Film Presentation
Transcript: Some Films in the history of filmmaking have made a significant impact, inspiring film directors to improve and create films that are constantly raising the bar. Some Films we have watched in class are worth noting: Maltese Falcon Singin' in The Rain Film 15: A Summary Cooperation and Planning Western Mise en scene is the composition, or arrangement, of commonly used elements in a singular shot. This phrase is used by directors to refer to (in summary) the camera techniques, lighting, placement of objects, sounds, actors, etc. These all contribute towards the mood, or even sometimes "...suggesting a character's state of mind." Mise-en-scene What did we learn in Film Studies this year? Characters Film Techniques Conclusion Lighting Initially going into Film Studies 15, I thought that making a film wouldn't be a difficult task, only requiring a few hours to throw together some scenes in order to make a storyline that an audience can follow. But, as I started to analyze real films, and partake in actually making a film, it didn't take long to realize that film production is so intricate that filming really takes much longer and has several steps. I learnt about film techniques and strategies from watching the classics, and I also gained knowledge in historical aspects of film. Overall, this past year has been very informative to me and I plan on extending on what I've learnt in the future. How Do You Effectively Produce a Film? Use of Film Techniques to Portray Emotion Arrangement of Objects In terms of plotline, The Searchers portrays conflict between First Nations and settlers in the western areas of the US. The characters, however, is what sets The Searchers apart from the common westerns for that time. Released on September 23, 1956, The Searchers did not have 'static' characters, but rather ones that developed over time. For example, Ethan Edwards originally sought out to rescue his niece who was kidnapped by First Nations, but as time progressed he was more driven by his hatred towards these kidnappers. His motivations became more questionable over time. The placement of objects in a scene is planned down to the last object. There is no "thrown-in-to-fill-the-space" objects, they are all put there for a reason. We may not have watched this film in class, but Alfred Hitchcock's film "Phsyco" in a particular scene has taxidermied animals (all birds) hovering around the main character. This adds an uneasy feeling to the scene, and portrays a sense that the main character is their 'prey', and will eventually die. Music and Dialogue influence and shape the mood as much as lighting in a scene. In a nonextnesive description of music, certain instruments affect the tone of a scene. For example, excessive use of the flute or other wind instruments can create a bright and buoyant feeling, but use of the tuba, trombone, and cymbols could possibly suggest confrontation or imply the climax of an intense film. Dialogue, or a lack of, can also impact the overall feeling an audience recieves. Extremely quiet scenes can imply tension, stress, or anticipation with the character(s) or object(s). A severe use of music could be paired with a battle scene or an epiphany. Now, these descriptions are vague and directors can intentionally go against predicted uses of music. A good example is the red herring in horror movies, where the anticipation builds up but it is misleading and nothing happens. The Maltese Falcon was released in the US on October 18th, 1941. It was during the Film Noir era, which approximatelly stretched from the early 1940's to the late 1950's. The Maltese Falcon is a great representative of the techniques introduced in this era. For example, Film Noir used a majority of low-key lighting shots to portray the controversial characters as neither 'good' nor 'bad'. Maltese Falcon also has an obscure narrative sequence, where there are frequent flashbacks. As for genre, Maltese like many others portrays a crime/mystery genre, with a private detective starring as the main character. The Maltese Falcon reflects Film Noir's overall dark themes. This film's theme could arguably be 'not to trust anyone but yourself', which is characteristic of a Film Noir. Jaimie Schmidt The Searchers Film techniques can include camera angles, lighting, music and dialogue, or arrangement of objects in the background. These techniques, when used effectively, can manipulate an audience to the point where they feel sympathy for an inatimate object. Take for instance the IKEA's 'Save the Lamp' commercial. Through expert use of film techniques, every person in our class felt an undying sympathy for this lamp that had no feelings whatsoever. Released on April 11, 1952, Singin' in the Rain has become a classic film, described often as the best musical ever made. It currently tops the 'AFI's 100 years of musical' list. When released, it was portraying difficulties for filmmaking in the past, which was transitioning from silent films to
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