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Mise-en-scene & Review | 2.24

http://www.fadedrequiem.com/zoetrope/?p=703

We went much deeper this evening with our discussion of mise-en-scene and reviewed for the midterm. Yes, the midterm exam which will take place next Wednesday. And a quick reminder, revised copies of your film reviews need to be emailed to me by midnight on Wednesday, March 17th.Aspects of mise-en-scene Setting

can become more than just a setting and influence character action color use of props

prop can become a motif (a reoccurring theme) – shower curtain in PSYCHO

Costume & Make-up

sometimes committed to authenticity of period of film can be stylized language system of costumes

Lighting 4 major features of lighting

quality – relative intensity of illumination (hard & soft light) direction - path of light from source to object lit

frontal lighting, sidelight, backlighting, edge or rim lighting, underlighting, top lighting

source – may use real light or studio lighting

key…
- Tags:
- Art of Cinema
- Notes
February 25 2010, 3:12pm | Comments »
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Cinematography & Sunset Blvd. | February 3rd

http://www.fadedrequiem.com/zoetrope/?p=677

The camera is a vital component to the system of film. It is the “how you see it” aspect. What began as a static method, cinematography has evolved into an art form. In addition, we watched one of the all time great films, Sunset Blvd. Cinematography

photographic aspects of the shot framing of shot duration of shot

photographic aspect filmmaker can control visual qualities by manipulating film stock, exposure, and developing process speed of motion – frames per second (fps)

silent era until sound was 16 to 20 fps to synchronize with sound it becomes 24 fps fewer fps = greater acceleration of screen action more fps = slower screen action – slow motion

the lens = focal length – distance from center of lens to point where light rays converge to a point of focus on film

short-focal-length (wide-angle) – exaggerates depth, show…
- Tags:
- Art of Cinema
- Notes
- cinematography
February 4 2010, 8:46pm | Comments »
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Form & Writing About Film | January 27th

http://www.fadedrequiem.com/zoetrope/?p=672

This evening we covered film form and writing about film. If you want to see more writing about films, check out the film review links on the sidebar. You can even visit my review site, Resonance. And yes, I am quite okay with you disagreeing with my reviews. Remember that reviews are opinions, and everyone will perceive a film in a different way. Form as System artistic form – mind never at rest, constantly seeking order & significance, testing world for breaks in habitual pattern

artworks rely on unifying quality of human mind

film has form – overall system of relations that we can perceive among elements in whole film

set of narrative elements – the story stylistic elements – way camera moves, patterns of color in frame, use of music mind wants to bring two elements together

Form versus Content exist together in…
- Tags:
- Art of Cinema
- Notes
January 28 2010, 10:35am | Comments »
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Introduction & Origins | January 13th

http://www.fadedrequiem.com/zoetrope/?p=648

Where do you start? You start with a rapid overview of the beginnings. It may not be pretty, but it’s effective.Preconditions for Motion Pictures

understand human eye and how it perceives motion – Zoetrope

critical flicker fusion & short-range apparent motion

capacity to project rapid series of images on a surface – magic lanterns use photography to make successive pictures – split second exposure print images on flexible base to pull through camera – George Eastman (1889) intermittent mechanism (shutter)

Contributors to Invention Thomas Edison & W.K.L. Dickson

Kinetograph & Kinetoscope (1891) Black Maria

Louis & Auguste Lumière

invented commercially viable projector – Cinématographe shot films @ 16 fps

R.W. Paul & Brit Acres

sold equipment rather than lease like Edison

If you want more information view Origins and Origins Continued We also created a listing for things to consider when discussing film. Although…
- Tags:
- History of Cinema
- Notes
January 14 2010, 7:49am | Comments »
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Volver & Review | June 29

http://www.fadedrequiem.com/zoetrope/?p=600

Volver was a nice way to end our class. Anything else to comment? Post a comment (for extra credit perhaps?) and voice your ideas. Now on to the important stuff. Exam Review You will be answering 5 out of 8 possible essay questions. Each questions will be worth 20 points for a possible 100 points. Each question can be answered in at least one well developed paragraph. Can someone besides a director be an auteur? Give examples. What is mise-en-scene? Give two example from a film viewed in class. Those were just two hints so you know what the essay questions will be like. You will have the entire 3 hours and 20 minutes to take the exam, but it should only really take about an hour or so.
- Tags:
- Art of Cinema
- Notes
- exam
June 30 2009, 2:54pm | Comments »
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Postmodern Film, Theory & All About My Mother | June 24

http://www.fadedrequiem.com/zoetrope/?p=596

A full evening of postmodernism, theory, and Almodóvar. Only two classes left! more on Postmodern Film pastiche blank parody – take skeletal form of work & place in new context without ridicule intertextuality organization of film industry – mass production to flexible indie production exemplify postmodern themes – dystopian sci-fi=loss of faith in idea of progress upset mainstream conventions of narrative structure & characterization aesthetic features (such as those mentioned with genre) Film Theory & Criticism (a rapid overview & listing – you can look up some of the ones that I do not focus on) classic film theory – designate specific value of cinema formalist (creationist) film theory – Rudolf Arnheim, Sergei Eisenstein, Bela Balazs

cinema more than “the feeble mechanical reproduction of real life” transforms and constructs reality the how of artistic expression – editing, cinematography

realist film theory – Andre Bazin,…
- Tags:
- Art of Cinema
- Notes
- criticism
- postmodern
- theory
June 26 2009, 1:32pm | Comments »
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Genre & Hot Fuzz | June 22

http://www.fadedrequiem.com/zoetrope/?p=573

How many genres? We discussed the idea of many, but does that water down our studies of genre and prove that each film is an individual entity? Frank McConell – 4 character types & 4 genres which correspond to 4 stage historical cycle of culture

