I taught - 1998-2008 - a unit of study called Australian Cinema. The unit was first created by Tom O'Regan (to whom props), but everything here was written by me. (Tom taught Australian National Cinema - film in a political context; I taught types of Australian films - film as an art form.)
Apart from the contiguous classes - lecture and tutorials - the whole unit was effectively on the internet. Even the 'lectures' - which I prefer to think of as presentations - were on the net in outline form, and there were also were sets of questions for each tutorial.
After I retired (end 2008), no-one was appointed to replace me, and the unit was discontinued.
The approach I took to teaching Australian Cinema, and in writing the book which I used as the 'textbook' - Ten Types of Australian Film - was through genre, different types of film.
I have now restored to the Web the unit itself - as you see below - beginning with the 'about' file for the unit.
I have also put on this site what was called the Oz Film Database. This was created from work done for assessment by students taking the unit 1990-2008. Students were asked to research one Australian feature film. Fortunately, only two students have asked for their work to be taken down, so the rest remain. (One had become a lawyer, the other was my daughter!)
Murdoch University continued to maintain an ancient website - including the database - at the address wwwmcc.murdoch.edu.au, but it finally disappeared in the middle of 2022.
Fortunately, I kept the copy of the database which is available on this website, and which I am still improving, all these years later.
Garry Gillard, December 2010 | June 2019 | October 2022
This website contains everything you need to successfully engage with the Australian Cinema unit, apart from assessment by and, perhaps, the physical presence of Garry Gillard, who may be observed performing in lectures in BHLT Thursdays 0930, and in tutorials.
This is an unusual unit in some ways, perhaps the most noticeable of which is that most of the information which would be delivered in lectures in other units is to be got from the chapters of Ten Types of Australian Film, primary readings which for most weeks are to be read by you - not delivered or "read out". All of these chapters are provided in advance - like the readings - on this site, and you should get them from the website and read them before the weekly presentation. Presentations will be used to exemplify what is proposed in the chapters, as one of the main aims of this unit is to allow you to see (at least parts of) as many Australian feature films as is physically possible in twelve weeks.
Readings are also all available via this site, although many are in the Murdoch University Library ECMS (Electronic Course Materials Service), to access which you have to put in your username and password.
This site has grown like Topsy over many years, and as the fit takes me. I try to be consistent between the printed Study Guide and what I say in lectures and what's on the site, but, because different bits are written at different times, there WILL BE slips and errors. I'd be very grateful if you'd let me know straightaway if you see something that doesn't seem right.
The assessment requirements are especially important, so PLEASE let me know if there are any problems.
Any unit is a bunch of compromises, and I'm always trying to offer a better set of learning opportunities for you, so I'd love to hear from with any suggestions or criticisms you may have which may improve the unit. Do please email me with any comments at all.
Garry Gillard | New: 8 December, 2003 | Now: 10 November, 2023