Final Exam Film Analysis

What is the Kuleshov Effect? (editing)

An editing effect demonstrated by russian filmmaker Lev Kuleshov (1900s). Meaning is created by the viewer by the juxtaposition of images. This meaning goes beyond the meaning of individual images themselves.

What is the purpose of editing?

-A form of syntax/grammar in cinema, it eliminates unnecessary space/time.

How has editing changed over time?

In early films (1890s), movies were mainly long shots in a single take -> rise to continuity editing (multiple shots in one scene)

How many shots are in an average Hollywood film and how long is each shot?

Average hollywood film has 1000 shots with about 5-8 seconds each.
- Thriller movies have about 2000 shots with less length in time per shot.

What is continuity editing?

Creating an illusion of continuity through proper editing of images. It preserves the fluidity of an event without having to show all of it.

What are the 5 editing conventions?

1) Eyeline Match
2) POV cutting
3) Match on Action
4) Directional Continuity
5) 180 Degree Rule + Jumping the Line

What is an Eyeline Match?

An eyeline match is an editing technique that establishes spatial relationship by using a character's eyeline, or physical viewpoint, to orient the action. For example, if Character A looks off frame to her left and the director cuts to a shot from Character A's point of view of Character B, we assume, as cause-effect, that character B is to the left of Character A. This type of editing helps to make the cuts invisible.

What is POV cutting?

The camera moves in a way that represents the view of what the character is seeing.

What is Match on Action?

The editor cuts from one shot to another view that matches the first shot's action

What is directional continuity?

Movement from one shot to another must maintain the consistency of screen direction in order to avoid audience confusion?

What is the 180 degree rule?

The 180° rule is a cinematography guideline that states that two characters in a scene should maintain the same left/right relationship to one another. If the camera crosses the line, the film viewer becomes confused/disoriented.

Who is the father of Hollywood Classical Cutting and why?

D.W Griffith (Birth of a Nation) bc he strengthened/expanded these techniques and it changed the nature of acting/performing.

What does classical cutting involve?

Editing for dramatic intensity & emotional emphasis rather than purely for physical/logical reasons. It also uses different frame sizes (long,medium,close-up) to control audience's emotional reactions. It allows director to add nuances/emphasis & give their own interpretation to a scene.

How else does editing contribute to a film?

Story structure & rhythm; it not only helps audience focus on what's important in a scene but also structures an entire story. It creates the spine of the story-- how the story unfolds.

Who was Walter Murch? (Apocalypse Now)

An extremely successful editor who believed the goal of an editor was to establish an interesting/coherent rhythm of emotions & thought allowing the audience to trust and give themselves emotionally.

How did Walter Murch divide up the reason percentages on how an ideal edit was motivated?

-Emotions = 51%
- Story = 23%
- Rhythm = 10%
- Eye Trade = 7%
- Two dimensional Plane of Screen = 5%
- Three dimensional Plane of Screen = 4%

What does Murch consider the difference between editing & making edits?

It takes more work and discernment to decide where NOT to cut-- don't feel you have to cut just because you're being paid to.

What was the soviet montage?

Editing based on thematic concepts which were influenced heavily by D.W Griffith's continuity editing but took it one step further by conveying ideas (Formalists)

What did Kuleshov/Pudovkin believe?

Ideas in cinema are created by linking separate shots to create new meanings, associations & metaphors. They had a special emphasis on collisions/juxtaposition and scenes are constructed to put forth ideas & create emotional impact (propaganda territory).

What is a famous example of Montage Editing?

Battleship Potemkin (1925; Sergei Eisenstein) was a silent film that is one of the most influential films in cinema history. Eisenstein was very influenced by Marxist theories/dialectic and they used juxtaposition to comment on conflict.

Who was Andre Bazin?

Film Critic & theorist that was an editor of an influential french cinema journal and he believed cinema's power to show "reality" was better than any other art. He didn't like film being used to push a narrative and argued Formalist Editing violated the complexities of reality.

What did Bazin believe minimal editing could invoke?

Truth/Reality could be ambiguous at times and if you played out a scene in a wider shot with minimal editing you could show ambiguity of reality and allow the viewer to be a more active participant in creating meaning rather than spoon-feeding them. The best films balanced the director's personal vision & objective storytelling.

What is deep focus photography?

It shows many planes in focus simultaneously while implementing lengthy takes.

Who was known for deep focus photography?

William Wyler introduced this in "The Best Years of Our Lives" (1946).

What is a film movement?

