Scorsese's Hugo

This is a terrible interview, but I just wanted to note that you all won't be among the "young" who don't know the origins of film...

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7389111n&tag=strip

...for this you should be proud.

Oh, and if you haven't read the book The Invention of Hugo Cabret, you should. It will take you about an hour.

Blog Response--Nosferatu

Watch F.W. Murnau's Nosferatu and compare and contrast it with The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. Read Roger Ebert's essay on Murnau's masterpiece as well as his essay on Caligari and use at least one quote from each. Your response should be at least 2 well-developed paragraphs.

If you want to re-watch Caligari, go here. Nosferatu can be found here. This is due by next Wednesay, 11/22.

Blog Response--Man With a Movie Camera

First, be sure you finish watching the film...

http://www.archive.org/details/ChelovekskinoapparatomManWithAMovieCamera

We ended at 29:00 in class.

Your Looking at Movies textbook has a nice quote about Vertov and his film on page 428.

Vertov shows us how to frame reality and movement: through the human eye and the camera eye, or through windows and shutters. But to confound us, he also shows us--through such devices as the freeze-frame, split screen, stop-action, slow motion, and fast motion--how the cinematographer and editor can transform the movements of life into something that is unpredictable. He not only proves that the camera has a life of its own, but also reminds us of the editor, who is putting all of this footage together. Reality may be in the control of the artist, his camera, and its tricks, but it also finds definition within the editor's presentation and, ultimately, the viewer's perception.

In your first well-developed paragraph, please discuss this quote in relation to a five minute piece ofMan With a Movie Camera. Be sure to describe shots cinematically, as if I've never seen the film before. Discuss elements of editing, such as the juxtaposition of shots, rhythm, montage, etc.

In your second well-developed paragraph, discuss this quote in relation to Run Lola Run. Try to be as specific as possible in your descriptions and speak cinematically when you discuss the film.

Director of Photography

Please post the Director of Photography you have chosen to study, as well as at least one film they worked on.

Great movie alert

TCM is playing Ball of Fire (starring the amazing Barbara Stanwyk, one of the greatest Hollywood actresses of all time) this Saturday at 8pm. It is definitely worth your time to watch. Great writing.

Blog Response #4--Early Hollywood

I would like you to watch portions of Birth of a Nation (if you'd like, watch the whole thing!) and compare it with Falling Leaves. Look at both films and write two well-developed paragraphs that discuss mise en scene. As you watch the film or clip, be alert to the overall design plan and mise-en-scene and to your emotional response to them. Are you comforted or made anxious by them? Describe and compare the framing/composition of individual shots in both films. Do the shots employ a lot of movement or not? Does the design in the movie or clip create the correct times, spaces, and moods? Does it go beyond surfaces and relate to developing themes? Identify the elements of the mise-en-scene that seem to be contributing the most to your emotional response. All statements should include examples from the films or clips.

You can find Birth of a Nation here. Watch from 9:00-14:00, 36:00-41:00, 50:00-60:00, and 2:07-2:15. You should note certain techniques Griffith uses such as the 180-degree rule (right around 13:00) and his use of establishing shots and close ups. Feel free to watch the rest of the movie and comment on other clips as well.

If you want to re-watch Falling Leaves, go here.

Blog Response #3

Using your viewing(s) of Citizen Kane, discuss the following quote from your Bazin article in at least two well-developed paragraphs:

"Citizen Kane can never be too highly praised. Thanks to the depth of field, whole scenes are covered in one take, the camera remaining motionless. Dramatic effects for which we had formerly relied on montage were created out of the movements of the actors within a fixed framework. Of course Welles did not invent the in-depth shot any more than Griffith invented the close-up. All the pioneers used it and for a very good reason."