Please take the first period to complete your personal essays. Once you are done, please hand in and continue to examine the following:
Early Technology & Inventors:
Please read and research film technology. It is important to understand the technological history of film as an art form, for it shapes our culture and has become such an important element of our lives.
Find out the following (to write down in your film journal as participation credit):
1. What is a Zoetrope? How did it work? Who invented it and why?
2. What is a praxinoscope? How did it work? Who invented it? Watch this clip.
3. What is a kinetoscope? How did it work? Who invented it?
4. What is a cinematographe? Who invented it?
5. What is a mutoscope? How did it work? Who invented it?
6. What is a vitascope? How did it work? Who invented it?
then visit the FILM HISTORY website. Find out the following:
7. What was a magic lantern? Who invented it and when?
8. What was a thaumatrope? Who invented it?
9. What invention did Joseph Plateau invent? How did it work?
10. Who invented celluloid?
11. Who was Eadweard Muybridge (1830-1904)? How and why is he important to the history of film?
12. Who claimed to be the "inventor of film"? Why?
13. Explain Thomas Edison and William K.L. Dickson's contribution to film history.
14. What was Thomas Edison's studio's name? Where was it located?
15. Name a few titles of the earliest films.
These questions should be completed by the end of class today. If you have completed this assignment, please watch a few early films:
The Kiss (1900)
Serpentine Dances (1895)
Sando the Strongman and other Edison Films (repeats of Serpentine Dances & the Kiss)
Dickson's Experimental Film (1894)
Lumiere Brothers Films
Falling Cat (1890)
Two Fencers (1891)
Emile Reynaud: pauvre pierre animation (1892)
Emile Reynaud: autour d'une cabine (1894)
Turkish Dance (1898)
HOMEWORK: After watching these clips, please make some comments about what you've noticed in your journal. We will discuss this next class.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Friday, February 4, 2011
The Best 100 Films of All Time: a personal essay
After our quiz, please complete the following class activity. This activity is due at the end of class. You may start it after you finish the vocabulary quiz. Notes should be kept in your JOURNAL/NOTEBOOK for film studies.
The BEST 100 Films of All Time - A Personal Response by YOU!
Please go to the link (on the left side of this article): Film History.
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.
Today, I'd like you to spend some time reviewing the top 100 movies of all time. Please read Dirk's information, take a look through the list and note the following:
1. Which films on this list have you personally seen? (jot down a few titles in your journal)
2. Which films on this list have you heard about, but never had the chance to see? (jot down a few titles)
3. If a movie looks interesting to you, please jot down its title in your journal.
After reading through the list, make some personal observations. How "literate" are you when it comes to "best" or top films of all time? Does there seem to be a pattern or genre bias in this list? How does our own culture, socio-economic status, gender, or age affect the way we approach films? Were you surprised to see these films on this list? If you were to write this list, what movies would you put on it that were not included (feel free to indicate your top ten favorites of all time)?
After answering the questions above, write a short personal essay (1-3 pages, double spaced) examining these questions from your point of view (due at the end of class).
If you finish early today, please take a look at these websites:
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.
Youtube.com Many of the clips we will be watching in this class come from sites like youtube.com.
HOMEWORK: Please read the article "The Birth of Film" - Highlight and take notes in your notebook about important key concepts you found in the article. Label this as "The Birth of Film" in your journal. On Monday we will go over this information as a class and begin a film project.
The BEST 100 Films of All Time - A Personal Response by YOU!
Please go to the link (on the left side of this article): Film History.
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.
Today, I'd like you to spend some time reviewing the top 100 movies of all time. Please read Dirk's information, take a look through the list and note the following:
1. Which films on this list have you personally seen? (jot down a few titles in your journal)
2. Which films on this list have you heard about, but never had the chance to see? (jot down a few titles)
3. If a movie looks interesting to you, please jot down its title in your journal.
After reading through the list, make some personal observations. How "literate" are you when it comes to "best" or top films of all time? Does there seem to be a pattern or genre bias in this list? How does our own culture, socio-economic status, gender, or age affect the way we approach films? Were you surprised to see these films on this list? If you were to write this list, what movies would you put on it that were not included (feel free to indicate your top ten favorites of all time)?
