film exam 3 Flashcards
(117 cards)
1
Q
three approaches to editing
A
- classical continuity editing
- formal montage
- disjunctive editing
2
Q
classical continuity editing
A
- rhythm
- time
- narrative coherence
- invisibility
3
Q
classical continuity editing (rhythm)
A
- directors that have lost narrative coherence through mis en scene, can save the film’s rhythm through editing
4
Q
classical continuity editing (time)
A
- editing can be used to expand and compress time, just as cinematographers can use lenses compress and expand space
- scenes can be lengthened or shortened
- actor’s performances can be improved through selective cutting
5
Q
classical continuity editing (narrative coherence)
A
- most essential part of classical editing
- story is told by making judicious choices of the best images and sounds.
6
Q
classical continuity editing (invisibility)
A
- editing is often referred to as “the invisible art”
- the creation of an illusion of continuous action, even though the film is made up of different kinds of shots.
7
Q
formal montage
A
- Kuleshov effect
- Formalist Soviet Montage
8
Q
formal montage (Kuleshov effect)
A
- the discovery that editing could be used to create meaning other than through the strict classical continuity approach
- discovered by Lev Kuleshov in the late 1910’s.
- paired a shot of an actor’s facial expression with three different shots including a bowl of soup, an attractive woman, and an old woman in a coffin.
- showed three different emotions with one shot
- called the Kuleshov effect
9
Q
formal montage (formalist Soviet montage)
A
- editing theory created by Sergei Eisenstein
- took Kuleshov’s theory to another level
- believed that there should be a dynamic collision between antithetical shots to present new meanings
- not necessarily for continuity, but for construction of new meaning
- relates shots by subject, theme, and/or mood
- Koyanosquatsi (1982) is a famous film touching on the impact of humans on the world through graphic and thematic means
10
Q
Disjunctive editing
A
- first appeared during the Nouvelle Vague (French New Wave)
- Directors such as Jean Luc Godard and Francois Truffait mixed classical Hollywood Cinema techniques of linear editing along with radical anti-classical techniques.
- were more self-reflexive forms of editing where editing was not invisible and were apparent
- non-linear editing approach
11
Q
concepts of continuity editing
A
- establishing a shot
- shot and reverse shot
- reaction shots
- parallel editing
- inserts and cut-ins
- 30-degree rule
- 180-degree rule and crossing the line
- flashbacks and flash-forwards
- pace
12
Q
establishing a shot
A
- a shot, typically a wide shot
- establishes the setting and spacial relations among actors and objects in a scene
13
Q
shot and reverse shot
A
- shots that alternate between two or more characters
- often in conversation
14
Q
parallel editing
A
- alternating shots of action from different locations all happening at the same time
15
Q
inserts and cut-ins
A
- usually closer shots that interrupt a wider shot providing information or emphasis
- example: during a long shot, an actor looks down at her desk to see a close up of a phone
16
Q
30-degree rule
A
- rule of thumb stating that the camera angle must change by at least 30 degrees when cutting to another angle
- if less than 30 degrees, cut will be noticeable
17
Q
180-degree rule
A
- continuity is maintained when cutting between two actors
- only when left to right relationship is maintained
18
Q
flashbacks and flash-forwards
A
- cutting a scene or sequence in the past or jumping ahead to the future
19
Q
pace
A
- the rhythm of editing, whether fast or slow
- important since it is the most musical of editing characteristics
20
Q
transitions between shots
A
- cut
- match cut
- jump cut
- fade in and fade out
- dissolve
- wipe
- freeze frame
21
Q
cut
A
- a direct change from one shot to another
22
Q
match cut
A
- a change from one shot to another where spatial and temporal relations are maintained
- invisible to the audience
- common match cuts: eye-line match, action match, and graphic match
23
Q
jump cut
A
- a change between shots where spatial and temporal relations are not maintained
- audience is made aware of the mismatch
24
Q
cut
A
- a direct change from one shot to another
25
match cut
- a change from one shot to another where spatial and temporal relations are maintained
- invisible to the audience
- common match cuts: eye-line match, action match, and graphic match
26
jump cut
- a change between shots where spatial and temporal relations are not maintained
- audience is made aware of the mismatch
27
fade in and fade out
- a cut where the shot turns darker until it becomes black (fade out) or turns from black to an image
28
dissolve
- a transition from one shot to another where the new image is temporarily superimposed as the original image fades
29
master scene
- shooting the entire scene, called the master, in a long shot
- next shoot the entire scene again with medium shots, and then again with close ups of each principle actor's dialogue or reactions
- shots are called coverage
- advantageous because one gets many different angles and shot sizes within a scene for more choices during editing
- allows editor to choose the best takes from a scene
- disadvantageous because it calls for much planning and actions must be repeated identically for continuity
- improvisation is more difficult
30
freeze frame
- a moving image transforms into a still image
31
shooting strategies for continuity
- master scene
- shot by shot
- triple-take
32
master scene
- shooting the entire scene, called the master, in a long shot
33
shot by shot
- scenes are carefully planned or storyboarded
- most flexible approach
- disadvantageous because there may not be enough footage and mismatches can occur
- highly skilled directors needed to envision what shots are needed within the editing process
34
triple-take technique
- commonly used in documentary films
- illustrates how a particular event or controlled process takes place
- breaks complicated action or longer scenes into three consecutive shots.
