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 2024 - This class did not thoroughly explore the history of American motion pictures. It focused minimally on the historical inventions and techniques used to craft films and how these evolved over time. Instead, the course emphasized racial and social justice issues, which may seem irrelevant to students aiming for a career in the film industry, whether on or off the set. However, if you are interested in writing film analyses comparing old and new films, this class might be suitable for you. Despite this, I felt the course did not live up to its title. The assignments were straightforward but time-consuming. Lecture notes were mostly useless, except for occasional citation references needed for the midterm and final, both of which were take-home exams. To succeed in these assignments, completing the required readings, including recommended ones, is essential. The grading was based on quizzes and pop quizzes (each free response), the midterm, a research paper, the final, and lecture/discussion attendance. All of these 5 categories are worth 20% each. I had Scott as my TA, who was personable and facilitated engaging discussion sections. He answered so many questions on assignments and course content. I highly recommend him for his lenient approach to participation and somewhat lenient grading. Professor Mann, however, was less favorable. She consistently arrived late to lectures and required us to write extensive, laborious paragraphs off of the slides since they weren't posted. Although the screenings were enjoyable, her presentation style was overly focused on "woke" content. Overall, this course is decent, but it did not provide me with relevant knowledge for someone aspiring to enter the film industry. It's an easy A-course if you keep up with the assignments. You shouldn't get anything less than an A-.
Fall 2024 - This class did not thoroughly explore the history of American motion pictures. It focused minimally on the historical inventions and techniques used to craft films and how these evolved over time. Instead, the course emphasized racial and social justice issues, which may seem irrelevant to students aiming for a career in the film industry, whether on or off the set. However, if you are interested in writing film analyses comparing old and new films, this class might be suitable for you. Despite this, I felt the course did not live up to its title. The assignments were straightforward but time-consuming. Lecture notes were mostly useless, except for occasional citation references needed for the midterm and final, both of which were take-home exams. To succeed in these assignments, completing the required readings, including recommended ones, is essential. The grading was based on quizzes and pop quizzes (each free response), the midterm, a research paper, the final, and lecture/discussion attendance. All of these 5 categories are worth 20% each. I had Scott as my TA, who was personable and facilitated engaging discussion sections. He answered so many questions on assignments and course content. I highly recommend him for his lenient approach to participation and somewhat lenient grading. Professor Mann, however, was less favorable. She consistently arrived late to lectures and required us to write extensive, laborious paragraphs off of the slides since they weren't posted. Although the screenings were enjoyable, her presentation style was overly focused on "woke" content. Overall, this course is decent, but it did not provide me with relevant knowledge for someone aspiring to enter the film industry. It's an easy A-course if you keep up with the assignments. You shouldn't get anything less than an A-.
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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