Final film blog

     While this may be my last film blog, it is not the last time I apply film theory in my daily life. I have learned so much in this class from the book, from my peers, and most of all from my professor. At the beginning of the semester, I had no idea how much detail went into film theory, although, after learning all I have throughout the semester, I can confidently say this class will change my perspective on cinema forever. While reading Kevin McDonalds film theory, I was able to discover added information on timelines that I did not know existed. Whether we were learning about Christian Metz in French theory, bell hooks and the male gaze, or even just a class discussion, I was able to find lessons that were meaningful to me in all of them. I still remember watching breathless on one of the first days of class in the beginning of the semester, although if I were to rewatch that movie, I would have a vastly unique perspective of what I thought of it at first. Never would I have imagined discussing structuralism with a group of peers, although looking back on it, it was one of the most interesting discussions I have ever had. We were able to discuss real problems like racism, sexism, and other key issues in our society, all while keeping it civil and collected.  

  

     As I move forward from this class, my biggest take away is to be open minded to all opinions, all perspectives, and remember everybody has a different background. I have never been in a classroom where everyone was given a platform to speak freely about their opinions, although I thought that was the most interesting aspect of the semester's material. Having meaningful discussions with a group of similarly aged people about controversial topics could get out of hand, although my peers were all very enthusiastic and supportive of every topic that was mentioned. 

  

    Not only would I have these conversations in the classroom, but I would also then bring them home and continue the same conversation with my friends, family, and loved ones. I felt the need to share what we were talking about in class, mostly because I thought they were interesting topics that people should know more about. My favorite assignment that we worked on during the semester was the fascination project. I thoroughly enjoyed this, mostly because we were able to pick topics that interested us and go into detail to explore them further. After learning a little bit about bell hooks from Kevin McDonald’s book, she caught my attention to where I wanted to learn more. Thankfully, the fascination project let me delve deep into the details to learn more about her life story. After drafting a paper about her messages and journey, I was able to give a presentation to my class about what I had discovered about her. Having the freedom to write about whatever we wanted in our blog posts helped spark my creativity to use our class material effectively. Film theory has impacted my life, in multiple ways, so I will never forget the experiences and lessons that I have learned throughout the semester.