- main idea is to overlap the action at the beginning and end of each shot
- Joseph mascelli's "The five c's of cinematography" describes this
- action at end of first shot begins the second and so on to provide perfect matching
- disadvantages: editor can end up with a collection of distracting angles and shot sizes that lack mood or thematic value
35
What defines a director's directorial tendencies?
- approaches that can be applied to any of the style and personal vision categories
- realism vs formalism
- montage vs mis-en-scene
- invisible vs self-reflexive
36
abstract ideas and internal state of beings
- what director's or auteurs strive to visualize regarding certain aspects of the human experience
- an attempt to go beyond realism of photography and bring out a special meaning or illumination
37
What defines a director's style and personal vision?
- choice of genre or narrative interest
- recurrent themes (world view)
- camera style (composition, framing, movement, lighting)
- editing style and mis-en-scene
38
What defines a director's directorial tendencies
- approaches that can be applied to any of the style and personal vision categories
- realism vs formalism
- montage vs mis-en-scene
- invisible vs self-reflexive
39
Carol Reed
- British filmmaker (1906-1876)
40
Carol Reed Stylistic signature
- novelistic filmmaker
- most preferred his films over their source novels
- transformed poorly drawn novel characters into living, breathing people with real complicated lives
- directed great performances
- preferred real locations (realism), but used camera and lighting in expressionistic ways.
- highly effective use of mood and atmosphere
- interesting camera angles
- including dutch tilt in "The third man"
41
Carol Reed World View
- people are highly complicated and not predictable
- there are mostly grey areas in life, makes conflict difficult to resolve. no easy answers.
- things usually don't work out. life is often disappointing.
- very mature world-view
42
Carol Reed significant films
"odd man out"
"the fallen idol"
"the third man"
"oliver"
43
Frederico Fellini
- Italian director (1920-1993)
44
Frederico Fellini Stylistic Signature
- juxtaposition: juxtaposed reality against constructed situations for ironic effect.
- placed objective and subjective views of the character side by side so that we are aware of the difference
- minimized traditional drama or tranformed it
- preferred episodic stories
- explored the thin line between beauty from grotesque
- celebrated the power of imagination in the life of his characters
45
Ozu, Yasujiro sylistic signature
- formal closed framing
- very little camer movement
- avoided over the shoulder shots
- emphasis on cinematography (the permanent)
- emphasis on the particular, not the general (as in Haiku poetry)
- gestures are important
- family as a subject of interest
- conflicts that develop between personal desire and societal demands
- transitions that create conflict (growing up, marriage, cultural evolution)
- strong female characters
- transition shots are punctuated moments of contemplation.
- strong graphic elements utilizing lines, space, and form, weight and balance
- narrative ellipses, nothing is spelled out
- major events usually occur off screen
- showed slower and less dramatic pace of life
- camera usually three feet high, at level of his seated characters
46
Frederico Fellini significant films
"La Strada"
"La Dolce Vita"
"8 1/2"
"Armacord"
47
Ozu, Yasujiro
- Japanese director (1903-1964)
48
Ozu, Yasujiro sylistic signature
- formal closed framing
- very little camer movement
- avoided over the shoulder shots
- emphasis on cinematography (the permanent)
- emphasis on the particular, not the general (as in Haiku poetry)
- gestures are important
- family as a subject of interest
- conflicts that develop between personal desire and societal demands
- transitions that create conflict (growing up, marriage, cultural evolution)
- strong female characters
- transition shots are punctuated moments of contemplation.
