Visual communication Motion Pictures

Motion pictures “Movies” - a term for motion pictures that are produced primarily for entertainment. i.e. Hollywood “Films” – motion pictures that are primarily non-fiction or “art” films. i.e. documentaries, biographies, foreign and independent films

Technical background The illusion of movement Persistence of vision Still images projected in rapid succession Frame rate = the number of still pictures projected per each second to create the illusion of constant fluid motion Flicker (critical fusion) rate = the number of frames required each second to eliminate visible flicker

Frame rates Original motion pictures were based on a frame rate of sometimes frames per second –Images appeared jerky with noticeable flicker 12 frames per second (fps) is the minimum to create the illusion of seamless motion 18 (fps) is the minimum to avoid flicker

Frame rates “Home movie” formats (8 millimeter) used 18 fps Commercial films use 24 fps Television uses 30 fps In modern motion pictures, the shutter projects each frame twice to reduce flicker

History Persistence of vision (animation) first demonstrated by Eadweard Muybridge Muybrigde was settling a bet on whether all 4 of a horse’s left the ground at any point in its gallop Arranged a series of still cameras along the track with trip wires

Zoetrope

“Mutoscope”

Kinetoscope Edison invented the kinetoscope Used Eastman roll film

Kinetoscope

Mutoscope/kinetoscope The penny arcade Machines that cost a penny to view Some adult content Edison also developed a projection device based on the kinetoscope called the “kinetograph” Operated on electricity – Edison’s pet project

History Robert Paul bought the Edison Kinetograph and gave it a crank This was the first movie camera

Lumiere Lumiere Brothers (French) used the “cinematographe” to both record and show films Lumiere films were documents of daily life They exhibited the films at night in the towns and villages where they filmed

Thomas Edison Pioneer filmmaker Created documents of daily life and simple acts Also pioneered in fantasy and drama Edison built a studio on a turntable to make films – turned to make use of sunlight The “Black Maria” was covered with black tar paper

Black Maria

George Melies A surrealist - magician and filmmaker The inventor of special effects –Accidentally discovered the “stop trick” disappearance effect –Pioneered other science fiction effects

George Melies

Milestones/pioneers D.W. Griffith –“Birth of a Nation” –The “blockbuster” –Epic drama about the Civil War Nanook of the North –The first documentary –About an Eskimo

Nickelodeon

Nickel = 5¢ Odeon = roofed theater Neighborhood theaters in early 20 th century

Sound in the movies Early films were silent – sometimes with live musical accompaniment RCA Vitaphone system used 78 rpm records synchronized with the silent film Now film sound is recorded onto the film optically

Optical sound - Photophone

The movies Sound helped the industry grow Studios grew and their control expanded The movie industry was controlled by a few huge studios that were vertically integrated –Production, talent, distribution, exhibition United Artists – Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, Charlie Chaplin – formed as reaction to the big studios

Scandals Sex scandals –Culminating in the Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle scandal in which he assaulted a minor House Un-American Activities Commission –The “Red Scandal” –Joe McCarthy –Blacklist

Threats to the movies and how they responded Radio siphons off audience –Movies introduce color Technicolor Television siphons audience –Movies introduce wide screen Cinerama – 3 cameras Cinemascope – Panavision –Movies create ornate palaces –Other gimmicks 3-D, Smell-a-vision, Sensurround

Threats… Color television challenges the movies –Movies respond double features Giving birth to the “B” movie Cheap movies to be shown with a big budget movie –Drive ins Other media still challenge the movies –Surround sound –Cineplex

Technical considerations Film width –8 mm – home movies –16 mm – independent and documentary –35 mm – commercial film production –70 mm – super wide screen –Imax – 70 mm projected horizontally

Technical considerations Aspect ratio –5 X 3 = “flat” prints –16 X 9 = “anamorphic” wide screen – “Cinemascope”

Technical considerations Color The principle of color photography was introduced by James Clerk Maxwell in the 1800s with additive color Color in the movies –Hand tinting –Kinemacolor – 2 color process –Technicolor – 3 color process

Technical considerations Early films used hand-cranked cameras Lighting was not available to allow indoor filming with deep focus Lens optics did not permit “deep focus” Early sound films used “blimped” cameras that were extremely large and heavy The camera did not move – only panned and tilted – and not often

Technical considerations Films are shot “MOS” – silent Sound is added in post production –Looping –ADR – “automatic dialogue replacement” –Foleying Sound tracks include dialogue, score and sound effects (Foley)

Ratings The Hays Code –Named for William Hayes former Postmaster General of the United States –The U.S. Motion Picture Production Code Replaced by the Motion Picture Association of America –G – M – R – X –M replaced by GP –Now G – PG – PG13 – R – NC17

The language of filmmaking The shot –The basic component of filmmaking –a shot is a continuous strip of motion picture film, created of a series of frames, that runs for an uninterrupted period of time. Shots are generally filmed with a single camera and can be of any duration Shots are assembled into scenes –Scenes share a common location

Issues Stereotypes in the movies –Racial –Gender –Cultural –Other?

Contemporary issues Foreign Marketing Product placement Merging technologies marry film, vide, and computers Future directions –CGI –Interactivity –???