Movie History

1. Movie History Objective: As a TGV 40/4M student, you must create a PowerPoint or Pages Movie history project

2. AS a TGV 40/4M student you must: • Pick a Movie history topic • Research your topic (Use Internet, Digital Overdrive, books, video, etc) • Create a WEB graphic organizer to develop sub-topics (including an Introduction & conclusion) • Research your topic according to your sub topics • Create a PowerPoint slide show that follows your WEB (Use your English or Quote source, Add relevant pictures, information, etc) • Record (copy) your sources & create a Source (last) page! • Present your project to the class

3. Example: SUB TOPICS: Get help if you don’t know

4. *Classification may be required

5. **Studio System • Explain how the system became established • How did the system benefit movie production? • What happened with the license to film? • What were some of the negative effects?

6. Why is Movie history important? • It gives us cultural perspective • It gives us critical insight into the development of camera technology, story-telling, editing, SPFX, movie business, audience expectations, etc • To be a good video-grapher, film student or editor, you should know a little about film traditions, the evolution of film genres, past popular stories, technical innovations, etc • It is full of fascinating stories

7. Movie History Now for a concise Overview (pay attention– you want to Pick your topic!) Plays and dances had elements common to films- scripts, sets, lighting, costumes, production, direction, actors, audiences, storyboards, and scores. They preceded film by thousands of years

8. Introduction • Silent Era (1900’s the birth of cinema) Noted for Star system: famous actor/directors • Sound Era (1930-1960) The evolution of genres & Studio system evolves • Post Classical Era produces Auteur Style directors (1970- 1980) Noted for directors’ personal visions & creative insights – sex, drugs, “taboo__” eg “West Side Story” • Blockbuster/Sequel Era (1980-1990) • Independent Film Era (1995-present)

9. Silent Era • 1895- Lumierebrothers create the “Cinematographe” which used a projector to show “Workers Leaving the factory” birth of cinema • 1896 –Thomas Edison projects 1st film in North America • 1902- “A Trip to the Moon” George Melies uses stop motion and other SPFX that were advanced for his time • 1909 – 9000 movie cinemas (show 10-12 minute films) and many film genres emerge • 1912 – Universal Studios: Hollywood dominates with DW Griffith, Cecile B DeMille, Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford

10. Auguste and Louis Lumière • It all began in 1895 when the Lumiere brothers shot “Workers leaving the Lumiere factory” • Unfortunately: They thought that “Film was an invention without a future,” and gave it up for colour still photograph

11. Silent Era • Thomas Edison hires WKL Dickson (below) to create the first movie camera • W K L Dickson creates the Kinetograph and Kinetoscope to watch a movie using Kodak film In 1893

12. 35 mm filmstrip of the Edison production Butterfly Dance (ca. 1894–95), featuring Annabelle Whitford Moore, Interior view of Kinetoscope with peephole viewer at top of cabinet NOTE: Only 1 person can watch this! Visit link to see this Film: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lumi%C3%A8re

13. Only One person can view the Kinetoscope at a time • In 1888 Roundhay Garden Scene (2 sec) first movie • The first movie projector invented by C F Jenkins & R W Paul in 1894 • In 1895 the Lumiere brothers projected 12 short films in Paris (including the “Workers…”) cinematographe

14. Note Lumiere can record, develop and show his film on this one machine! Cinematographe

15. At Edison’s “Black Maria”

16. French Movies (after Lumiere’s) • By 1898 Georges Méliès was the largest producer of fiction films in France, and from this point onwards his output was almost entirely films featuring trick effects, which were very successful in all markets. The special popularity of his longer films, which were several minutes long from 1899 onwards (while most other films were still only a minute long), led other makers to start producing longer films.

