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4. Film and New York City, Field Trip Assignment Guidelines

New York City offers an extraordinary number of resources and institutions devoted to exhibiting, studying, curating, preserving film, as well as entire industries that support filmmaking in the city.

On your own time during the semester, you are required to visit two film sites in New York City, and write two reports for each field trip that describe your experience at each site.

New York City Film Sites

• Museum of Modern Art Film. The museum has two theaters that screen films every day the museum is open. It is also the oldest film preservation center in New York and first US museum to exhibit films. Your CUNY ID card gets you free admission to the museum and to most film screenings. 11 West 53rd Street, Midtown, Manhattan.
• Library for Performing Arts, New York Public Library. There is a research center here, but the best part of this place is the circulating collection of DVDs. 40 Lincoln Center Plaza (111 Amsterdam Avenue), Midtown, Manhattan.
• Anthology Film Archives. A theater and research center focusing on independent, experimental, and avant-garde cinema, founded in 1970. 32 Second Avenue, East Village, Manhattan.
• Film-Makers Coop. The oldest and largest distributor of independent, experimental, and avant-garde film, founded in 1961. They program a small number of screenings and exhibitions around the city. 475 Park Ave South, 6th Floor, Midtown East, Manhattan.
• Light Industry. A venue for film and electronic art in Brooklynk that hosts screenings on most Tuesday evenings since 2008. 361 Stagg St, Suite 407, East Williamsburg, Brooklyn
• Museum of the Moving Image. A museum in Astoria, Queens, whose mission is to advance the understanding, enjoyment, and appreciation of the art, history, technique, and technology of film, television, and digital media. Founded in 1988. 36–01 35th Avenue, Astoria, Queens.
• Millennium Film Workshop. A self-proclaimed “world renowned” center for independent experimental film production and exhibition, with occasional screenings, founded in 1966. 167 Wilson Avenue, Bushwick, Brooklyn
• Maysles Documentary Center. Founded in 2005, this Harlem-based nonprofit organization committed to community, education, and documentary film, using filmmaking to amplify and expand under-represented artists and narratives, while empowering young filmmakers in creative self-expression, communicating ideas, and advocating needs. 343 Lenox Avenue (Malcolm X Boulevard), West Harlem, Manhattan
• Film at Lincoln Center. Founded in 1969, this is the home of the annual New York Film Festival. It hosts year-round film programming and discussions at its two venues: the Walter Reade Theater and the Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center. 65th Street between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue, Upper West Side, Manhattan.
• Spectacle Theater. Known for its $5 tickets, this is a volunteer-run screening space in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Programming runs seven days a week and includes overlooked works, offbeat gems, contemporary art, radical polemics, live performance and more. Founded in 2010. 124 South 3rd Street, Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
• Film Forum. Founded in 1970 as an alternative screening space for independent films, it screens new and retrospective films everyday. 209 West Houston Street, Greenwich Village, Manhattan.
• The Metrograph. A theater and restaurant (“The Commissary”) founded in 2016 that screens new and retrospective films. 7 Ludlow Street, Lower East Side, Manhattan.
• Firehouse at DCTV. Firehouse: DCTV’s Cinema for Documentary Film features first run, curated, repertory, masterclasses, family programs and more. 87 Lafayette Street, Chinatown, Manhattan.

Free and Discounted Admission

As a currently enrolled CUNY student, you can get free admission to the Museum of Modern Art by showing your valid ID at the ticket office. This applies for both admission to the museum and to the film screenings.

For other museums, you can get free admission through Culture Pass. You need to have a valid library account with the New York Public Library, Queens Public Library, or the Brooklyn Public Library. Conditions apply, including required advanced reservations.

Prompt

Write a report that describes your experience at one of these film sites.

• Why did you select this site? Provide two reasons.
• Have you been to this site before?
• Describe the neighborhood. What homes or businesses are around the site? Are there other cultural institutions?
• How does one access this site?
• Did someone greet you when you entered the site? Was the site accessible for visitors with physical impairments or non-English speakers?
• What film(s) did you watch, learn about, discuss, borrow, rent, buy?
• What was the site like in terms of its decoration?
• Did you go alone or with someone?
• Describe the patrons in attendance.
• Would you go back? Would you recommend this to someone

Specifications

Your report must be in paragraph form and address most of the topics listed in the prompt.

• Word count must be between 500 and 1,000 words
• Submit on Microsoft Teams using the Word document I attached to the assignment
• Include two photographs to illustrate your report, describing the images and their relevance to your report.
  • Images should be inline within the document.
  • Alternatively, you may attach the images to the Microsoft Teams assignment provided you clearly reference them in your report.
• Double space, include page numbers, use a “tasteful” typeface, include headings in the body of your report (as appropriate)
• Submit by deadline posted on Microsoft Teams