GES1029 / GESS1021 - Singapore Film: Performance of Identity Review
GES1029/GESS1021
Taken in: AY21/22 Semester 1
Lecturer: Dr Edna Lim
Tutor: Dr Edna Lim
- 20% - Participation
- 25% - Test 1
- 25% - Test 2
- 30% - Group Project
This module explores aspects of Singapore Film, such as its history, the various types and genres, critical analysis, etc.
There were no live lectures, but there is a film screening time slot. Some of the films cannot be found online (But can be found in libraries), so you should show up and pay attention, as you need knowledge of the films for the tests.
Tutorials were held on even weeks. Week 4, 6, 8 tutorials discuss certain films and topics, and week 10 and 12 are for project presentations. Because there are no live lectures, the lecture timeslot is not used, save for an introduction on Week 1 and tests on Weeks 6 and 13.
If you're looking for a GES, I think this would be a decent one if you're into film. The group project could take time, but is manageable. Tests are also very simple. I'd say the main drawback to this module is the teaching style. I am not fond of the lack of class interaction, but you might enjoy it. Also, I made a trip to library@esplanade to catch a movie, as many aren't available online. Studying the films are hard because of this, but I didn't find much need to study or re-watch the films.
*The format of lectures, tutorials, and tests are all very similar to TS2243, another module taught by Dr Lim. TS2243 module review can be found here.
Detailed Breakdown
Lecture and Tutorial
For our semester (and possibly previous ones also), lectures were pre-recorded and you can watch in your own time, with PollEverywhere questions as lecture activity. You have to answer the PollEv questions before watching the lecture that goes through the question (You are graded for participation, not correctness). I tried to be honest and answer the questions before viewing the answer... Most of the time!
Topics covered include Singapore cinema eras (from pre-independence to now), concepts like Spaces, Language, History, and other types of film like short films and documentaries.
The first three tutorials discuss topics in the module. I highly recommend you pay attention and take notes during lecture and tutorial as the slides given are always lacking in information and you definitely want to write your own notes.
The reason for this is because the test's MCQ questions often lift off tutorial and lecture slide content (Even week 1! Don't miss out!!), so it's free marks if you have notes to Ctrl+F.
Tests
Both tests follow the same format, open book, and consist of MCQ and two open-ended questions. Besides the simple MCQ, the essay questions ask you to make a point or answer a question about the films screened. An example would be to explain how the use of (language/editing/etc) in the film portrays (thing/character/stereotype/etc). For that, you'll need to pay attention to the lectures and tutorials AND know the film content.
Test 1 (midterm) only tests on films screened week 1-6. Test 2 (Final) only tests on films screened after recess week. It's the same in TS2243 too, yay!
Project
After recess week, you'll be able to form groups (of your choosing) for the group project, either a 3-minute short film or organize a fictional film festival. We chose the short film option.
Similar to TS2243, you'll be graded on your submission plus presentation of your project, where there is a strict time limit divided between each group member (3 mins per person). For this module, your project has to be about one of the topics covered in the module (Space, Language, History, etc). In short, the film festival's selection of films or the short film must have a thesis that it attempts to portray. I can't say much about the film festival option as no one in my tutorial did it.
Presentations are on week 10 and 12. You can opt to present earlier or later, but the prof mentioned that she will factor in the extra time given in the grade if you're presenting on week 12.
Final Note
Grade distribution for test 1 was made visible, and the group project letter grade was also given to us. We got a B for the project, so things weren't looking very promising. My experience in this module (or lack thereof) may be inaccurate because I didn't go for any film screenings, I just watched them on my own, due to timetable clashes. I would recommend going for the screening of Bujang Lapok and Singapore Gaga (If they're still in the syllabus).
Expected grade: B+
Actual grade: A-
Reviewed by: ZH
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