Comm 2366 Intro to Film

Instructor Alex Hinojosa ahinoj34@epcc.edu (915) 383-8817 (Text with name and class) OFFICE – At Valle Verde – Student Service Center – 143-H

Analyzing Movies Conversation begins with what we like or dislike ourselves. What are our Biases. Think about it – when you walk into a drama what do you expect? A comedy? An independent film?

What Draws us to the movies? First Projection for Public Entertainment was nicknamed the “Magic Lantern.” It used a lens, a shutter and a persistent light source that projected etched images from glass slides onto a white wall in the dark. Overtime investors in mid-19th century used this with toys.

Thaumatrope was an optical illusion

Persistence of Vision The tendency for one image to persist or linger on our retina as the next image enters our perception. Phi Phenomenon – Apparent motion describes an optical illusion that accounts for the impression of movement when one images follows another at the proper speed – (Cartoons) Frame – The smallest compositional unit of a reel of a film, a single photographic image, also, the boundaries of the image.

Another Illusion Critical Flicker Fusion – A phenomenon in which the light of a film projector flashes so rapidly with each new frame that we do not see it pulse but instead see a continuous beam of light.

“Modern Moviegoing” Despite the changes in how the movies are made or what sort of film they use – it continues to be a “communal” experience. Movies made in more formats than ever before – i.e. ipads and phones. Watching movies is simpler and cheaper. Use them as a form of “escape.”

Analyzing movies Things to consider: Identification: A mode of engagement with film content – something the film reminds us of in our own lives, experiences. We identify with the characters. Idealization: Something in the film resonates with our dreams and aspirations. “If only our lives were like this.”

The Matrix

Matrix continued An Escapist Film with complex elements and ideals. There is a growing dependence on fantasy flicks. Like the Matrix, some films challenge us to question the world around us. Challenge our belief system. Some complex films take a while to get into – the process of identification and idealization are not as easily engaged.

Movies that make you work Vengeance is Mine (Shoehei Imamura). Based on real life Akir Nishiguchi who went on a killing spree in the 1960s. References Romans 12:19 (New Testament) Character gives no indication of misreading the Bible. 2001: A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick) Narrative is super slow. Why? Breaking away from formula to get a glimpse at what the director is trying to get the audience to ponder.

Certain scenes Sometimes a director will want to focus on certain scenes. They will leave the camera there to drive home a point. Kubrick’s Space Odyssey: Enter HAL – He’s the super computer. Provides some comedic relief but HAL is also a commentary on dealing with mindless technology and our frustration with it.

“Do the Right Thing” Spike Lee Challenges to engage in questions of morality and social justice. Refuses to go by escapist standards. Commentary on white paternalism, racism, and poverty that impacts the life of the characters in this one neighborhood in Brooklyn. No one in the film is wealthy – and yet there are separate distinctions among the working classes – out of work and working poor.

Other issues Gender issues are explored Spike Lee – Actually grew up in Brooklyn. He is an insider that is looking closely at the social problems.

Form and Style Form: Embraces all aspects of the film’s construction that can be isolated. Form is the visual and aural shape of the film. The elements of the narratives, mise-en-scene (look of the scene), camerawork, sound and editing. Style: Refers to the particular characteristic use of these elements. May be associated with time and place, type of film, director's body of work, or unique to an individual film.

Things to consider Film noir – Associated with crime films of the 1940s and 1950s. It is a French Term for a style that is characterized by deep shadows, night scenes, shady characters and plots involving elaborate schemes. Motif: repeated images, lines of dialogue or musical themes that are significant to a film’s meaning. Protagonist – The film’s hero – the main character.

The New Wave A movement generally concerned with a painful transition from pre-war fascism and wartime collaboration, from a rural, Catholic, and conservative nation into a more modern, urbanized, youth-oriented society untainted by the war and more in tune with the popular consumer culture of swinging London and the U.S.

Weekly Journal The 400 Blows – Directed by Francois Truffaut As we watch the film analyze it and note the development of the character. Examine the Protagonist: Who is he? What is he like? Why does it seem he does what he does? Examine the elements of the narratives, mise-en-scene (look of the scene), camerawork, sound and editing. Does the director seem to say something through these? If so what is he trying to get us realize? And how? Does this seem to be a film that is a bit biographical? If so how? (Hint – do some research on the director).

Assignment Read Chapter 1 and Start Reading Chapter 9. Do the Analyze Movies Exercise on Page 18 and 19 of your Book. Due Tuesday.