- strong graphic elements utilizing lines, space, and form, weight and balance
- narrative ellipses, nothing is spelled out
- major events usually occur off screen
- showed slower and less dramatic pace of life
- camera usually three feet high, at level of his seated characters
49
Ozu, Yasujiro world view
- life is sad so we must react to events with calm acceptance
- things are transient, and life is impermanent.
- the cycle of nature mirrors the cycle of life.
50
Ozu, yasujiro significant films
"early summer"
"tokyo story"
"late spring"
"late autumn"
51
Michelangelo Antonioni
- italian director (1912-2000)
52
Michelangelo Antonioni stylistic signature
- focused on character and theme
- very little plot and minimal drama
- explored characters in stasis
- ungrounded, de-centered, and lack of purpose
- resist simple interpretation, highly complex
- environment is in counterpoint to the characters
- meaning expressed principally through cinematography
- self-reflexive view
- long takes with unusual compositions, framing, and editing strategies
53
Michelangelo Antonioni world views
- people retain rigid morality of primitive age and are unable to adapt to the complexity of the modern world
- objects and machines of modern world are often more interesting than people
- people are so empty spiritually, that they are principally motivated to pursue money and sex as a way to fill their emptiness.
- when fulfillment is not reached they wonder why
54
Michelangelo Antonioni significant films
```
"cronace di un amore
"l'ayventura"
"la notte"
"L'eclisse"
"blow-up"
```
55
Zhang, Yimou
- Chinese director (1951- )
56
Zhang, Yimou stylistic signature
- focus on character and theme
- very little plot and minimal drama, often ambiguous endings
- one of the most versatile of major directors
- moves between formalism and realism with great dexterity
- creates films from a single image-idea that informs the genre, dramatic structure, color and overall visual style of each film
- emphasizes the transient and impermanent nature of life.
- this view, same as Ozu's, is one of the great contributions of Asian Cinema
- bold, lush cinematography, rich in color and texture.
- emphasizes female beauty
- breaks cultural and traditional rules of visual arts
- asymmetrical framing often apparent
57
Zhang, Yimou world view
- words are finite but the heart is infinite
- women, and in particular, the desires of women, are a powerful force of nature
- resilience and stubbornness are necessary for survival in the face of adversity and hardship
58
Zhang, Yimou significant films
```
"red gorghum"
"ju don"
"raise the red lantern"
"to live"
"the road home"
"the story of qui ju"
"hero"
"the house of flying daggers"
```
59
three perspectives of performance
- philosophies of acting
- styles of acting
- categories of actors
60
philosophies of acting
- how an actor should be trained and what techniques to be applied in the creation of a character
61
styles of acting
- what style of acting is needed within the context of the genre
- one style is better for comedy as opposed to a drama
62
categories of acting
- how the star system can expand or limit an actors' range
63
Technical approach to acting
- identified along with a British theatrical tradition of acting
- external
- outside-in
- intellectual understanding of character
- emphasis on the body and creation of the movements of the character
- correct physical actions lead to correct emotional reactions
- for training: be obervant of physical actions and accents of different people.
- many devoted to the training of voice and mastery of body movements
64
Method approach to acting
- American style of acting based on the teachings of Constantin Stanislavsky
- internal
- inside-out
- emotional understanding of the character
- emphasis on the emotional history of character
- correct emotion within actor will lead to correct physical reaction
- for training: development of a rich sense memory of different emotions
65
rational actor
- plans out every detail of voice intensity, movement and gesture
66
Technical approach to acting
- identified along with a British theatrical tradition of acting
67
Method approach to acting
- American style of acting based on the teachings of Constantin Stanislavsky
68
Constantin Stanislavsky
- originator of the ideas that resulted in the method approach to acting
- greatest discovery was the nexus
69
Stanislavsky's nexus
- concept that describes how the actors body can function as the link that brings all of his or her past experiences of taste, touch, sight, smell and sound together.
- this link enables active retrieval of one's inner emotional life at will
- actors can draw on these experiences to bring out the emotions necessary for a scene
- lee strasburg said "the emotions are hung on the strings of the five senses"
70
representational acting
- creates the complete illusion that he or she is the character being performed.
