film exam 2

elements of sound

direction, cue, and perception/interpretation

diegetic sound

sounds that are a part of the story world (character can hear it)

non-diegetic sound

all sounds external to the story world (score, soundtrack)

challenges of introducing sound

sound projection, sound recording, synchronization

part-talkies

first films with sound, films with small parts of synchronized sound; changed theater experience

first feature film with synchronized sound

the jazz singer (Crosland, 1927), warner bros.

sound on disc

sound for films recorded on a wax disk and played along with the film; synchronization problems

sound on film fixes

the addition of an audio track within the film; synchronization was fixed within the film strip itself

hollywood studio system

era of US film history when studios controlled the entire industry (vertical integration); controlled production, distribution, and exhibition

sound development in foreign countries

nazi rule slowed down sound on film in germany, who used sound to join shots and add to previously made films; france would go to other countries to record sound in other studios

big five studios

MGM, Paramount, 20th Century Fox, Warner Bros, RKO

little three studios

Universal, Colombia, United Artists

mgm film traits

classy films and raunchy films, wanted range; more luxurious looks; many famous stars

paramount film traits

prioritized light, approachable entertainment; originally had european styles, but moved more mainstream; bob hope and bing crosby

20th century fox film traits

western and crime films, tried to sign younger stars to turn them into big talent; expanded after innovation of sound, shirley temple; urban audience

warner bros film traits

technical achievement; smaller sets, recycled plots, solid directors; realism and more middle-class audience

RKO film traits

horror, melodramas, film noir; smallest big 5 studio

poverty row

exclusively low budget films

talent under contract

contracts that stopped talent from working with other studios unless loaned, morality clauses that controlled public image of stars

class A films

big budget films w/ huge stars, flashy aesthetics and widespread release

class B films

quickly produced low budget films that were rooted in simple genre stories

block booking

when showing a particular studio film, theaters would be forced to also show several other films from the studio; reduced advertisement efforts for studios

blind bidding

theaters would often have to release studio films w/o knowing anything about the film, not knowing what they’re paying to show audiences

expensive rental fees

studios would force theaters to pay high prices to show films, attempting to drive them out of business and earn back studio costs; targeted independent theaters to buy them up and control exhibition

studio ownership of theaters

studios owned 17% of US theaters; studio-owned theaters were 85% of box-office returns

3 ways of understanding genre

aesthetics, myth, ideology

myth genre

stories passed down from generations, reoccur and reflect culture (vampires, zombies, romcoms)

ideology genre

shared beliefs, uplifting and perpetuation of these shared beliefs, challenge beliefs (romcoms)

aesthetics genre

common themes, styles, editing, and narrative structure within films (horror, romcoms)

genre cycle

experimental (genre creation), classical (genre becomes established), refinement/parody (audiences are aware of genre tropes, qualities are embellished), baroque/deconstruction (subgenres form, dissecting genre and breaking it)

genre examples

screwball comedies, westerns, film noir, musicals, anarchic comedies, war films, monster/alien films

genre’s relationship with studio system distribution

studios would target certain genre films with certain places where it would do better (westerns in south, etc.)

classical hollywood cinema

style and structure of movies within the hollywood studio system, repetitive

classical hollywood cinema traits

one or two clear protagonists, heavy exposition, clear motivations, distinguishable chain of events, closure or aperture endings, all scenes must drive plot

closure endings

conflict is definitively resolved

aperture endings

some questions are left unanswered, open ending

hays code

industry guidelines for all film productions to follow; promoted morality and censorship; made by William H. Hays, response to religious pushback of films and worry about how films would change people’s attitudes towards life

hays code censorship examples

NO religious focused profanity, nudity, drugs or alcohol, queerness, white slavery (except in Roman empire), interracial relationships, or sympathy towards criminals

Paramount Case of 1948/ Paramount Decree

gov vs big 5 studios, supreme court limited block booking and banned blind booking and studio ownership of theater chains; caused a rise in independent theaters, less following of hays code, and end of studio system

italy post wwii

went from facist monarchy to republic, economy in shambles, wwii caused a slow in film production, republic required less film censorship

