American cinema is getting closer

The "Digest" project started at our university: under the guidance of teachers of the Foreign Languages Department, students translate articles from specialized magazines devoted to film production and discuss them in class. This allows them to learn about the latest American movies and improve their English.

In our time there is no a person who does not know about the "dream factory" called Hollywood. The film industry, which has existed here since the beginning of the 20th century, has produced thousands of films over the century, many of which have become known and loved throughout the world. Since its inception, the US cinema has begun to exert a great influence on the film industry of other countries. In many ways and today it is an example for national film studios all over the world.

But in detail to get acquainted with film production of America, to learn in practice about the tendencies of its development it is possible far not all. The specialized magazines published in the USA can help to fill this gap. At the initiative of the dean of the faculty of screen arts, Professor Viktor Budilov, the pedagogical collective of the Foreign Languages ​​Department of our University in the autumn of last year compiled a list of publications that cover the topical issues of the development of cinema and television. As a result, on digital versions of two of them - "American Cinematographer" (magazine for production operators) and "Student Filmmakers Magazine" (resource for beginner filmmakers), signed a subscription. Since then, students' acquaintance with the content of these monthly magazines, translating articles into Russian and discussing them in English during classes has become one of the most important tasks of the educational process.

Associate Professor Veronika Charskaya-Boyko was one of the first teachers of the department who started work on the project. Now she works as curator of the Center for the British Book, based in the library named after Michail Lermontov. An experienced teacher appreciated the new form of work used at the Department of Foreign Languages.

Now on the page of the Department of Foreign Languages on the website of our Institute there are four articles translated by students: "Preservation of the Heritage of Cinematography: Director, Producer and Operator Peter von Puttkamer on the Connection of Epochs" ("American Cinematographer", 2017, March), "Nominees for Independent Spirit Awards "(" American Cinematographer ", 2017, March)," Critical Look "(" American Cinematographer ", 2017, January) and" To the exact opposite "(" American Cinematographer ", 2017, January). The remaining articles, already translated and edited by the teachers, will also be available to all comers in the near future.

The project "Digest" became unusually in demand among both students and teachers. In it, the novelties of cinematography found useful for those who decided to connect their professional destiny with it. Also language training, the expansion and consolidation of specialized vocabulary is necessary for future filmmakers to enter the international level, take among foreign colleagues a worthy place . And, as a consequence, modern American cinema becomes closer and more understandable to the students of our University. An excellent beginning, we hope, will continue - for the benefit of all participants of the project.

Department of Information and Public Relations