Film/Media: Special & Visual Effects – University Tutorial With Professor Keith M Johnston From University of East Anglia

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In this live interactive Film/Media tutorial, we will be joined by Keith M Johnston, Professor of Film & Television Studies at University of East Anglia, who will run an interactive tutorial on Special and Visual Effects.

Special and visual effects have been part of the international film industry since its birth, but their prominence in contemporary film production has grown exponentially since the 1970s. In this session, we will think about the difference between ‘special’ and ‘visual’ effects, how they overlap, and how they have come to dominate our understanding of film narrative structure, mise-en-scene, industry and claims about audience response. Central to this will be an understanding of key ideas around the depictions of the fantastic and the realistic, claims that effects-based cinema has led to a ‘dumbing down’ of film narrative, and questions of how we analyse effects sequences.

The full context/introduction to this live and interactive discussion is provided in a Headliner recorded resource. This recording can be watched as a class activity or independently in preparation for the discussion.

Lecturer Profile: Professor Keith M Johnston

Our events are designed so that a group of students can take part from a classroom, or students and teachers can take part as individuals, either from school or from home. There is no charge for taking part.

As a live, participative event, this session will not be recorded but access to the Headliner recording will continue to be accessible.

Suitable for: Aged 16+ pre-university students studying, or with a possible interest in studying, Film, Media and related subjects. Teachers and members of school staff, as always, are welcome too and participants can join as individuals from school/college or home, or as a group from school/college.

Preparation/Pre-Reading: Students are asked to watch the Headliner recording and consider some of the key issues and any questions raised.

The IT Setup: The event will be run on Zoom and participants will be able to join using laptops, tablets, and mobile devices. If you are joining as a school group, we recommend connecting with one device and projecting on to a whiteboard. You will be able to interact with the university via typed comments and questions and/or via a microphone. Full details will be sent to those who have registered (see below) prior to the event.

Booking a Place: This is free for schools and colleges. If you would like to take part in this event, please register your interest using the link to the registration form below:

Register here