Chapter 1: Looking at Movies

Intro: (Pg. 2-3)    Cinematic Language: Composed not of words but of myriad integrated techniques and concepts, connects us to the story while deliberately concealing the means by which it does  All movies contain layers complexity and meaning that can be studied, analyzed, and appreciated. What is a Movie? (Pg. 3-6) What is the difference between a movie and a film? And where does cinema fit in? Film: Applied to a motion picture that critics and scholars consider to be more serious or challenging than the movies. Derives from the celluloid strop on which the images that make up motion pictures were originally captured, cut, ad projected. Movies: Entertain the masses at the multiplex, short for motion picture.    Cinema Reserved for groups of films that are considered works of art. From the Greek, Kinesis. originates from the name that filmmaking pioneers Auguste and Louis Lumere coined for the hall where they exhibited their invention: Film. Netflix produced two big-budget featured films that were released directly to its streaming subscribers: Bright and Okja. Feature-Length movies share another basic characteristic: narrative designation simply means that these movies tell fictional stories.  Every movie that selects and arranges subject matter in a cause-and-effect sequence of events is employing a narrative structure. Documentary films strive for objective, observed veracity. Often arrange and present factual information and images in the form of a narrative. Independent movies created by crews as small as a single filmmaker and shot on any one of a variety of film digital format. The narrative motion pictures classified broadly as television. Cable networks and streaming services now produce high-quality cinematic programs that tell extended stories over multiple episodes. No matter what you call it, no matter the approach, no matter the format, and no matter the ultimate duration, every movie is a motion picture a series of still images that, when viewed in rapid succession the human eye and brain see as fluid movement. Movies Move. That essential quality is what separates movies from all other two dimensional pictorial art forms. Each image in every motion picture draws upon basic compositional principles developed by these older cousins (Photography, painting, drawing, etc.), including the arrangement of visual elements and the interaction of light and shadow.  Films are constructed in shots. Shots: An unbroken span of action captured by an uninterrupted run of a motion-picture camera-that allow visual elements to rearrange themselves and the viewer's perspective itself to shift within any composition.  Editing: Joining together of discrete shots. Gives movies the power to choose what the viewer sees and how that viewer sees it at any given moment. Live theater. A stage play, which confines the viewer to a single wide-angle view of the action. Editing's capacity to isolate details and juxtapose images and sounds within and between shots gives movies and expressive agility impossible in any other dramatic art or visual medium.  The Movie Director (Pg. 6) The director's role is basically that of  coordinating lead artist. He or she is the vital link between creative, production, and technical teams. Brings different levels of foresight, pre-planning, and control to a project. At the top of the creative hierarchy, responsible for choosing each of those primary collaborators.  Primary responsibilities are performance and camera. s or approves each adjustment - sometimes after careful deliberation, sometimes on the fly. Ways of Looking at Movies (Pg. 6-8) Analysis: The act of taking apart something complicated to figure out what it is made of and how it all fits together. Invisibility and Cinematic Language (Pg. 8-10) The moving aspect of moving pictures is one reason for this invisibility. Movies simply move too fast for even the most diligent viewers to consciously consider everything they've seen. Recognizing a viewer's tendency to identify subconsciously with the camera's viewpoint. Early film-making pioneers created a film grammar (or cinematic language) that draws upon the way we automatically interpret visual information in our real lives, thus allowing audiences to absorb movie meaning intuitively - and instantly. The immediacy of cinematic language is what makes movies one of the most visceral experiences that art has to offer. Cutting on Action: One of the most common editing techniques designed to hide the instantaneous and potentially jarring shift from one camera view point to another. - Protagonist: Main character Implicit and Explicit Meaning (Pg. 11-13) An Implicit Meaning which lies below the surface of a movie's story and presentation, is closest to our everyday sense of the word meaning. It is an association, connection, or inference that a viewer makes on the basis of the explicit meanings available on the surface of the movie.  Interpret: To say something arguable about something. Viewer Expectations (Pg. 13-15) Expectations specific to a particular performer or filmmaker can also alter the way we perceive a movie. Analysis could focus on visual styles in terms of production design, lighting, or special effects, or it might instead examine recurring themes such as oppression, childhood trauma, or the role of the outcast. Once you know enough to acknowledge their existence, these potential blind spots also offer opportunities for insight and analysis. Formal Analysis: That analytical approach primarily concerned with film form (the means by which a subject is expressed) Formal Analysis (Pg. 15-20) Formal analysis dissects the complex synthesis of cinematography, sound, composition, design, movement, performance, and editing orchestrated by creative artists such as screenwriters, directors, cinematographers, actors, editors, sound designers, and art directors as well as the many craftspeople who implement their vision. Carefully consider the narrative intent of the moment, scene, or sequence before attempting any interpretation of the formal elements used to communicate that intended meaning to the spectator. Alternative Approach Analysis (Pg. 20-23) They search beneath a movie's form and content to expose implicit and hidden meanings that inform our understanding of cinema's function within popular culture as well as the influence of popular culture on the movies.