Cinefeels: Exploring Film through Emotions
Course dates: his course is currently closed for enrolment and will open again in autumn 2024.
Cost: £125
8-Week Online Course
Have you ever wondered why and how different films can make you feel joy, tension, or grief? How other viewers feel about the same scenes?
This online course adopts an audience-centred approach to the study of film. Through tutor presentations, film clips, and discussions, we will examine how films make us feel. Led by film and media studies teacher and researcher Dr Anna Blagrove.
On this course you will learn to…
- Appreciate and interpret a wide range of films
- Develop film genre knowledge and skills for visual analysis
- Deepen knowledge of filmmaking techniques and the historical and socio-cultural contexts of production and reception
- Share your emotional responses to various films and learn about your fellow participants’ knowledge and experiences
You’ll have the opportunity to interact with other fellow film enthusiasts, and be part of a small community of like-minded students that will help you to talk over ideas and share opinions.
As we progress through the eight weeks, we’ll consider how genre, character, storytelling, and filmmaking techniques such as performance, editing and sound all work to shape our rection to certain films and individual scenes. In between sessions you will have plenty of opportunities to post questions and chat with other students and your tutor.
The course is suitable for anyone aged 18+ and for all abilities and experience. All you’ll need is a love of film and the enthusiasm to learn!
How it works…
The course is hosted by Thinkific, an easy-to-use online learning platform.
Scheduled content will be created and released every two weeks of the course, giving you time to work at your own pace, along with plenty of opportunities to post questions and chat with students and your tutor between sessions in the course forum.
We limit group sizes to a maximum of 25 participants, this means you’ll receive a much more tailored learning experience and feedback, and have an opportunity to get to know your fellow students.
Scroll down the page to view our courses FAQs, and if you have any further questions you can contact us here. You can also find our terms and conditions here.
Course programme
SESSION ONE – Rolling in the Aisles: Film and TV Comedy
Here we will start our study and enjoyment of films via the emotions that are elicited in us, the audience. In this session, we will examine and discuss comedy in film. We will look at genre and the related subgenres within comedy and briefly consider comedy theory as we examine what makes us laugh, what kinds of on-screen humour we enjoy (and what kinds we don’t).
As we explore our own personal reactions to comedy films, you will learn to analyse film clips and reactions in the context of the genre of film comedy and its sub-genres, discuss and debate views with fellow course participants and suggest other relevant viewing examples.
SESSION TWO – Shock Horror: On-Screen Fear and Thrills
In the second session, we move on to white knuckles as we explore the tension of the horror and thriller genres. Here we look at examples from subgenres such as Hitchcockian psychological thrillers, ‘found footage’ mockumentaries such as The Blair Witch Project, and slasher films like John Carpenter’s Halloween. We consider how atmosphere and tension can be elevated through story, character development and filmmaking techniques such as lighting, costume and makeup, performance, and sound.
SESSION THREE – Tearjerkers: Emoting Sadness on Screen
In this session we investigate what moves us to tears – we will look back at the melodramas of the past and consider what makes a screen tragedy. Why do tearjerkers such as Love Story or Titanic sometimes appeal on a mass scale? Why are these films traditionally seen as ‘female’ and perhaps culturally inferior even? We consider why grief and sadness is a sought-after emotion within screen entertainment and how the idea of catharsis feeds into this.
SESSION FOUR – All You Need is Love: Screen Stories of Love and Affection
We end the course with a warm glow as we investigate screen stories of love and affection. This will not only deal with romantic love, but also platonic and familial love. We will look at classic love stories such as Gone with the Wind, and Breakfast at Tiffany’s as well as ‘bromance’ or ‘odd couple’ buddy movies. Finally, we will look at how familial relationships are sometimes foregrounded – including in animated films such as Brave, or Frozen.
Your tutor…
Dr Anna Blagrove
Anna has been teaching and researching film and media studies since 2009. Since 2020, she has been a Lecturer in Animation and Visual Effects at Norwich University of the Arts where she teaches film language and theory, media roles and practices, as well as research and study skills. She attended the University of East Anglia where she completed her film audience research PhD and MA in Film Studies. She is a Director of Reel Connections (CIC) and enjoys working with community groups using film, music, and the creative arts. Before this, Anna was an Education Officer in the cinema exhibition industry for over ten years.
Image Credit: Katherine Mager
Courses FAQ
When does this course run?
You can find the course dates at the top of the page. The course content will be released every two weeks, giving you plenty of time in between to complete any tasks.
When can I access the course content?
You’ll be able to access the first session on the start date of the course, and then new sessions will be released every two weeks for the duration of the course.
When can I access the course content?
You’ll be able to access the first session on the start date of the course, and then new sessions will be released every two weeks for the duration of the course.
Do I have to attend at a specific time?
No, even though this is a scheduled course you can do the modules in your own time, with new content released every two weeks as pre-recorded videos and accompanying resources.
What level is the course?
All of our courses are designed for a range of abilities, from beginners to those with a bit more experience. Our courses are suitable for ages 18+
If you are unsure and want to ask us, or the course tutor, a question please contact us at info@reelconnections.co.uk
Is there tutor interaction?
Yes, on all of our scheduled courses your tutor will be available on the discussion boards (as part of the Thinkific platform) to answer any questions and provide feedback. They will aim to do this at least once a week.
Each course has its own dedicated discussion board under each session, where you can share questions and your work with other participants – although this is not compulsory!
How many other participants will there be on the course?
One of the benefits of our scheduled courses is we limit group size to a maximum of 25 participants, this means you’ll receive a much more tailored learning experience and feedback, and have an opportunity to get to know your fellow students.
Can I join in from anywhere in the world?
Of course! Even though Reel Connections are based in the UK, we welcome international participants – this is one of the benefits of learning online.
Course payment is set in GDP, but when you pay it will convert to your own currency.
How do I access the course?
Our online courses are hosted by Thinkific, this is where you will go to sign up, and you’ll receive all the information you need ahead of the course’s scheduled start date.
You will also get lifetime access to the course, so you can return to sessions and information at any time. Please note our tutors will only be available for feedback for the duration of the scheduled course.
How long should I expect to spend on the course each week?
We would suggest setting aside 2 hours a week as a minimum, but there will be opportunities to spend more time on each session or task.
What format is the course delivered?
The course content will be released as videos, and accompanying written content and reading materials, as well as other audio and video based resources. This will be released via the Thinkific platform. Find out more about the Thinkific student experience here.
What internet connection or technology will I need?
To get the most out of the sessions you will need to have a good and reliable internet connection – Thinkific recommends a broadband internet connection with a minimum speed of 5Mbps.
You will access the Thinkific platform (and course) via a web browser. The platform is fully mobile responsive – so you will be able to access your course from any phone, tablet, laptop, or desktop computer that is connected to the internet.
We recommend making sure your browsers are up to date, and these are the browsers which are supported…
Desktop: Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Microsoft Edge
Mobile: iOS Safari, Chrome, Samsung Internet
Please note that Thinkific does not currently support Internet Explorer. Find out more here
Do you offer refunds?
Course bookings can be refunded up to 14 days after payment has been processed, unless the course begins within this 14 day period.
After these 14 days, we cannot offer refunds unless we are able to fill your course place through a waiting list. If there are extenuating circumstances as to why you cannot do the course please contact us to discuss at info@reelconnections.co.uk.
You can find our full Terms & Conditions here.