film final exam

Thomas Edison

Inventor and businessman; developed the Kinetoscope in the 1890s, an early motion picture device. Known for films focusing on movement and black backgrounds.

Lumière Brothers

Auguste and Louis Lumière; French inventors of the Cinématographe; famous for short films like Arrival of a Train. Known for films focusing on outdoor, daily activities.

Cinématographe

A device that could record, develop, and project films; portable and allowed audiences to watch films collectively.

Georges Méliès

French filmmaker and magician; known for A Trip to the Moon (1902) and pioneering special effects and narrative cinema.

Alice Guy-Blaché

One of the first female filmmakers; pioneer of narrative film, experimented with color, sound, and special effects.

Hays Code

Hollywood self-censorship code (1930–1968) controlling moral content; crime and sex had to be discreet; influenced subjective vs. objective depiction.

Early Cinema Fears

Films and theaters were feared for moral influence, class mixing, and fire hazards; led to local censorship.

Film That Sparked Protests

The Birth of a Nation (1915); led to censorship, protests, and highlighted flammable film stock issues.

Why Early Films Are Lost

Nitrate film was flammable and degraded; poor archival practices; many films discarded once commercial value ended.

Suspense (Lois Weber & Phillips Smalley)

Early narrative film; used cross-cutting and subjective shots to build tension and suspense.

Chaplin in Modern Times

Challenged synchronized sound; emphasized visual comedy and pantomime despite the rise of talkies.

Context of Rear Window

Hollywood faced competition from TV and foreign films; French New Wave influenced new camera/narrative techniques; used diegetic sound.

Restricted Narration

Story told from limited character perspective (e.g., Rear Window, Parasite).

Omniscient Narration

Audience knows more than characters (e.g., Inside Man, City of God).

Montage

Series of shots edited together to condense time, space, or information; often shows passage of time or parallel action.

Match Cut

Cut between two shots with visual, thematic, or action continuity.

Auteur Theory

Concept that a director is the primary author of a film; personal style and vision distinguish their work.

Buster Keaton

Silent film actor/director; known for physical comedy, stunts, and inventive visual gags.

Contrapuntal Sound

Sound contradicts what is seen on screen, creating irony or tension.

German Expressionism

1920s; post-WWI anxiety; distorted sets, shadows, psychological themes.

Soviet Montage

1920s; political propaganda; quick editing, juxtaposition of shots, ideological messaging.

Italian Neorealism

1940s; post-WWII social conditions; on-location shooting, non-professional actors, everyday life.

French New Wave

Late 1950s–1960s; reaction against Hollywood; jump cuts, handheld cameras, self-reflexive storytelling.

Kinetoscope

An early motion picture device, film was viewed through a peep-hole.

Rear Window Context

Hitchcock’s 1954 film sits between Hollywood’s Golden Age and the New Hollywood era, bridging classical studio storytelling and modernist experimentation.

Golden Age of Hollywood

1930s–1940s; studio-controlled, classical continuity editing, strict moral codes (Hays Code).

New Hollywood / Modernist Era

1960s–1970s; influenced by European cinema, auteur-driven, stylistically experimental.

Hollywood Competition in the 1950s

Threatened by television and foreign films, which pulled audiences away from theaters.

French Film Influence

French New Wave inspired jump cuts, non-linear editing, handheld cameras, on-location shooting, and breaking traditional narrative rules.

Diegetic Sound in Rear Window

Sound from the story world (neighbors talking, street noise, radios) creates realism and immerses the audience in Jeff’s perspective.

Purpose of Diegetic Sound

Maintains tension and suspense while grounding the voyeuristic narrative in the apartment building’s world.

Two Shot

A shot featuring two characters; often suggests relationships or power dynamics.

Three Shot

A shot featuring three characters; can indicate group dynamics or balance of power.

Four Shot

A shot featuring four characters; emphasizes group interaction or social hierarchy.

Group Shot

A shot with multiple characters; highlights relationships, collective action, or social context.

Rack Focus

A lens technique where focus shifts from a subject in the foreground to one in the background (or vice versa), directing audience attention.

Tight Framing

Characters framed in a limited space; conveys fear, danger, or feeling trapped.

Loose Framing

Characters framed in open space; conveys freedom, isolation, or being lost.

Blocking

The arrangement and movement of actors in a scene; influences meaning, relationships, and focus.

Mise-en-Scène

Everything visible in a frame, including setting, props, lighting, costumes, and actor placement; conveys mood, theme, and character.

Low Key Lighting

High contrast lighting with deep shadows; creates tension, mystery, or drama.

High Key Lighting

Bright, even lighting with minimal shadows; often used in comedies or musicals for a cheerful tone.

Narrow Depth of Field

Only a small part of the image is in focus; isolates subjects and directs attention.

Deep Depth of Field

Most of the image is in focus; allows multiple planes to be seen clearly.

Pan

Horizontal movement of the camera from a fixed position; scans a scene or follows action.

Tilt

Vertical movement of the camera from a fixed position; can reveal height, status, or scale.

Dolly In

Camera physically moves closer to the subject; emphasizes importance or intimacy.

Dolly Out

Camera physically moves away from the subject; reveals context or creates emotional distance.

Tracking Shot

Camera moves along with the subject, often on a track or stabilizer; follows action or creates immersion.