Sunday, March 18, 2018

The General (Screening); Day 2

Today, we will screen the rest of Buster Keaton's slapstick masterpiece The General.

Please complete the handout/notes for the film. These will be collected at the end of class today.

NOTE: We will not have our class Friday, March 23 as this is a 1/2 day with only periods 5-9. Classes end at 11:00.

A little change in due dates/scheduling. Our midterm/end of marking period exam on the origin of film through the silent era will take place when we return from Spring Break (March 30-April 8). Details about what will be covered on the test will be posted next class.

Your originally scheduled Journal Paper #2 (due April 2) will be due April 10th instead. Students may also opt for a 10-minute short film script project or a silent film short instead.

  • option A: You may write a short film. Use proper film format to write or adapt a short story. Due April 10.
  • option B: You may write the scenario and create a short silent film. Film, edit, and prepare your film (this option's deadline is the end of the marking period (April 12), as opposed to April 10).

Plan to go see the 10-minute Play Festival (extra credit) this Thursday or Friday (7:00, Ensemble Theater).

HOMEWORK: None. See journal paper projects & alternatives above. You may start working on these.
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Wednesday, March 14, 2018

Slapstick & Silent Film Comedy; Buster Keaton

Slapstick & Silent Film Comedy

The name "slapstick" comes from the bataccio — a club-like object composed of two wooden slats used in commedia dell'arte. Actors using the slapstick may hit each another repeatedly with great audible effect while causing very little actual physical damage. The term "slapstick" became synonymous with the style of silent film comedy most frequently found in the comedic silent films of Mack Sennett, Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, Hal Roach, and other comedic directors.

Later, the animated films from Warner Brothers Studio and Walt Disney will utilize many of the common gags found in comedic silent films. Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Tom & Jerry, and Donald Duck are just a few examples.

Slapstick is characterized by broad humor, absurd situations, comedic or farcical action such as chase scenes, and, of course, physical violence. Watch various clips below and note the actor/director where appropriate. Take notes on the film styles and view the films for ideas for your own stories, plays, and films.
Mack Sennett: comedian Billy Bevan (scene from Wandering Willies - 1926) and another clip with Vernon Dent & Billy Bevan
Mack Sennett: Black Oxfords (1924) with Vernon Dent & Sid Smith
Mack Sennett: comedian Harry Langdon (scene from Fiddlesticks - 1927)
Mack Sennett: comedian Harry Langdon (scene from Smile Please - 1924) & another scene (the skunk) from the same film.
Mabel Normand: The Extra Girl (clip, 1923)
Fatty & Mabel Adrift (1915) Mabel Normand & Fatty Arbuckle
Fatty Arbuckle: Coney Island (1917)
Fatty Arbuckle & Buster Keaton: The Butcher Boy (1917), The Cook (1918) The Garage (1920) 
Harold Lloyd: from The Freshman (1925)
Harold Lloyd: from Safety Last (the clock scene) (1923)
Charley Chase: Accidental Accidents (Hal Roach directing)
Ben Turpin: Seein' Things (1928), part one; Seein' Things (part two)   
Buster Keaton: known as the great "stone face" because of his deadpan expression. Along with Charlie Chaplin, he is one of the most beloved and skilled silent film comedians of his day. Let's read about the film "Steamboat Bill"--although we will screen "One Week" (1920) and "The General (1927)." Look for examples of silent film comedy techniques and narrative in The General (1927).
Buster Keaton: One Week (1920); Sherlock Jr. (1924), The Paleface (1922) 
 HOMEWORK: None.
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Monday, March 12, 2018

Montage (day 2); Charlie Chaplin & Silent Film Comedy (day 1)

LAB:

If you did not take the film test last class, you will do that now during period 1. Please note the missed homework/classwork!

If you took the test last class: please make sure you have viewed the following videos:
The material and information in these short films should be somewhat familiar in the chapter readings we have been assigned for previous homework. Add to your notes & understanding by taking notes on the following (also click the links for videos to further explain and learn the content!)

Montage: the juxtaposition of images in film to create an emotional impact on the viewer.

The montage changed the way filmmakers approached film narrative. It allows a filmmaker to tell a story through a sequence of shots that manipulate time. The jumble of images and cuts of a montage affect the psychological impact and effect of the film's content. There are 5 types of montage:


  • Metric
  • Rhythmic 
  • Tonal
  • Over-tonal
  • Intellectual/Ideological


    • The montage technique is still used in editing today. In a script it is indicated by a series of descriptive lines, each spaced apart to indicate a series of shots, rather than description that would indicate one shot or scene. Click here for an example and click at this link for an explanation of how this works. You can also take a look at this short lecture on The History of Cutting that further explains how the Russian montage works if you are planning on studying film in college or as a career path--or if you are just interested in the art of editing/photography.

