When I came to St. Olaf College I knew full well that I intended to pursue an individual major in Film Studies. I’ve always been fascinated by movies; for me they inspire critical thinking in a way nothing else can. As such I find myself asking many questions regarding film, but perhaps the most important questions that I’ve focused on the most have been: How do films and filmmakers produce meaning with their art? What is the history of Cinema? How are films a product of society and history and how do they shape society and ideologies? These are questions that, upon critical reflection, I realize I’ve been thinking about for a long time. Film was always an interest I could call my own. It was something I could lose myself in while simultaneously becoming more connected to history and culture, philosophy and thought. I hold the (obviously) impossible goal of knowing all there is to know about this art form. More than anything I’m desirous of an encyclopedic knowledge of film art. My major focuses on the critical study of film as a medium.
In order to draw everything I could from the study of film I’ve developed a strong grasp of film theory and film history. I have a solid knowledge of many international cinemas and their places in the societies from which they come. It is integral to be conversant with the film canon and to have an advanced vocabulary of film terminology, and I believe this is something I’ve accomplished. In studying the cinema it’s also been important to understand the challenges and rewards of dramatic productions; film is, after all, a performance medium in many respects. Resources for the study of film have been available across the curriculum and around campus. I’ve taken courses directly related to film in the English, Media Studies, Norwegian, Asian Studies, and History departments to name a few. I’ve watched and studied a lot of movies, and it’s been a very rewarding process.
Rationale:
This is the rationale I gave for my major as it appeared in my original proposal:
I believe the study of film is important for the same reason that the study of any other art form is important. Film can help us understand our surroundings and ourselves. It provides an accessible way to learn about other cultures and times. It can be lyric and beautiful or jarringly painful and repulsive. Films can cause riots or reforms. They can convey meaning through a camera move as well as an actor’s performance. Movies are some of the widest reaching works of art in the world.
At present, there is nothing resembling a film major at Saint Olaf. The closest thing would probably be the Media Studies concentration, but no one department discusses film in depth in more than one course. We do however have many faculty members who, in addition to being knowledgeable and well versed in film studies, are more than enthusiastic about film and will aid me in my critical thinking about film.
This major is a good fit for a liberal arts school like St. Olaf for several reasons. First of all the filmmaking process itself is, like education, a collaborative process. No one person can make a feature film entirely on their own; the filmmaker always needs to surround themself with a crew that will help them achieve their goals. This is very much analogous to the way St. Olaf seeks to foster community: everyone’s work is enhanced through cooperation. Furthermore, film is a truly interdisciplinary field of study, combining aspects of art, history, drama, literature and many more subjects central to the liberal arts. Finally, Olaf stresses a global prospective, and film provides an ideal medium to gain an understanding of the world. I feel that the viewer can experience other cultures more fully through this artistic medium than through any other; film draws the view into a mediated world, where the viewer experiences a form of immersion. Unlike theatre, the film director has the unique ability to show the viewer precisely what he or she wants to show and that becomes the entirety of the world of the movie at that point.
The courses I have selected are very broad; this is due to my belief that a full understanding of film cannot be reached without a truly interdisciplinary education. My ultimate goal is the broadest understanding of the medium that I can possibly achieve.