Studied by 58 people
Patent Wars
The legal battles and disputes between different filmmakers and companies over the rights to film technology and patents. This led to the formation of monopolies and control over the film industry.
Hollywood
The major center of the American film industry, located in Los Angeles, California. It became the dominant force in the global film industry during the 1910s and 1920s.
Silent Era
The period in film history from the late 1890s to the late 1920s when films had no synchronized sound or dialogue. Silent films relied on visual storytelling and used intertitles to convey dialogue or important information.
German Expressionism
An artistic movement in Germany during the 1910s and 1920s that influenced film, theater, and visual arts. German Expressionist films were characterized by their use of distorted sets, exaggerated lighting, and psychological themes.
Soviet Montage Theory
A film theory developed in Soviet Russia during the 1920s by filmmakers such as Sergei Eisenstein and Lev Kuleshov. Soviet montage theory emphasized the use of editing and juxtaposition of shots to create meaning and evoke emotional responses from the audience.
Hollywood Star System
A method of creating, promoting, and exploiting film stars in Hollywood during the 1920s to 1960s. The star system relied on the image and persona of actors to attract audiences and generate box office success.
Gangster Films
A genre of films that emerged during the early 1930s, depicting the rise and fall of criminal figures in urban settings. Gangster films often portrayed themes of violence, organized crime, and the American Dream.
Sound-on-Film
A technology for recording and playing back sound directly on the film strip. This allowed for synchronized sound and dialogue in films, eliminating the need for separate sound discs or records.
1. Tell me about the fathers of cinema
The Lumiere Brothers:
first filming ârealitiesâ, aka events like workers leaving a factory, feeding a baby, train arriving etc.
Created Cinematograph.
George Melies:
French illusionist. Films showcasing magic tricks, also imaginative fiction like âA Trip to the Moonâ.
Really worked with special effects (dissolves, multiple exposure, timelapse, handpainted colour).
Bought camera from Robert W. Paul (Lumieres wouldnât sell him one).
Thomas Edison:
Employed many talented people to invent new things to patent.
Created the Kinetoscope (which couldnât project film, only shoot) and Kinetograph.
+ Louis Le Prince, Le Prince 16 lens Camera and many others who then participated in the Patent Wars.
2. Tell me about early editing. Melies, George Albert Smith, Edwin S. Porter.
Melies: Dissolves, multiple exposure, time-lapse, hand-painted colour/tinting.
Smith:
Early Brighton school, invented Kinemacolor (first successful colour motion picture process, shooting through different colour filters).
Used double exposure and close-ups.
Porter: Used intertitles, developed editing to create continuity between shots (aka things happening at the same time in different places) like in The Great Train Robbery.
3. Why did the US Film industry move from East to the West? How did the move influence the growing film industry?
Moved to escape the patent fees imposed by Edison during the Patent Wars, and also to find more consistent/good weather for film making.
The move created an environment for the Studio System to be born and start to take hold.
4. Tell me about D.W. Griffith.
Filmmaker with a theatre background, made 450 short films.
Pioneered cross-cutting and close-ups, tracking shots, tinting.
Created The Birth of a Nation, 1915, (first big long narrative film of Hollywood), which was very racist and helped with the rebirth of the KKK.
Later made Intolerance as a response to his critics (not an apology, only a refute).
5. What was the Hollywood star system?
A method of creating, promoting and exploiting stars in Hollywood films from the 1920s to 1960s
Emphasis on image/brand rather than acting.
Expected to behave in a certain way in public, even relationships made to promote films etc.
6. Whatâs the difference between Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton?
Keaton was The Great Stone Face; deadpan expression during the most absurd situations. A lot of difficult stunts in his films where he did them himself.
Chaplin relied on facial expressions and physical humour from his body movements, emphasis on storyline.
7. Tell me something about Soviet Montage theory. Not everything.
Developed by Societs because of propaganda possibilities. Founded the worlds first film school, where it was worked on by:
Kuleshov: pioneered the Kuleshov effect, where a shot gains meaning from sequential shots.
Eisenstein: Metric montage, rhythmic montage (time compression, e.g. Odessa stairs), tonal montage (visual and oral charasteristic that shots share).
Vertov: double exposure, animation, speed ups, freeze frame.