    Comedy:

    Much of comedy (reasons why we laugh) have to do with these things:
    • Incongruity or Non sequitur. Humans are rational (supposedly) and laugh at anything that breaks a pattern or does not logically follow. Anything we are not expecting as a logical sequence creates incongruity, and so we laugh.
    • Farce or physical humor (often pratfalls, slapstick, hurting people, etc.) What doesn't kill us makes us laugh. This is only funny if the victim is not really hurt (consider cartoons!) If the character/victim is killed and we laugh, we fall into black or dark humor (and bad taste!)
    • Superiority vs. inferiority (we laugh at those weaker or in a worse situation than us). Usually an underdog or weaker protagonist gets to overcome a stronger opponent. This usually makes us feel better, and in a comedy plot, makes us feel stronger over our own oppression as viewers.
    • Mistaken identity. Ever since farce and satirical plays from the Greeks and Roman theater, mistaken identity has been a constant element in farce.
    • Absurdity (if it doesn't make sense, we laugh). Similar to incongruity, absurdity is, well, absurd.
    • Surprise. Humans will usually laugh is you can surprise them (and they are okay). The adrenaline rush is often accompanied by laughter.
    Some literary devices often used in literature, film, or T.V.:
    • Hyperbole. Exaggeration—when it comes to comedy, hyperbole is king.
    • The rule of 3: the set up is like this: two common or related items followed by a third that breaks the pattern or doesn’t fit.
    • Understatement/overstatement: presenting something as being less important or less significant than it really is. Overstatement is the opposite—making mountains out of molehills, as the saying goes.
    • Wit: clever word play.
    • Mismatched pairs: tall & short, fat & thin, foolish & wise, pessimist & optimist, smart & stupid, etc.
    • Puns: a joke based on an alternative meaning of a word.
    • Innuendo: a comment or remark that is referring to a situation (often sexual) that is disparaging or suggestive.
    Period 2: Classroom
    Charlie Chaplin, an Overview

    "All I need to make a comedy is a park, a policeman, and a pretty girl." -Sir Charles Chaplin

    Sir Charles Chaplin (1889-1977)
    • Born in 1889 in London, UK to theatrical parents
    • Chaplin’s childhood was one of extreme poverty and hardship
    • Abandoned by an alcoholic father and left with a mentally unstable mother who was unable to support him, he struggled through life in the poor house and on the streets
    • He learnt much of his timing and technique in the employment of impresario Fred Karno (1866-1941) whose troupe he left during an American tour in 1913
    • Offered a contract by Keystone Films
    • After 1914, he convinced Keystone producer Mack Sennett to allow him to direct his own films - often wrote, directed, acted and composed his own musical scores for his films
    • In many silent shorts, he established the grammar and ground rules of screen comedy using his physical dexterity and pantomime skills to create expertly choreographed, visually humorous entertainment that mixed irreverence, romance, and pathos (feeling)
    • Co-founder of United Artists in 1919
    • Married Oona O’Neill (daughter of playwright Eugene O’Neill)
    • His left-wing sympathies caused him to emigrate to Switzerland during the 1950’s, McCarthy period
    • He published his autobiography in 1964 and was knighted in 1975
    • Chaplin died on Christmas day, 1977
    • A writer Performer, director, composer and icon, he was a vital figure in the development of the screen comedy Films (incomplete list): Making a Living (1913) Kid Auto Races at Venice (1914) The Champion (1915) The Tramp (1915) The Pawnshop (1916) The Rink (1916) A Dog’s Life (1918) The Kid (1921) The Gold Rush (1925) City Lights (1931) Modern Times (1936) The Great Dictator (1940) Limelight (1952) A King in New York (1957) A Countess from Hong Kong (1967)
    Take a look at some of Chaplin's films:

    The Idle Class (1921, short film)
    The Kid (1921, clip)
    The Lion's Cage clip from the Circus (1928)
    The Gold Rush (1925) Table ballet sequence from The Gold Rush and another scene; (sound and words added later by Chaplin)
    The boxing scene from City Lights (1931)
    Modern Times (1936) trailer
    The Great Dictator (1940), clip
    Limelight (1952)

    Charlie Chaplin Extra Credit (see posts below for details on how to get extra credit for watching these films...)

    The Rink (1916, short film)
    The Circus (1928)
    City Lights (1931)

    HOMEWORK: Read the article on "The Hays Code." Choose at least one of the following films and identify examples of early film comedy (see list of comedy techniques above): Fatty Arbuckle & The Keystone Kops in "Fatty Joins the Force"(1913); Fatty Arbuckle, Charlie Chaplin & Mabel Normand in "A Film Johnnie (1914); Fatty Arbuckle & Buster Keaton in Coney Island (1914); Fatty Arbuckle & Buster Keaton in "Backstage"(1919)
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    Friday, March 9, 2018

    Extra Credit Films (Silent Era)

    There are so many movies, it would take years to cover all of them thoroughly (hence the reason to major in film studies...) In an attempt to encourage the viewing of some of these important early films, any of these films may be watched for extra credit.

