After our quick introduction to the course, please take the next 3-5 minutes to do the following brainstorming activity: Trace your hand(s) like you used to do in elementary school.
For our class, this website by film historian Tim Dirks, will provide you with a lot of excellent information. We will be using the link throughout our course as a reliable source of information.
Please go to the link (on the right side of this post): Film History.
Other Resources:
Period 2: CLASSROOM DISCUSSION: please get into groups of 3-4. Discuss your list with your group members. Also spend any time remaining in the class activity discussing films you love or hate. Why do you love or hate the film? Discuss. You have 5 minutes to talk/discuss.
Early Film Inventions: Let's play around with a few visual toys and learn about the early, early days of film.
HOMEWORK: Please read the short article "The Birth of Film" and then read about early film technology here at this website. In your notes/film journal, please identify, or describe (and/or draw a picture) the significance of the following technology. The side bar on the website's left hand side has the links for each device.
#1. Hands down! List your top 10 favorite films of all time on your 'fingers'.RESOURCES TO USE DURING THIS CLASS:
#2. In the 'palm' of your hand drawing, name your favorite genres of film. (i,e. what do you prefer to watch?) Consider 'why?'
The TOP Films of All Time - A Personal Response by YOU!
For our class, this website by film historian Tim Dirks, will provide you with a lot of excellent information. We will be using the link throughout our course as a reliable source of information.
Please go to the link (on the right side of this post): Film History.
Other Resources:
- IMDB.com (this is the international movie data base, and can be very helpful to you in this course).
- Metacritic (a website where you can find all sorts of film reviews for models regarding how to write a film review--and for your own enjoyment)
- The Internet Script database. This site publishes many contemporary film scripts. It will be important to check your film script formatting and go here to read scripts. There is a link to this page to your right of this post.
- Youtube.com Many of the clips we will be watching in this class come from sites like youtube.com. You are probably already familiar with this website.
A. Which films on this list have you personally seen? (jot down a few titles in your journal)Then in a short personal response in the COMMENT section below on this blog, talk about your experience with film. How knowledgeable do you think you are you about the topic? What films have become important or traditions for you or your family? Explain what the magic or cinema means to you? Reflect on what you learned today and write about your reaction to that. Or anything relevant about a personal response about film.
B. Which films on this list have you heard about, but never had the chance to see? (jot down a few titles)
C. If a movie looks interesting to you, please jot down its title in your journal.
Period 2: CLASSROOM DISCUSSION: please get into groups of 3-4. Discuss your list with your group members. Also spend any time remaining in the class activity discussing films you love or hate. Why do you love or hate the film? Discuss. You have 5 minutes to talk/discuss.
Early Film Inventions: Let's play around with a few visual toys and learn about the early, early days of film.
Persistence of Vision: the optical illusion that allows the human mind to blend various images together into a single image. Provides the "move" part of a "movie".These are just some of the important events, inventions, and inventors that helped create the film industry. You should be familiar with them. Please take notes and study them for our upcoming test on this material.
Magic Lantern: Invented in the 17th century by Athanasius Kircher. The magic lantern projected pictures on a screen. It functioned like an overhead projector. Originally it used a candle as the light source.
Thaumatrope: Invented by Dr. John Ayrton Paris in 1824; utilized the theory of “persistence of vision”: Persistence of vision is the optical illusion where multiple images blend into a single image in the human mind. Without it, we would not be entertained by film as it wouldn't appear to "move"--hence, no "movies".
Fantascope, Phenakistiscope (“spindle viewer”), Fanatoscope: invented by Belgian inventor Joseph Plateau. Daedalum (Horner 1834)/Zoetrope (Lincoln 1867)
Daguerreotype: Invented in 1839 by Louis-Jacques-Monde Daguerre. The process of capturing images on silvered, copper metal plates - the beginning of photography.
Celluloid: Invented in 1869 by John Wesley Hyatt. Strips of thin film which could be developed with pictures.
Praxinoscope: Invented in 1877 by Charles Emile Reynaud. A film projector. This clip shows examples of Reynaud's animations.
Light Bulb: Edison invented the long-lasting light bulb and secured the patent in 1879. Actually the light bulb predates this date. Edison patented the incandescent light bulb filament (specifically).
The Photographic Gun: Often hailed as the "inventor of cinema" Etienne-Jules Marey invented his chronophotography or series photography, similar to Muybridge's attempts, which allowed for the taking of several photographs on the same "plate" in 1882.