After answering the questions above, write a short personal essay (1-3 pages, double spaced) examining these questions from your point of view (due at the end of class).
If you finish early today, please take a look at these websites:
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.
Youtube.com Many of the clips we will be watching in this class come from sites like youtube.com.
HOMEWORK: Please read the article "The Birth of Film" - Highlight and take notes in your notebook about important key concepts you found in the article. Label this as "The Birth of Film" in your journal. On Monday we will go over this information as a class and begin a film project.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Catching Up
Before you move to the post below (A Welcome to Film Studies), please print out your play script projects (if you haven't given me your script yet). I will not accept any play after 1st period today. Period. Plays submitted today will count as late, and are no longer eligible for the automatic "A" - since you did not turn them in by Friday, Jan. 28.
Playwrights' Festival:
Those of you who would like to go further with your education concerning plays, have an opportunity to submit one of your plays (10-minute or one-act) to be performed in the Playwrights' Festival. Please fill out the form and submit your play today during 1st period if interested.
Geva's 10-minute play contest is looking for submissions. Print a 10-minute play you wrote this year and submit. Contest rules are in the front of the classroom.
After 1st period, please stop what you're doing and let's prepare for our next course. (See below)
Playwrights' Festival:
Those of you who would like to go further with your education concerning plays, have an opportunity to submit one of your plays (10-minute or one-act) to be performed in the Playwrights' Festival. Please fill out the form and submit your play today during 1st period if interested.
Geva's 10-minute play contest is looking for submissions. Print a 10-minute play you wrote this year and submit. Contest rules are in the front of the classroom.
After 1st period, please stop what you're doing and let's prepare for our next course. (See below)
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Welcome to Film Studies!
This course is designed to provide you with a wide foundation of Film History and Film Studies, while also giving you experience writing film scripts and film reviews/critiques (as such found in the field of Journalism). By its end, you will understand the art of film hopefully more than you do now, and will gain a better appreciation for the art of filmmaking. Some of you may like this course of study so much you will take film courses in college, major in film studies, or become professional filmmakers. Others will at least benefit from knowing (and appreciating) the art of film.
This course (as Playwriting) will mostly be found online. Deadlines and assignments (with instructions) will be posted on the blog as needed. Please check the blog daily (even when absent) so you do not fall behind.
To start, please complete the following task(s):
Film Studies Commentary by David Bordwell
#1. Essential question: What's the difference between the way a film reviewer (journalist), a film historian, a film scholar, and a film fan evaluate a film?
#2. List your top 10 favorite films of all time.
#3. Name your favorite genres of film. (i,e. what do you prefer to watch?) Why?
Please read the article above, and answer the questions just above in complete sentences by the end of class (required - due today).
HOMEWORK/CLASSWORK:
#1. Please get your course criteria sheets signed.
#2. Please read the handout "Watching Films"
#3. Please enter the following film terms in your notebook/journal before next class.
Using the glossary below, look up the following key film terms and enter them into your required JOURNAL/NOTEBOOK. Call this Vocabulary Entry #1 (Story):
Film Glossary
This course (as Playwriting) will mostly be found online. Deadlines and assignments (with instructions) will be posted on the blog as needed. Please check the blog daily (even when absent) so you do not fall behind.
To start, please complete the following task(s):
Film Studies Commentary by David Bordwell
#1. Essential question: What's the difference between the way a film reviewer (journalist), a film historian, a film scholar, and a film fan evaluate a film?
#2. List your top 10 favorite films of all time.
#3. Name your favorite genres of film. (i,e. what do you prefer to watch?) Why?
Please read the article above, and answer the questions just above in complete sentences by the end of class (required - due today).