    How to do it:
    1. Choose a film & watch it.
    2. Summarize the film in a paragraph (or two). Aim for just the important events that happen in the film.
    3. Evaluate the film in a paragraph (or two). What did you think of the film? What did you learn about the artistry of film making by watching the film (apply the practical information of this course to the film)? What did you learn about the time period or narrative stories by watching the film? Etc.
    4. Turn in your film review by the end of the marking period.
    5. Repeat as needed.

    Oscar Micheaux:
    Robert Flaherty:
    Dziga Vertov: 
    Vitagraph (Sidney Drew):
    Lois Weber:
    Robert Wiene:
    Sergei Eisenstein:
    F.W. Murnau:
    Cecil B. DeMille:
    Paul Leni:
    Harry Hoyt:
    Paul Wegener: 
    MGM's:
    • Ben Hur (1925, with Raymond Navarro)
    • Sherlock Holmes (1922, with John Barrymore, from the George Eastman collection)
    Adolph Zukor:
    Other silent films (actors):
    Carl Laemmle:
    Laurel & Hardy Films:
    • Battleship Potemkin (1925, full film)
    • Oktober; and (Oktober: the full film 1928)
    • Alexander Nevsky (1928) (battle on the ice sequence) - Music by Sergei Prokofiev. We can see how the invention of sound in the next few years will revolutionize film. The exciting tone of the music, nicely reflects the glory, fear, and trepidation of the characters in this scene.
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    Thursday, March 8, 2018

    Narratology Test; Montage & Sergei Eisenstein

    Lab (period 1):

    Please use your notes and scripts to write your timed essay on the following question:
    • Using narratology, examine the narrative style and structure of the screenplay you read. Make sure to SUMMARIZE and comment on the narrative aspects of the plot. Discuss characters, setting, and important or key scenes or events that unify or detract from the film's meaning or theme. 
    If you finish before the end of the period, please view and take notes on the following videos:
    The material and information in these short films should be somewhat familiar in the chapter readings we have been assigned for homework. 

    Period 2: Montage & Sergei Eisenstein

    After completing our viewing of German Expressionism clips, let's turn to the Russian director Sergei Eisenstein. 

    The most influential film maker of early Russian film was Sergei Eisenstein.

    Eisenstein is remembered in film for his contribution of the montage. Unlike continuity editing (editing a film to create a clear and concise sequence of events in the narrative (linear)), montage used the juxtaposition of images to create an emotional impact on the viewer.

    The montage changed the way filmmakers approached film narrative. It allows a filmmaker to tell a story through a sequence of shots that manipulate time. The jumble of images and cuts of a montage affect the psychological impact and effect of the film's content. See the crash course #8 for more details on how this works. There are 5 types of montage:


  • Metric
  • Rhythmic 
  • Tonal
  • Over-tonal
  • Intellectual/Ideological

    • The montage technique is still used in editing today. In a script it is indicated by a series of descriptive lines, each spaced apart to indicate a series of shots, rather than description that would indicate one shot or scene. Click here for an example and click at this link for an explanation of how this works.

    Here's a few clips from some of Eisenstein's films:
    • Battleship Potemkin (Odessa Step Sequence) (1925); & Battleship Potemkin (1925, full film)
    • Oktober; and (Oktober: the full film 1928)
    • Alexander Nevsky (1928) (battle on the ice sequence) - Music by Sergei Prokofiev. We can see how the invention of sound in the next few years will revolutionize film. The exciting tone of the music, nicely reflects the glory, fear, and trepidation of the characters in this scene.
    Eisenstein was not the only early Russian filmmaker genius. Enter: Dziga Vertov: Man With a Movie Camera (1929, trailer)

    Man With a Movie Camera (1929, full film by Dziga Vertov--another very influential Russian filmmaker. You may watch this film for extra credit, if you'd like.

    HOMEWORK: Please read the article on Sergei Eisenstein and complete the crash course videos (#1-#9) if you missed any.  [Soviet Montage: Crash Course #8 & Hollywood in the Silent Era: Crash Course #9] and finally, take a look at this short lecture on The History of Cutting that further explains how the Russian montage works. 
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    Tuesday, March 6, 2018

    German Expressionism; Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (Weine & Murnau)

    Lab:

    Watch the following video on German Expressionism. Take notes.

    Read the articles (packet #1) on Robert Weine's "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari"& "Nanook of the North" and F. W. Murnau's "Sunrise"--we will cover these fellows during our second class period screenings. Read the article (packet #2) on narrative. See the notes below and prepare for your test Friday.

