FILM STUDIES

 THE GOLDEN AGE - IT'S RISE AND FALL  Some say "The Golden Age" was the rise of the dominating "big five", still present today, and the epicentre to Hollywoods glamorous name. Others say "The Golden Age" was the epitome of cruel contracts signed to actors and the controversial "Hays Code" implemented within many films.  In the early 1920's, when studios such as 20th Century Fox, Paramount, Universal etc. where dominating the cinema's, the studio system became securely established. These studios rise to the top of the cinema food chain by being vertically integrated; as their names grew larger, these powerful studios gained the ability to produce, distribute and exhibit all of their films without the assistance of other companies, they consolidated all their films under their own production. By being vertically integrated, the "big five" were able to have far more control over the production process compared to other independ...

  Component 1 Section 1 -        -  Hollywood 1930-1990 (comparative study) The Golden Age or the classical era - Rise of studios around 1910 with the dominance of studios which are present today. -       -   By the 1920’s the “studio system” was securely established with the big five dominating film production. -         20 th  Century Fox, Universal, Paramount, MGM and Warner.    THE STUDIO SYSTEM   -         Powerful studios because they were vertically integrated  -         Produced, distributed and exhibited films -         Consolidated all production under their studio -         Studios focused one genre e.g. Western, Musical, Horror and Gangster  -         Compared to productions of Ford cars on...

  Synthesizing key elements of film form   Aim of the lesson is to bring key elements of film form together.   Focus:    -         Lighting, colour, mise-en-scene and editing.   Self-selected sequence   Rationale for the film choice   -         The live action Alice In Wonderland stood out to me as a film to focus on as the whimsical and fantasy genre of the film is incredibly amusing. The cinematography is extremely abstract and key elements of film form are used cleverly to draw out emotions from the spectator to feel related to Alice and her journey.    Contextualising your analysis – considering the key elements of film form, consider where the sequence comes in the narrative.   In Alice in Wonderland “the growing and shrinking scene”, key elements of film form are used successfully to portray the typical fantasy genre in which the film falls into by drawing o...

  EDITING:   Techniques   ·        The Kuleshov Effect is a well-documented concept in film making. Essentially the idea that the sequence of happenings effects how the character appears to the audience and the response from the spectator. The idea that by editing different things together it is possible to create meanings that didn’t exist in either of the images put together – constructing “sentences” and “texts” out of the film.    ·        Use of montage – a technique in film editing in which a series of short shots are edited into a sequence to condense space, time and information                        Compare the editing in Taken 3 and Three Colours Red; what is the feel of these two films when compared?      In Three Colours Red the spectator can notice a very slow pace of editing throughout the scene; the woman is being ...

 CINEMATOGRAPHY CONT... Previous lesson review: Lighting creates emotion - PL - backlighting creates a melancholic atmosphere.  Fish Tank - hand held camera represents the families chaotic conflict.  Motif of eyes in PL.  Canted angle in PL intro, reflecting something is not as it should be.  WORKING TITLE: With close reference to each film sequence, explore how cinematography as a key element of film form creates meanings and generates responses in the spectator.  The Diving Bell and the butterfly: (Shnabel, 2007) POV shot, the suspect becomes more closely related to the character as we see through his eyes.  Extreme close up of other characters face, forcing feelings of vulnerability and intimidation.  Pull focus and shallow depth of field creating a distorted visual experience for the spectator, we further relate to his tragic experience.  The pan camera movement allows the spectator to only see left and...

 OPENING SEQUENCE "PANS LABYRINTH" - Canted angle, dolly movement. Then a close up then extreme close up into his eye.  - Over the shoulder shot, showing what the character is looking at, transitioning into a point of view.  - Colour is used symbolically represents the duality of the two worlds.  - Birds eye shot to establish the landscape/setting.  - Lower angle to view mother, we see Ofelia at eye level (she ultimately drives the narrative).  - Ofelia as "spectator".  - The beginning of the sequence, movement to the left signifies going back in time.  FISH TANK - Handheld camera movement, reflecting low budget, emphasising the deprivation of the family (aesthetic). Shaky camera movement mirrors the chaotic nature of real life, people and issues.  - Contrapuntal music. 

 CINEMATOGRAPHY  The micro-features, Introduction and shot sizes: Their are four main micro-features in film studies: Cinematography (including lighting) Mise-en-scéne  Editing Sound  These elements, when combined, give the film a certain "look" or "feel" - this area of film studies is known as the AESTHETICS.  CINEMATOGRAPHY: Camera movement  Shot size  Camera angle  SHOT SIZES: XLS, Extreme long shot LS, Long shot  MLS, Medium long shot  MS, Medium shot  MCU, Medium close up CU, Close up  BCU, Big close up  XCU, Extreme close up CAMERA MOVEMENTS: Pan - The camera can only go left and right. Tracking - The WHOLE camera is moving with the focus of the subject.  Tilt - camera mounted on the tripod, pointing the lens up or down. Dolly - Wheeled device moving on the ground with the camera mounted.  Zoom - Zoom in or out, camera doesn't move, adjustment of lens.  Crane - Camera on a crane/drone, moving up or dow...