- actor is giving a representation of real life that would continue on even if the audience were not present
- suits realistic films
- style most often seen
71
presentational acting
- embraces theatricality
- not concerned with realism
- mostly associated with Greek and Shakespearean dramas.
- goal is to intensify and heighten conflicts and emotions of characters so they stand out from real life
72
clearest distinction between representational and presentational acting, according to Stanley Kahan
- representational acting is centered on the other actors in the play and within the area of the stage itself
- presentational acting tends to be audience-centered, with continual awareness of the existence of the audience as the focal point of the action.
73
categories of actors
- leads
- supporting (characters)
- non-professional performers
- extras
74
lead actors
- men and women who are usually cast in the principal roles of the film
- most often these actors are stars as well, but occasionally character actors will be cast in lead roles
- very often lead stars will play supporting roles and character actors will try lead roles to become leading actors
75
character actors
- usually play secondary or supporting characters
- often typecast because of specific appearance
- often recognizable but name is unknown
76
non-professional performers
- people with no professional training are chosen for their naturalism or representative types
- unknown famous people
- major sports figures, pop-stars, jounalists, politicians, etc..
77
extras
- actors cast in non-speaking parts in order to enhance the realism of the film
- often called background actors
78
types of star actors
- personality star
| - actor star
79
personality star
- actors play limited roles that fit closely to their public persona
- brings public history to their performances that provide the basis of audience identification
- ex: ben stiller, harrison ford, cameron diaz, clint eastwood, bruce willis
80
what is art direction?
- to create the world that the character will inhabit
- the world will reflect and show the state of the character and provide info without the use of expository dialogue
- helps the audience to get a feel for the character
81
Robert Bresson's style of directing
- highly exacting approach to acting
- disliked technical and emotional techniques, saying they were inherently dishonest
- used nonprofessional actors
- worked with them only once
- didn't see them as actors, rather they were models
- would exhaust his actors with multiple takes to bring out genuine movement and emotion
- flat style but intriguing
- similar to Ozu
- called transcendental style
82
Production designer or Art director
- at the most basic level, the people and physical objects of the world will be the subjects that need to be photographed
- production designer makes sure these people and objects are interesting
- creates the world for the actors to inhabit
- the world will support the overall theme in addition to character and plot
- the name production designer is usually given for historical periods and those sets needing great stylizations
83
early film theory
- film tended to be looked at as either a realist or formalist perpective
- asked questions of :
- what are the raw material of film
- what are the methods and techniques that shape the raw material
- what are the forms and shapes ex: what kinds of films have been made and what kinds of films might be possibly made
- what is the purpose and value of film
84
production designer's team
- art director: functions as a PD on smaller productions
- set designer: essentially a draughtsman for the interior sets
- set construction: carpenter that builds sets
- set decorator: set dressers, arrange ojects
- painters: for sets and backdrops
- costume designer: designs and selects costumes
- costumer: makes sure the costumes are made properly
- make-up artist: make up or prosthetics
- hair stylist: hair continuity
- property master: in charge of items handled by actors
- model maker: makes miniature models for shot planning
- greens department: in charge of plants, trees, etc.
85
first film theorists: Hugo Munsterberg
- a gestalt psychologist
- argued that the illusory nature of film is the most salient characteristic
- art of mind: how the mind constructs a complete perception out of separate sensations were of interest to him
86
first film theorists: Rudolf Arnheim
- background in art criticism and perceptual psychology
- material limitations are utilized to create the perfect illusionism
- disapproved of sound
- called the 1920's silent era the perfect form
- he said sound ruined the art of film
87
first film theorists: Sergei Eisenstein
- russian constructivist who studied engineering
- each shot is a building block with which the content must be totally controlled
- cinema art is achieved through the montage
- realism is important
- artistic creation through montage is the goal of the art of film
88
first film theorists: realists
- siegfried kracauer
| - andre bazin
89
first film theorists: siegfried kracauer
- believed that the appropriate content for cinema was the real "photographic world"
- form is much less important
- fascinated by how the physical world looked more interesting and important through photography
- wrote book called "theory of film: the redemption of physical reality"
90
first film theorists: Andre Bazin
- most influential of all early theorists
- also a major film critic of the 1930-50s
- valued documentary realism and mis-en-scene over montage
- enduring contribution is his emphasis on the importance of the director as the auteur.
