Assignment task:
Option 1: How does Devil in a Blue Dress both adhere to and deviate from the conventions of noir? How do its deviations become a means of critiquing the noir genre's tropes (e.g., centering themes, spaces, and characters that are sometimes marginalized in more conventional versions of the genre)? To make your argument, choose a specific scene from Devil in a Blue Dress and analyze it in relation to the concepts in the reading and lectures. The best responses will avoid just repeating what's in the lecture. Rather, they will take the concepts from the lecture(s) and use them to illustrate their own example from Devil in a Blue Dress.
Option 2: In the Air is set in southern Ohio, in the town of Portsmouth, where Johnson grew up. Her film offers an unusual portrayal of rural, midwestern settings in movies, which are more often set in cities or suburbs, while more isolated, agricultural or rural settings are fewer and far between. How is rural life often represented? How does In the Air intervene into more typical representations of contemporary life in rural America? Consider how the film uses form, including cinematography, to construct locations like the industrial streets, an everyday living room, fast food restaurant, field, and school. How does In the Air set up a contrast between ordinary life in this location, versus the vibrant performance of the Cirque d'Art circus school? Drawing from the interview with Johnson, Analyze a scene to make your case, and consider Johnson's discussion of participatory filmmaking.