8. Tell me about German Expressionism.
Emphasis on mise-en-scene, heavy atmosphere, artificial sets, unexpected camera angles, mystery, horror (war trauma and then current weimar republic dread because of Hitler)
Paul Wegener / Golem
Robert Wiene / Cabinet of Dr.Caligari
+ Fritz Lang / M, Metropolis, and Murnau / Nosferatu
9. Tell me about the first golden age of Scandinavian cinema.
Happened between 1912-1924 mainly in Sweden and Denmark. Major influencers then were Victor Sjöström / The Phantom Carriage, Carl Theodor Dreyer / Passion of Joan of Arc, Benjamin Christensen / HÀxan, Greta Garbo. Thematically serious, inspiration from german expressionism.
10. Tell me about sound before the first sound film.
Often in many cultures a narrator would be present to tell the story/commentate, along with live music (e.g. Benshi in Japan). Dialogue sometimes shown on intertitles. Sound effects could be made live, e.g. Whistles, horns, horse hooves etc. Often no official score, musicians would improvise a lot.
11. What were the (early) differences between sound-on-disc and sound-on-film? Who won?
Sound-on-disc created the need for a separate phonograph, which created issues in syncing. Sound-on-film meant that the audio was on the same film strip as footage, which made it easier to edit and distribute. Sound-on-film won.
12. How did sound films affect the film industry?
Created jobs by creating the sound department, also ended the careers of some silent era stars who didnt transition well.
Writers needed more than ever, but live musicians left out.
Language issues since no more only intertitles to translate.
Cameras were noisy so they were put in soundproof boxes.
13. How did sound films affect film?
New genres, like musicals. Dialogue now center stage, which cause localisation issues in other countries.
14. What affect did the BBFC and Hays code have on films in the 1930s-40s?
Screenwriters had to write in subtext if they wanted to discuss code banned topics like murder, interracial relationships etc.
Limited the main characters personalities, as the film had to promote morals or at least up keep them. The contrast to pre-code antiheros was striking.
In US, restricted viewing foreign films since not produced under the code.
BBFC had no written down code, were vague to the filmmakers on violations.
15. Tell me about the golden age of Hollywood.
1930s especially, peak in 1939 with Wizard of Oz, Gone with the Wind.
Big influences: Frank Capra (Itâs a wonderful life), Howard Hawks (Scarface, Gentlemen prefer blondes etc) + Joan Crawford, Judy Garland, Clark Gable, Great Garbo etc.
Classical hollywood narrative style:
continuity editing
Character driven struggles, romance
Linear
Because Hays code began to be enforced from 1934, directors had to fight to get their artistic view shown.
16. How did Charlie Chaplin and Alfred Hitchcock cope with sound?
Chaplin: saw it originally as a fad, didnt want to give a voice to the tramp character especially. Stuck to silent films as long as possible, but eventually did transition to talkies.
Hitchcock:
17. What are the differences between French poetic realism and Soviet realism?
18. Tell me about the Scandinavian Revival.
From WW2 aftermath.
Focus on drama and contemplation, disillutions.
Visually: heavy shadows, long takes, still, foreboding.
Films include Day of Wrath (Dreyer), The Seventh Seal (Bergman)
19. What was the Free Cinema movement?
From Britain in 1950s
Filmmakers wanted to be free from studio influence, funding bodies and political parties.
Allow filmmakers to find new ways of expression, to as wide audience as possible.
Lindsay Andersson
20. Tell me about Italian Neorealism.
Depicting the working class and poverty. Depiction of economic and societal issues of post-war Italy.
Filmed on location, often non-professional actors
Directors: Vittorio de Sica (Umberto D/Bicycle thieves), Roberto Rosselini (Rome, open city)
21. Tell me about the golden age of Japanese cinema.
Golden age set in 1950, post-war occupied Japan
US influence (banned topics like feudalism, militarism, violence), foreign body approval requirement.
Made making Jidaigeki very difficult
Rashomon + Seven Samurai by Kurosawa
Tokyo Story by Yasujiro Ozu
22. What is Parallel Cinema?
Or New Indian Cinema
In India, parallel to Bollywood, in 1950s
Highlighted societal issues, often shot in rural settings. Realism, naturalism.
Inspired by Italian neorealism
Satayajit Ray (The world of Apu), Mrinal Sen.
