Return to English 114, Section 3 syllabus
Updated 2 September 2006
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ENGLISH 114: INTRODUCTION TO FILM, Fall 2006
Section 3: Thursday, 6:00-9:30 p.m., Professor Larsson
Week 1, August 31
NOTE: Short films referred to below are now on reserve at Memorial Library in the Educational Resource Center (ERC) on the lower level
QUESTIONS? Contact Professor Larsson at donald.larsson@mnsu.edu
6:00-6:20
Syllabus, Requirements
See Class Website: http://english2.mnsu.edu/larsson/introfilm/114syllabusf06.htm
6:20-7:30
Some basics of filmmaking
7:30-7:40
Break
7:40-9:30
Examples of films and filmmaking
Question for the Class:
What was the last film you saw (in a theater or on video) that made a powerful impression on you?
Why did it have that effect?
[Discussion referred to films that impressed people (positively or negatively) because of the feeling of involvement in the action, the psychological realism of the situation and the characters, the use of extreme actions for humor, and extreme uses of violence, among other things.]
Richard Barsam’s Basic Principles of Film (from Chapter 1):
1. Movies manipulate time and space in ways that other art forms cannot
2. Movies depend on light
3. Movies provide an illusion of movement
4. Movies can depict worlds convincingly
5. Movies generally result from a complex, expensive and highly collaborative process
Some other ways to think about movies:
A. Movies are a technological art form
B. Movies are based on principles adapted from other art forms or developed independently
C. The general structure of moviemaking has not changed much in nearly 100 years, but
D. Specific aspects of moviemaking have continued to change and evolve as technological, economic, and social contexts have changed
E. Films are commercial products made for mass audiences, but they are also made for personal, political and artistic reasons. Sometimes they are made for all of these reasons.
F. The power of movies comes in part from their ability to create convincing worlds and to encourage our identification with the characters and situations.
Basic Units of the Film in Time:
Frame: a single photographic image on the strip of film
§ The standardized speed of film in cameras and projectors is 24 frames per second. (Silent films were less standardized and could vary drastically since both the camera and projector were usually hand-cranked.)
Shot: one uninterrupted exposure of a strip of film for a particular period
of
time—1 frame to infinity (in theory). Most films are made up of
hundreds or thousands of individual shots
Scene: a set of shots that forms a coherent unit within the film (set at a
particular time and place, for example)
Sequence: a set of scenes that forms a larger unit within the film as a whole,
similar to an “Act” in a play
Film: The completed, unified movie as a whole, with a beginning, middle,
and end (“but not necessarily in that order” --Jean-Luc Godard)
Basic Elements of the Film Event:
Mise-en-scene: The “world” depicted by the film; what we see on the screen
without taking into account how it was photographed
§ Setting and Props—The things we see and that are used
§ Costumes and makeup—The clothing and appearance of the actors
§ Lighting—The use of light, shadow and color to illuminate, to hide and to convey emotion and meaning
§ Acting—The physical movements and expressions of the characters
Cinematography: The portrayal and revelation of the mise-en-scene through
the lens of the camera (apparently), affected by lighting
and by specific elements of the camera:
§ Film stock
§ Camera lens
§ Camera speed
§ Camera position
o Distance
o Angle
o Height
o Movement
Editing: The act of joining together individual shots to create scenes,
sequences and entire films. Editing allows filmmakers to
manipulate time and space in order to create a convincing illusion
of reality or to bend the rules of reality or to do both.
Sound: The use of voices, sound effects, and music to
§ Convey information
§ Create emotional moods
§ Shape our interpretation of the film image
Basic Steps of Film Production
1. Pre-Production (preparation)
Idea for film is generated or bought/adapted by the producer
The producer finds financing for the film, sets a budget and schedule, hires the personnel needed to make the film
The writer generates the film idea, eventually resulting in a complete shooting script
2. Production (shooting)
The making of the film is overseen by the director, working with production designers, a cinematography crew, and many others, including the cast of actors.
3. Post-Production (editing)
The final film is assembled from shots created in the production stage by the the editor and sound editor, usually with the collaboration of the director and/or producer.
Actual number of people and amount of detail in each step can vary widely, depending on the scope and financing for the film.
Thinking about Film: Some Basic Questions
1. Who made it?
2. How was it made?
3. Why was it made?
4. What form does it take?
5. What is the result?
Historical Examples of Early Cinema:
Thomas Edison and the Lumiere Brothers
§ Workers Leaving the Factory
§ Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat
§ The Sprinkler Sprinkled
§ Fred Ott’s Sneeze
§ The John C. Rice-May Irwin Kiss
§ The Great Train Robbery (directed by Edwin S. Porter)
Alternatives to Narrative: Experimental Films
§ Ballet Mechanique
§ Scenes from The Gold Rush (directed by and starring Charlie Chaplin)