Fashion and Film

Study Programme

• The relationship between fashion and languages, the impact of new media, and the idea of “the medium is the message” form the conceptual framework of this course. The programme begins with an introduction to the module, the notion of “mass culture”, class orientation, and an explanation of the final assessment methods. It then develops an analysis of the transversal synergy between fashion, trends and visual languages, including styles, authors, case studies, emerging geographical trends, and the phenomenon of fashion films in relation to brands and industry “case histories”.
• Origins and avant-garde movements are explored, including Surrealism, German Expressionism, Cubism, Futurism and Dadaism, alongside their connections with other artistic movements, key authors, stylistic approaches, and core themes.
• Cinematic movements are studied from Italian Neorealism to American New Hollywood and the French Nouvelle Vague, as well as the Mexican school—from Iñárritu to del Toro—and key developments in Asian cinema, particularly Japan and South Korea, from the animation of Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli to the films of Bong Joon-ho.
• Focus on selected directors, including David Fincher, Wes Anderson, Michel Gondry, David Lynch, and Damien Chazelle, among others.
• Evolution of serial storytelling, with a focus on social media and digital platforms, as well as the analysis of music videos. The course traces the development of the music video language from its origins to the present day, highlighting hybridisation, cross-contamination, key creators and thematic evolution. It also examines the role of streaming platforms (Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV+, Amazon) and social media (TikTok and Instagram), as well as the intersection between politics and entertainment, the emergence of “pop politics”, and the rise of software culture.
• The relationship between cinema and advertising: evolution and mutual influence between photography and video art, from Andy Warhol and Pier Paolo Pasolini to Chris Cunningham.
• Analysis and evolution of serial language in relation to cinema, supported by relevant examples.
• Animation and visual effects: the Disney universe, the evolution of Pixar, and studios such as Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), with a focus on the relationship between technology, new professional roles, and major international festival circuits.
• External visits: subject to scheduling availability, there is the possibility of organising an external session at a cinema, including the screening of a film on the big screen followed by a guided discussion and critical analysis.

Learning Objectives

• To understand the relationship between fashion, media, and visual languages through the analysis of styles, directors, trends, and fashion films
• To explore avant-garde artistic movements and major cinematic schools, with a focus on their connections to fashion and contemporary culture
• To develop an in-depth understanding of filmmakers, narrative languages, television series, music videos, and advertising, examining their evolution, cross-media contamination, and the impact of new digital media
• To gain knowledge of the history and development of animation, visual effects, and visual technologies, including the possibility of an external screening session followed by a guided discussion in a cinema setting

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