How does Spiderman stop a train using his bare hands in the movie? How does Batman jump off from IFC unharmed? How does Optimus Prime transform himself into a truck? How does Pixar create the movie Toy Story created entirely with computers? As George Lucas once said “The secret to film is that it is an illusion.” In the first part of the course, we are going to examine the technologies behind those magical illusions and relate them to film development.

Did you feel happy when seeing Katniss Everdeen winning yet another game in the movie “Hunger Game”? Did you feel happy when you see Dr. Ryan Stone finally returning to Earth in the movie “Gravity”? Did you cry when you see Cooper bidding farewell to his daughter Murph leaving Earth in the movie “Interstella”? Did you feel excited when seeing Bruce Wayne beating up Penguin and restoring law and order in the Gotham City? In the second part of this course, we are going to critically evaluate how films communicate with the audiences using different theoretical frameworks.

Note: This module is taught in English, but Chinese may be occasionally used to supplement teaching when necessary.

The following topics/areas will be covered:

1. How We See Images and Hear sound?
2. Film in the Pre-digital Era
3. Digital Revolution in Film Production
4. The Future of Film
5. Basic Cinematography and Techniques
6. Film Analysis
7. Film as Art Forms
8. Hollywood Film Genres
9. Hong Kong Film
    

Assessment Methods

(Latest update will be announced during class)