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The Language of Film II
Taught by Andrew J. Douglas, Ph.D., Director of Education, BMFI


Now that you know what diegesis, mise-en-scene, and chiaroscuro are, what’s next? You’ve learned the vocabulary of The Language of Film, so now get conversant!

This course builds on the cinematic grammar taught in Part I to delve more deeply into film’s formal elements and teaches students how to craft their own insightful aesthetic analyses of films. Screenings largely consist of clips from a wide assortment of films rich with provocative uses of different aspects of the medium’s language.

The course culminates in the class doing its own original formal analysis of a feature film. By learning how to make meaning of filmmakers’ specific aesthetic choices, you will gain an even greater appreciation for popcorn movies, classic films, and art house fare alike. If understanding the language of film allowed you to impress your friends during the post-movie discussion, being able to speak it like a native will knock their socks off!