The "Craft" of Watching Films

My son and I have just completed the third year of studying various aspects of film for his Home School elective. We used 3 outstanding college text books, “The Art of Watching Films”, The 5 C’s in Cinematography” and “How to Read a Film” as our curriculum. We also used “Reel Spirituality” and “Thorough a Screen Darkly” as supplemental resources.

Each Monday for the last three years, we utilized Netflix’s vast library and covered a wide gamut of movies. We watched some of the classics like “Citizen Kane”, westerns like “Stagecoach” and foreign films such as “The Bicycle Thief “. Science Fiction was represented by “2001: A Space Odyssey” and “Star Trek: The Motion Picture”. We viewed musicals, action films, film noir, comedy, drama, fantasy and films that defy description like “Head” starring the Monkees.

It has been a joy watching these great and not so great cinematic offerings with him. It has changed the way I view films. I became even more cognizant of the power of film to elicit laughter, generate tears, inspire, discourage, anger and promote conversation.

One’s experience with film is personal but the medium is built on exhibition in a communal setting. We had a chance to attend a screening of “Citizen Kane” with a theater audience after viewing it at home on DVD. Sharing that film with a crowd of strangers was so enlightening . I enjoyed getting to see the reactions of others. My son disagreed.

We had great conversations on what a person requires from a film. Can one really enjoy a bad film? We debated the merits of certain low budget films that had a great messages but were lacking in technical and artistic areas.

My favorite film nights were when my son made the selection and I knew nothing about the film except the title and maybe the stars. I was surprised by what a difference it was watching a film with no expectations and no preconceived notions. Typically people select movies based on an element that they know about the film. Watching those films blindly was a blast.

In addition to his studies in the textbook my son was required to compose a detailed review for each film, based on specific areas that we were studying. I gained new insight about my son by understanding how he viewed these films. He has grown into quite a writer. He is more than almost eloquent.

I’ve come to the conclusion that the medium of film has both improved and declined as an art form. Rarely does film come close to reaching it’s full potential. When that does happen the results can be amazing.