23. What is Film Noir?
Hollywood, 1940-1950s
Crime drama, black-and-white, shadows, inspired by German expressionist cinematography, femme falates, unhappy endings, smoke, low-key lighting.
Genre? Umbrella term for many genres? Different opinions.
24. Tell me about the French New Wave.
Nouvelle Vague, 1959
Two kinds:
Cahiers du Cinema: Goddard (Breathless), Truffaut (400 blows)
Rive Gauche: Varda (Clea from 5 to 7), Resnais (Hiroshima mon amour)
Rejection of film tradition, shot on location, long dialogues,
political, societal, editing played around with, sometimes nonlinear,
25. Tell me about any new wave other than the French.
E.g.
Japanese new wave
ăăŒăă«ăăŒă°
Shouhei Imamura, Nagisa Oshima, Seijun Suzuki,
Films: Kwaidan, Onibaba, Pigs and Battleships, Harakiri.
Originated within studios like Shochiku, inspired by other new waves and resurgences.
Radical politics, juvenile delinquency, womens roles, sexuality, racism.
Australian new
1970s onwards; fresh and creative, began to address aboregenese peoples mistreatment.
Films: Picnic at Hanging Rock, Mad Max 2
Peter Weir (PaHR, also Truman show etc), Gillian Armstrong (My brilliant career)
Czechoslovakian new wave
1960s
Vera Chytilova, Milos Forman
Dark, dry abstract humour, strong narratives.
Lead up to and ended by Prague spring
26. What is kitchen sink realism?
Part of British new wave, 1950-60s
Social and political commentary
Portrays harsh realities, working class, gritty, accents.
Stylistically challenged traditional narrative/structure/storytelling techniques
Lindsay Andersson, Ken Loach.
27. What are the differences between westerns and sphagetti westerns?
Spaghetti westerns made often by an Italian filmmaker.
SW much more bleaker and bloodier, revenge stories (not restricted by the Hays code, but also lower budget)
Westerns very morally black and white, also very much supporting the white cowboy hero myths.
SW: Sergio Leone, Ennio Morricone
Western: John Ford
28. What is Third Cinema?
Latin American film movement, 60-70s (Argentina, Brazil, Cuba), that also included other countries worldwide that had been colonised (like India, Bangladesh, Pakistan etc.)
Against neocolonialism, capitalism, Hollywood model
1st cinema is Hollywood, 2nd is European auteur cinema.
Filmmakers must work as a guerilla unit; everyone needs to have general knowledge of equipment. Low budget, shot on location.
Octavio Getino, Fernando Solanas.
29. What is Bollywood, Tollywood and Nollywood?
Bollywood: Indian hindi film industry, using the name is a bit iffy since it pertains the idea it imitates Hollywood.
Tollywood: A part of Indian film insdustry dedicated to films in Telugu language, based in southeastern India.
Nollywood: The Nigerian film industry, which is one of Africas most succesful one. Modern Nollywood resurgence due to homefilm equipment and internet. Flourished with direct to video films and VHS/DVD publishing. Include often an MC, a narrator/commentator.
30. What makes Bonnie & Clyde so special?
Itâs one of the first New Hollywood era films. Broke taboos, showed violence and sex openly.
Differed from the usual Hollywood old-producer-driven model; directors, writers and actors were young and more able to reach audiences not wanting to see hollywood films.
31. Who are the Movie Brats?
Coppola, Spielberg, Lucas, Scorsese, De Palma. First blockbusters
32. What is Blaxploitation? Is it the same as L.A. Rebellion?
A variant of exploitation films that were aimed to urban African-American audiences. They were often low/mid budget, showed drugs, violence and sex unashamedly, as the protagonist fights âthe manâ. More about entertainment.
Not the same as LA Rebellion, which was influenced by various new waves, italian neorealism and cuban documentaries. More focused on serious themes, like racial injustice.
33. Whatâs good and bad about video from cinemaâs point of view?
Rise of video did give some films another chance to sell well if theatrical release failed. Also created a market for straight to video films. But video paved a way for piracy, which persists even now within the internet.
What is Dogme 95?
A Danish film movement created by Lars von Trier, Thomas Vinterberg, Kristian Levring and SĂžren Kragh-Jacobsen. They made a manifesto according to which they wanted to make films: shot on location, no special props, no special effect, sound/music musnt be apart from image, no superficial action etc.
Note 
Flashcard (80)