Group of films that follow a trend of cinema in a given time. Most start out in a part of the world but eventually influence Hollywood Style.

What is Neo-Realism?

Italian perspective that started in mid 40's and wanted to get at reality in editing. Involves deep focus photography, wide-shots, long takes and restrained use of close up shots (i.e Sin City). Directors include: Rossellini, de Sica, Visconti. It was loved by Andre Bazin and influenced director Martin Scorcese.

What was the French New Wave?

Started in the late 50's; young directors started out as proteges of Bazin and believed film style should be determined by story. They were flamboyant in using of editing (rather than restrained, formalistic).

What are important questions to ask when analyzing editing?

How much cutting is there and why? Are the shots lengthy or short? What is the point of the cutting in each scene? (to stimulate? explore emotion in depth? to create suspense?) Is the personality of the filmmaker obvious or are shots relatively objective and functional? Does editing play a major function in the movie or is it minor'?

What is the first sense we experience?

Sound, the sound of our mother's heartbeat in the womb.

Did film always have sound?

Technically, yes. Some films were screened with live musical accompaniment (i.e large cities = big orchestras & small cities = piano); Wurlitzer organ was standard for most theaters at the time.

What was the first "talkie" and what did it accomplish? How long did it take before every theater had talkies?

The Jazz Singer (1927), it introduced the world to synchronous sound and it revolutionized the industry forever. People were now able to hear what actors were saying as they were saying it. 3 years, 1930.

How did recording sound change over time?

Early mics/recording devices were primitive, cameras were noisy & it resulted in poor recording quality. Overhead boom mics revolutionized the way sound was recorded, could now follow actors as they talked. Sound made performance more realistic, less exaggerated.

What was the difference between Formalists/Realists in regards to sound?

Formalists did not like synchronous sound, Eisenstein even felt it could degrade the film to being literal, focused on the talking rather than the symbolic/metaphorical meaning. But eventually, sound became one more area for artistic expression. Realist directors preferred a realistic use of sound (The Salesman).

Who was Orson Welles?

Originally a radio broadcaster for "War of the Worlds" but eventually became a major force in film directing. His perfection of sound editing was major contribution to sound in Cinema (Citizen Kane; 1941 & The Magnificent Ambersons; 1942)

What is the difference between sound effects and foley?

Sound effects are very quick sound bytes while foley is the act of recreating sounds made during the film in post production (i.e background/ambience noise)

What do foley artists do?

Enhance sounds you see on screen which ultimately create suspense, fear, laughter, etc.

What elements are mixed with in Sound Design?

Pitch, Volume, Tempo, Echo, etc.

What do high pitched sounds do to viewers of a film?

Create subconscious anxiety in the audience.

How many tracks does a studio film mix down into one single track?

As many as 160 tracks.

What is the standard Dolby Sound System composed of and what is their locations?

5 separate speakers (Center, L/R Front, L/R Rear) = 5.1 Dolby Surround Sound; the 0.1 is for the subwoofer = bass!

What are the 2 main theories of music in film?

1) Music as Accompaniment (should accompany the action strictly as background "mood" music, shouldn't distract from images) [mickey mousing]
2) Music more than Accompaniment (should retain its own integrity and aesthetic, even add an additional dimension to the cinematic experience, music should even be allowed to dominate image at times)

Where does music divide under realist/formalist lenses?

Realist musicals are where music is a natural part of the story (i.e Biopics, dramatic stories about real musicians and their dramatic lives, punctuated w/performances [Ray (2004) & Walk the line (2005); story within the story: HSM, Step Up)
- Formalist Musicals have no pretense of realism, characters will burst into song and dance in the middle of a scene. (i.e. Top Hat (1935), Moulin Rouge (2001), Chicago (2002), Bollywood)

What is the difference between Source and Score in film?

Source = sound from the real sound world [Diegetic]
Score = sound from outside (inserted in post) [Non-Diegetic]

What is the purpose of dialogue?

To advance the plot and reveal characters. There can be literal meaning of words as well as subtext that it may imply. Good actors can reveal many different meanings through intonation, facial expressions, and body language.

What is a voice over considered? What is its purpose?

A non-synchronous sound that are words that come from the mind of a character OR a narrator (who isn't part of story). It allows the audience to hear the thoughts of a Character and know things that other characters dont know. Sometimes it can reveal a contrast bw what is said publicly and what is thought privately.

What are the different types of Narrators?

