Facets Multimedia
1517 W. Fullerton Ave.
Chicago IL 60614
800.331.6197

Sales hours:
    9am-5pm, Mon.-Fri.

Rental hours:
    10am-10pm, Mon.-Sat.,
    12pm-10pm, Sun. & holidays

• Current Class Schedule

    Film School Archives:

• 2013
  • Spring Session 2013
• 2012
  • Fall Session II 2012
  • Fall Session I 2012
  • Summer Session 2012
  • Spring Session 2012
• 2011
  • Fall Session II 2011
  • Fall Session I 2011
  • Summer Session II 2011
  • Summer Session I 2011
• 2010
  • Winter Session II 2010
  • Fall Session 2010
  • Summer Session II 2010
  • Summer Session I 2010
  • Winter Session I 2010
• 2009
  • Fall Session II 2009
  • Fall Session I 2009
  • Summer Session II 2009
  • Summer Session I 2009
• 2008
  • Fall Session II 2008
  • Fall Session I 2008
  • Summer Session II 2008
  • Summer Session I 2008
  • Winter Session 2008
• 2007
  • Fall Session II 2007
  • Fall Session I 2007

CHARLES COLEMAN
Film Programmer for Facets Cinémathèque

Read his feature in the Chicago Reader

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FEE PER COURSE:
$80 MEMBERS, $125 NON-MEMBERS

For inquiries about Facets Film School,
email Charles Coleman at charles@facets.org

To register for classes by phone,
call 1-800-331-6197

Mondays
July 15–August 19
7–10 pm

The term "mumblecore" was embraced by critics to define the ultra-casual, low-fi style of an ascending independent film movement from a provocative group of American filmmakers. However, it was also used in a pejorative fashion by writers aiming to dismiss these films as overhyped and amateurish. This class aims to break down perpetuated stereotypes by exploring the distinctive styles and approaches of these tenacious trailblazers. We will see how these DIY artists managed to influence the mainstream with their raw naturalism and authentic search for new ideas. While these filmmakers are certainly united in their goal to portray truth devoid of contrivance, they each utilize remarkably different techniques, from scripted narratives to pure improvisation; from rugged handheld visuals to meticulously detailed compositions. By taking full advantage of modern technological advances and viral marketing, these fresh-faced visionaries have arguably fulfilled Francis Ford Coppola's prediction in Hearts of Darkness that "professionalism...will be destroyed" and "movies will become an art form." Come see why cinema will never be the same again and join the debate on whether this is, in fact, a good thing.

Please note that special guests will be here for some of the screenings to talk about their films! Stay tuned!

MATT FAGERHOLM is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association. For the past four years, he has written film reviews and interviews for HollywoodChicago.com, as well as contributed to various publications including Time Out Chicago and The A.V. Club. He is also the founder of Indie Outlook, a blog and podcast featuring exclusive interviews with some of the most exciting voices in modern independent filmmaking.

Tuesdays
July 16–August 20
7–10 pm

In an essay for Sound Stage (1965), Hollywood song-and-dance man Gene Kelly confesses to his readers that dancing, because it is "a three-dimensional art-like sculpture," is actually not a good medium for motion pictures. In fact, the star continues, when such bodily movement is transferred to screen, most of the physical force is lost. Also missing is what Kelly calls "the personality of the dancer's whole body, which coupled with line and style, form the basis of a dance performance." For these reasons (and others we'll explore), Gene Kelly along with his frequent co-director Stanley Donen, worked arduously to modify the way dance numbers were shot onscreen. Indeed, via special effects (Anchors Aweigh), vigorous camera movement, on-location shooting (On the Town), and even through the burden of Cinemascope (It's Always Fair Weather), Kelly and Donen created and perfected something called cine-dance, or "any dancing choreographed specifically and particularly to be filmed or televised." This class will consider the concept of cine-dance and its evolution over a decade in six films starring and/or (co-)directed by Gene Kelly.

KELLI MARSHALL is a lecturer of Media and Cinema Studies at DePaul University. When she is not teaching, Kelli researches two rather disparate fields: Shakespeare in film and popular culture, and also the film musical genre, specifically the star image and work of Hollywood song-and-dance man Gene Kelly. Follow Kelli on Twitter at @kellimarshall and/or read more about her take on Gene Kelly, film, and her adventures in higher education on her blog, MediAcademia.

Wednesdays
July 17–August 21
7–10 pm

Nostalgic representations of 1950s American culture abound in contemporary cinema. Since the early 1970s, "The Fifties" has stood as perhaps the most fertile period in Hollywood and is remembered with fondness by numerous American directors and audiences. While many of these films celebrate the idyllic promise of happier times, there were also dynamically complex social and economic forces that defined this era. In this class, we will examine cinematic depictions of the 1950s as a time of great change and growth amid the idealized conventional portrayals of family life in America. Starting with Peter Bogdanovich's The Last Picture Show, arguably the initiator of the 1970s nostalgia film boom, we will watch and discuss the influence of 1950s America, and how this narrative represented the portrayal of crime, poverty, and agitation. We will see a stark contrast to the common perception of "The Fifties" as a period of leisure and material comfort. What does it mean to us today as we revisit this period of American prosperity and consumerism? How do these films prompt us to reconstruct the idea of "nostalgia," since it literally means a "longing to return home." This yearning for "home" is usually much more complex than a simple desire for an actual locale and every culture (and subculture) has its own version of nostalgia. In this class, we will discuss the effects of nostalgic representations in cinema as they relate to postmodernism, irony and the future.

KATE NEWBOLD is an advanced PhD candidate at Northwestern University, where she is studying memory and archiving in postwar American media. Since 2008 she has taught several courses at Northwestern on a variety of media topics, including nostalgia and popular culture, film analysis, media adaptation, and history of animation. Her publications include essays on archiving media memories from the 1950s and have appeared in academic journals such as Spectator and Velvet Light Trap.

Thursdays
July 18–August 22
7–10 pm

"Our responsibility is to captivate you for however long we've asked for your attention. —Aaron Sorkin

"Walk and Talk" is a distinctive storytelling-technique in which a number of characters have a conversation en route. The most basic form involves a walking character that is then joined by another character and on the way to their destinations they talk. Variations include interruptions from other characters and walk and talk relay races, in which new characters join the group and one of the original characters leaves the conversation, while the remaining characters continue the walking and talking. This shooting technique was popularized by screenwriter Aaron Sorkin, who came to television via theater, first used it on the TV dramedy Sports Night and later developed it for the hit drama The West Wing. Because of Sorkin's trademark rapid-fire dialogue and extended monologues, the walk and talk would become widely known as Sorkin's signature move. In this course we will take a look at each of Sorkin's feature films and examine the walk and talk of his characters. Why is this technique so effective in captivating viewers interests? And what does his success say about our relationship to politics and gender roles in America?

CHRISTINA WRIGHT is a film theorist, instructor and screenwriter. She holds an M.Phil in Film Theory and History from The University of Dublin, Trinity College. Christina is also a Character Education Specialist and is the Program Director of two film/drama based character education programs: The Character Reel (for children and youth) and Soul Cinema (for adults).