Edweard Muybridge (1830-1904): Our first pioneer of the art of film is the photographer Edweard Muybridge. Muybridge was a photographer who became famous when former California Governor Leland Stanford contacted him to help settle a bet over whether all four hooves of a running horse left the ground. Muybridge began experimenting with an array of 12 cameras photographing a galloping horse in a sequence of shots. Between 1878 and 1884, Muybridge perfected his method, proving that horses do have all four hooves off the ground at some point during their running stride. Muybridge worked at the University of Pennsylvania between 1883 and 1886, producing thousands of photographs of humans and animals in motion. He published several books featuring his motion photographs and toured Europe and North America, presenting his photographic methods using a projection device he'd developed, the Zoopraxiscope.
Some other interesting bits about Muybridge: During a break from his photographic research, his wife, Flora, had an affair with Major Harry Larkyns, a drama critic. Believing that Larkyns had fathered the couple's recently born son, Muybridge tracked him down, shot, and killed him. At his trial for murder in 1875, several witnesses testified that Muybridge's personality had changed after he received a head injury in which he lost his ability to taste and smell. The jury didn't buy the insanity defense, but acquitted Muybridge on the grounds of "justifiable homicide." Muybridge died in 1904. His contributions to art and photography spurred the works of other film inventors, many of which we will study today.
Please watch the following two films, the first a documentary: Photographs of Motion
and the second, a series of Muybridge's photographs, sped up to show motion (persistence of vision!)
HOMEWORK: Please read the short article "The Birth of Film" and then read about early film technology here at this website. In your notes/film journal, please identify, or describe (and/or draw a picture) the significance of the following technology. The side bar on the website's left hand side has the links for each device.
- Zoetrope
- Praxinoscope
- Kinetoscope
- Cinematographe
- Mutoscope
- Vitascope
18 comments:
I don't watch a lot of movies and could only think of 5 i really love. I knly saw two films on the 100 greatest list. -Hetep Shekem
Movies and TV shows are always on in the background in my house. Many different genres are presented in my house. My dad brings in science fiction and historical fiction. My mom brings in drama and romance. Together they bring comedy. I feel like I have seen a lot of different movies in different categories. I think being well-versed in genres will help with my writing. I have seen a nice portion of the so called classics, which gives me an appreciation for older and newer films.
Seeing the list of the 100 Best Movies, I've learned that I am not really exposed to older films. I need to see the classics like Casablanca and Rebel Without a Cause. In doing so, I might become a better judge of film by seeing what Hollywood created in their beginning years and compare them to more recent films.
Honestly, I am not as cultured in the realm of film as I wish to be. No endeavor has came prevalent to me to watch film, as ever since a young boy I have always preferred television shows to movies. My mother and I do not have any film traditions whatsoever, which may be a reason as to why I don't feel strongly about it.
I think i know as much as the average movie watcher knows abut films. Films that have become important to me are "The Wizard of Oz" which is a movie that me and my aunt always watch together, we always have since i was a little girl. Another movie is "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" my whole family used to sit and watch this movie together when I was younger and it is still one of my favorite movies to this day. Those are just a couple of movies that are important to me. Movies/Cinema is a way to bring families and friends together and it's cool when you can relate to someone about your favorite movies and converse with people about different films.
As I looked through the list of the supposedly 100 Best Movies I realized I don't really watch classics or older films, and if I did see any of the movies a lot of the time I had also watched the newer versions of them as well. There were a lot of movies I have never seen but heard of, but once again I had either never bothered to watch them or they didn't appeal to me. Seeing this I have realized that I need to be more open minded when it comes to older movies.
Film is a concept that my brain tells me I am knowledgeable about, when in reality, I am completely blind to all of the intricacies of the art. Even today, when attempting to complete this very simple assignment, I found myself at a loss for movies to put on my list. There is so much to learn about how complex the actual creation of a movie is and how many layers go into it, such as screenwriting, production, and then editing. based on the list of 100, I found myself boggled by how many movies were considered famous that I had never even heard of. Personally, up until this point, cinema has just been an enjoyable experience where every once in a while I go to a movie theater or cuddle up with some popcorn, but after the playwriting class, having seen some of the films that were very interesting such as Titus, I am ecstatic to learn more about the actual craft that I enjoy.
After looking at the top 100 movies of all time, I realize that I've heard of more of the movies than actually seen them. Of course I've seen a few, but most of them I've only ever heard of. I guess I don't watch films very much, but I'm glad I saw the ones I did.
