This blog post is somewhat timely because on 13 December 2019 I wrote an article entitled Film Studies as a way to improve your writing. Yesterday I spent a very interesting three hours on a course called A Taste of Film, via the City Lit, the tutor being Jon Wisbey.
He was also the tutor of a course I reviewed in May 2021, in an article called Who's the author?. At that time I wrote:
“I’ve done other courses by the same tutor, and I would highly recommend his courses. The only thing I would warn you about though is that the tutor seems to work on the assumption that everyone has a cast-iron bladder and is not a tea addict. There was no break in the first session, and just a five minute one in the second. Excellent value for money, but go to the loo beforehand and furnish yourself with a tea urn before the session begins!”
Well, this time he did grant us a five minute break halfway through, thereby proving that people do indeed mellow as they grow older! But being serious for a moment, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect, because the title “A taste of film” suggested that it would be an introduction to the basics, which I’ve already learnt about in other courses. (I read the course description before signing up, but I couldn’t remember what it said!) Then when Jon introduced the course as a taster of film courses coming up in the future I wondered if it was going to be a three hour advert.
As it turned out, it was less an advert than a cinematic version of tapas, in which you sample various dishes to get an idea of what you’d like more of. Thus we were told about different kinds of film and shown examples of each, after which a course dedicated to that area was announced.
What I appreciated was the fact that even the most apparently inconsequential questions were answered in depth. Also, despite the slightly dismissive references to comfort breaks earlier in this article, I liked the no-nonsense approach of limiting diversions and packing as much in as possible.
The downside of doing this course is that I’d been studiously avoiding looking at the forthcoming film courses, in case there were some I would like to do. I realise this sounds perverse, but as I have little willpower and even less time I figure the less I know the better, because I can’t sign up for a course I haven’t heard about. Unfortunately, Jon sent the course participants a massive list of future courses, complete with links to their pages online and course codes. I’ve already identified at least three I’d like to do:
https://www.citylit.ac.uk/courses/world-cinema
https://www.citylit.ac.uk/courses/alfred-hitchcock-s-rear-window-scene-by-scene
https://www.citylit.ac.uk/courses/an-introduction-to-art-cinema
and that’s just from a cursory glance. (Those in bold will be taught by Jon.)
I think an important issue to address is whether such courses meet my aims. One of those objectives is, of course, to find out about things I don’t know already, and another is enjoyment. But my main aim is to try and relate what I learn about what makes a film work to writing and literature. From that point of view I think those courses appear to have a great deal to recommend them.
For example, the one on world cinema and that of art cinema will cover approaches to film-making that I’m not used to, which I think can be very beneficial. Many years ago I borrowed a book of African short stories I came across in the library, and the subject matters and story structures were completely different to what I’ve been familiar with. I think that kind of experience is a good antidote to complacency as far as literary appreciation is concerned, and I daresay the same is true of examining films which emanate from different cultures, or which are (or were) more experimental than those in the mainstream.
When it comes to writing, I do think writers should be eclectic in what they learn from. In that way, you build up a virtual toolbox of techniques you can draw on and adapt. That may seem far-fetched, but as I described in Film Studies as a way to improve your writing, I was able to relate some of the characteristics of a film we watched to a writing movement known as Oulipo. Indeed, knowing about the Oulipo enhanced the appreciation of the film’s “quirks”. How can such cross-fertilisation be anything but beneficial?
Back to the film course yesterday, it was very useful, and the tutor was, as usual, excellent.
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