SOME BASIC CONCEPTS

 A. Overwhelming experience; Movies shape our perceptions about reality  B. Cultural influences & effects:  1. Positive ▪ a. Consensus narratives ▪ b. Reaffirmations of social values, ideals, etc.

 2. Negative ▪ a. Anti-social & amoral behaviors (violence, sex, etc.) ▪ b. Poor role modeling  C. Movies fulfill several functions:  1. Entertainment  2. Information about various subjects  3. Understanding of life and others

 A. Provide story information (plot, exposition, characters, etc.)  B. Enhance mood & emotion (a cathartic effect, etc.)  C. Provide “visual pleasure” (enjoyment)  D. Teach us about social-cultural ideas, attitudes, & values (via subtexts, themes, ideas, etc.)

 E. Critique social-cultural ideas, attitudes, & values  F. Filmmakers favor stories & themes that reinforce viewers’ shared belief systems (Cultural invisibility)  G. Films are polysemic—that is, different people will have different ideas as to what a film means, an idea we’ll be returning to throughout the semester.

Juno (2007) upholds cultural values

 [See p. 308 in text for similar information, stated a bit differently]  A. Individual characters acting in a cause-effect narrative  B. "Objective" narration: present & external  C. Characters motivated by desire (goal- seeking); desire requires change

 D. Obstacles (natural, persons, psychological, etc.) prevent change  E. Characters (esp. protagonists) must overcome obstacles  F. Strong degree of closure at the end (usually happy, but not always)  We’ll be using these ideas all semester

 A. The visual vocabulary of film  B. Composed of myriad integrated techniques & concepts  C. Connects the viewer to the story while deliberately concealing the means by which it does so

 a. Movies rely heavily on largely invisible techniques that convey meaning intuitively  b. Shots – unbroken span of action captured by an uninterrupted run of a motion-picture camera  1) Many different types of shots  2) For example: ▪ a) Low-angle shot – viewers associate power with figures that they must literally look up to ▪ b) high-angle shot—viewers associate a diminished figure with loss of power  3) However, shots must be viewed in context

Juno (2007) low angle shot showing her new freedom

 c. Editing – the joining together of discrete shots  1) With each transition from one shot to another, a movie is able to move the viewer through time and space  2) Some examples: ▪ a) Fade-in / Fade-out – viewers understand that significant story time has elapsed ▪ b) Cutting on action – common editing technique designed to hide the instantaneous & potentially jarring shift from one camera viewpoint to another

 1. Viewers harbor essential expectations concerning a film’s form & organization  2. Viewers must be alerted to these expected patterns in order to fully appreciate the significance of deviations  3. Form – the means by which a subject is expressed  4. Every element in every frame is there for a reason

 1. Recognize the many tools and principles that filmmakers employ to tell stories, convey information & meaning, and influence emotions & ideas.  2. Understand movies as narrative, as artistic expression, and as a reflection of the cultures that produce & consume them  3. Understand the ideas of cinematic language & cultural invisibility

Sweeney Todd, the play

Sweeney Todd (2007) the film—opens up action

17  1. Analysis – the act of taking something complicated apart to figure out what it is made of and how it all fits together.  a. Step 1 – Identify the tools & techniques within a scene, sequence, or movie  b. Step 2 – Investigate the function & potential effect of that combination  2. Evaluation—the use of criteria or standards to assess a film

 A. Populist measures  1. Box office grosses, esp. opening day  2. Academy awards (peer based)  3. Other awards (esp. audience based)  B. Quality measures  1. Movie reviews/criticism--journalistic opinions with some knowledge of film; reviewers often praise films audiences don’t like.

 2. Scholarly or objective analysis (the type we'll be doing during the semester):  a. creates an argument with evidence  b. based on criteria or standards  c. standards vary depending on film theory, perspective, etc.  d. Common analytical & evaluative standards are listed next

 Some general criteria (a non-exhaustive list)—we’ll be using these all semester:  Realism or Plausibility  Coherence  Aesthetic appeal  Ethical themes  Relevance  Complexity and  Originality