Blog Response #5

Watch Chaplin's The Gold Rush and compare and contrast it with Keaton's The General. Think about everything you've learned thus far in terms of reading film. Discuss mise en scene, open/closed framing, kinesis, narrative, etc.

Both films are available at the Internet Archive:

The Gold Rush

The General

I look forward to reading your responses, which should be at least 2 well-developed paragraphs.

Due: by Friday, 10/1, 8:00 am

Blog Response #4

Now that you are getting used to watching motion pictures with no words...

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. Is the camera static? What kind of shots are used? What is the framing/composition of individual shots? Do the shots employ a lot of movement or not? Describe how the use of movement in the film/clips complement or detract from the development of the narrative. Note the type of movement (movement of figures within the frame or movement of the frame itself) in the shots and describe as accurately as possible the effect that the movement has on the relationships among the figures in the frame.

You can find Birth of a Nation here. Watch from 9:00-14:00 and 36:00-41:00. 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.

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

Have fun!

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."

Turner Classic Movies

Here is a link to the TCM monthly schedule. It is a good idea to check it regularly and watch movies that pique your interest.

A Little Humor

I recently saw this on The Onion and thought it was pretty good (and appropriate).

Martin Scorsese Attends Free iMovie Demonstration at Apple Store

Enjoy!

Edison Films

As I promised, here's the link to the Library of Congress and the Edison films they have digitized. Have a little fun with this, guys. I'll also make it a permanent link on the right hand side of the blog in case you want to go back to the early cinema later in the course...

Here's the link.

Blog Response #2

Read about Edison, Lumiere Brothers, Melies, and Porter at EarlyCinema.com.

Watch at least 3 films from Edison, Lumiere Brothers, and Melies on your own. Go to the Internet Archive, select "Moving Images" from the drop down menu and search for each director. Be sure to use your screening sheets for each film you watch.

Blog Response #1--A little about you...

What are your expectations for this class and for yourself in this class? What do you think of when you hear the word movie? What is your favorite movie? Why? Required: 2 full, well-developed paragraphs. Due Friday, 9/10 8:00 am.