The British Film Institute has created an online course looking in detail at the birth of cinema in late
Victorian times 1895-1901. Their expert guides (Bryony Dixon, Mark Reid, Gemma Starkey) will make you:
- Investigate the late Victorian period in Britain. Unravel and discuss common myths about the era, and examine what Victorian films reveal about the society that produced them.
- Examine how film became a key medium to explore the rapidly-changing Victorian world; both at home and abroad. Discover why a phantom ride isn’t as scary as it sounds, and have the opportunity to make your own to share with peers.
- Explore the Victorian imagination and learn about what audiences watched and why. Watch and examine a wide variety of films from comedies and trick films to serious dramas and adaptations.
- Draw parallels with the visual spectacles available in Victorian period and our own multimedia landscape.
- Programme a dynamic play bill for a Victorian audience and explain your choices.
The course is free and you can join it here