King establishes the state – Epic Knight consolidates the state – Adventure Romance Pawn is trapped in the institutionalized state of laws – Melodrama Fool points out craziness of institutionalized state – Satire

a fifth stage he adds Apocalypse – breakdown into anarchy and decadence which requires establishment of new order – new cycle Thomas Schatz (Hollywood Genres) – Adopts thematic & ideological approach which gives 2 genres Genres of Order Genres of Integration (western, gangster, sci fi) (musicals, comedies, melodramas) Hero – Individual (male dominated) Hero – Couple or Collective, Family (female dominated) Setting – Contested space…
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- Art of Cinema
- Notes
- postmodern
- genre
- integration
- order
June 23 2009, 9:07pm | Comments »
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Iron Man & Genre | June 17

http://www.fadedrequiem.com/zoetrope/?p=556

Iron Man was a fun film, but could it be more? Use the comments to add possible ways that Iron Man could become an important film for academics to study. What topics or ideas could we discuss? Genre label or category Genre deals with our mitigation of shared characteristics and expectations. genre world – limited & predictable range of features in which our expectations are more likely to be fulfilled functions like a language genres two essential communicative functions

structures by those making meaning (filmmakers & spectators) discourses for us to talk about response to film (audiences & critics)

iconography – characteristic props, costumes, settings So how many genres are there? How can all “romantic comedies” be the same yet different? Next we talk about more about genre and enter the realms of postmodern cinema…and watch Hot Fuzz.
- Tags:
- Art of Cinema
- Notes
June 18 2009, 8:48pm | Comments »
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Kamikaze Girls & Narrative | June 15

http://www.fadedrequiem.com/zoetrope/?p=550

Kamikaze Girls was the first film that actually had some disparity in your evaluations, which is great. Not every film is a film you will like. How about the subcultures presented? Now on to narrative. Narrative cinema begins with the written word actualities (no narrative form) to documentary and “story” films narrative structure = story +plot plot – sequencing of events story – larger set of events (true chronological sequencing) linear plot – chronological classical narrative structures – viewer is aware of shaping of storyline, move towards resolution

use of flashbacks

formalistic narrative – author is overly manipulative to maximize thematic idea mixed up plot sequences – Pulp Fiction, Run Lola Run narrator & narrative point of view films have multiple authors – real vs. implied narrative POV

1st person – voice over, POV shots 3rd person – either we know everything or some…
- Tags:
- Art of Cinema
- Notes
- narrative
June 17 2009, 7:22am | Comments »
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Slumdog Millionaire & Sound | June 10

http://www.fadedrequiem.com/zoetrope/?p=514

What a great discussion we had after watching Slumdog Millionaire. I still do not know why there are not more cows or if the film portrays America in a bad light, do you? Why not post some comments, come on. You know you want to. Bonus points on the final to get you started perhaps? It’s your chance to say what you didn’t get to say in class, or perhaps something popped into your head later. On with the notes. Sound may not have been possible on early film, but by writing scores and having them played by a piano or organ during the film; its importance was demonstrated. Todays films rely heavily on sound to help the visual side of interpretation. Types of Sound

speech – dialogue (consider dialects and speech patterns)

automated dialogue replacement (ADR) -most dialogue is recorded at a later…
- Tags:
- Art of Cinema
- Notes
- sound
June 11 2009, 9:04pm | Comments »
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Acting & Editing | June 7

http://www.fadedrequiem.com/zoetrope/?p=502

We began reviewing lighting but quickly moved into acting and editing. Acting becomes design element

unique body language choreographing expression

histrionic – precise & exaggerated gestures in silent film

typage – actors and performances are visually stylized, suggest that character embodies a particular social or psychological type

social typage – actors expected to portray a typical representative of a social class or historical movement psychological typage – portray typical representative of mental state

visual mediation of performance – use of visual elements top affect how viewer understands a character (one way is using lighting)

approaches and methods method acting (Lee Strasberg) – actor seeks to portray a character by using personal experience & emotion as foundation for the portrayel technical approach – detached intellectual perspective, what seems right for the character characters have function and motivation – what is their purpose in the film…
- Tags:
- Art of Cinema
- Notes
- acting
- editing
- star
June 9 2009, 9:08pm | Comments »
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Let the Right One & Mise-en-scene | June 3

http://www.fadedrequiem.com/zoetrope/?p=485

Any other thoughts on Let the Right One In? If you do, leave a comment. After discovering the “how” of what you see, we enter the world of “what” you see. Everything within the frame is fair game as we look at mise-en-scene. Mise-en-scene

French term meaning “putting into the scene” usually planned by director George Méliès – 1st master of mise-en-scene

Aspects of mise-en-scene Setting

can become more than just a setting and influence character action color use of props

prop can become a motif (a reoccurring theme) – shower curtain in PSYCHO

Costume & Make-up

sometimes committed to authenticity of period of film can be stylized language system of costumes

Lighting 4 major features of lighting

quality – relative intensity of illumination (hard & soft light) direction – path of light from source to object lit

frontal lighting, sidelight, backlighting, edge or…
- Tags:
- Art of Cinema
- Notes
- acting
- costumes
- lighting
- mise-en-scene
- setting
June 4 2009, 8:48pm | Comments »