Introduction to Film

Still feeling a bit awkward about what just happened, you join the crowd of students leaving the room. Your next class is a random elective you picked to fulfill the arts Gen Ed requirement that everyone in your year has. Intro to Film—you figure you can easily handle watching movies and bullshit your way through a paper or two about them.

You make your way to an open seat at the far back of the classroom. After dropping your bag, you take a look around you. The professor is a slim man with black hair and clear framed glasses that give him an artsy sort of look. The class seems to have a closer gender ratio than your last class—though there's still more women. Your eyes roving across all the seats, you notice the blonde barbie from your last class. What a lucky surprise! After ogling her tits for a few moments, you continue your search. Just a couple seats away from Rebecca, you spot a hot brunette decked head to toe in athleisure. Her crop top shows off a toned midriff, while her black yoga pants suggest the curves of a nice ass. Sadly, you can't get a good look as she's sitting down. She doesn't have a hair out of place, so you guess the workout clothes were more for Instagram than a sign that she hit the gym before class.

Clearing his throat, the professor finally speaks up. He has a slight accent that suggests somewhere around France. Your mind wanders (mostly daydreaming about the two girls you noticed) as he drones on—first about what film is, then about the early history of film. Then, something he says catches you and you snap back to attention.

"In fact, pornography is deeply tied to the history of film. The first public film screening was in Paris, in December of 1895. By the same time the next year, that primitive technology had already been used to create a pornographic film. _Le Coucher de la Mariee—_in English that would be Bedtime for the Bride—is the earliest known pornographic film. Now, perhaps by today's standards it would not be considered extremely graphic. It was essentially a striptease."

As he continues to drone on about early film history, you tune out his speech—his European accent makes his topic sound even more pompous. After what seems like an hour, the class has almost drawn to a close. The professor holds up a piece of paper.

"The first assignment will be a pair-based one. I will randomly assign you based on this roster I have in my hands. You will pick one of the early films that I spoke about today, watch it together, and write one page of your combined takeaways. I will start from the back of the class."

After just a few names, he reaches you.