1) Reliable Narrator - viewers trust them to tell truth from their perspective
2) Unreliable Narrator - viewers sense discord between what the narrator says and the image, this narrator's honesty becomes questionable (ie Fight Club)
3) Omniscient Narrator - knows everything that has happened, past & present, reveals a little bit at a time (ie The Royal Tenenbaums)

What are the four basic classifications of actors?

1) Extras (used in crowd scenes & background filler, almost apart of the set)
2) Non-Professionals (have authentic appearance for role but aren't actors)
3) Trained Professionals (can play variety of roles & styles i.e Meryl Streep, Sean Penn)
4) Stars (famous performers, big box office, have charisma/personas; sometimes get trapped into playing a certain "type")

What is the difference between stage and screen acting?

-Stage Actors need to be seen and clearly heard, their physical height and volume are more important than in film. Need flexible, trained voice. Most communicate emotion through body & gestures-- need control of body. Get to perform real time, build energy & emotion along w/ structure of play. Many silent film stars came from stage acting -> exaggerated performances.
- Screen Actors are less restricted by height & voice bc of camera + sound equipment. They have opportunities for retakes if mess up. Must act scenes out of order, no chance to build emotionally.

What is the difference between realism and formalism in performance?

Realists = love lengthy takes, permit actor to retain performance for long time & gives room for improv. [i.e Woody Allen]
Formalists = use actors as a tool to express their vision/style (very strict) [i.e Alfred Hitchcock]

What factors affect the styles of acting?

Time period (when it was made/period it represents)
Genre
Tone
National Origin
Directorial Emphasis

What is "The Method"? When did it gain success in America?

Style of acting based on Konstanin Stanislavaski's teachings that focused on interior style of acting. Became dominant style of acting in 1960s till even today.

What are the key concepts of "The Method"?

Live the part
Use emotional recall
Emphasis on subconscious, psychology of character
Research background, locale, and history of character

What style of acting did the french new wave implement?

Improvisation brought more realism to technique of acting and became a big part of "Cinema Verite".

What is "Auteur Theory"?

Theory that stressed dominance of director in the art of film, popularized in 1950s french film theorists of french journals. They controlled every aspect of the film.

Is every director an auteur?

Most Hollywood directors are NOT auteurs, but directors of the most artistically important films are.

What are the limitations of Theater in dramatization?

- Theater is a playwright's medium.
- Theater doesn't have as many cinematic techniques that can be used to tell a story.
- Theater is limited by walls of a set, which is just a backdrop for the performance.
- Theater is typically limited to indoor performances.

How do studio sets get styled to fit the genre of the film?

Certain genres require lots of stylization & are shot inside lots with created sets (magical, sealed off universe) [i.e. Musicals, Period Films, Sci-Fi, etc.]

What is the difference between formalism and realism in Stage Design?

Formalist Sets = distortion of reality, highly stylized (A Trip to the Moon)
Realism Sets = trying to imitate reality (Birth of a Nation).

What are the 4 sections Realism Sets are split into?

1) Poetic Realism (beauty of form)
2) Documentary Realism (the ugly truth)
3) The Settings Beauty in its Truth (Gianetti)
4) Studio Realism (period films and attempts at accuracy, i.e The Searchers (1956) & Ajami (2009)

What does production designer do?

Works with the director to create ideal sets (i.e. Wes Anderson in Grand Budapest Hotel)

What is Ideology in film?

A body of ideas reflecting the social needs and aspirations of an individual, class, group, or culture. Every movie has an ideological perspective, it privileges certain characters, institutions, behaviors as good while painting others as "bad". Heroes become role models representing what we should value.

How is ideology displayed in film explicitly vs implicitly?

Explicit = Ideology that are very outwardly patriotic/political
Implicit = moral of the story needs to be read between the lines, more subtle.

What is the Left-Center-Right Model?

A model that analyzes how certain key values are represented/responded to by the characters involved in the movie that will conclude what ideology a film is pushing (Left = Communist; Middle = Centrist; Right = Fascist)

What is alarming when discussing women's involvement in cinema?

Women account for a little more than half (51%) of all moviegoers, but aren't really seen behind the scenes in filmmaking. Only 12% of top grossing movies were directed by women, the most women are producers/writers (26/20%) while the least are cinematographers (2%).

How many women have won an academy award for best director?

1, Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker (2008).

What factors contributed to sexism in Hollywood?

Management, # of protagonists in films, age prejudice, pay differences, and gender of directors/other key roles.

What is significant about the slow progression of women becoming more prevalent in Hollywood Cinema?

- There's finally power to tell our story from our perspective and power of being a central character with agency to determine one's destiny.

What is the significance of culture within cinema?