91
film theorists: realists
- siegfried kracauer
| - andre bazin
92
film theorists: siegfried kracauer
- believed that the appropriate content for cinema was the real "photographic world"
- form is much less important
- fascinated by how the physical world looked more interesting and important through photography
- wrote book called "theory of film: the redemption of physical reality"
93
film theorists: Andrew Bazin
- most influential of all early theorists
- also a major film critic of the 1930-50s
- valued documentary realism and mis-en-scene over montage
- enduring contribution is his emphasis on the importance of the director as the auteur.
94
Contemporary film theory
- film theory has become almost exclusively the province of academia
- film theory is highly specialized and there is an agreement on the complexity of film as an art
- more specialized, rather than grand theories
95
Robert Warshow, James Agee, Otis Ferguson
- film critics writing for popular magazines
- wrote on which movies were worthwhile
- said that American cinema was still very artistically immature compared to Europe and Asia
96
1950s vibrant film culture
- American film benefited from the influx of international films
- art theaters developed providing artistic international film to the masses
- was an era of innovation
- inspired writers and filmmakers
97
important critics of the 1950's and 1960's: intellectuals
- dwight macdonald
- stanley kauffman
- john simon
98
important critics 1950s intellectuals: dwight macdonald
- defined audiences and films in terms of tastes they appealed to
- high brow: highly educated audience with exacting taste
- middle brow: the informed mostly college educated audience
- low brow: non-college educated audience
99
important critics of 1950s: populists
- andrew sarris: introduced and promoted auteurism to the US, tried to revive the studio era
- pauline kael: most influential of all time
- never went to a film more than once
- feared movies were becoming too high-brow
- accused of liking alot of trashy movies
- liked movies that inspired the younger generation
100
important critics 1950s intellectuals: john simon
- most austere and critical of all
| - emphasized the influence of drama and fiction
101
important critics of 1950s: cross-overs
- Manny farber: a writer, painter, and professor at ucsd
| - one of the most original and passionately engaged critics
102
important critics of 1950s: populists
- andrew sarris
| - pauline kael
103
the sarris- kael controversy
- Sarris wrote a book of auteurism and pointed out the rating of popular directors
- he marked directors with strong world views over directors with stronger individual films
- Kael and Sarris argued over this in many popular journals
- helped bring out that idea that style alone was not the key to great films. more is needed for great filmmaking
104
three films considered the best on sights and sounds list
1. Vertigo
2. Citizen Kane
3. Tokyo Story
105
sound in early silent films
- silent films never really silent
- always had music.
- some theaters had sound effects
- vitaphone system: vinyl phonograph recording that ran in sync with the film
- Warner bros. released "The Jazz Singer" in 1927
- this ended the silent era
106
Elements of Film Sound
- diagetic sound
| - non-diagetic sound
107
diagetic sound
- sound from a source within the world of the film
| - ex. dialogue, radio, rain
108
non-diagetic sound
- sound that does not come from the world of the film
| - ex. soundtrack
109
speech
- dialogue
| - narration
110
sound effects
- the physical world: rain, fire, thunder, usually created by Foley artists
- people: walking, running, opening doors, starting cars, airplanes
111
ambient sounds
- location sounds: muffled conversation, creaking hardwood floors
112
two ways musical scores function
- to provide structural rhythms, or to stimulate emotions
113
silence
- dramatic silence: creating an awareness of the lack of sound
114
anatomy of soundtrack
contemporary theaters are equipped with one or more sound systems
- digital sound track
- analog sound track
- DTS (time code for audio cd)
- SDDS track
115
two ways musical scores function
- to provide structural rhythms, or to stimulate emotions
| -
116
creative uses of music in film
- providing transition
- setting tone of film
- providing a sense of time and place
- describing a character
- dramatizing dialogue
- building dramatic tension
- foreshadowing events
- narrating an inner story
- providing meaning to visual images
- covering weaknesses in the narrative
117
transitions in sound editing: what to listen for
- transitions provide continuity or discontinuity and direct the viewers attention when cutting into new shot
- shot A ends, sound 1 ends then shot B begins, sound 2 begins
- sound dissolve: as shot A and sound 1 ends, sound 2 begins and fades into shot B
- as shot A becomes shot B, the sound overlaps into shot B
- sound for shot B begins long before shot B actually begins
- a single sound is used to connect several shots
