Movie Lessons

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Movie Lessons
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Lists Used for Rankings

• American Film Institute AFI
• Determined by 1,500 leaders of the industry
• Time Magazine All-Time 100 Movies
• Two film critics opinions, not ranked though
• Entertainment Weeklys 100 Greatest Movies of All
  Time
• Written by Ty Burr in 1999
• They Shoot Pictures, Dont They TSPDT
• Based on 1,320 critics and filmmakers top-10
  lists
• Also factors in over 300 magazine polls, film
  institute polls, and many others of interest
• Internet Database or IMDb.com
• Based entirely on popularity with the fans
• Fans rate films online and it gets averaged

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I. Analyzing Film

• To analyze, we must be totally immersed in the
  experience of the film, but also keep a high
  level of objectivity and critical detachment.
• A. Film is a collaborative effort.
• B. We must let go of our prejudices and
  misconceptions.
• Dont dismiss certain genres.
• Be willing to venture outside the norm.
• Be flexible on what a movie is supposed to be.
• Dont be too rigid when setting up criteria for a
  good film.
• Dont over-respond to individual elements or
  certain ones pertaining to the film.
• Ex. I love all Harrison Ford movies. Sex and
  Violence
• Dont expect too much from a film.
• Ebert, Its not what the move is about that
  makes it good or bad, but how it is about it.
• C. What is the proper environment to view films?
• Consider keeping a movie journal.

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II. Theme

• What is the unifying central idea of the film?
• A. Focus on Plot
• Action and adventure films focus on what happens
  (Gladiator, Spider Man, and Star Wars)
• B. Focus on Emotional Effect or Mood
• Create feelings for the viewer.
• Horror, Drama, Comedy, and Romance (The Shining,
  Shawshank Redemption, Borat, and The Notebook)
• C. Focus on Character
• Developing the main figures of the film. (Ray,
  Raging Bull, and Walk the Line)
• D. Focus on Style, Texture, or Structure
• Films that go for a unique look, feel, rhythm,
  atmosphere, tone, or organization. (Pulp Fiction,
  Raising Arizona, Fargo, Natural Born Killers)

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II. Theme cont.

• E. Focus on Ideas
• Films that clarify some aspect of life,
  experience, or the human condition.
• 1. Moral Implications (Crash)
• 2. The Truth of Human Nature (Groundhog Day,
  Shane, Deliverance)
• 3. Social Problems (Do the Right Thing)
• 4. The Struggle of Human Dignity ( On the
  Waterfront, Schindlers List, Rocky)
• 5. The Complexity of Human Relationships (When
  Harry Met Sally, Brokeback Mountain)
• 6. Coming of Age/Loss of Innocence/Growing
  Awareness (Almost Famous, Finding Nemo, Sixteen
  Candles)
• 7. A Moral or Philosophical Riddle (Fight Club
  and Being John Malkovich)
• Some Films have more than one theme
• Some contain less important points of emphasis
  motifs.
• Is the Theme universal?

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Citizen Kane, 1941

• Written, produced, and directed by Orson Welles
  (age 26)
• Also starring Welles
• His 1st feature film
• War of the Worlds radio broadcast
• Portrayed Charles Foster Kane with flashbacks and
  narration
• Loosely based on William Randolph Hearst
• The movie is shown in fragmented scenes of Kanes
  life
• Like a puzzle, trying to figure out Kane
• What or Who was rosebud?
• Innovations in the film
• Most of the film was made in deep focus.
• Everything in the scenes is in focus
• Use of low-angle shots

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Citizen Kane, 1941

• The film was not a box office hit.
• Hearst tried to stop its release.
• Some claim he had Welles blacklisted from
  Hollywood
• Nominated for 9 Oscars, it only won one for Best
  Screenplay.
• 1 film on AFIs 100 Greatest Movies list in 1997
  and 2007.
• Rosebud was the 17 on AFIs 100 Movies100
  Quotes list.
• Orson Welles was named the 16 Greatest Film
  Legend by AFI.
• TSPDT List 1
• EW List 2
• Time Magazine Top 100 Film
• IMDb.com List 24

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Citizen Kane Response Questions

• 1. What is the theme or themes of the film?
• 2. Did you enjoy the film? Why or why not?
• 3. Do you think this is a great movie? Why or why
  not?
• 4. Should this be rated 1 all time? Why or why
  not?
• Welles in later life

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III. Fictional and Dramatic Elements

• A. The Elements of a Good Story
• It has a unified plot
• The story is credible
• Externally Observable Truths It shows the way
  things really are.
• Internal Truths of Human Nature It shows the way
  things are supposed to be.
• Artistic Semblance of Truth The way things never
  were and never will be.
• B. A Good Story is Interesting
• Suspense and Action
• C. A Good Story is Both Simple and Complex
• D. A Good Story Handles Emotional Material with
  Restraint

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III. Fictional and Dramatic Elements cont.

