Essay final
The Humanities Through the Arts Tenth Edition
Lee A. Jacobus │ F. David Martin
(NOTE: Pay particular attention to terms in italicized red font)
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Chapter 12
Cinema
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Introduction
Cinema is driven by technology.
Early films were black and white, projected at 24 frames per second, and silent.
Many films are now made by digital means instead of celluloid.
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The Subject Matter of Film
Hard to say exactly what constitutes subject matter for film.
Film involves much collaboration between director (auteur), scriptwriter, producer, camera operators, editors, designers, researchers, costumers, actors, and a host of others.
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Directing and Editing: Shots
D. W. Griffith and Sergei Eisenstein both edited and directed their films.
Shot is a single exposure of the camera without a break. Types include:
Establishing shot
Close-up
Long shot
Medium shot
Following shot
Point-of-view shot
Tracking shot
Crane shot
Handheld shot
Recessional shot
Processional shot
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Directing and Editing: Cuts
Cuts are used so movies can be filmed non-sequentially.
Types of cuts:
Continuity cut
Jump cut
Cut-in
Cross-cut
Dissolve
Wipe
Graphic match
Montage sequence
Shot
Reverse shot
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The Film Image
Movement is caused by physical limitations of the eye, so directors design each frame precisely.
Sometimes still frames must be as exactly composed as a painting, but they must all act in unity to create a whole film.
Fig. 12-5 Avatar. 2009.
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The Camera Point of View: Portraying Motion
Cameras can show moving action from the points of view simultaneously.
Tracking the camera shows motion.
A camera lens can capture a wide, narrow, large, or small field of vision.
Zoom lenses suggest even greater range of motion.
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Sound
The Jazz Singer introduced sound in 1927, but not everybody was happy about it. Some thought it would taint the art.
Filmmakers will use sound to the fullest advantage, but will not make music the basic ingredient in the film.
Films in which sound was important: The Jazz Singer, The Birth of a Nation, Apocalypse Now, Saving Private Ryan, and 2001: A Space Odyssey.
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The Context of Film History
All meanings exist within some kind of context.
Viewers must decide which contexts are most important.
Viewers can appreciate films more when they see and analyze pivotal films from the past to get a historical perspective.
Viewers must also get a sense of the life work of directors such as Orson Welles, Ingmar Bergman, Federico Fellini, Steven Spielberg, Frances Ford Coppola, Woody Allen, Oliver Stone, Martin Scorsese, Spike Lee, Quentin Tarantino and many others.
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Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather
Based on a novel by Mario Puzo about a Sicilian immigrant, Vito Corleone.
The structure follows a logical chronological sequence through the original film and two sequels.
It has been praised for its technical mastery; however, many critics said it glorified criminal activity.
Fig. 12-13. Scene from The Godfather. 1972.
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Michael Curtiz’s Casablanca
An iconic classic, not expected to be a great success.
Historical context of Casablanca was a time when the United States had wakened from a political coma and victory was uncertain.
A film noir political mystery with an exceptionally strong romantic core
Fig. 12-14. Scene from Casablanca, 1942.
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Wrap-Up of the Chapter: Terms and People to Remember
Terms
Auteur
Shot
Cuts
Points of view
Camera lens
Tracking
Zoom lenses
Context
Movement
People and Films
D. W. Griffith
Sergei Eisenstein
Francis Ford Coppola
Alfred Hitchcock
The Jazz Singer
The Godfather
Casablanca
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