Every nation has a specific way of looking at life, a set of values. Cinema reflects & often reinforces the values of a particular culture (not only in content but also in style); british cinema reflects british values while japanese cinema reflects japanese values.

How has ethnicity been portrayed in American cinema? How has this changed over time?

From beginning of american cinema, ethnic groups were either absent or represented in a negative/distorted way. It changed to reflect changing power hierarchies and ethic groups fighting for more representation.

How were african-americans represented in American Cinema?

There has been a long history of stereotypical/demeaning roles for black actors. They endured negative treatment by the movie industry (as was similar for other ethnic minorities)

Who was the first black performer to win an Oscar?

Hattie McDaniels (1936, ShowBoat), but she couldn't even attend her own premiere due to segregation at the time.

Who was Sidney Poitier? Why was his success revolutionary?

An African American actor who in the 1950s became a leading man (loved by white and black audiences). He was the reason why images of African Americans were slowly able to improve after his debut in "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" (1967).

How was the Queer community represented in American Cinema?

LGBT community was essentially invisible as characters until fairly recently. Very taboo subject.

Why were so many actors in the closet back then?

Being found out to be gay could end an actor's career (i.e Rock Hudson). So they often had to live fake lives with fake marriages to hold up this pristine image.

When did Queer Cinema explode onto the screen?

~2005 starting with Brokeback Mountain and continuing with films like Milk and Tangerine.

Internationally, what were some famous films/directors in Queer Cinema?

Fire, Circumstance, Blue is the Warmest Color; Pedro Almodovar, Gus van Sant, Lee Daniels

What ideologies are portrayed in classical Hollywood Cinema?

It's more implicit, but aims to be invisible. This makes it more powerful because it normalizes its ideologies/deceptively presents them as neutral ("Just Entertainment" = normalization of violence).

How is class represented in cinema?

Class is associated with power, and the american dream. Anyone can become rich through hard work and individual effort.

How is class typically represented in Hollywood Cinema?

Heroes rising out of their class to succeed, for women it's typically marrying a rich man.

What are the 3 types of critics? What are the differences between the 3?

1) Film Reviewers (journalists who describe content/general tone of film)
2) Film Critics (journalists who emphasize content & aesthetics, go deeper than reviewer & can be very influential on success/failure of film)
3) Film Theorists (usually professional academics who write about how films can be studied on a philosophical/aesthetic level)

What are film theorists? Who are they dominated by?

They're interested in social/political implications of cinema (power & cinema) and how aesthetics/style & genre create another level of the film's true meaning/power. Mainly british and french theorists, slowly americans are entering scene.

What are some examples of theoretical perspectives that can be applied to film theorists?

1) Auteur Analysis
2) Star Iconography
3) Industry Historian
4) Genre Theorist
5) Literature-Film Analysis
6) Stylistic Analaysis
7) Marxist Analysis

What is auteur theory?

A concept that revolutionized film criticism in mid-50s and dominated film theory till 60s. It was popularized by french journalist Bazin and believed that the greatest films are dominated by personal vision/style of director.

What is Genre Theory?

There are certain ready made forms in cinema that deal with the same themes, structures, and styles (i.e Westerns, Musicals, Gangster Films, Road Trip Films)

What are eclectic approaches in Cinema?

Eclectic = deriving ideas, style, or taste from a broad & diverse range of sources. US critics take eclectic approaches to film critique and analyze films according to context that is most appropriate. People who are well-educated, aware of other cultures/differing ideological perspectives

What is the issue with eclectic approach?

Can be very subjective, with each critic reviewing according to his/her taste, according to approach they personally think is appropriate. Poses a problem of what exactly is a good film?

How are semiotics/structuralism implemented in American Film Critque?

Since 1970s, attempted to make a film more "scientific/systematic" to give film criticism a more analytical terminology.

What does semiotics mean? What does structuralism mean?

Semiotics = How signs and codes signify meaning, and how the viewer gets meaning from it.
Structuralism = Elements of human culture can only be understood as they relate to a larger structure that they're apart of.

What are some examples of Semiotic Analysis?

I.e. Femme Fatale in Film Noir and Superman.

What are the four types of film history?

1) Aesthetic Film History (how style has changed over time)
2) Technological Film History (how changing technologies influenced how a film is made)
3) Economic Film History (film industry and how it fits into larger economic scales)
4) Social Film History (movies as reflection of audience's values, desires, fears)

Why is Hollywood Cinema compared to a dream factory?

Hollywood has become a place where anybody can make it big if they work hard and fight for what they believe in.