- Serita McKenzie
After looking over the list of favorite films I realize that I am not that well versed in films. Most of these films are from an era that I am not familiar with, the movies that I have seen on this list I most likely have seen because of school or in school. I have also learned that movies from that time period must have been better because there are few current movies on the list, and I don't think critics are just boycotting modern films.
movies are not a go to thing with me neither is tv shows. but when moveis come around i watch either comedy or action or sport. cinema is more like a second entertainment that comes around when i catch interest.
I found out that a lot of the films I had to translate for my dad were critically acclaimed "Best Movies of All Time". It's a weird discrepancy, to know that a lot of the movies I watched with my dad are considered like... "good" (except the Charlie Chaplin movies. I liked the Charlie Chaplin movies)—especially with all the bad dramas we watch together. My dad's tastes are weird.
Since most of my time wasn't focusing on the movie itself, but hearing the dialogue and having to explain/translate it for my dad, I probably missed out on a lot of things the movies are acclaimed for. I would be doing other things while translating, like reading a book, playing a video game, the sorts. It makes me want to actually sit down and watch the movies to the fullest, without interruption, after seeing this list and seeing how its praised.
I would say I am somewhat familiar with certain lgbt+ related films. A lot of these films such as Boy's Don't Cry, About Ray, and Tangerine have been very important to me for the fact that it represents a community that isn't always included in media. To me the magic in cinema means being able to portray characters and story lines that not only can you relate to but also see things you might have never normally seen in reality. Being able to envelope yourself in a life / experience/ event that you might have not normally seen can very much transform your perception of things.
I think I'm pretty knowledgeable in the subject of film, however I know I need some more exposure to the topic. The films or types of films that have become important to me and my family is comic-book movies, Home Alone and A Christmas Story on Christmas, and action movies.
The list of 100 films made me realized how inexperienced I am with some of the most popular movies in history. There are a select few that I am aware of, but have never actually seen. Classics like E.T., King Kong,etc., were movies that my family and I often watched. It broadens my view on what I watch and how I can potentially see others inthe future.
Looking at the Top 100 films, I have learned that I am an uncultured swine when it comes to film. I've only seen eleven of the 100, which isn't great. I enjoy movies very much, I look forward to watching some of these classic films in class to expand my horizons. I know that I am definitely missing out.
I knew of a solid one movie that I liked when starting the hand turkey movie assignment, and had to search my Netflix history to find other movies I had watched and enjoyed. Even with that, I only remembered a few more movies that I had seen and liked, and had to make up a few of the last movies from ones I had just sort of enjoyed. This wasn't so much because I had super high standards for movies and that most of them just didn't meet my standards, but instead that I rarely watch movies and didn't really know what to say. I prefer watching TV shows, probably because I have a shorter attention span and TV shows have short plots that I can remember and keep up with. In fact, in my family we have a TV show that we will watch when we are all together, instead of a movie. However, I am not anti-movie, and if someone would make me sit down and pay attention with no other distractions I would probably enjoy the movie.
As I looked through the list of the "100 Greatest Films" I realized I recognized the names of the films more than I knew what they were actually about. I've never been a "classic" kind of film person, though I've seen some on the list (E.T., Wizard of Oz, Roman Holiday) my interests shift towards cult favorites such as Heathers, Clueless, Carrie, etc. Outside of that, I haven't really expanded my interest in film or TV, I'll just replay things I've already seen. I think expanding experience and knowledge in different genres will be helpful in appreciating the art and creativity that goes into creating a movie or a TV show and help with writing as a whole.
(I forgot to post this, and it's very late, but I'll just post it anyway because there is a zero on parent connect.)
As a whole, there are many films that I claim to be "one of my favorites". Many of them being stupid movies that I enjoy more so because of the memories that I associate them with rather than the quality of the film itself. For example, I really like Finding Nemo, not because of the story, but because I remember going to see it at the Cinema for the first time when I was too small to even walk without someone to guide me, and the feeling of "Somewhere Beyond the Sea" by Frank Sinatra filling my ears when the movie was over. There are also movies that I like because I associate them with tradition. This includes The Polar Express, which is actually kind of terrifying, but nevertheless my family and I have watched it every Christmas Eve for as long as I can remember, as well as War of the Worlds, which is kind of a go to movie for my dad and I. I realize, though, after reading through the list of the 100 greatest films, that I'm not as "into" movies as I may like to believe. Many of the movies listed were completely foreign to me, but I knew a few which is a good start. I do feel like it's important to be exposed to this culture, though, in order to develop a more refined taste for film, and art in general.
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