Communication, technologies and digital culture

The course will provide students with a comprehensive overview of cinematographic language from a historical perspective. The evolution of film language will be considered “ecologically” in a broad media landscape that includes other audiovisual media (television, streaming platforms, video games) and other narrative forms (novel, drama). The evolution of cinema will be retraced with a double emphasis. The first one is on the concomitance between technological innovations and the new stylistic and expressive horizons they have opened up to cinematographic narration. The second emphasis is on the social rituals and viewing contexts – from the nickelodeons to the smartphone displays – and the way in which their evolution has determined the style and language of film. At the end of the course, students will have acquired the following notions and skills: 1. Knowledge and understanding Basic knowledge of cinematographic language and its technological and formal evolution, from the early “cinema of attractions” to the "neo-attractional cinema" of the digital revolution; 2. Applying knowledge and understanding Fundamental skills of film analysis, applied to the basic unit of the sequence (how distinct elements such as mise-en-scène, cinematography, editing and sound design interact in generating the style and meaning of film); 3. Making judgments Ability to put films in perspective (history, genre, style) and in context (interaction with other audiovisual products, from tv formats to video games). A section of the course will include collective discussions under the guidance of the teacher; 4. Communication How to write academically on film. For the final exam, students will be asked to present and discuss a written essay; 5. Lifelong learning skills Ability to continue the study of cinema independently, following the bibliographic and filmographic guidelines provided during the lessons.