When the tutor, Hilary Smith, asked the class “who is the auteur (author) when it comes to films?”, the obvious answer would have been the person who wrote the script or the screenplay. But it seemed to me that that would be incorrect. The script or screenplay on its own is, in a sense, inert. It’s the director who determines, or at least plays a prime role in determining, how it’s interpreted. Therefore, the answer to the auteur question is: the director.

However, in a film studies course on 1950s science fiction films, the tutor Jon Wisbey, said, I think, that in some instances the person responsible for the special effects may be said to be the auteur. The reason I only think instead of know that is that my concentration was flagging a bit at the time.

Anyway, I just thought this was an interesting aspect of writing to consider. If you write a play or a film script, presumably you have a mental picture of how it will look on screen or stage. But I suppose unless you write stage directions in copious and minute detail, it’s ultimately going to be out of your hands.

Back to the 1950s science fiction films course. It threw some new light on the idea of the mad scientist. It also made me realise that many of the invasion-themed sci-fi films of the 1950s were (or could be seen as) metaphors for the common fears of the era, especially the cold war morphing into a hot one, and “reds under the bed”.

Drive-in movies came up a few times. Maybe it was different in the 1950s, but I discovered in a rather embarrassing way that in later years such places were not used for watching films. See Language Barrier.

The course was very enjoyable, and I learned a lot. I especially liked the fact that Wisbey was able to talk about not only each film but different versions of the films, plus various other associations, such as other films by the same director.

He provided plenty of follow-up notes, and a reading list. As soon as I’ve made room for more books (see The traumatic process of de-booking) I hope to buy and read one or two of them.

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!

To find out other courses from the same tutor, click here: Further courses by Jon Wisbey.

On the subject of science fiction, you might also be interested in my series on Dystopian Visions.