Best Kept Secrets: Integrating Student Films in Film History and Theory Classes

In this talk, I extrapolate theoretical discourse from a short film made by a group of first-year undergraduate students enrolled in the BA Film Practice at UAL's London College of Communication. The purpose of the talk is to provide a tangible illustration of how, in the classroom, I use the students' own films to introduce them to canonical topics in film theory. By showing to students that their films engage with complex theoretical ideas, I try to demystify academic discourse and make students realise that I am not there to transfer entirely new knowledge on to them. Ultimately, this strategy is meant to help practiced-based students gain awareness of the inseparability of theory and practice, of text and context.