Tuesday, March 18, 2008

CT205: ESSAY THREE

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - Michel Gondry, 2004

Principles of the Moving Image
ESSAY 3: DUE MAY 13th
Requirements
  1. 10 pages, double-spaced, 12 point Times New Roman font.
  2. Due 3/25/08: One-page topic proposal.
  3. Due 4/01/08: Essay 3 outline.
  4. Due 4/8/08: Bibliography. Minimum of 7 sources in APA style.
  5. Due 4/17/08: Bring a complete rough draft to the in-class writing workshop. Please bring TWO hard copies of your essay.
  6. Include images and/or transcriptions of the film you are analyzing.
  7. ESSAY TOPIC: Compare and contrast film styles.
Select TWO films to compare/contrast in depth.
Select ONE technical aspect. (Select a bullet point from below.)

Cinematography:
  • Photography: lighting, lighting key, color value & film stock
  • Framing: camera shots, angles, focus & depth of field
Mise en scene:
  • Composition: dominant, subsidiary contrasts, depth, density
  • Proxemics: camera & character proximity, character placement, staging
Movement:
  • Narrative kinetics – psychological, stylistic or symbolic movement)
  • Camera movement – handheld, tracking, pan, dolly, tilt, zoom, crane, aerial
  • Mech. distortion – slow/fast motion, time lapse, animation, single frame
Editing:
  • Cutting to continuity
  • Thematic montage
  • Classical editing
Consider the following questions:
  1. How was the technique developed? Discuss why/how it evolved.
  2. Is this technique closely connected to another technique?
  3. Why is the technique important to the development of movies?
  4. How is the technique used to create meaning? Give classic and alt uses.
  5. What responses does the technique evoke in the viewer?
  6. Is the technique associated with specific movements, authors or styles?
  7. Compare and contrast the technique as it appears in 2 films.

Monday, March 10, 2008

CT 205: JOURNAL SIX

Robert De Niro as Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver, 1976

JOURNAL SIX: DUE MARCH 18TH

ACTING (chapter six)

What is iconography? How is this status related to a star's classification as either a personality star or an actor star? View each of the clips below, and explain why the star is a personality star or an actor star. Then, give at least one example of the iconic use of each star today.

Thursday, March 6, 2008

CT 205: JOURNAL FIVE

Eraserhead - David Lynch, 1977


JOURNAL FIVE: DUE MARCH 13th
SOUND (chapter five)

Sound is an essential way to construct and define space in film. A film's sound-space is often called its soundscape and is made up of diegetic and non-diegetic sounds. A film soundscape can expand space off-screen or can project the internal space of a character. It can isolate sounds pertinent to the narrative (formalist) or it can record sound as it occurs (realist).

Select a scene and describe its soundscape. How is space constructed through the use of sound? Are the sounds diegetic or non-diegetic? Is the soundscape formally or realistically designed? How does the soundscape propel the narrative and/or comment on characters?