72815 - Performance Studies and Audiovisual Media (1) (LM)

Learning outcomes

The course offers an orientation on the existing studies on film and television acting, on the construction of stardom through the industry, on the resources and methods of audiovisual performance, on the phenomena of celebrity separated from specific acting skills and propagated through the new media. At the end of the course students: - possess the necessary tools to understand the mechanisms that regulate the different types of performances; - know and use the necessary tools to understand the actor performance in the audiovisual media.

Course contents

Starting from the general question, “What is a performance?”, this course offers a journey through the history of screen acting theories and an exploration of various performative fields—such as politics, sports, business, and fashion—that spread through the media and can influence the styles and content of acting for film and television. Through selected examples, the course will examine the interplay between acting and the cinematic persona, with particular attention to one of the dominant models from the last century to the present day: the Hollywood star system. Actors, actresses, and celebrity phenomena will serve as the arena within which students engage in the analysis of performance.

The course includes a focus on the traditions underpinning contemporary realism in acting techniques—a twentieth-century notion of realism that calls for complex, ambivalent, layered, and recognizable characters, embodying neurotic traits that audiences can widely identify with. This realism has its roots in nineteenth-century novels and theatre, but especially in the revisionist wave that, beginning with the Moscow Art Theatre, spread across Central Europe and the United States in the first half of the twentieth century. The historical and cultural foundations of the Stanislavski System, the Group Theatre, and the Actors Studio will be discussed through both classic and contemporary films, with particular attention to the analysis of specific aspects of actors’ work according to Strasberg’s Method and the practices of some contemporary acting coaches.

Students are encouraged to choose—starting from the fourth lecture—the topic they will later develop into a 20,000-character written paper, following the guidelines provided during class. The paper will focus on a specific actor, performer, celebrity, film, or television show as a case study exploring a particular aspect of performance. Essential reading for the preparation of this paper is Richard Schechner’s Introduction to Performance Studies Further details regarding the final paper’s requirements and guidelines to meet the expected standards are available on the online learning platform (Virtuale).

Readings/Bibliography

Introduction to performance studies by Richard Schenker, CUE Press, 2023 (ch. 1, 2,3,4, 6)
Materials uploaded on Virtuale on the topics of celebrity for use by both attending and non-attending students (for the latter, the materials and chapters in the book are mandatory study items for taking a short in-class test to be added to the final paper)

Teaching methods

--Frontal lecture with film examples and use of Powerpoint slides

Assessment methods

Students are required to submit a final paper of approximately 20 folders (one folder is equivalent to 2000 characters, including spaces) on a topic of the student's choice agreed upon with the professor. The paper must be submitted for correction within 14 days of the appeal date in which the exam is to be taken. Attending students will have agreed and discussed the topic already in class. 

Non-attending students will discuss and agree on the topic of their written assignment with the professor during a personal meeting (also online). They will also be required to take a written exam on the textbook. This exam, lasting approximately 40 minutes, consists of 6 questions designed to assess knowledge of the key concepts covered in chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6 of the book Introduction to Performance Studies , as well as the supplementary materials (book chapters uploaded to the Virtuale platform during and at the end of the course).

Students with specific learning disabilities (SLD), or temporary or permanent disabilities should contact the university office responsible at the earliest opportunity. The office will advise on possible adjustments or modifications to assessment methods, which must be submitted to the instructor for approval at least 15 days in advance. The instructor will assess their appropriateness with respect to the course's learning objectives

 

Teaching tools

Analysis of audiovisual objects, or material found on web platforms such as youtube. The resources of the web will be used to exemplify ways through which audiences and performers come into contact, but also to exemplify ways of researching informational material about performance and performers.

 

Office hours

See the website of Sara Pesce