17. Edwin S Porter • In 1905, Edwin Porter made How Jones Lost His Roll, The Whole Dam Family and the Dam Dog. • Both of these films had inter-titles which were formed by the letters moving into place from a random scattering to form the words of the titles. • This was done by exposing the film one frame at a time, and moving the letters a little bit towards their final position between each exposure. This is what has come to be called “single frame animation”

18. Like George Melies… • Edwin Porter continued the idea of “Continuity” -that one scene led to the next • He also put cross-dissolve transitions from 1 scene to the next. • 1905 “Great Train Robbery” The one-reel film, with a running time of twelve minutes, was assembled in twenty separate shots, along with a startling close-up of a bandit firing at the camera. • A shot in production, defined by the beginning and end of a capturing process, is equivalent to a clip in editing, defined as the continuous footage between two edits

19. D W Griffith • 1915 “Birth of a Nation” uses 12 different Reverse-Angle cuts (Action/Reaction) • 1916 Uses Cross-cutting between parallel action in “Intolerance.” • Was considered the leader in creating film as art for his editing techniques, action and story-telling (content- themes)

20. Sound Era • Experimentation with sound film technology, both for recording and playback, was virtually constant throughout the silent era, but the twin problems of accurate synchronization and sufficient amplification had been difficult to overcome (Eyman, 1997). • During late 1927, Warners released The Jazz Singer, which was mostly silent but contained what is generally regarded as the first synchronized dialogue (and singing) in a feature film

21. Sound Era • 1927 “Jazz Singer” first feature film with sound signals the end of the Silent Era • 1937 “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”first feature length (1hr plus) animated film • 1930/40’s- Golden era where genres (horror, action, etc) are perfected (“Frankenstein” 1931 “King Kong” 1933) • 1941 – “Citizen Kane”Orson Welles creates non-linear story-telling, layered sounds, low angle shots, etc, that is considered greatest film of all time • 1950’s – Emergence of FIM THEORY – and innovative European films • 70/80’s – “Star Wars”SPFX promptssequels, blockbusters, videotape • 90’s-now – Better Sound, Digital Cameras/Editing explode higher resolution formats and Independent films- give rise to improved video BETA & VHS formats

22. The Jazz Singer • As conversion of movie theaters to sound was still in its early stages, the film actually arrived at many of those secondary venues in a silent version • In 1927 it was a huge success (like Avatar today)

23. 1920’s • Many full-length films were produced during the decade of the 1920s. • The transition to sound-on-film technology occurred mid-decade with the talkies developed in 1926-1927, following experimental techniques begun in the late 1910s. • With sound, the concept of the musical appeared immediately, as in The Jazz Singer of 1927, because silent films had been accompanied by music for years when projected in theaters. • Also, in 1927, the International Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was formed. Later, "International" was removed from the name. Today, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is most famous for its annual presentation of The Academy Awards, also known as the Oscars

24. Impact of Sound • Many major silent filmmakers and actors were unable to adjust and found their careers severely curtailed or even ended. • Sound films emphasized and benefited different genres more so than silents did. • The Musical was born

25. 1929 • In Blackmail, Alfred Hitchcock both benefited from, and pushed further, technical advances in microphones and cameras, and capabilities for editing and post-synchronizing sound (rather than recording all sound directly at the time of filming).

26. 1930’s Genres established • 1931 Universal releases Gothic horror Frankenstein and Dracula • Merian C Cooper monster film King Kong • Gangster movies Little Caesar & Public Enemy • Animation hits Snow White & the Seven Dwarves • 1939- Gone with the Wind & Wizard of Oz

27. 1940’s • Disney: Pinocchio, Dumbo, Bambi • 1942: Yankee Doodle Dandee (James Cagney) & Casablanca (Humphrey Bogart) • Citizen Kane (Orson Welles) • It’s a Wonderful Life • 49th Parallel, Went the Day Well?, The Way Ahead all War propaganda films

28. 1950’s • Due to the THREAT of TELEVISION studios sought to get audiences back in cinemas through improved technology(cinemascope, cinerama-146 degrees, wide-screen format, 3-D) • BIG Budget productions: The 10 Commandments (56) Ben Hur (59) 20.000 Leagues Under the Sea (54) • The emergence of SCIENCE FICTION genre (The War of the Worlds, The Day the Earth stood Still, Them! (56)) • Alfred Hitchcock at the peak of his craft (Dial M for Murder, Rear Window (56), Vertigo (58)) • FILM THEORY is popularized by published magazines with a new grammar taken from earlier works of Griffith/Porter/Melies

29. Mid Century Theorists • In 1951 Andre Bazin, Jacques Doniol-Valcroze & Jospeh-Marie Lo Duca found “Cahiers du Cinema.” • Many of the authors become directors with the guidance of Bazin. • Above contributors include Jean-Luc Godard & Francois Truffaut • Many 1950’s directors influenced by the magazine start the French New Wave period of films (dismissing Hollywood conventions for Russian and early theorists, eg Marxists). From: Digital Overdrive, Chapter 11, p 146

