History of Cinema Exam 1

What is Surrealism?

uses dreamlike imagery, irrational narratives, and shocking visuals to explore the unconscious mind and challenge conventional logic

Why is surrealism impportant?

it bypasses rational logic to replicate the human subconscious, challenging societal norms and transforming personal dreams into a shared artistic language

What is Vertical Integration?

when a single company controls two or more stages of the production, distribution, and exhibition pipeline rather than relying on separate outside companies

Importance of Vertical Integration?

Profit Retention, Creative and IP Control, and Bargaining Power and Leverage (greater control)

What is the Kuleshov Effect?

a film editing concept where viewers create new meaning and emotional reactions from the sequence of two shots rather than a single shot

Kuleshov Effect importance?

derive more emotional meaning and narrative context from the multiple shots than from any single shot in isolation. sequence, rhythm, and order dictate how an audience thinks and feels.

What is German Expressionism?

An artistic movement that rejected cinematic realism to externalize inner psychological conflicts, trauma, and societal anxiety through distorted visuals.

German expressionism importance?

transformed cinema from recording reality into a form of art capable of visualizing the human psyche, societal trauma, and abstract emotion.

what is Italian Neorealism?

a influential film movement in Italy thatemerged out of the devastation and economic ruin of World War II. Included on location shooting and unresolved endings

importance of italian neorealism?

It transformed how movies were made and viewed around the world. It broke away from comedies and war propaganda pushed under Benito Mussolini. Films focused on everyday people, deep poverty, unemployment, and the harsh realities of post-World War II Italy.

what is deep focus photography?

cinematographic technique where the foreground, middle ground, and extreme background are all kept simultaneously and sharply in focus.

deep focus photography importance?

lets viewers scan the entire frame and decide where to look. Directors can place multiple narrative actions or characters at different distances from the camera simultaneously.

What is French poetic realism?

focus on working class or marginalized characters with a stylized, atmospheric, and melancholic visual aesthetic. Plots centered on doomed romances and a last chance at happiness before a sad ending

importance of french poetic realism

transformed everyday working class struggles into atmospheric art. Many films offered quiet critiques of class structures and rising authoritarianism.

What is Genre?

a category of films defined by the core story problem driving the plot, the narrative conventions used to solve it, and the emotional experience promised to the audience

Genre importance

Genres act as a promise regarding pacing, tone, stakes, and resolution

what is montage theory?

the editing technique of combining independent shots to create a new meaning, emotion, or intellectual concept

montage theory importance?

the true power of cinema comes from how shots are edited and combined, rather than what is inside any single frame (Kuleshov effect example)

what is invisible editing vs. continuity editing?

Continuity Editing is the set of technical rules used to stitch individual shots together so that time, space, and action appear logical, smooth, and unbroken. Invisible Editing describes how the audience experiences that style. viewers watch the story without noticing the film editor's work

invisible editing vs. continuity editing importance

It prevents the audience from being pulled out of the movie by jarring jumps or spatial confusion. When a cut is invisible, viewers focus on the characters and the emotional stakes rather than the filmmaking process

What is the Hollywood Studio System?

a filmmaking business model where a small number of major corporations controlled every stage of the movie industry

Hollywood studio system importance?

shaped modern cinema into a global industrial powerhouse