Color Film

Color tends to be a subconscious element in film. It has an emotional appeal which often suggests mood of the film or characters in it.

The first Technicolor film was THE GULF BETWEEN (U.S., 1917), a five-reeler made by Technicolor Motion Picture Corp. in Florida mainly for trade showings in eastern cities, to create interest in color movies among producers and exhibitors. It did not receive nationwide distribution. A lost film today, only a few frames survive.

The first Technicolor feature made in Hollywood, and the first to receive nationwide distribution, was the costume drama THE TOLL OF THE SEA (1922).
Another silent movie filmed entirely in Technicolor was the swashbuckler THE BLACK PIRATE (U.S., 1926), produced by and starring Douglas Fairbanks.
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS (1923) THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (1925) BEN-HUR (1925) KING OF KINGS (1926)used color as a gimmick or in parts.

The first all-talking Technicolor feature was the Warner Bros. musical ON WITH THE SHOW (1929).

All of the color films up to this point were two-color processes, which could capture only two of the three primary colors of light.

In 1932, Technicolor perfected a three-color motion picture process (also known as three-strip Technicolor, because three negatives were employed in the camera, one for each primary color of light -- red, green, and blue).

It was introduced with the Walt Disney cartoon FLOWERS AND TREES (1932), which won the first Academy Award for Animation. Walt Disney kept a monopoly on 3-color technicolor from 1932-1935.

The first feature-length movie in three-strip Technicolor was the costume comedy-drama BECKY SHARP (U.S., 1935)

Technicolor used a three color system: red, blue, green (these colors therefore are most vivid)

Early color was used as an expression (expressionism) of the director’s or cinematographer’s story, and so early films with color tend to be ones that are formalistic, artificial, or exotic. Color was often not used for “realistic” movies.

Warm colors: red, yellow, orange (brown)
Cool colors: Blue, green, violet (white)


Please copy these addresses into your address bar and watch from Youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUIWbyCGqRI&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCfq-aHB3r8&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-P_Ira6kgE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEaW0NX7rvc

Marx Brothers

After turning in your homework, come view "A Night at the Opera" by the Marx Brothers, directed by Sam Wood (screenplay by George S. Kaufman...famous american playwright in comedy, particularly known for his play: 'You Can't Take it With You.'

Please read (as much as you can) of the script Duck Soup. As you read pay attention to the film script format and apply some of the important details from your homework to the script. The link is to your left, under the link page. Enjoy.

The Skill of Editing

Just for fun, take a look at the following 2 clips on Youtube.com. This is an excellent example how editing and music can alter tone in film. Enjoy! (to view, copy and paste these addresses in google.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2T5_0AGdFic

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Os6raCCmAFk&feature=related

The Golden Age of Film

Please complete the note handout about film in the 1930's. You will find this information on Tim Dirks' film website under FILM HISTORY: FILMs by DECADE. Select the 1930's. Due next class.

On Youtube (particularly if you were not in class Tuesday), please view the following clips/films:

James Whale's Frankenstein (1931) starring Colin Clive & Boris Karloff (as the monster)

Tod Browning's Dracula (1931) starring Bela Lugosi.

Merian Cooper's King Kong (1933), starring Fay Wrey, Robert Armstrong and Bruce Cabot.

Karl Freund's The Mummy (1932), starring Boris Karloff.

Please complete the reading article on Screenwriting by Ray Frensham. Begin to gather ideas for your own film script.

Sound in Film

Joseph P. Maxfield (AT&T’s Bell Laboratories) invented the first phonograph linked to film (licensed by Victor as the Orthophonic Victrola) which became the basis for the Vitaphone sound-on-disc system.

The Vitaphone allowed actors to lipsync their performance while the sound was recorded after; (This helped to popularize animation!)

The first sound film was Don Juan in 1926. The Jazz Singer (1927), directed by Alan Crosland, starring famous vaudeville actor, Al Jolson is popularly given this award. Really both films were songs or music in Don Juan's case, that were played along and synched with the film.
The Jazz Singer gave birth to the Hollywood musical genre.

Warner Bros. and Fox Film began wiring their theatres for sound as early as 1926. By 1928, Western Electric developed a sound-on-film system, which later developed a new competitive major studio: Radio-Keith-Orpheum or RKO.

The conversion to sound created both positive and negative effects for Film:

Positive:
A. Led to a revival of national film elsewhere in the world
B. Cinema owners did not have to hire musicians for an in-house orchestra
C. Silent films were easier to distribute across the world (no need to translate) which later creates the need for dubbing (1932 -- ex. Paramount studios); before this, multi-lingual films make stars like Marlene Dietrich, Maurice Chevalier, Bela Lugosi, Ingrid Bergman, Greta Garbo, and Peter Lore more important--since they can speak different languages (and therefore sync their voices to film).
D. Film became a single media event
E. Films came to the theatres as final products, whole and complete
F. The immersive qualities of film and the viewer become inseparable
G. Dialogue became a necessity to tell the plot of a film

Negative:
A. Produced panic and confusion in Hollywood
B. Many musicians lost their jobs
C. Early sound films from America were boycotted by certain countries; films were not as widely distributed, more costly to translate.
D. Silent film culture was destroyed
E. Films did not require additional music, some ambiance was lost -- sound film was seen as the killer of “film as the seventh art form”
F. Film was no longer a “theatrical” or “artistic” event
G. Dialogue became a necessity to tell the plot of a film

Getting an Idea for a Script

When deciding on making a film, your first decision is often based on your resources. If you have a camera and editing equipment or software available, you are half-way there. But you also need locations, actors, props, costumes, etc. The trickiest part can be deciding on a subject.

To help you, consider the following:
1. What kind of movies do I like?
2. What kind of movie would I like to see?
3. What genre of movie do I like the most?
4. What style of film (realism, formalism, classicism) would I like to create?

The style of film you choose will determine how you approach your subject matter, how much camera work or editing will be needed, and whether or not you focus on subject matter, symbolism, character, setting, or plot.

5. Who might help me with my film?
6. Do I have the settings/locations to shoot my idea?
7. Do I have the props or actors I need to shoot my idea?
8. How much time am I willing to work on this project?
9. What do I want to say? What point do I need to make?
10. Which filmmakers (or films) will I use as inspiration?

Try to answer as many of these questions BEFORE you begin writing your 1 page treatment.

A treatment is simply a summary of your intent. What is your film going to be about? Use the questions above to help you explain your idea to me.

Exam and Journal Papers Due!

Our exam on film since its origin to 1930 is Tuesday. After the exam, please begin working on a 1 page treatment for an original film idea.

Your journal papers (2) are due Thursday, March 19. See the posting for Journal topics in the February Archive.

For those of you absent on Friday's class, please remember to post a comment on Metropolis by the end of the week.