Core Module Information
Module title: Film History

SCQF level: 07:
SCQF credit value: 20.00
ECTS credit value: 10

Module code: LMD07114
Module leader: Ariadne Xenou
School School of Arts and Creative Industries
Subject area group: Screen and Performance
Prerequisites

There are no pre-requisites for this module to be added

Description of module content:

This module will introduce you to key technological, social, and cultural developments that have marked the international development of cinema. You will learn how filmmakers have exploited a wide range of technologies in their filmmaking, and in doing so shaped the evolution of both filmmaking and film technologies. You will also evaluate the intricate relationship between film technology and aesthetics. Specific areas of consideration include framing, composition within the frame, colour, tone, lens choices, rhythm, editing, sound, exhibition formats, and genre. This exploration will direct you to consider how film borrowed from and contributed to the other arts. These studies will help you to develop a foundational understanding of film historiography, and to improve your analytical and critical skills. This knowledge will underscore your studies across all practical and academic studies of film across your degree.

Learning Outcomes for module:

Upon completion of this module you will be able to

LO1: Gain an appreciation of the evolution and use of film technology across the medium’s history.

LO2: Develop insight into the relationship between the evolution of film technology and the medium’s social and cultural contexts.

LO3: Recognise the diversity and complexity of film practice throughout film’s history.

LO4: Explore how historiographic methods that have been used to construct film history.

Full Details of Teaching and Assessment
2025/6, Trimester 2, In Person,
VIEW FULL DETAILS
Occurrence: 001
Primary mode of delivery: In Person
Location of delivery: MERCHISTON
Partner:
Member of staff responsible for delivering module: Ariadne Xenou
Module Organiser:


Student Activity (Notional Equivalent Study Hours (NESH))
Mode of activityLearning & Teaching ActivityNESH (Study Hours)NESH Description
Online Guided independent study 122 You are expected to schedule and manage your time and commit personal learning time for each activity. This includes lecture and tutorial preparation, exercise preparation, assessment preparation and work, and watching Moodle film clips. The module leader's office hours are available to aid you with these tasks.
Face To Face Lecture 26 The weekly lecture develops the topic from the weekly screening and your required reading. During this time, we will extensively discuss the material and further develop the historiographic approach. We will also discuss assessment tasks and assessment submissions.
Face To Face Tutorial 13 The weekly tutorials are the opportunity to augment the skillset you are building and situate your knowledge firmly and further. The smaller groups allow for more informal engagement. You will be encouraged to practise peer reviews and debate the topics of the module. This is also the time to practise and refine the task components that constitute assessment tasks.
Face To Face Demonstration 39 Weekly Film Screening: The weekly film screening presents you with the weekly topic's material. During this time we will watch the core film(s) upon which the lecture will be based. You will also be introduced to the weekly topic and an overview of formal elements and other important attributes will be provided to aid you in how to watch the films, how to engage with them and on what to take notes so you can make the most of the material and subsequent lecture.
Total Study Hours200
Expected Total Study Hours for Module200


Assessment
Type of Assessment Weighting % LOs covered Week due Length in Hours/Words Description
Essay 40 1~2~3 Week 6 , WORDS= 1500 words Essay Question and Guidelines:Write a 1500 words research essay. The topic will be released closer to the time of assessment.Your essay will be assessedon the following criteria:• clarity of your thesis and argument• analytical depth of your argument• relevance and scope of your research methodlogy• quality of your film analysis• referencing• essay formatting• overall essay presentation
Essay 60 1~2~3~4 Exam Period , WORDS= 2000 words Essay week 14Essay Question and Guidelines:Write a 2000 word research essay. The topic will be released at the time of submission of Essay 1.Your essay covers all Learning Outcomes and will be assessed on the following criteria:• clarity of your thesis and argument• analytical depth of your argument• demonstration of your awareness of the historiographical methods of your argumentand those of your sources• relevance and scope of researchMethodology• quality of your film analysis• referencing• essay formatting• overall essay presentation
Component 1 subtotal: 100
Component 2 subtotal: 0
Module subtotal: 100

Indicative References and Reading List - URL:
Film History