Christian Keathley
Associate Professor of Film and Media Culture
Email: ckeathle@middlebury.edu
Phone: work802.443.3432
Office Hours: Monday & Wednesdays 2-4pm and Thursdays 9-12pm and by appointment.
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Christian Keathley is Associate Professor in the Film & Media Culture Department at Middlebury College. Professor Keathley received his Ph.D. in Film Studies from the University of Iowa, and his M.F.A. in Filmmaking from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He received a B.A. and an M.A. in English and Film Studies from the University of Florida.
He is the author of Cinephilia and History, or The Wind in the Trees (Indiana University Press, 2006), and is currently completing a second book, The Mystery of Otto Preminger (under contract to Indiana University Press).
Professor Keathley teaches a range of film studies courses, including Aesthetics of the Moving Image, French New Wave, Authorship and Cinema (Jean Renoir and Fritz Lang), Film Theory, and International Cinema (Cinema and Memory). In addition, Professor Keathley teaches video production courses.
In addition to his work on cinephilia and Otto Preminger, Professor Keathley's research interest focuses on the presentation of academic scholarship in a multi-media format.
Courses
Courses offered in the past four years.
▲ indicates offered in the current term
▹ indicates offered in the upcoming term[s]
FMMC 0101 - Aesthetics of the Moving Image ▲
Aesthetics of the Moving Image
How do films convey meaning, generate emotions, and work as an art form? What aspects of film are shared by television and videogames? This course is designed to improve your ability to watch, reflect on, and write about moving images. The course will be grounded in the analysis of cinema (feature films, documentaries, avant-garde, and animation) with special focus on film style and storytelling techniques. Study will extend to new audio-visual media as well, and will be considered from formal, cultural, and theoretical perspectives. 3 hrs. lect./3 hrs. screen
Spring 2009, Spring 2010, Fall 2011, Spring 2012, Fall 2013
FMMC 0102 - Film History
Film History
This course will survey the development of the cinema from 1895 to present. Our study will emphasize film as an evolving art, while bearing in mind the influence of technology, economic institutions, and the political and social contexts in which the films were produced and received. Screenings will include celebrated works from Hollywood, international cinema, documentary, and the avant-garde. 3 hrs. lect./3 hrs. screen
Fall 2010
FMMC 0244 - International Cinema: ▲
International Cinema
Topic is determined by the instructor - refer to section for the course description.
Spring 2012, Fall 2013
FMMC 0252 - Authorship and Cinema
Authorship and Cinema
Topic is determined by the instructor - refer to section for the course description.
Spring 2009
FMMC 0255 - French New Wave
French New Wave
Beginning in 1959 and continuing through the 1960s, dozens of young French cinephiles, thrilled by Hollywood genre movies and European art films, but disgusted with their own national cinema’s stodgy productions, took up cameras and began making films. This movement, known as La Nouvelle Vague, remains one of the most exciting, inventive periods in cinema history. This course focuses on the major films and directors (Jean-Luc Godard, Francois Truffaut, Alain Resnais) of the period and also gives consideration to the cultural, technological, and economic factors that shaped this movement. (Formerly FMMC 0345)
Spring 2011
FMMC 0276 - Remix Culture
Remix Culture
With the spread of digital technologies, remix has come to the forefront as a major form of artistic work and cultural and political commentary. In this course we will explore the history, cultural and legal impact, and creative logics of remix traditions. We will examine how digital technologies shape transformative creativity. Drawing on the work of theorists such as DJ Spooky and Lawrence Lessig, we will consider the creative and legal ramifications of remix logics. We will explore a range of remix works across media with a focus on video. Students will also produce remixes through individual and group work. 3 hrs. lecture/3 hrs. screening
Spring 2011
FMMC 0346 - Special Topics MediaProduction
Special Topics in Media Production
Topic is determined by the instructor - refer to section for the course description.
Fall 2010, Fall 2011
FMMC 0354 - Film Theory
Film Theory
This course surveys the issues that have sparked the greatest curiosity among film scholars throughout cinema's first century, such as: What is the specificity of the film image? What constitutes cinema as an art? How is authorship in the cinema to be accounted for? Is the cinema a language, or does it depart significantly from linguistic coordinates? How does one begin to construct a history of the cinema? What constitutes valid or useful film research? Readings will include Epstein, Eisenstein, Bazin, Truffaut, Wollen, Mulvey, Benjamin, Kracauer, and others. (Formerly FMMC 0344) (FMMC 0101 or FMMC 0102 or FMMC 0131 or FMMC 0231 or instructor approval) 3 hrs. lect./3 hrs. screen.
Spring 2010
FMMC 0431 - Film & Media Senior Seminar:
Film & Media Senior Seminar:
Topic is determined by the instructor - refer to section for the course description.
Fall 2009
FMMC 0507 - Independent Project ▲ ▹
Advanced Independent work in Film and Media Culture
Guidelines for submitting proposals are available on the Film & Media Culture web site along with a list of prerequisites.
Spring 2009, Fall 2009, Winter 2010, Spring 2010, Fall 2010, Winter 2011, Spring 2011, Fall 2011, Winter 2012, Spring 2012, Fall 2013, Spring 2014
FMMC 0707 - Senior Independent Work
Senior Honors Project in Film and Media Culture
During the first term of their senior year, students with a GPA of A- in film and media culture courses may apply to undertake a senior project (FMMC 0707) for honors, with the project to be completed the last term of the senior year.
Spring 2009, Fall 2009, Winter 2010, Spring 2010, Fall 2010, Winter 2011, Spring 2011, Fall 2011, Winter 2012, Spring 2012
FMMC 1014 - Filmmaking with Limits
Filmmaking, With Limits
The recent popularity of lipdubs – music videos consisting of a single take, shot with a moving camera, and featuring as many performers as possible – is only the latest example of how setting arbitrary restrictions on the making of creative work serves to facilitate invention. In fact, lipdubs are part of a long tradition in cinema, one in which filmmakers set strict formal guidelines that they must adhere in the making of a movie. In this course students will take up a series of video production assignments with strict (and highly arbitrary) formal guidelines. Can you make a one-minute video about a childhood memory with the lens zoomed all the way in and the camera in constant motion? (3 hrs. lecture/3 hrs. screening) (FMMC 0105 or instructor approval)
Winter 2011
STLD 1005 - Collaborative Video Production
Collaborative Video Production
In this course, students will produce four weekly episodes (each five to ten minutes in length) of a situational comedy webseries to be posted on Vimeo prime. Students will be responsible for production at all levels, from the initial writing process to the final edits. While certain roles may be delegated (Head Editor, Director of Photography, Head Writer, etc.), all members of the class will have responsibility and input at every level. A typical week will include filming-intensive days on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, editing-heavy days on Thursday and Friday, and weekends devoted to writing the following week’s episode. (Approval Required; Credit/No Credit)
Winter 2012