30. FILM GRAMMAR

31. Film Theory’s evolution: • 1911- Riciotto Canudo (Italian) published “The Birth of the Seventh Art” which proposed that film merged the tangible arts (sets/props) with performing arts (dance/music) to create a new art form (film or cinema). • 1920’s – Kuleshov used Marxist film theory & montage (shot of face- then soup, face-then coffin) to evoke audience emotions • 1925 – Eisenstein (Russian) used montage/editing to create “The Battleship Potemkin” which was considered an art film. • 1954 – Truffaut (French New Wave) promotes Auteur theory (which champions that movies should reflect personal vision of director)

32. Film Theory explained • Formalism: Action/Reaction with seamless flow(How well does the film elements (shots, music) communicate ideas (not themes)) • Marxist Film narrative: a MONTAGE of conflicting scenes- ACTION>Clashing shot of something different> Disjointed flow • Genre Film Theory: categorizes film by setting, mood, format (Western, Crime, Science Fiction) • Apparatus Theory (1970’s): Film reflects society’s dominant ideologies (ways of thinking) • Structuralist Film Theory: Film use conventions or codes to convey meaning: how the shots are put together (Montage)>money>face>money creates a message – that a person desires money. DW Griffith and Alfred Hitchkock

33. 1960’s • The decade is known for being prominent in historical drama, psychological horror, and comedy, as well as the sub-genres of spy film, sword and sandal, and spaghetti westerns, all peaking during this decade. • Historical > The Guns of Navarone (61), Lawrence of Arabia (62) & Cleopatra (63) • Psychological Horror: Psycho • Comedy: The Pink Panther • Spy film: Bond movies with high tech gadgets • Spaghetti Westerns: A Few Dollars More

34. Film Terms: • MONTAGE:Editing a large # of shots with no intention of creating a continuous reality • Narrative:telling a certain story in a particular way • Film Noir:Filmed with Shadows, darkness, protagonist often has meaningless victory or dies • Mis en Scene: how the elements and components in the film (eg sets, lights, framing) are put together on the film set (during filming)

35. Post Classical Auteur Era • In cinema all over the world, the seventies brought about vigor in adventurous, cool and realistic complex narratives with rich cinematography and elaborate scores • With young filmmakers taking greater risks and restrictions regarding language and sexuality lifting, Hollywood produced some of its most critically acclaimed and financially successful films since its supposed "golden era." • A deeply unsettling look at alienation and city life, Taxi Driver earned international praise, first at the Cannes Film Festival and then at the Academy Awards • Mid-70’s blockbusters (large budget/$$ making film) Jaws and Star Wars appear

36. 1980’s Blockbuster Cinema & SEQUELS • Big budget (multi-million $) movies like Star Wars, Jaws, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Superman produce franchises or Sequels(part 2 of the story) • Post-apocalyptic Science Fiction like MadMax 2, Blade Runner, Escape from New York, become popular • Fantasy: Conan the Barbarian, Dragonslayer & Excalibur, • Drama: On Golden Pond, The Color Purple, Out of Africa • Comedies:Ghostbusters (& it’s sequels) outsold all Indiana Jones films. Spoofs like Airplane! Mock previous disaster films • Teen Comedies: Animal House, Porky’s, Police Academy • ACTION: Rocky and Rambo series (sequels)

37. Independent Films (1990’s) • Thousands of films made • Rise of the Independent film maker & Independent Film studios (Miramax, New Line, Lion’s Gate (Canadian)) • CGI- (computer generated imagery) widely used in Terminator 2, Jurassic Park & Forrest Gump, Twister. • Disney renaissance (The Little Mermaid, Lion King) • Titanic ($1.9 billion) • HOME VIDEO almost doubles profits

38. 2000 • Film genres not known for their popular appeal in North America became increasingly attractive to filmgoers: films in foreign languages like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, The Passion of the Christ and Letters from Iwo Jima • Documentary films like An Inconvenient Truth, March of the Penguins, Super Size Me, and Fahrenheit 9/11, became very successful.

39. Sources Wikipedia: General source of great info • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_film • http://www.haroldlloyd.com/ • Digital Overdrive Chapter 11 • http://www.imdb.com/genre

40. Sources page 2