HOMEWORK/CLASSWORK:
#1. Please get your course criteria sheets signed.
#2. Please read the handout "Watching Films"
#3. Please enter the following film terms in your notebook/journal before next class.
Using the glossary below, look up the following key film terms and enter them into your required JOURNAL/NOTEBOOK. Call this Vocabulary Entry #1 (Story):
Auteur
Story
Plot
Diegesis
Narration
Narrative form
Scene
Sequence
Frequency
Motif
Duration
Ellipsis
Order
Space
Viewing Time
Film Glossary
Past Deadline
Thank you to those of you who turned in your play script projects.
For those who have not, please note that the deadline was extended until Friday, Jan. 28. Any plays turned in after Friday (most likely on Monday) will be counted as late with the appropriate reduction in grade. This means the automatic "A" cannot be honored if you did not turn in your play by Friday. Please have plays printed and turned in to me before second period, Jan. 31 (9:05). Plays printed after this point will not be accepted and the grade will be a failing one for the marking period. Unfortunately, this also applies to students absent or tardy on Monday.
For those who have not, please note that the deadline was extended until Friday, Jan. 28. Any plays turned in after Friday (most likely on Monday) will be counted as late with the appropriate reduction in grade. This means the automatic "A" cannot be honored if you did not turn in your play by Friday. Please have plays printed and turned in to me before second period, Jan. 31 (9:05). Plays printed after this point will not be accepted and the grade will be a failing one for the marking period. Unfortunately, this also applies to students absent or tardy on Monday.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Important Notice
Due to our unscheduled seasonal weather and day off, please turn in your play projects by the end of the week (Friday, Jan. 28)
Our lab will be open all day Tuesday through Friday for students interested in completing projects or needing writing assistance.
Our lab will be open all day Tuesday through Friday for students interested in completing projects or needing writing assistance.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Preparing your projects
Monday your play scripts are due.
Before you turn in your scripts, please make sure to do and check the following:
1. Correct your punctuation and grammar. Not only spell checking, but make sure your lines make sense grammatically. Use end punctuation (periods, question marks, em-dashes, exclamation points, etc.) where appropriate. It is a good thing to read your script out loud to catch many of these errors.
2. Shorten long lines for the ease of performing. Actors find shorter lines easier to memorize and say than longer, complex sentences. Short lines also speed the action of the play along (whereas long lines slow down the action).
3. Check your playwriting format. By now, you should know how to correctly format your scripts.
4. The best plays have an interesting and compelling theme: they say something important about life and what it means to be a human being. Consider your message by the end of the play. What is the audience supposed to take from this experience?
HOMEWORK: Check out the review for your "final exam" on Monday. You should study those important terms and recall the plays we've read and be able to match a playwright with the play they wrote.
If you are behind in your writing, please catch up and be ready to complete your projects so that you can turn them in on Monday. Remember that you will also have to take a test on Monday.
Use your time in lab effectively to manage your work.
Before you turn in your scripts, please make sure to do and check the following:
1. Correct your punctuation and grammar. Not only spell checking, but make sure your lines make sense grammatically. Use end punctuation (periods, question marks, em-dashes, exclamation points, etc.) where appropriate. It is a good thing to read your script out loud to catch many of these errors.
2. Shorten long lines for the ease of performing. Actors find shorter lines easier to memorize and say than longer, complex sentences. Short lines also speed the action of the play along (whereas long lines slow down the action).
3. Check your playwriting format. By now, you should know how to correctly format your scripts.
4. The best plays have an interesting and compelling theme: they say something important about life and what it means to be a human being. Consider your message by the end of the play. What is the audience supposed to take from this experience?
HOMEWORK: Check out the review for your "final exam" on Monday. You should study those important terms and recall the plays we've read and be able to match a playwright with the play they wrote.
If you are behind in your writing, please catch up and be ready to complete your projects so that you can turn them in on Monday. Remember that you will also have to take a test on Monday.
Use your time in lab effectively to manage your work.
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