Cirrus@Austlit

Australian Screen addresses the wide-ranging output of screen production in Australia with particular emphasis on the varied approaches to studying Australian film as a national cinema. It does this through a program of lecture-workshops, screenings, and readings. Incompatible: 3012ART Australian Film. Incompatible: HH13F04 Australian Film. Incompatible: 3012FMC Australian Film. Incompatible: 3012AMC Australian Film.

This course provides students with the opportunity to develop an understanding of the varied approaches to, and history of, Australian screen production and culture in an international context. It examines the role of industry structures and technologies which promote and sustain the Australian screen industry and the impact of digital technology and media convergence. It explores the concept of genre, aesthetics and style and examines the nature of contemporary Australian screen in historical, cultural, institutional and textual terms.

Particular emphasis falls on the matter of just how Australian feature films fit into a larger international context, on how the organisation of the national film industry leaves a specific imprint on the filmic output and how narrative and genre operate to produce specific filmic meanings. The course considers a variety of theoretical traditions of inquiry into national cinema. In this way, students will not only obtain a thorough insight into the particular subject of Australian film but will also learn to discriminate and navigate particular methodologies for the understanding of national cinemas in general.