Film : an introduction

Film: An Introduction covers the movies students know and the films their instructors want them to know — including the silent classics of D.W. Griffith and Sergei Eisenstein, the Hong Kong cinema of John Woo, the documentaries of Errol Morris and Michael Moore, and the contemporary films of Quentin Tarantino and Peter Jackson. Through meticulous coverage, an unmatched art program with over 500 frame enlargements, accessible language, and unique study tools, Film helps beginning students develop the critical skills they need to analyze films and understand the medium in all its variety. Cover Page......Page 1 Title Page......Page 5 Copyright Page......Page 6 Preface to the Fourth Edition......Page 7 Brief Contents......Page 17 Contents......Page 19 Introduction......Page 29 Part One THE EXPRESSIVENESS OF FILM TECHNIQUES......Page 37 Chapter 1 Mise en Scène......Page 39 SETTINGS......Page 41 Types of Settings......Page 42 Functions of Settings......Page 44 Action, Reaction, and Appearance......Page 48 Characters and Acting......Page 51 Shape of Projected Image......Page 65 Empty Space......Page 68 Taking Sides......Page 71 Foreground and Background......Page 73 Symmetrical and Asymmetrical Compositions......Page 77 MISE EN SCÈNE AND THE WORLD OUTSIDE THE FRAME......Page 80 CLOSE-UP: MISE EN SCÈNE IN CITIZEN KANE......Page 83 SUMMARY......Page 84 QUESTIONS ABOUT MISE EN SCÈNE......Page 86 FILM STOCK......Page 89 Gauge......Page 90 Speed......Page 92 Color......Page 93 Two Types of Light......Page 98 Direction and Intensity of Light......Page 107 Shadows......Page 111 Other Uses of Light......Page 112 THE CAMERA......Page 114 Lenses and Focus......Page 115 Camera Distances......Page 119 Perspective......Page 124 Angles and Point-of-View Shots......Page 125 Moving Camera......Page 130 Filmmakers Talk about Cinematography......Page 136 DIGITAL CINEMATOGRAPHY......Page 138 CLOSE-UP: CAMERA DISTANCES AND ANGLES IN A SCENE FROM REVERSAL OF FORTUNE (STUDENT ESSAY)......Page 141 SUMMARY......Page 143 QUESTIONS ABOUT CINEMATOGRAPHY......Page 146 Chapter 3 Editing......Page 157 EARLY FILM EDITING......Page 159 Editing of “A Trip to the Moon”......Page 160 Shots, Scenes, Sequences......Page 163 Transitions......Page 165 CONTINUITY EDITING......Page 170 Superimpositions......Page 174 Juxtapositions......Page 175 Action and Reaction......Page 181 Parallel Editing......Page 182 Fast and Slow Cutting......Page 186 Condensing Time and Stretching It: Montage and Other Editing Techniques......Page 188 DIGITAL EDITING......Page 193 CLOSE-UP: THE EXPRESSIVENESS OF EDITING (AND OTHER TECHNIQUES): AN EXCERPT FROM HIGH NOON......Page 195 SUMMARY......Page 197 QUESTIONS ABOUT EDITING......Page 199 Chapter 4 Sound......Page 201 Opening Soundtrack for Contact (1997)......Page 202 FILM SOUND: EARLY AND RECENT......Page 203 COMPONENTS OF THE SOUNDTRACK AND THEIR USES......Page 206 Spoken Words......Page 207 Sound Effects......Page 210 Music......Page 214 Silence......Page 220 Transitions......Page 221 General Uses of Sound in Narrative Films......Page 223 CLOSE-UP: SOUND IN ONE MINUTE OF FATAL ATTRACTION (STUDENT ESSAY)......Page 228 CLOSE-UP: VOCALS, SOUND EFFECTS, AND MUSIC IN AN EXCERPT FROM PSYCHO (1960)......Page 230 SUMMARY......Page 232 QUESTIONS ABOUT FILM SOUND......Page 234 POSTSCRIPT TO PART ONE: OBVIOUS VS. SUBTLE FILM TECHNIQUES......Page 237 Part Two FICTIONAL FILMS......Page 245 Chapter 5 Sources for Fictional Films......Page 247 Screenplays and Shooting Scripts......Page 248 Storyboards......Page 253 INDIVIDUAL SOURCES......Page 254 History......Page 255 JFK: Fact and Fiction......Page 256 Fiction......Page 262 Plays......Page 266 Television......Page 272 Other Films......Page 275 MULTIPLE SOURCES......Page 287 CLOSE-UP: “THE DEAD”: NOVELLA TO FILM (STUDENT ESSAY)......Page 291 SUMMARY......Page 292 QUESTIONS ABOUT SOURCES FOR FICTIONAL FILMS......Page 295 Chapter 6 Components of Fictional Films......Page 298 NARRATIVES: FACTUAL AND FICTIONAL......Page 299 SHORT FICTIONAL FILMS......Page 302 Structure......Page 305 Time......Page 324 Structure of Run Lola Run......Page 326 Style......Page 333 CLOSE-UP: THE PLOT AND FABULA OF PULP FICTION......Page 343 SUMMARY......Page 346 QUESTIONS ABOUT COMPONENTS OF FICTIONAL FILMS......Page 348 Chapter 7 Types of Fictional Films......Page 351 Characteristics of