The connection between science fiction and the cinema was established very early in the history of motion pictures with the trick films of movie pioneer Georges Meliès ("Trip to the Moon"). This course is designed to follow the evolution of this genre from the inception of cinema through its various realizations such as European sf in the 20s (Metropolis, The Crazy Ray), the "Golden Age" of 50s Hollywood (Forbidden Planet, Invasion of the Body Snatchers), its reinvigoration in the late 60s/early 70s (2001: A Space Odyssey, Planet of the Apes), and the modern sci-fi film (the Alien trilogy, the Terminator films, Jurassic Park). We will also explore other moments in science fiction cinema such as avant-garde sci-fi (Tribulation 99) and European/art variations on the genre (Alphaville, La jetée). As this diverse list suggests, the aim of this course will not be to construct a simple monolithic history of the science fiction film, but rather will be to examine how these various manifestations make use of the central concepts of the sci-fi genre such as technophobia, utopias and dystopias, social allegory, rationality versus chaos, the foreign (the "alien"), etc. We will also examine the recent wave of theoretical writings on the science fiction film and their relation to the cinematic production of the 80s and 90s.

This course will focus on experimental editing practices using found footage. While you will learn to use the non-linear editing program Final Cut Pro and other computer-based image manipulation tools, the course is not primarily designed for technical instruction. On the contrary, the course will focus on giving you critical tools for engaging with and manipulating media in the production of a form of counter-cinema. What exactly this means will become clear over the course of the semester.

ENG 4136:
Editing