Composition and Literature of Visual Media
| Department | English |
|---|---|
| Teacher(s) | Mr. Brown, Mr. Hernandez |
Composition and Literature of Visual Media, formerly Film Literature or Film Lit, is an English elective
at Gunn. It is open to upperclassmen only. It is also NCAA approved.
Course Guide Description
This course relates composition in the motion picture to student reading and writing. It introduces the art and technique of film through a history of film and a study of its genre and directors. Activities help the student explore film as art and as composition.
- Homework expectation: 1 hour a week, but can be more depending on major writing assignments
- This is a College Prep course
Films in the curriculum
- Jaws (1975)
- Parasite (2019)
- The Graduate (1967)
- Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
- Lady Bird (2017)
- Do the Right Thing (1989)
- Casablanca (1942)
- The Godfather (1972)
- Moonlight (2016)
- Interstellar (2014)
- Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
It should be known not all of these films are shown every year, but instead a selection of them are chosen for the semester. This list is also incomplete, as there are some films taken on and off the list every year.
Should I take this course?
This course is good for anyone looking for a class with a low amount of writing in the first quarter of the semester. The major writing assignments are largely in the second quarter of the class, and the final project does include a group presentation. If you enjoy films, or just have any interest in watching them, you should take this course. Missing class is not a good thing, as you are required to watch what you missed on your own (and depending on the film, may be inaccessible).
Mr. Brown usually has more writing assignments than Mr. Hernandez, but they mostly follow the same guidelines on assignments and watch the same films, so nothing is really different between the two teachers.