Film Studies Lectures

Does anyone know if there are any film studies lectures happening around Washington, D.C.?

I've heard there’s actually a dedicated department for film studies over at the university—but I'm wondering if their lectures are open to the public, or if they're strictly for students enrolled in the program?

Thanks in advance for any info you can share. 🙂

I’ve never actually sat in on lectures at an engineering school, but I don't see why I couldn't. A friend of mine attended a small liberal arts college where everyone was on a first-name basis. Even back then, there was a sense of genuine community. Ultimately, I think professors should welcome the interest.
I'll follow up with that same friend—she studied philosophy, but I doubt it would pose any real issue.

You show up to a professor's office hours, tell them what you need to say, and they let you off the hook. 😉

Thanks, everyone—if anyone else happens to have some useful info, please drop it here 🙂

rustyviper6 said:I was wondering if there are any film studies lectures held around Washington, D.C.?

Now that Smith has passed away—even if such lectures still exist—it’s as if they don't. 😢

rustyviper6 said:Thanks, everyone. Seriously, if anyone else happens to have some useful intel or knows anything else worth mentioning, please, lay it on me. 🙂

Does anyone else ever feel like we spend way too much time overthinking things that should be simple? I was just looking through some notes regarding Johnson’s recent take on how we approach certain concepts, and it really got me thinking about the sheer weight of academic tradition versus actual creative instinct. When you look at how we break down a feature film structure, there's this tendency to get lost in the weeds of montage theory. We dive deep into the technicalities—the nuts and bolts of how a scene is built—but sometimes I wonder if we lose the soul of the story in the process. Is a perfect cut actually better than an emotional one? It's a question that seems to haunt almost every film analysis I come across lately. I was reminded of some older discussions where people tried to reconcile classic film history with these newer, more fragmented ways of seeing things. You have the old guard, the ones who swear by the rigid rules established decades ago, and then you have the modernists who think everything is fair game. It’s a bit like walking through Central Park; you can follow the paved paths and know exactly where you're going, or you can wander off into the grass and hope you don't trip over a root. There’s also this ongoing debate about whether our current educational systems—the way we handle things since moving toward the Bologna model—actually prepare us for the industry, or if they just turn us into highly specialized theorists. Are we learning how to make movies, or are we just learning how to talk about making movies? It’s a fine line to walk. You need the theory to give you a foundation, but if you lean too hard on it, you end up with something that looks technically flawless but feels completely hollow. Anyway, just some mid-day wandering thoughts. What do you all think? Does the math behind the edit ever get in the way of the feeling?

This guy teaches film studies over at the College of Arts and Sciences. He’s honestly one of the good ones—super chill and easy to talk to. If you ever find yourself stuck on a concept, just go see him; he'll sit you down and break everything down until it actually makes sense. 🙂

rustyviper6 said:I was wondering if there are any film studies lectures held anywhere in Washington, D.C.?

From what I've heard, the College of Arts and Sciences actually has its own dedicated department for film studies. I'm curious, though—are their lectures open to the public? Like, can someone show up even if they aren't a student at the College of Arts and Sciences?

Thanks in advance to everyone for the help! 🙂

So, within the comparative literature program over at the College of Arts and Sciences, they have departments for both theater and film studies. Not too long ago, Smith and Johnson were teaching the film side of things, but now Johnson is the main guy (and honestly, the only one)—he was actually Smith's student. During the summer semester, he runs two courses: feature film structure and American movie; you can check for all the specifics.
As for the American Film Institute, they do film studies there too, but their website is pretty useless, so your best bet is to just head down there, look at the posters, and ask around. From my own experience sitting in on classes, Miller's stuff (film history, film aesthetics) and Brown's classes (film analysis, montage theory, Something-else-to-do) are totally worth the trip. Just keep in mind Miller teaches everything in two-semester blocks, and I'm not sure about Brown's schedule.
Basically, the whole university system is designed to be open—that’s kind of the whole point of the modern credit system—meaning you can jump from studying dentistry to American movies if you feel like it. Now, whether you actually walk up to a professor and let them know you're there is entirely up to you. And hey, you don't just have to sit and listen; you can actually enroll in them as electives and take the exams if you want (I pick and choose which ones I bother with, personally).
You might also stumble upon some shorter guest lectures popping up here and there at other spots like the KIC, Matica America, or even hanging out near Central Park, but that's pretty much the deal.

If none of that sounds fun, just stick to Bordwell, Smith, Mitry, Stojanović, Brown, and reading chronicle + Central Park or watching the classics. Do that for a few hours every day for six months and boom—you're basically a film buff without any of the hassle. Then you can decide if you want to go deeper later.

By the way, if you're actually serious about film and not just interested in lectures, you really ought to check out that Australian film festival circuit. Theory is totally useless if you don't get any actual practice.

northerncrane4 said:Now that Smith has passed away, even if those theories still exist, it feels like they’re just gone. 😢

I was lucky enough to be there right when both Solar and Smith—the two main pillars—stopped teaching. I can't really speak on them personally, but everything I heard from Brown was top-tier stuff (even though out of that trio, Brown-Miller-Johnson, only Johnson actually teaches filmology itself while the others focus on different areas... but you get my point)

Look, you've been given all the information you need. Go to the lecture, check in with the professor, and just get it over with.