ART APPRECIATION: FILM
T, R, 9:30-10:50AMProfessor Paige Prater
1. Name one of the forms of earliest photography, either printed on silver-plate (French) or with light-sensitive solution on paper (English)
2. Name 2 principles and 2 elements of art at play in this photograph:
QUICK QUIZ:
• Zoetrope– Illusion of movement
• Persistence of vision (theory)– Flip-book
• Modern movie: 24 frames per second
• IMAX: 48 frames per second
MOVING IMAGES BEFORE FILM
• Flexible, culluloid, light-sensitive (splice-able, high production costs)
vs. • equipment/software (cheaper,
long-term)
FILM VS. DIGITAL
• Galloping horse wager– All 4 legs off ground at
once?
EADWEARD MUYBRIDGE
• No soundtrack• Nickelodeons: small storefront
movie theatres/ live piano & drums, sometimes lecturers
• 1896: movies shown all over Europe & U.S.
SILENT FILM/BLACK & WHITE
• 1861-1938 – magician, filmmaker, theatrical magic show
• Multiple settings, repeated scenes, cuts (time moving forward)
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JDaOOw0MEE
EDWARD MÉLIÈS’ TRIP TO THE MOON (1902)
• Hollywood’s first blockbuster• Epic story• Original editing styles
– Symbolism– Gesture– Intertitles
• Reinforcement of racist views?• Propaganda tool• http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=a9UPOkIpR0A
D.W. GRIFFITH’S BIRTH OF A NATION (1915)
• Wrote/directed/starred in it• Box-office failure; critics loved it• Loosely based on newspaper tycoon
William Randolph Hearst; questions values of American Dream
• Fabricated newspaper reels• Flashbacks• Dramatic lighting, natural sound• Elaborate sets• Moving camera shots/ innovative
editing/deep focus/low camera angles
• Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyv19bg0scg
ORSON WELLES CITIZEN KANE (1941)
• The Wizard of Oz (1939) – black-white to color
• Singin’ in the Rain (1952) – integrated sound
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w40ushYAaYA– synchronizing sound with lip
movements/dubbing– Songs/sounds recorded
separately; no longer “live”
SOUND & COLOR –1920S
• Wladyslaw Starewicz (1882-1965)The Cameraman’s Revenge (1912) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIC0Sb6pLvI• Walt Disney “Snow White” (1938)• http://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7ZkWfD0ELE
• CEL- DRAWING• Spirited Away (2001)
– 12-30 drawings for every second!
– 125 min: 90,000-200,000 drawings!
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6az9wGfeSgM
ANIMATION & SPECIAL EFFECTS
• Blockbuster: $194 million• Tunisia, Guatemala, Death
Valley, CA – footage on location• Super-realist paintings• Detailed models• Computer-generated/digitally-
timed effects
GEORGE LUCAS STAR WARS (1977)
• Musicals• Sci-fi• Romantic• Westerns• Horror
– German Expressionism: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) – directed by Robert Wiene (1873-1938) -http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0A0sfxM6AE
• Documentary
FILM GENRES
• Meshes of the Afternoon (1943) – Maya Deren (1917-1961) and husbund, cinematographer Alexander Hammid
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4S03Aw5HULU
• Flat is Beautiful (1998) –Sadie Benning– Toy camera, Super 8 film,
collages
FILM AS ART
• Global Groove (1973) - Nam June Paik – Paik-Abe Synthesizer:
device to modulate video signals
– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InLcRXfd3NI
• The Raft (2004), Bill Viola• http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=faAKOxACgAw
VIDEO ARTWORKS
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