The Film Experience

film culture

the social and historical environment permeated with and defined by certain ideas, values, and expectations about movies

film studies

a critical discipline that promotes serious reflection on the movies and the place of film in culture; it overlaps with critical work in many other fields, such as literary studies, philosophy, sociology, and art history

experiential circumstance

the material conditions that define our identity at a certain time and in a certain place, such as our age, gender, race, linguistic and socioeconomic background and the part of the country or world in which we live

experiential histories

our education, relationships, travels, and even the other films we have seen

identification

the complex process through which we empathize with or project onto a character, or participate in a place or an action, is commonly associated with our emotional responses

cognition

the aspects of comprehension that make up our rational reactions and thought processes…At the most basic cognitive level, we process visual and auditory information…at another level, we bring assumptions about a given location or setting…we measure characters against similar characters

Part 1

examines both how processes and patterns of production, distribution, and exhibition present a film in particular ways and how the history of film form and culture shapes our understanding of the medium and its social role.  This approach foregrounds the social contexts in which audiences encounter the movies

part 2

presents the four formal systems that structure films - mise-en-scene, cinematography, editing, sound

part 3

introduces and analyzes the primary modes through which viewers’ encounters with the movies are shaped – narrative, nonfiction, experimental organization –as well as genres

part 4

offers critical perspectives on film, including an account of major questions and positions in film theory, and a guide to writing a film essay

film production

a multi-layered activity in which industry, art, technology, and imagination intertwine…from the financing and scripting of a film to its final edit and…the addition of production credits naming the companies and individuals involved

preproduction

when a film project is in development, involving preparing the script, financing the project, casting, hiring crew.  In narrative filmmaking, the efforts…to conceive and refine an idea for a film.  Funds are raised, rights are secured, a crew is assembled, casting decisions are made, and key aspects of the film’s design, including location scouting and the construction of sets and costumes…Documentary filmmakers might conduct archival or location research, investigate their subject and interview subjects

screenwriter/scriptwriter

generates the idea for a narrative film, either as an original concept or as an adaptation of a novel, true story, or comic book character.tr

treatment

short prose description of the action and major characters of the story

screenplay/script

the text from which a movie is made, including dialogue and information about action, settings, shots and transitions.  This undergoes several versions, from temporary screenplay to the final shooting script…an uncredited script doctor may be called in to do rewrites

producer

may be fully involved with each step of film production from the selection and development of a script to the creation of an advertising campaign for the finished film.  At other times, a producer may be an almost invisible partner who is responsible principally for the financing of a movie…Producers were extremely powerful in the heyday of the studio system.

executive producer

may be connected to a film primarily in name, playing a role in financing or facilitating a film deal having little creative or technical involvement.  On a documentary, an executive producer might work with the television channel commissioning the program.

line producer

in charge of the daily business of tracking costs and maintaining the production schedule of a film.

unit production manager

responsible for reporting and managing the details of receipts and purchases.

above-the-line-expenses

the initial costs of contracting the major personnel, such as directors and stars, as well as administrative and organizational expenses in setting up a film production 

below-the-line expenses

the technical and material costs—costumes, sets, transportation, and so on—involved in the actual making of a film

production values

how the quality of the film’s images and sounds reflects the extent of these two expenses.

casting directors

identify the actors who would work best in particular scripted roles

agents

negotiate with casting directors and producers and enlist different personnel for a movie

package-unit approach

the agent, producer, and casting director determine a script, stars, and other major personnel as a key first step in a major film production.

location scouts

determine and secure places that provide the most suitable environment for different movie scenes.

production designer

determines the film’s overall look

art directors

supervising the conception and construction of the physical environment…sets, locations, props, and costumes

set directors

complete the look of the set with details

costume designers

plan and prepare how actors will be dressed

film shoot

the weeks or months of actual shooting, on set or on location

director

the chief creative presence or the primary manager in film production.  In the earliest films, the cameraman was the de facto director

cinematographer (director of photography)

selects the cameras, film stock lighting and lenses, as well as camera setup or position.  In consultation with the director, determines how the action will be shot, the images composed, and the kind of exposure needed to print the takes.  Oversees a camera operator and other camera and lighting crew.

production sound mixer

sound engineer on the production set

grips

install lighting and dollies

dailies

footage shot that day

selects

takes that are suggested for the finished film

film wrap

when production is complete

postproduction

activities that take place after principal photography is completed

editing

selecting and joining film footage and shots into a finished film.  In documentary production, it may be the most important stage.  When the editing is complete, the film is said to be locked.

sound editor

combines music, dialogue and effects tracks to interact with the image track

special effects

techniques that enhance a film’s realism or surpass assumptions about realism with spectacle.  When accomplished in postproduction, termed visual effects

green screen technology

actors perform in front of a plain green background;  background is later inserted with computers

motion-capture technology

transfers the actors’ physical movements to computer-generated imagery (CGI)

distributor

a company or agency that acquires the rights to a movie from the filmmakers or producers…and then makes that movie available to audiences by renting, selling, or licensing it to theaters or other exhibition outlets

feature film

a longer movie that is the primary attraction for an audience

block booking

an exhibitor would be required to show cheaper, less desirable films as a condition of booking the star-studded “A” pictures, a practice that would be outlawed in the U.S. v. Paramount decision which divorced the studios from their theater chains and required that films be individually sold

premiere

a film’s initial opening in a limited number of first-run theaters as exclusive engagements would gradually be expanded, allowing for a series of premieres

wide release

opening in hundreds of theaters simultaneously

saturation booking

screening a film in as many locations as possible as soon as possible

limited release

a film may be initially distributed to only major cities

platforming

releasing a film in gradually widening markets and theaters so that it slowly builds its reputation and momentum through reviews and word of mouth

exclusive release

premiering in only one or two locations

target audiences

viewers who producers feel are most likely to want to see a particular film

ancillary markets

television, video, DVD, Blu-ray, pay-per-view, video on demand (VOD) can generate more revenue than initial theater release

piracy

the unauthorized duplication and circulation of copyrighted material

downloading/streaming

delivering movies via high-speed internet

distribution timing

when a movie is released for public viewing in certain location or on certain platforms.  The summer season and the December holidays are the most important in the U.S…Avoiding unwanted competition can be a key part of a distributor’s timing

theatrical release window

period of time before a film’s availability on home video, video on demand, or television platforms.  Has traditionally been 3 to 6 months but is becoming shorter

day-and-date release

simultaneous release across multiple media.  Magnolia Pictures has even released its slate of independent films digitally on demand before their theatrical premieres.

film marketing

identifying an audience in order to bring a product (the movie) to the attention of buyers (viewers) so that they will watch the product

film promotion

aspects of the industry through which audiences are exposed to and encouraged to see a particular film. 

cultural promotion

academic or journalistic accounts that discuss and frequently value films as especially important in movie history or as aesthetic objects.  [T]hese more measured kinds of promotion are usually underpinned by intellectual rather than financial motives

trailer

previews edited images and scenes from a film in theaters before the main feature film;  provides a compact series of reasons why a viewer should see that movie

media convergence

the process by which formerly distinct media (such as cinema, television, the Internet, and video games) and viewing platforms (such as television, computers, and cell phones) become interdependent.

viral marketing

advertising that relies on existing social networks such as word of mouth, electronic messaging, or other means

exhibition

the part of the industry that shows films to a paying public, usually in movie theaters

reception

the process through which individual viewers or groups make sense of a film

exhibitors

owners of individual theaters or theater chains who make decisions about programming and local promotion

viewing forums

the locations where we watch a movie—contribute to the wider culture of exhibition space and social activities that surround and define moviegoing.