Intro to cinema2

Introduction to
Cinema

1er Bachillerato Bilingue
Cinema/Cinematography
A. G.

Schedule/ Syllabus
» 3-Week Unit (with
the possibility for
extensions). Week
1 will include:
 Early History of Film
 What is a movie
and how do we
analyze it?
 Form and Narrative

Schedule/Syllabus

» Week 2 will include:
 Mis-En-Scene and Design
 Acting and Performance
 Cinematography and Editing

Schedule/Syllabus
» Week 3 will
include:
 Different Genres In
Cinema
 Documentary Non-
Fiction
 Animation
 An Exam?

Extensions
» Project week!
 Design your own
movie poster
 Create a back-
cover for a DVD
 Host the Oscars!

What is “film”?
» Is a film a series of moving pictures?
 No!
 A film is a group of images displayed
one after the other at a high speed to
create the illusion of movement.

Origins of Film
» Complicated story
with many different
interpretations
» Leland Stanford and
the Horse Bet, 1878
 $25,000 bet
 Photographer Eadward
Muybridge
 12 cameras + 12
pictures

Origins of Film Continued
» William Dickson and
Thomas Edison
recorded moving
pictures on a film strip
in 1890
» The Kinetograph and
Kinetescope
» Only 1 person at a
time could watch the
images

» Lumiere Brothers
built the
Cinematograph
» Advantage of
being a recording
and projecting
device

"Our invention can be
exploited for a certain time
as a scientific curiosity, but
apart from that, it has no
commercial future
whatsoever." — Auguste
Lumière

» Advent of THE
STORY
» Stories told
through silent films
» Then, stories told
through films
combining visual
and auditory
elements

» Expansion of cinema
industry:
 1922, 40 million
Americans attend the
movies weekly
 1931, average weekly
movie attendance
jumps to 75 million
 Expansion of theaters
 Explosion of Hollywood

Major Changes to the
Modern Film Industry
» Commercializaion
of TV
» 3D Capabilities
» Wrap-Around
Screens
» Special Effects
» Animation
» The Digital
Movement

Homework :)
» Answer the questions on the “Intro
to Film and Cinema” handout. Be
prepared to share your answers in
class.

Seven Approaches for
Analyzing a Film
» 1) The Technical Approach
 What is the technical quality of the film
overall?
 What filmmaking techniques are used,
and what effects do they create?
 What are the strongest technical
points, and what are the weakest?

Analyzing a Film
» 2) The Directorial Approach
 How would you describe the director’s style
based on this film and other films by him/her?
 How do various elements of the film reflect the
director’s artistic or life philosophy?
 Does this film reflect a new direction for this
director? How is it similar and/or different from
the director’s other films?

Analyzing a Film
» 3) The Genre Approach
 In what ways does this film fit into the
criteria associated with this genre?
 What are the variations on the
standard genre that this film presents?
How do these variations make the film
interesting or unique?
 What values or beliefs are reflected in
the film? Give examples.

Analyzing a Film
» 4) The Psychological Approach
 Do any of the characters possess universal
qualities? If so, which qualities?
 What aspects of human nature does the film
help us understand?
 Examine the relationships between
characters. What problems are explored?
What insights are revealed about human
relationships?

Analyzing a Film
» 5) The Sociological/Political Approach
 From what social class does the main
character come? How is this class portrayed?
How does this impact the film?
 What seems to be socially and politically
important to the characters?
 Does the film seem to support a traditional
values system or does it question that view?

Analyzing a Film
» 6) The Performance Approach
 How well-suited is the main
actor/actress to his/her role?
 How is it similar to or different from other
roles played by this actor?
 How do the supporting actors interact
with the main actors, and how do
these relationship affect the film?

Analyzing a Film
» 7) Overall Approach
 How powerful is this star’s performance?
 How does the film reflect the style of this
particular director?
 How does the film work as an example of this
genre?
 What is the theme of the film? How important
or creatively-expressed is the theme?
 Is the film emotionally effective? In what way?

Pre-Break Overview
» What is a film?
» Early history of film
» 7 approaches for analyzing a film
» Clips to illustrate film analysis process

Intro to cinema2

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Intro to cinema2