When film students blog

For a number of years now, Ron Green, an associate professor of film studies in the Department of History of Art at OSU, has been teaching an undergraduate seminar that is built around the Wexner Center's Film/Video events.

The course is taking place this quarter and students have been attending screenings that cover a wide spectrum of filmmaking practices and histories. From recent and classic films from Turkey and Egypt to works by preeminent filmmakers such as Josef von Sternberg and John Cassavetes.

Students have 10 minutes in class to write a short essay about each of the assigned films. A new, rewarding component of the class has been a blog where selected essays are posted after each class session.

One of the intended hopes of the blog is that it will provide a forum for Wexner Center audience members who aren't taking the class to comment on both the student essays and the films themselves. With the continued absence of any sort of sustained or in-depth local film criticism, any outlet that allows for a discussion of film beyond the level of box office, marketing campaigns, and thumbs up/thumbs down is a welcome development.

There are already a number of essays posted, so you are encouraged to stop by and share your thoughts.