LUCE

pre-neorealism italian film union tasked w/ creating films that were entertaining and educational w/ mussolini propaganda; went independent leading to wwii

telefoni bianchi/white telephone films

post-LUCE italian films that replicated hollywood studio system style, pushed by parliament, signified social & moentary influence, “cinema of distraction”

italian neorealism emergence

filmmakers wanted to break facade of happy endings and be realistic; wanted to highlight the difficulties of workers in a mechanical, post-agriculturally focused world; relinquished control of films to things happened more naturally

italian neorealism characteristics

shot on-location, utilization of non-professional actors and children, difficult moral dilemmas, style of world, oppression, desperation poverty, emotion

italian neorealism narrative structure

little to no chain of events, no signal of important moments, aperture endings, cultural references, mundane life

french new wave emergence

big-budget film culture was declining, young generations were gravitating towards camera, art cinemas were thriving and gave a space for low budget film distribution and international film screenings, film club emergence

auteur theory emergence

filmmakers as authors; US films were banned in france during WW2, and all hit france suddenly, leading to emergence of film clubs and magazines; brought about author politics and auteurism

auteur characteristics

technical competency (assured, defined style), auteur personality (found in recurring characteristics), interior meaning of the film (conversation b/s auteur and viewer), author’s fingerprint/presence in the film

auteurs as filmmakers

auteurs can only be filmmakers; crew only works towards bringing director’s vision to light

french new wave characteristics

abandonment of script and rise of improv, romanticization of rebel/anti-hero, handheld camerawork, existentialism, dysfunction that hinders protagonist, shot on-location, decline of authority, unresolved conflict, comedy within dramatics and sudden mood shifts

treaty of mutual cooperation and security between the US and japan

post-wwii treaty; stated US can have troops in japan and US and japan will be allies in future conflicts; guaranteed allyship at japan’s expense; very unpopular win japan

emergence of japanese new wave

late 1950’s-70s, post wwii, US and japan treaty, japanese studio system in decline due to wwii closings; japanese studios went from portraying traditional cultures and myths to hiring directors w/ “unexplored visions”, focusing on youth generation and innovation, inventing new syles like other new waves; found success in cheap filmmaking, reproducing styles of other international cinema cultures

japaneses new wave artificiality

studios wanted their own french new wave; filmmakers were hired to create films forcing themes; studios wanted a new wave without dissent from standards and values; films were financially unsuccessful and studios blamed filmmakers and not artificiality, pushed filmmakers against studios

seijun suzuki vs nikkatsu

suzuki made films rapidly, attracted youth generation w/ excess; his experimentation angered studios, decreasing his budgets and making him film in black-and-white; was suddenly dropped by nikkatsu and blacklisted; suzuki film club was hated by studios; suzuki was supported by club when he sued nikkatsu for wrongful termination, personal damages, and suppression of his work; nikkatsu crumbled and studios were exposed for poor treatment

japanese new wave characteristics

excess, romanticization of social outcast, explicit sexuality, deconstructing stereotypical gender roles, prioritized surrealism and supra-realism, shot on-location, natural/improvised dialogue, unconventional production and editing technique, intentional use of black and white film, tragedy and absurdity

emergence of new hollywood cinema

early 1960s, aftermath of paramount case, studio control was lessened and lost money through lost theaters, less rapidly-made films, made fewer, larger budget productions, fall of hays code, new tech like widescreen and stereo sound, new filmmakers from filmmaking school, baby boom relocation to suburbs, interstate system and rise of television

rise of television

family-centered device, became very common very quickly, was in the home

american new wave system of production

filmmakers moved away from studios and would fund films independently with much smaller budgets; would take finished films to studios, profit was shared

new hollywood cinema characteristics

emergence of counter culture, focus on younger generations, dismantling of classical hollywood structure, discomfort, freedom of rural vs fear of urban setting, violence and heterosexuality, visualization and aesthetic of suppression

universal traits

largest of little 3, few major stars, horror films, small town audiences

columbia traits

low budgets, popular films, borrowed stars to avoid contract costs; westerns, three stooges, screwball comedies

united artists traits

profits fell during wartime, diverse independent producers

vertical integration

studios controlling every aspect of the film marketplace