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Film Theory and Analysis
Lesson 2
Film Theory and AnalysisManu Scansani
Office Hours: (Room 1#511)Monday 11.45/12.45;Wednesday 16.00/17.00
QQ: 1417650393
Niko Brauer
Office Hours: (Room 1#519)Thursday 12.30/14.00
QQ: 1265906802
http://filmanalysis.weebly.com
Film Screening (next week)
• Comedies – Monday 17.20/201.Forrest Gump (to be confirmed)2.Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (412)3.Modern Times (416)4.Some like hot (418)
• Film Corner – Monday 20/21 (Dining Hall – Ground floor)
Production process…
• The production line:
1.Pre-production (original idea; screenplay; casting);
2.Production (shooting: Mise-en-scène; photography; special effects)
3.Post-production (digital effects; editing; promotion; distribution)
Post-classic Hollywood I
• Period: late 1960s / 1980s.During the 1960s, the American film industry faced a period of crisis, mostly due to the arrival of a TV in every house. Big industrial and artistic changes were needed in order to keep exploiting the American (and world) market of films.
Post-classic Hollywood II
• Defining features of the post-classic Hollywood period:- More marketing in film production (promotion of films
well before the release);- Promotion plan for the film on different supports
(trailers -> cinema -> dvd -> pay per view -> TV);- Reinterpretation of the genres and frequent presence
of films difficult to classify (i.e. Matrix… is it a blockbuster of an action/sci-fi movie?).
- Style becomes more personal: it now belongs to the film director, and not to the producing company (Universal, Paramount, MGM…).
Post-classic Hollywood III• Post-classic film directors: Film directors gain experience
through studies in film schools rather than through working experience in the industry, and therefore master a complete knowledge of the history and aesthetic of cinema (as an art, not as craftwork).
• The most successful film directors will start to become the producers of their own films, in order to minimize the influences from the film industry over their artistic works.
I.e. Francis Ford Coppola (The Godfather), Martin Scorsese (Taxi Driver), Steven Spielberg (Jaws), William Friedkin (The Exorcist).
Genres: definition I
• What is a Genre? It is a category with certain aesthetic and commercial rules which allows the audience to better understand a film, and the producer to better exploit the opportunities offered by the market.
• “Genre films satisfy audiences because they give rise to certain expectations, and when these are fulfilled, the audience feels pleased that he has understood the art of cinema. On the other side, absolutely novelty (something irrespective of the rules of a genre) would be disorienting for the audience, which would be unable to enjoy the film”.
Genres: definition II
• It is more and more rare to find films that belong to one specific genre. Almost no film will possess all the characteristics of a single genre and no characteristics of the others. I.e. Matrix, both blockbuster, action and sci-fi. Jaws, blockbuster and horror. Batman, blockbuster but also sci-fi or fantasy.
• Example of movies which break the rules of genres: Pulp Fiction (Q Tarantino - 1994), Mulholland Drive (D Lynch – 2001)
Genres: an industrial exigency
• Genres ensure and increase profitability. How?- Allow to pre-sell the movie before its launch;- Simplify targeting of certain audiences (i.e.
romantic films girls’ movies ; war movies boys’ movies).
- Simplify production for film directors who are used by the production companies as craftsmen to produce products easy to sell ( film directors with artistic talent). I.e. Roland Emmerich…
Genres: life of genres.• When genres becomes obsolete and unattractive for the audience
(unprofitable for the film industry), they may be abandoned or reinterpreted.
• Abandoned genres: musical, western; But to which extent?• Reinterpreted genres: noir film; science fiction (sci-fi); gangster film.
Neo-noir films mix with typical thriller narrative structures, while keeping the classical elements of classic noir (i.e. dangerous erotic women, dark and rainy scenes, “bad” protagonists) Sci-fi now abandons the typical situation of the humanity threatened by evil aliens to attempt new reflection over the role of life, universe and feelings.Gangster films abandon the classical stereotype of the gangster from the ‘30s (exceptions: The Untouchables, Public Enemies) to follow the new evolution of the crime world, often making a satire of mafia films (i.e. Goodfellas, Casino, The Departed);
Genres: classification (p. 11)• Every film genre has specific defining criteria. We
could list four:- Subject;- Formal criteria;- Style;- Audience response (affective response);
Every defining criteria has some specific differentiating features which allow to separate the different genres.
Blockbuster Film• Consider these films:
- Jaws (S Spielberg 1975) [beg. disk 2]- Batman (T Burton 1989) [01:54:40]- Terminator (J Cameron 1991) [01:52:00]- The Matrix (A&L Wachowski 1999) [01:54:40]
Which elements of blockbuster films do these movies have in common (both on and off screen)?
Blockbuster Film: definition• Blockbuster is cinema as entertainment versus cinema as
art. Blockbuster films developed as a consequence of a particular industrial model in the film industry, become more and more common in the late 1970s. Therefore, blockbuster cinema is not a aesthetic form, but an industrial model.
• The key elements of blockbuster films are special/digital effects and a constant use of the star system.
• Higher expectations by the audience more expensive/innovative films higher expectations lack of ideas?
• Steven Spielberg ; Tim Burton Roland Emmerich ; James Cameron.
Blockbuster Film: definition II• Blockbuster films are therefore not a proper genre, but a
kind of film made following certain commercial rules and to achieve specific economic goals (= more money). These commercial rules necessarily influence the aesthetic form of the film.
• The final aim is the entertainment of the audience following well-studied and clearly defined strategies of production and post-production (promotion and distribution), while offering scenes able to impress the audience because of their special effect.
• Would The Matrix have been a blockbuster if it had not made so much money?
• No, it would be an action/sci-fi movie.
The Matrix (1999) I• The Matrix is a revolutionary cultural and commercial
event. It gained a lot of money and stimulated a long debate. [pp. 86-93. (94-95 try to read)].
• Genre: Although a blockbuster movie because of its commercial success (planned and unexpected), The Matrix could easily be defined as a science fiction/action movie, because of its fictional story and because of the long action scenes.
• Plot: The movie has different levels of interpretation. From a mere sci-fi/action film, it could become easily a reflection on the relation between life, reality and imagination.
The Matrix (1999) II
• Technical Innovations (of great importance for the success of the film):
- ultra-slow motion technology, used to slow down the action scenes and to offer a deeper view behind the single fight scenes;
- flow motion technique, used to move the camera around the fighters suspended in the air in the moment before striking their thrust.
