
  • Advisory:Eligible for ENGRD 310 or ENGRD 312 AND ENGWR 300; OR ESLW 340.
  • Transferable:CSU; UC (Transfer Credit Limitation: TA 312/TAFILM 302, TA 314/TAFILM 303, TA 315/TAFILM 304, TA 481 - any combination, maximum credit 6 units)
  • General Education:AA/AS Area I; CSU Area C1; IGETC Area 3A
  • Catalog Date:August 1, 2024

This course is an historical and critical survey of film as an art form. It emphasizes the evaluation of films which are landmarks in the art of moviemaking from around the world, from the invention of film to the present day. This course is formerly known as TA 312.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

  • explain the development of film and the art of filmmaking.
  • categorize landmark films in a time period and genre.
  • compare and contrast different cinematic styles and structures.
  • assess the contribution of prominent filmmakers to world cinema.

TAFILM 303 History of Film: 1880's through 1950's

  • Units:3
  • Hours:54 hours LEC
  • Prerequisite:None.
  • Advisory:Eligible for ENGRD 310 or ENGRD 312 AND ENGWR 300; ESLW 340.
  • Transferable:CSU; UC (Transfer Credit Limitation: TA 312/TAFILM 302, TA 314/TAFILM 303, TA 315/TAFILM 304, TA 481 - any combination, maximum credit 6 units)
  • General Education:AA/AS Area I; CSU Area C1; IGETC Area 3A
  • Catalog Date:August 1, 2024

This course is an historical and critical survey of film as an art form. It emphasizes the evolution of artistic and technical facets of production in features, documentaries, and experimental films, concentrating on films from the 1880s through the 1950s. This course is formerly known as TA 314.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

  • explain the development of film and the art of filmmaking.
  • distinguish some of the major historical, cultural, political, and economic forces that shaped world cinema of the 1800s through the 1950s.
  • compare and contrast different cinematic styles and structures.
  • analyze selected films for their effective use of visual techniques.
  • evaluate prominent directors' works and their contribution to world cinema.
  • formulate an independent and critical aesthetic perspective on the cinema.

TAFILM 304 History of Film: 1950's to Present

  • Units:3
  • Hours:54 hours LEC
  • Prerequisite:None.
  • Advisory:Eligible for ENGRD 310 or ENGRD 312 AND ENGWR 101; OR ESLW 340.
  • Transferable:CSU; UC (Transfer Credit Limitation: TA 312/TAFILM 302, TA 314/TAFILM 303, TA 315/TAFILM 304, TA 481 - any combination, maximum credit 6 units)
  • General Education:AA/AS Area I; CSU Area C1; IGETC Area 3A
  • Catalog Date:August 1, 2024

This course is an historical and critical survey of film as an art form. It emphasizes the evolution of artistic and technical facets of production in features, documentaries, and experimental films, concentrating on films from 1950 to the present. This course is formerly known as TA 315.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

  • explain the development of film and the art of filmmaking.
  • distinguish some of the major historical, cultural, political, and economic forces that have shaped world cinema from the 1950s to the present.
  • compare and contrast different cinematic styles and structures.
  • analyze selected films for their effective use of visual techniques.
  • evaluate prominent directors' works and their contribution to world cinema.
  • formulate an independent and critical aesthetic perspective on the cinema.

TAFILM 307 Diversity in American Film

  • Units:3
  • Hours:54 hours LEC
  • Prerequisite:None.
  • Advisory:Eligible for ENGRD 310 or ENGRD 312 AND ENGWR 300; OR ESLW 340.
  • Transferable:CSU; UC
  • General Education:AA/AS Area I; AA/AS Area VI; CSU Area C1; IGETC Area 3A
  • Catalog Date:August 1, 2024

This course surveys the cinematic expression of artists often underrepresented in the mainstream media, such as women, Native-Americans, African-Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, Asian-Americans, and gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgender people. It covers media stereotypes and the social, political, and cultural climates that created them. This course is formerly known as TA 318.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

  • describe stereotypes, bias, and racism as expressed in the cinema.
  • analyze the ramifications and contributions of the unique cinematic expression of America's minority communities.
  • identify the negative images of the groups being studied in the American cinema.
  • assess the major historical, cultural, political, and economic forces at work within the groups and in society at large.
  • compare and contrast the cinematic expressions of the groups with each other and with mainstream cinematic expression in the same period.

TAFILM 320 Cinema Genres

  • Units:3
  • Hours:54 hours LEC
  • Prerequisite:None.
  • Advisory:Eligible for ENGRD 310 or ENGRD 312 AND ENGWR 300; OR ESLW 340.
  • Transferable:CSU; UC
  • General Education:AA/AS Area I; CSU Area C2; IGETC Area 3A
  • Catalog Date:August 1, 2024

This course examines one or more film genres such as western, horror, film noir, and science fiction. It explores specific types of film in depth, concentrating on historical and technical developments in a specific genre, and examines the work of actors, directors, writers, cinematographers, producers, and studios for that genre. This course is formerly known as TA 320.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

  • define and describe various film genres.
  • evaluate and analyze films of a genre.
  • compare one genre's components and style with that of other genres.
  • classify the primitive, classic, revisionist, and parodic stages of a genre.
  • evaluate the work of directors, actors, writers, cinematographers, and producers in a genre.