The Quirky Cinema of Wes Andreson (and Others)

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The subject provides Department for Theory and History of Audiovision

Contents

Genre theory may seem to have little to do with creative practice; however, ideas about media categories stem from an understanding of the media itself and have helped shape creative decision-making. Accordingly, this course explores how genre theory can help in the creation of a particular type of film: Quirky Cinema—those eye-catching, bittersweet dramedies typically associated with the American writer-director Wes Anderson. Over the course of six seminar-workshops, students will examine a) how film scholars have interpreted this format, b) how their ideas manifest in individual films, and c) how their insights can help students create innovative contributions to this genre. Students will therefore examine Quirky Cinema’s distinctive textual model, its indie branding, its appeal to hipster audiences, its Manic Pixie Dream Girls, its father figures, and its politics. Having examined these topics in relation to Rushmore (1998), Ghost World (2001), Me, Earl & the Dying Girl (2015), Ruby Sparks (2012), A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019), and Jojo Rabbit (2019), students will develop their own Quirky Cinema concept in a final creative project.

Learning outcomes

This course uses the case of Quirky Cinema to foster a critical understanding of audiovisual formats, taking into account their aesthetic, industrial, and sociocultural dimensions. The course therefore familiarizes students with transferable tools, frameworks, approaches, and skills that promise to deepen their understanding of media formats both within and beyond this course. By the end of the course, students will be expected to demonstrate an ability to synthesize their understanding of scholarly frameworks and textual and contextual analyses. Their proficiency in these areas will be assessed through the production of a short video essay pitching their original concept for a Quirky film, one that requires direct engagement with the key ideas about Quirky Cinema introduced in this course. This will require students to develop insights into the following areas:

• • Quirky and formula film-making
• • Quirky and cultural politics
• • Quirky and audience address
• • Quirky and gender representation
• • Quirky and fatherhood
• • Quirky and politics

For learning outcomes specific to each of these topics, please see the individual session outlines below.

Prerequisites and other requirements

This course is structured around six biweekly seminar-workshops. The sessions will combine elements of both traditional seminars and lectures, in that student-centered discussions will be supported by brief introductory remarks, summaries, and contextual “mini-lectures.” As preparation, students are expected to study the assigned readings and the home screenings in relation to the questions included in the syllabus; these will form the basis of discussions, to which students are expected to actively contribute. This approach is intended to maximize students’ engagement and understanding of the learning outcomes of each session and the course as a whole.

Literature

READINGS:

• Bannister, Matthew. “Is Jojo Rabbit an Anti-Hate Satire?” in *Eye of the Taika: New Zealand Comedy and the Films of Taika Waititi*. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 2021: 214–224.
• MacDowell, James. “Notes on Quirky,” Movie: A Journal of Film Criticism, Issue 1 (2010): 1–16.
• Newman, Michael Z. “Indie Culture: In Pursuit of the Authentic Autonomous Alternative,” Cinema Journal 48.3 (2009): 16–34.
• Newman, Michael Z. “Movies for Hipsters,” in Geoff King, Claire Molloy, and Yannis Tzioumakis (eds.), American Independent Cinema: Indie, Indiewood, and Beyond. London: Routledge, 2013: 71–82.
• Robe, Chris. “Because I Hate Fathers, and I Never Wanted to Be One: Wes Anderson, Entitled Masculinity, and the ‘Crisis’ of the Patriarch,” in Timothy Shary (ed.), Millennial Masculinity: Men in Contemporary American Cinema: Detroit, Wayne State University Press, 2012: 101–121.
• Vazquez Rodriguez, Lucia Gloria. “500 Days of Postfeminism: A Multidisciplinary Analysis of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl Stereotype in its Contexts,” Prisma Social 2 (2017): 167–201.

SCREENINGS:

• A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (Mariella Heller, 2019)
• Ghost World (Terry Zwigoff, 2001)
• Jojo Rabbit (Taika Waititi, 2019)
• Me, Earl, and the Dying Girl (Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, 2015)
• Ruby Sparks (Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris, 2012)
• Rushmore (Wes Anderson, 1998)

Evaluation methods and criteria

ASSESSMENT

At the end of the course, students are required to submit a short video pitching their original Quirky Cinema concept.

Weight: 100% of the final grade

Due Date: To be announced

Advice and Learning Outcomes: Towards the end of the course, a guidance sheet will be provided highlighting the general qualities that are highly valued in this course.

Targeted Learning Outcomes/Areas of Assessment

• 1. An understanding of The Quirky Model
• 2. An understanding of Indie Branding
• 3. An understanding of Addressing Hipster Audiences
• 4. An understanding of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl trope
• 5. An understanding of the Father Figure trope.
• 6. An understanding of political quirky.
• 6. An innovative approach to working with these core components of Quirky Cinema.

All video essays must be submitted in a VLC-compatible format to _richardandrew.nowell@famu.cz_

NB: Extensions can be arranged with the instructor in advance, based on health, humanitarian, and other grounds.

Tutorials

Students may arrange one-on-one tutorials to discuss any issues arising from the course, including its assessment. Meetings can be arranged via email and will take place online or in person at a mutually convenient time.

Feedback

Each student will receive an individual email with detailed personal feedback on their video essay. This feedback is designed to be constructive, highlighting strengths, areas for improvement, and suggestions on how their submission could have been enhanced.

General Evaluation: Grades from A to F will be awarded based on the following general criteria. Please see above for the specific areas of assessment for the prompt. Please note that appropriate leeway will be afforded to students using English as a second language.

Further information

No schedule has been prepared for this course

The subject is a part of the following study plans