• E. The Significance of the Title
• F. Dramatic Structure
• Linear, or Chronological Structure
• Exposition, complication, climax, and resolvement
  (denouement)
• Nonlinear Structure
• In medias res, flashbacks, and flash forwards
• Endings Fine-Tuning the Denouement
• G. Conflict
• External or internal
• H. Characterization
• Static or Dynamic Characters
• I. Allegory
• J. Symbolism
• K. Irony

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IV. Analyzing Visual Design

• A. On Color Versus Black and White
• How does it affect the mood? Is it the correct
  choice for the story? The Wizard of Oz vs.
  Schindlers List
• Are there any special color effects used to
  achieve a unique look? Minority Report
• Smooth or rough-grain film stock
• B. On Screen Format (Aspect Ratio)
• Was the film originally shot for standard screens
  or widescreen?
• Standard, widescreen, Cinemascope, and Panavision
• Would the film be the same in the other aspect
  ratio?

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IV. Analyzing Visual Design cont.

• C. On Production Design/Art Direction
• How important is the set or location?
• Was the film made mainly on a set or on location?
• Do the settings enhance or underscore the film?
• Is the setting too powerful? (The Last Samurai)
• Is the setting convincing enough for a period
  piece, a fantasy, or a science fiction?
• Could this story take place somewhere else?
• Why did the filmmaker choose one particular
  location?
• Is the setting symbolic?
• D. On Costume and Makeup Design
• Do these help actors get into character?
• Does makeup enhance the natural appearance or
  significantly transform it?
• E. On Lighting
• Is the lighting (1) direct, harsh, and hard (2)
  medium and balanced (3) soft and diffused?
• Does the lighting seem natural or artificial?
• Does the lighting contribute to the overall
  emotional attitude or tone of a film?

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V. Cinematography and Special Visual Effects

• A. The Importance of the Visual Image
• Visual elements are the primary and most powerful
  means of communication
• B. The Cinematic Film
• 1. Is the film cinematic?
• Keep the image alive and in motion
• Sets up clear, crisp, and aural rhythms
• Gives an illusion of depth
• Uses other special properties of the medium
• 2. Does the cinematography create clear, power,
  and effective images?
• C. Cinematic Points of View
• 1. Objective camera as a sideline observer
• 2. Subjective camera as a participant in the
  action (direct involvement of the audience)
• 3. Indirect-subjective not a participants point
  of view, but its really close to the action
• 4. Directors interpretive viewers are
  consciously aware of the directors desire to
  show action in an unusual way

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V. Cinematography and Special Visual Effects cont.

• D. Elements of Cinematic Composition
• 1. Draw attention to central objects
• Size, closeness, sharpness, movement, and camera
  angles
• Close-ups, arrangements, framing, lighting, and
  color
• 2. Keep images in motion
• Fixed-frame movement, panning and tilting, zoom
  lens, rack focus, deep focus, three-dimensional
  arrangement of people/objects, foreground
  framing, special lighting, and the use of
  reflections

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V. Cinematography and Special Visual Effects cont.

• E. Specialized Cinematic Techniques
• 1. Handheld Camera
• 2. Camera Angles
• 3. Color, Diffusion, and Soft focus
• 4. Special Lenses
• 5. Fast and Slow Motion
• 6. Special Lighting Effects
• F. Movie Magic Special Visual Effects in the
  Modern Film
• 1. Matte and glass shots from old movies
• 2. Blue-screen process
• 3. Computer-generated imaging (CGI)
• 4. Stop-motion animation
• G. The F/X of Animated Feature Films
• 1. From hand drawn frames to computer animation

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VI. Editing

• The film is not shot, but built (Boggs and
  Petrie, 2008).
• Editing guides our thoughts, associations, and
  emotional responses from one image to another.
• Editing should be smooth, natural, and
  unobtrusive. Sometimes it is tricky or
  self-conscious.
• Transitions Wipe, Flip Frame, Fade-Out/ Fade-In,
  or Dissolve
• Most film editors no longer use these.
• Form Cut the shape of an object is matched to a
  similarly shaped object in the next scene.
• Time Control jump cut, parallel cuts (show two
  scenes of action back and forth), slow motion,
• Freeze frame (Butch Cassidy), Thawed Frame, and
  Stills (pictures shot with camera movement).
• Editing cutting and transitions set the pace of
  the film.
• Creative Juxtaposition Montage
• Ironic Montages (The Godfather)
• Mise-en-scene emphasizes the content from a
  single frame, opposite of a montage