    With time remaining in period 1, please continue reading your chosen script and work on your narratology notes. See handout and previous posts for additional help.

    Elements of Narrative Film:
    • Story: a narrative with a beginning, middle, and end focusing on one or more characters.
    • Plot: the order of events and actions of a story.
    • Characters: major characters and minor characters anchor the events of a narrative.
    • Characters are generally a mid-point between ordinary and extraordinary. They can represent ideas (minor characters usually) or stand in for the typical movie-going viewer (major; protagonist). Antagonists generally reflect the opposite aspects of the protagonist.
    • Characterization can include the values, actions, behaviors of the character; actors, directors, and writers tend to represent characters, sometimes through stereotypes or archetypes.
    • Characters are developed through change of status. This may be an external or internal change. Change may be progressive (growth) or regressive.
    • A film's narrative is affected by the diegetic and nondiegetic elements. 
    • Narrative patterns can be linear storylines, flashbacks/flashforwards, or non-linear patterns.
    • One temporal scheme in a narrative film is the deadline structure. This structure accelerates the action toward a central event or action that must be accomplished before the resolution.
    • Parallel plots use two or more plots that occur simultaneously; they often intersect by the climax of the narrative.
    • Narrative duration refers to the length of time within which an event or action is presented (shown) in the film.
    • Frequency refers to how often plot elements repeat.
    • Narrative frames depict the POV of a narrative. Often the camera determines whose POV we are supposed to identify with.
    • Narrative can also be reflexive (commenting on itself--like The Disaster Artist), unreliable, or use multiple narrations. 
    • Classical film narrative centers on one or more central characters who propel the plot with cause-and-effect logic, whereby an action generates a reaction. It usually develops a linear plot, with progressive characters. Acting, setting, and cinematography tend to be realistic in style. 
    • Avant garde or Formalistic film narrative tends to deviate from classical/realistic narrative style. Plots are reflexive, or question/challenge realism; Expressionistic; plots, characters, settings may be metaphorical or symbolic. Camera work or photography tends to bring attention to itself. 
    When writing about narratology, you want to examine your film's script for its narrative techniques. You should be able to identify the narrative style, the beginning, middle, and end of the plot; major events that provide meaning (duration/frequency, etc.), identify the use of characters, setting, meaning; identify the diegetic and non diegetic elements of the film, the structure of the plot, important scenes, and use the vocabulary listed here and in the articles you have read.

    Period 2: Classroom/Screening


    Expressionism

    “Why should an artist duplicate the real world when it already exists for everyone to see?”
    • Begins in Europe around 1906 in painting and theatre
    • Style is unrealistic, stylized
    • Attention often given to angles
    • Distorted perspectives
    • Narrow, tall streets and buildings (set pieces)
    • Lighting is “dramatic”; Use of shadows
    • Actors are grotesque, exaggerated make-up
    • Dark, nightmarish tones & moods
    • Attempt to show the interior lives of characters through exteriors
    • Expressionism influences Futurism (and Modernism)
    • Expressionism influences Film Noir in the 1930’s (more on that later...)
    Robert Weine's bio
    F.W. Murnau's bio
    • F. W. Murnau's Nosferatu (1922); Nosferatu (1922, full film)
    • F. W. Murnau's Sunrise (trailer, 1927)
    The following movies, along with Dr. Caligari, are influential in creating the "horror" genre in film. Why, do you think, is expressionism a good stylistic choice for horror films?
    Contemporary films that use expressionism in part or whole:
    HOMEWORK: Complete your chosen script reading. Take your notes on the narratology of the script. You may use your notes for the exam on Friday, but you will only have 1 period to complete your test. Please do not be late. 
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    Sunday, March 4, 2018

    The Oscars; Jaws (conclusion)

    LAB: until 7:50.

    Oscar Winners, 2018

    Extra credit: If you watched the Oscars this Sunday and completed the Oscar Ballot (handout from last class) note how many of your predictions came true. Post a comment on my blog about how well you guessed the outcome of the award winners this year. What surprised you? What did you learn about the film industry from watching? Can you identify what the winning films may have had in common--or are there patterns of subject matter that seemed to point at a larger theme or conflict occurring in our society? What might that be in your opinion? Your post should be at least 100 words or more for credit.

    With time remaining in the lab, please choose one film script to read from this website. As you read, examine the script for its narrative style (due March 9). See our previous post for details about narratology and film narrative styles. Be prepared to answer an essay question during our lab time on March 9th.

    Period 1/2: (7:50)

    We will continue watching Jaws. We will finish the film today in class.

    HOMEWORK: Read your chosen film script and take notes on its narrative style and techniques.

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