PLEASE LEARN THESE BEFORE 11/5 Terms 10_29

Terms (Some Film Styles discussed so far) Camp Kitsch Melodrama Meta (Self-Referential) Parody Homage Pathos Bathos

Genres and Art Movements Surrealism Realism Melodrama Horror

Modes of effective communication Identification Alienation

Camp Sontag claimed that “the essence of Camp is its love of the unnatural: of artifice and exaggeration…” (3).(3) The word "camp" may come from the French term se camper (to flaunt)—in this case the flaunting of one's homosexuality. Camp style can be traced back to at least the early eighteenth century and the rise of homosexual subcultures within western European cities. Camp was thus a way of performing a hitherto unseen identity; early camp style celebrated a certain degree of gender-bending, wit, and aestheticism. an aesthetic sensibility wherein something is appealing because of its bad taste and ironic value.aestheticbad taste ironic

Kitsch art, objects, or design considered to be in poor taste because of excessive garishness or sentimentality, but sometimes appreciated in an ironic or knowing way. "the lava lamp is an example of sixties kitsch” considered to be in poor taste but appreciated in an ironic or knowing way."the front room is stuffed with kitsch knickknacks, little glass and gilt ornaments"

Post-Modernism Postmodernism as a style is described as a renewed appreciation for popular culture that often remixes other art works and pop culture in order to create something new. Camp and irony often arrive hand-in-hand with the postmodern style. Postmodern films may play like a collage of tropes and stereotypes, and may mix different forms of media (such as animated sequences) and could integrate an element of melodrama played as camp.

Meta or Self Referential Self-reference occurs in natural or formal languages when a sentence, idea or formula refers to itself. The reference may be expressed either directly or indirectly The Treachery of Images 1928–1929 René Magritte René Magritte

Melodrama Camp Identification Alienation As a form of identification it appeals to emotions As a form of alienation it can be used ironically Why alienate a viewer purposely?

Brecht 1928 Three Penny Opera a play should not cause the spectator to identify emotionally with the characters or action before him or her, but should instead provoke rational self-reflection His style gave a critical view of the action on the stage. Brecht thought that the experience of a climactic catharsis of emotion left an audience complacent. The Threepenny Opera had already been produced 130 times worldwide by 1933, before the rise of the Nazis forced Weill to flee to Paris in March of that year.

Parody is an imitative work created to comment on and trivialize another work

Homage an allusion or imitation by one artist to another. (Clueless is also loosely based on Jane Austen’s novel Emma)

Pathos Persuading by appealing to the viewer’s emotions. Film language choice affects the audience's emotional response, and emotional appeal can effectively be used to communicate ideology—or used persuasively

Bathos is an abrupt transition in style from the exalted to the commonplace, producing a ludicrous effect. While often unintended, bathos may be used deliberately to produce a humorous effect descent from the sublime to the ridiculous.

Surrealism The Surrealists saw in film a medium which nullified reality's boundaries. Surrealism is a cultural movement and artistic style that was founded in 1924 by André Breton. Surrealist style uses visual imagery from the subconscious mind to create art without the intention of logical comprehensibility.

Realism Cinematic realism is neither a genre nor a movement, and it has neither rigid formal criteria nor specific subject matter. realism has been an extremely useful concept for asking questions about the nature of cinematographic images Classical Hollywood Cinema (all forms are realism in a way)— The invisible edit Deep focus, naturalism, and the Classical Hollywood style are all things that Bazin wrote about as a response to montage Cassavetes style is somewhat singular (his own genre) I’ll call it heightened Realism

Italian Neo-realism (is a movement/genre) Filmed on location Set amongst poor and working class Uses non-professional actors Post-World War II Italy where conditions were very bad (poverty, oppression, injustice and desperation) Films that fit into this genre are: Bicycle Thieves (Vittorio De Sica, 1948), Killer of Sheep (American version), and Wendy and LucyBicycle Thieves Another term for this genre is Social Realism

Melodrama characterized by a plot to appeal to the heightened emotions of the audience. Often, film studies criticism used the term 'melodrama' pejoratively to connote an unrealistic, pathos-filled, campy tale of romance or domestic situations with stereotypical characters (often including a central female character) that would directly appeal to feminine audiences. The sub-genre is typically looked down upon by critics and elitists.

Transgressive Aesthetically: overtly rebels against rules and conventions. Pushes boundaries in an extreme way Taboo (topics and actions that are strongly prohibited by culture) Campy, shocking, gross

Subvert To upset or overthrow (there is a connotation of secrecy) Aesthetically subversive: Taking a genre and turning it upside down by aesthetic choices David Lynch took a soap opera and made something very strange and unique (subverted the form) Sirk pushed melodrama to the limit Tarantino uses shocking violence in a humorous way (bathos)