Multiple Responses: cinema program recommendations

From: Steve Fore [[email protected]]

The suggestions of other readers are useful, but I have a quibble with
mike's original query, in which he notes that he wants to recommend cinema
studies programs that don't "have a production program as well because of
the inter-program tensions that are too common in such places."

While these tensions do exist under some circumstances, this is usually due
to poor management and administration, rather than the result of any
inherent tension between theory and practice, or between theoreticians and
practitioners.  I've always worked in practice-heavy programs, and have
never had a problem with production colleagues, or with a curriculum that
failed to value the contributions of history/theory/crit types.  (In fact,
I currently have colleagues with a film studies background who now do
significant creative work in addition to their written research.)

In fact, I would make the opposite argument: Look for cinema studies
programs that are part of a fully integrated, comprehensive curriculum that
includes a substantial commitment to both of these areas.  As pioneers from
Eisentstein to Godard showed us, theory and practice are NOT mutually
exclusive in the first place.  In a healthy university curriculum, students
are required to take both production and history/theory/crit classes, and
they take their experiences with both to 1) sort out what they're really
interested in (maybe both!), and 2) let theory influence practice, and vice
versa.

Segregating these curricular emphases tends to lead to film studies
academics making howling errors when they attempt to discuss the production
process, and to filmmakers re-inventing the wheel in endlessly tedious ways.

Beyond this, I would urge the prospective "cinema studies" student to look
for programs that also fully integrate new media theory and practice into
the curriculum.  Screens today come in lots more shapes, sizes, and
configurations than they used to.  You don't have to just sit in front of
the damned thing.
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From: Jennifer L Peterson [[email protected]]

The University of Colorado at Boulder has a Film Studies Program that covers both critical studies and production. Students can specialize in either, as they choose. We currently have about 600 students majoring in film. Responding to Dennis Doros's post, I should say that we are fortunate to have excellent screening facilities that include 16mm, 35mm, and digital projection. Incidentally, we are also one of the last schools to encourage production on celluloid, with beginning filmmaking classes still taught using super-8 (video production is also taught). See http://www.colorado.edu/FilmStudies/.

----------------------------
Jennifer Peterson, PhD
Assistant Professor
Film Studies Program
University of Colorado at Boulder

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From: Ellen Joy Letostak [[email protected]]

*I can highly recommend NY—