FILM TV 6A
History of American Motion Picture
Description: Lecture/screenings, six hours; discussion, one hour. Historical and critical survey, with examples, of American motion picture both as developing art form and as medium of mass communication. Letter grading.
Units: 6.0
Units: 6.0
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Most Helpful Review
Spring 2022 - (Slightly hazy review, took the course a bit over a year ago.) Taking this class with Prof. Bowdre was a mixed bag. I'll start with the little drama that likely won't happen with you but was nonetheless annoying: when signing up, the class said it would be in person at the Melnitz Theatre, but upon showing up about half of the people there had received an email saying it would be entirely online. This seems to have been on the film department, since they hired Bowdre for an online job... enough students complained and we got a Zoomed Bowdre in the theatre (with terribly loud audio) and then screened movies afterwards. Materials wise, I absolutely loved the textbook and readings in general (lots of interesting tidbits about how American cinema has come together and the important interplay of film with power dynamics, particularly class (wealth), race, and gender in this class -- but also with some focus on sexuality, disability, and others). The movies we watched were also very cool, beginning from some of the first films recorded (back when it was exciting enough to go to the theater just to watch a train leaving a station!) and progressing throughout the course all the way up to I want to say around 2015 as the last film we watched. Watching films in the Melnitz theatre is *phenomenal* since it's a super nice setup in there and for the older films on film itself, the UCLA archive has the original reels and we got to see those screened! The one movie with technicolor that we got to watch (Gentlemen Prefer Blondes with Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russel) was sooo vivid and cool to see on the screen. However, Prof. Bowdre herself wasn't very exciting as a teacher. I have no doubt she's very good in her field and knows her stuff, since she chose an excellent selection of texts and movies... but the lectures themselves were just her summarizing the readings with powerpoint slides that had bullet point summaries of each major detail. Very skippable if you do the readings (which I would, of course, recommend anyways), but we had to watch the lecture before the movie would play. Overall, would recommend for the films and the readings alone! My TA was also fantastic (Nicole), providing much more interesting discussions than the lectures themselves, although I don't know that she's still at UCLA.
Spring 2022 - (Slightly hazy review, took the course a bit over a year ago.) Taking this class with Prof. Bowdre was a mixed bag. I'll start with the little drama that likely won't happen with you but was nonetheless annoying: when signing up, the class said it would be in person at the Melnitz Theatre, but upon showing up about half of the people there had received an email saying it would be entirely online. This seems to have been on the film department, since they hired Bowdre for an online job... enough students complained and we got a Zoomed Bowdre in the theatre (with terribly loud audio) and then screened movies afterwards. Materials wise, I absolutely loved the textbook and readings in general (lots of interesting tidbits about how American cinema has come together and the important interplay of film with power dynamics, particularly class (wealth), race, and gender in this class -- but also with some focus on sexuality, disability, and others). The movies we watched were also very cool, beginning from some of the first films recorded (back when it was exciting enough to go to the theater just to watch a train leaving a station!) and progressing throughout the course all the way up to I want to say around 2015 as the last film we watched. Watching films in the Melnitz theatre is *phenomenal* since it's a super nice setup in there and for the older films on film itself, the UCLA archive has the original reels and we got to see those screened! The one movie with technicolor that we got to watch (Gentlemen Prefer Blondes with Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russel) was sooo vivid and cool to see on the screen. However, Prof. Bowdre herself wasn't very exciting as a teacher. I have no doubt she's very good in her field and knows her stuff, since she chose an excellent selection of texts and movies... but the lectures themselves were just her summarizing the readings with powerpoint slides that had bullet point summaries of each major detail. Very skippable if you do the readings (which I would, of course, recommend anyways), but we had to watch the lecture before the movie would play. Overall, would recommend for the films and the readings alone! My TA was also fantastic (Nicole), providing much more interesting discussions than the lectures themselves, although I don't know that she's still at UCLA.
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Most Helpful Review
Spring 2020 - This class was amazing and Professor Kuntz transitioned to remote learning extremely well. All lectures were pre-recorded and so informative. The textbook is 100% not necessary and I didn't watch all of the films and still ended with an A. He is just such a pure soul and I wish I could take the course in person.
