Blog #8

Postmodern style often addresses its viewers as sophisticated media readers and consumers. Referring to Sturken and Cartwright's chapter "Postmodernism and Popular Culture," and the Onion News Network clip posted above, describe how the text operates on the level of satire. In particular, how does the clip make use of parody and irony?

Blog #7

In "Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing," Marilyn Fabe argues that Spike Lee adopts film theorist and director Sergei Eisenstein's dialectical montage - the juxtaposition of contrasting shots in order to bring the viewer to a new level of consciousness. Referring to Fabe's essay, describe two ways Lee creates dialectical conflict on the level of form, and two examples on the level of content. According to Fabe, what does Lee seek to achieve through his use of dialectical montage?

Blog #6

Bordwell and Thompson define narrative as "a chain of events in cause-effect relationship occurring in time and space" (Film Art, 75). Referring to the chapter "Narrative as Formal System" and Terry McMillian's essay on The Wizard of Oz (dir. Victor Fleming, 1939), identify and describe three questions McMillian poses to the film's narrative. For instance, when does McMillian pose questions to the film's cause and effect logic? How do the characters' traits inform her understanding of the film's causes and effects? For McMillian, how does the film's presentation of story information generate curiosity or suspense?

Blog #5

Referring to Sturken and Cartwright's discussion, "Addressing the Consumer," describe how the above advertising image "interpellates" or calls a viewer to occupy the subject position constructed by the ad. (Please click on image to view larger size)

If within a consumer society, the purpose of the advertisement is no longer to sell products, but rather "lifestyle and identification with brand names and corporate logos" (S&C: 198), what ideas, qualities and/or beliefs are associated with this clothing brand? In what ways can the ad be read as contradictory in terms of its appeal to the potential consumer?

Blog #4

This week, we began to look at the techniques of continuity editing as developed by Edwin Porter and D.W. Griffith, including the match cut, cross cut and analytical editing. Along with continuity editing, aspects of mise-en-scene (the elements/figures placed before the camera to be photographed) play a significant role in the viewer's comprehension of the film story.

1) From your reading in Film Art (Chapter 4), identify and briefly describe the four aspects of mise-en-scene in the following clips:



















The Baby's Meal (Lumiere Brothers, 1895)





















The Cook in Trouble (George Melies, 1904)

2) Exercise: 180-degree rule (screen direction)

The 180-degree rule states that when filming, the camera must remain on one side of the 180-degree line (axis of action) in order to maintain consistent left-right relations from shot to shot.

In this brief clip from Frank Capra's Meet John Doe (1941), locate the axis of action and provide a brief explanation as to how you've determined its position.

Blog #3

Referring to Marilyn Fabe's essay, "The Beginnings of Film Narrative: D.W. Griffith's Birth of a Nation" describe three characteristics of early film, using at least two scenes from Edwin Porter's Jack and the Beanstalk (1902).




Using at least two scenes from D.W. Griffith's The Girl and Her Trust (1912) and Fabe's essay, describe how Griffith's use of the cross-cut and setting impacts the film's realism and storytelling capabilities.

Clip #1: George Melies, "A Man of Heads" (1898)
Clip #2: Lumiere Brothers, "Arrival of a Train" (1895)

"As for the scenario, the 'fable,' or 'tale,' I only consider it at the end. I can state that the scenario constructed in this manner has no importance, since I use it merely as a pretext for the 'stage effects,' the 'tricks,' or for a nicely arranged tableau."

-George Melies in Tom Gunning's "The Cinema of Attractions Early Film, Its Spectator and the Avant-Garde"

The films of George Melies and the Lumiere Brothers are often cited as foundational of two distinct tendencies in the cinema. The realistic tendency is characterized by the Lumiere's use of non-studio/outdoor settings, non-actors and a documentary-like approach to their subject matter. The formative tendency can be seen in Melies' exploration of the medium through trick photography and staged movement in non-realistic settings.

However, according to Tom Gunning, in what ways are the early films of Melies and the Lumiere Brothers similiar? Using the two films posted above as your examples, explain Gunning's concept of the cinema of attractions. According to Gunning, what is the relationship between this early mode of cinema and avant-garde practices that developed in the first half of the 20th century?