Classical Hollywood Cinema......Page 352 Film Genres: Related Fictional Films (the Western, Film Noir, and the Musical)......Page 354 OTHER CINEMAS......Page 377 Italian Neorealist Cinema......Page 378 French New Wave Cinema......Page 381 European Independent Films......Page 384 American Independent Cinema......Page 386 Bollywood......Page 388 Hong Kong Cinema......Page 392 CLOSE-UP: OUT OF THE PAST AS FILM NOIR (STUDENT ESSAY)......Page 396 SUMMARY......Page 397 QUESTIONS ABOUT TYPES OF FICTIONAL FILMS......Page 399 Part Three ALTERNATIVES TO LIVE-ACTION FICTIONAL FILMS......Page 405 Chapter 8 Documentary Films......Page 407 Mediated Reality......Page 408 Inform......Page 411 Criticize......Page 412 Celebrate......Page 413 WHAT STEPS MIGHT BE TAKEN TO CONSTRUCT DOCUMENTARIES?......Page 415 Selecting Subjects......Page 417 Finding and Using Sources......Page 420 Structuring the Parts into a Nonnarrative or a Narrative Whole......Page 424 Using a Variety of Filmmaking Techniques......Page 430 HOW DOES FILMMAKING TECHNOLOGY AFFECT THE DOCUMENTARY FILMS MADE?......Page 432 CLOSE-UP: HEARTS OF DARKNESS: A FILMMAKER’S APOCALYPSE AS A NARRATIVE DOCUMENTARY FILM......Page 436 SUMMARY......Page 439 QUESTIONS ABOUT DOCUMENTARY FILMS......Page 440 EXPERIMENTAL FILMS......Page 443 What Are Experimental Films?......Page 445 What Are Sources and Subjects for Experimental Films?......Page 449 What Film Techniques Might Be Used to Make Experimental Films?......Page 457 What Are Some of the Types of Experimental Films?......Page 458 HYBRID FILMS......Page 461 ANIMATION......Page 467 “T.R.A.N.S.I.T.”: A Description......Page 471 CLOSE-UP: “UN CHIEN ANDALOU” AS AN EXPERIMENTAL FILM......Page 473 SUMMARY......Page 474 QUESTIONS ABOUT EXPERIMENTAL, HYBRID, AND ANIMATED FILMS......Page 476 Part Four UNDERSTANDING FILMS......Page 481 THE CONTEXTS OF A FILM’S MAKING......Page 483 Social and Political Attitudes......Page 485 Censorship......Page 502 Excerpts from The Production Code of the Motion Picture Producers and Directors of America, Inc., 1930–1934......Page 506 Artistic Conventions......Page 514 Financial Constraints......Page 517 Filmmaking Technology......Page 519 THE VERSION OF THE FILM THAT IS SEEN......Page 523 Shape of the Projected Image......Page 524 Resolution and Brightness......Page 525 Color......Page 526 Translations......Page 527 THE SETTING IN WHICH A FILM IS SEEN......Page 528 Nickelodeons......Page 529 Movie Palaces......Page 531 IMAX Theaters......Page 532 At a Movie Palace: October 1929......Page 534 Home Viewing......Page 536 CLOSE-UP: HOMOSEXUALITY IN THE MALTESE FALCON: THE NOVEL, THE PRODUCTION CODE, AND THE 1941 MOVIE......Page 538 SUMMARY......Page 540 QUESTIONS ABOUT UNDERSTANDINGFILMS THROUGH CONTEXTS......Page 542 VIEWERS’ EXPECTATIONS AND INTERACTIONS......Page 547 Viewers’ Expectations......Page 548 Viewers’ Interactions with a Film during a Film Showing......Page 552 TYPES OF MEANINGS FOUND OR FORMULATED......Page 554 Explicit Meanings......Page 555 Implicit Meanings......Page 557 Universal Meanings and Symptomatic Meanings......Page 573 Prior Knowledge of the Film or a Subject in the Film......Page 577 Viewers’ Backgrounds......Page 579 Critical Approaches......Page 581 CLOSE-UP: THE SIGNIFICANCE OF “ROSEBUD” (STUDENT ESSAY)......Page 586 CLOSE-UP: THINKING ABOUT THE TRUMAN SHOW......Page 587 SUMMARY......Page 589 QUESTIONS ABOUT THINKING ABOUT FILMS......Page 591 Part Five WRITING ABOUT FILMS......Page 597 READING TIPS......Page 599 Read......Page 600 WRITING DEFINITIONS......Page 601 WRITING ABOUT FILMS......Page 603 Prewriting......Page 604 Writing......Page 605 Rewriting and Rewriting: Some Strategies......Page 606 Getting Feedback......Page 608 Two Sample Student Essays......Page 611 ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY FOR THE INTRODUCTORY FILM STUDENT......Page 617 DESCRIPTION......Page 623 Mise en Scène......Page 625 Cinematography......Page 636 Editing......Page 638 Sound......Page 640 Sources for Fictional Films......Page 642 Components of Fictional Films......Page 646 Types of Fictional Films......Page 647 Understanding The Player through Contexts......Page 649 Thinking about The Player......Page 650 APPENDICES......Page 657 A CHRONOLOGY: FILM IN CONTEXT (1895–2008)......Page 659 ILLUSTRATED GLOSSARY......Page 719 HOW TO READ FILM CREDITS......Page 746 Index......Page 757