This minicourse on film study can be a unit in English, in arts, or in the humanities. It can help to launch a film study course or complement an introduction to theater. Whatever form it takes, it helps to build a bridge to the student's media environment. Part one, the language of images, utilizes four films which demonstrate the basic elements of film language, "Sky,""Glass,""Olympia Diving Sequence," and "Very Nice, Very Nice." Part two, the creative use of actuality, introduces film in its documentary tradition. Part three, the varieties of film experience, discusses the short film as an excellent way to survey rapidly all the capabilities of the medium. Part four, narrative and film, discusses the strong narrative tradition which film inherited from literature, exploring that tradition in films that tell either an original story or one based on literature. Three films are used, "Stringbean,""Hangman," and "Masque of the Red Death." (TS)