Spring 2020 - This class was amazing and Professor Kuntz transitioned to remote learning extremely well. All lectures were pre-recorded and so informative. The textbook is 100% not necessary and I didn't watch all of the films and still ended with an A. He is just such a pure soul and I wish I could take the course in person.
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Most Helpful Review
Fall 2020 - TAKE THISSSS CLASSSSSSS WITH PROFESSOR K!!!! Man oh man is he the best most accommodating professor I have ever taken a class from EVER!!!!!! The writing assignments are graded somewhat harshly but they are super short, there aren't that many, and the films are super fun to watch. The quizzes are super easy if you watch the lectures and the films! You can definitely get an A in this class if you do the work! He frequently accommodated for covid stress, which everyone has!!! He even made the final optional because of how stressful everything right now is. Overall, I LOVEEE HIM AND I HIGHLYYYY RECCOMEND YOU TAKE THIS CLASS!!!!
Fall 2020 - TAKE THISSSS CLASSSSSSS WITH PROFESSOR K!!!! Man oh man is he the best most accommodating professor I have ever taken a class from EVER!!!!!! The writing assignments are graded somewhat harshly but they are super short, there aren't that many, and the films are super fun to watch. The quizzes are super easy if you watch the lectures and the films! You can definitely get an A in this class if you do the work! He frequently accommodated for covid stress, which everyone has!!! He even made the final optional because of how stressful everything right now is. Overall, I LOVEEE HIM AND I HIGHLYYYY RECCOMEND YOU TAKE THIS CLASS!!!!
Most Helpful Review
Fall 2023 - on the surface this class seems like a lot since it's twice a week, 3 hours each class (+ 1 1hr discussion) but in reality it's actually NOT that much class time. the way Mann did it was lecture for about the first hour of class, do the attendance check-in via QR code (so btw if you have a friend in the class they can prob send you the link for attendance remotely, but it's a different google form link every lecture). after that, it's just showing the film (and most, if not all films can be found on archive.org for free) but most people didn't stay for that. as for the coursework itself, there are readings and films to watch but tbh you can read and watch none of it and be 100% okay!! ALL assignments were take home, with at least a week to do them, giving you plenty of time to watch the needed movies/read the necessary readings. there were only 4 short-response quizzes, 1 midterm (2-3 take-home short responses), 1 final (similar to the midterm), and 1 paper but the grading seems reaaalllllly lenient anyways. overall it's a somewhat interesting class (though she does NOT post the slides she uses) and a good way to watch classic films so i'd recommend!
Fall 2023 - on the surface this class seems like a lot since it's twice a week, 3 hours each class (+ 1 1hr discussion) but in reality it's actually NOT that much class time. the way Mann did it was lecture for about the first hour of class, do the attendance check-in via QR code (so btw if you have a friend in the class they can prob send you the link for attendance remotely, but it's a different google form link every lecture). after that, it's just showing the film (and most, if not all films can be found on archive.org for free) but most people didn't stay for that. as for the coursework itself, there are readings and films to watch but tbh you can read and watch none of it and be 100% okay!! ALL assignments were take home, with at least a week to do them, giving you plenty of time to watch the needed movies/read the necessary readings. there were only 4 short-response quizzes, 1 midterm (2-3 take-home short responses), 1 final (similar to the midterm), and 1 paper but the grading seems reaaalllllly lenient anyways. overall it's a somewhat interesting class (though she does NOT post the slides she uses) and a good way to watch classic films so i'd recommend!
Most Helpful Review
Fall 2022 - Just a general note for film studies classes: I fully fell asleep in half of the lectures that I went to; the 3hour classes in movie-theater chairs and air conditioned rooms (not to mention sometimes the material just wasn't my thing) are not for the faint of hearted. Otherwise: the material is pretty interesting, the exams are remote and easy, and the lectures and films are recorded and posted on canvas.
Fall 2022 - Just a general note for film studies classes: I fully fell asleep in half of the lectures that I went to; the 3hour classes in movie-theater chairs and air conditioned rooms (not to mention sometimes the material just wasn't my thing) are not for the faint of hearted. Otherwise: the material is pretty interesting, the exams are remote and easy, and the lectures and films are recorded and posted on canvas.
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