Aspiring filmmakers can have a chance to hone their skills through Doha Film Institute’s (DFI) Introduction to Film Studies with Richard Peña happening on August 1 to 7.
The online ten-part-mini course will focus on the basic techniques filmmakers have at their disposal in order to convey information and create meaning in film, said the Institute in a statement.
The course syllabus is divided into eight classes and each class is three hours long. Class one discusses the Origins of Cinema; cinematography – all operations involving the camera; Class two, Camera Movement; Class three, Mise-en-scène—all operations having to do with what is to be filmed by the camera. Class four, Editing – Classical Editing and Alternative Editing Strategies; Class five, Sound—all operations having to do with pre-recorded audio accompaniment for images; Class six, Narrative—the assemblage of series of shots into stories; Class seven, Analysis of a Classical Film (film to be seen outside of class); and Class eight, Analysis of a Modernist Film (film to be seen outside of class).
Fee for this course is QR350, and for those who have Qatar Museum’s Culture Pass, they will be given a 20 percent discount or QR280. The seven-day online course will be held from 4:30pm to 7:30pm, from Sunday to Thursday; 3:30pm to 6:30pm on Friday; and 11:30am to 1:30pm, and 3:30pm to 5:30pm, on Saturday.
The programme is open to individuals over the age of 18. And the sessions are best suited for those with some previous knowledge of filmmaking or film history, and who wish to expand their understanding of the medium. To register, visit DFI’s website dohafilminstitute.com.
Richard Peña is currently the professor of Film and Media Studies at Columbia University, where he specialises in film theory and international cinema and has served as a Visiting Professor at the Sorbonne, Beijing University, UNAM-Mexico City and the University of São Paulo. He also currently hosts WNET/Channel 13’s weekly ‘Reel 13’.
