Thursday, March 31, 2011

Film Project (Deadline for Shooting, Nearing); Golden Age: Genre Films

The Playwrights' Festival is tonight only! Students from this class get a free ticket. Please come and support your Creative Writing Department and the hard work of our actors and playwrights.

Today, please complete the following:
A. Upload any footage for your film. Complete your still shots (establishing shots) and titles, intertitles, and end credits. Meet and plan to complete the shooting of your film with your film group.

B. Unless you are editing (no more than 2 people should be doing this) or shooting your script today in class, please work on the Metropolis essay (see previous posts).

C. If you haven't yet watched the clips from last class, please do that. Take notes about what films you are seeing and why (see previous post)

D. Genre films came into their own in the 1930's. Now with talking and the use of dialogue, plots can be more complex, the acting more realistic because the actor doesn't need to contort their face and body to communicate ideas, and sound effects (such as music for a musical) are much more entertaining.

Check out some of these genre films:

Gangster Films:
The Public Enemy (1931)
Scarface (1932)

Westerns:
Cimarron (1930)
Stagecoach (1939) John Wayne (John Ford directing)

War Films:
All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)

Musicals:
The Gay Divorcee (1934) Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire
Top Hat (1935) Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire
Swing Time (1936) Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire (again)
42 Street (1933)

Animation:
Flowers and Trees (1932) Walt Disney, but starring no one important
Disney's The Three Little Pigs (1933)
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) Disney
Another selection from Snow White.

Popeye the Sailor (1933) with Betty Boop (and Popeye, of course)

HOMEWORK: Complete the shooting of your film projects by Monday, April 4. Attend the Playwrights' Festival tonight at 7:00 in the Ensemble Theater (one night only!)

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