Looking at Movies: An Introduction to Film (Third Edition)

Cover......Page 1
Copyright......Page 4
Title Page......Page 5
Contents......Page 9
To Students......Page 15
About the Book......Page 17
Acknowledgments......Page 21
CHAPTER 1 Looking at Movies......Page 25
Looking at Movies......Page 26
What Is a Movie?......Page 27
Ways of Looking at Movies......Page 29
Invisibility and Cinematic Language......Page 31
Cultural Invisibility......Page 33
Implicit and Explicit Meaning......Page 35
Viewer Expectations......Page 37
Formal Analysis......Page 38
Alternative Approaches to Analysis......Page 44
Screening Checklist: Looking at Movies......Page 47
Movies Described or Illustrated in This Chapter......Page 48
CHAPTER 2 Principles of Film Form......Page 51
Form and Content......Page 52
Form and Expectations......Page 57
Patterns......Page 59
Movies Depend on Light......Page 63
Movies Provide an Illusion of Movement......Page 66
Movies Manipulate Space and Time in Unique Ways......Page 68
Realism and Antirealism......Page 74
Verisimilitude......Page 76
Cinematic Language......Page 77
Screening Checklist: Principles of Film Form......Page 80
Movies Described or Illustrated in This Chapter......Page 81
CHAPTER 3 Types of Movies......Page 83
The Idea of Narrative......Page 84
Narrative Movies......Page 88
Documentary Movies......Page 89
Experimental Movies......Page 94
Hybrid Movies......Page 100
Genre......Page 102
Genre Conventions......Page 105
Gangster......Page 107
Film Noir......Page 110
Science Fiction......Page 113
Horror......Page 116
The Western......Page 119
The Musical......Page 122
Evolution and Transformation of Genre......Page 125
What about Animation?......Page 127
Screening Checklist: Types of Movies......Page 132
Movies Described or Illustrated in This Chapter......Page 133
CHAPTER 4 Elements of Narrative......Page 137
What Is Narrative?......Page 138
The Screenwriter......Page 139
Evolution of a Typical Screenplay......Page 140
Elements of Narrative......Page 143
Story and Plot......Page 144
Order......Page 149
Events......Page 151
Duration......Page 152
Suspense versus Surprise......Page 156
Repetition......Page 157
Characters......Page 158
Setting......Page 162
Scope......Page 163
Narration and Narrators......Page 164
Story......Page 166
Events......Page 168
Setting......Page 171
Narration......Page 173
Questions for Review......Page 175
Movies Described or Illustrated in This Chapter......Page 176
CHAPTER 5 Mise-en-Scène......Page 179
What Is Mise-en-Scène?......Page 180
Design......Page 185
The Production Designer......Page 186
Elements of Design......Page 188
International Styles of Design......Page 199
Composition......Page 206
Framing: What We See on the Screen......Page 207
Kinesis: What Moves on the Screen......Page 215
Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow......Page 218
Sam Mendes’s American Beauty......Page 222
Screening Checklist: Mise-en-Scène......Page 228
Movies Described or Illustrated in This Chapter......Page 229
CHAPTER 6 Cinematography......Page 231
The Director of Photography......Page 232
Film Stock......Page 234
Lighting......Page 242
Lenses......Page 250
Framing of the Shot......Page 253
Implied Proximity to the Camera......Page 256
Depth......Page 260
Camera Angle and Height......Page 266
Scale......Page 270
Camera Movement......Page 271
Framing and Point of View......Page 280
Speed and Length of the Shot......Page 281
In-Camera, Mechanical, and Laboratory Effects......Page 285
Computer-Generated Imagery......Page 286
Screening Checklist: Cinematography......Page 290
Movies Described or Illustrated in This Chapter......Page 291
CHAPTER 7 Acting......Page 293
What Is Acting?......Page 294
Movie Actors......Page 295
Early Screen-Acting Styles......Page 300
D. W. Griffith and Lillian Gish......Page 301
The Influence of Sound......Page 302
Acting in the Classical Studio Era......Page 304
Method Acting......Page 307
Screen Acting Today......Page 309
Technology and Acting......Page 313
Factors Involved in Casting......Page 315
Types of Roles......Page 319
Preparing for Roles......Page 320
Naturalistic and Nonnaturalistic Styles......Page 322
Improvisational Acting......Page 324
Directors and Actors......Page 325
Framing, Composition, Lighting, and the Long Take......Page 327
The Camera and the Close-up......Page 330
Looking at Acting......Page 332
Barbara Stanwyck in King Vidor’s Stella Dallas......Page 335
Hilary Swank in Clint Eastwood’s Million Dollar Baby......Page 337
Questions for Review......Page 341
Movies Described or Illustrated in This Chapter......Page 342
CHAPTER 8 Editing......Page 343
What Is Editing?......Page 344
The Film Editor......Page 346
The Editor’s Responsibilities......Page 348
Conventions of Continuity Editing......Page 359
Editing Techniques That Maintain Continuity......Page 364
Other Transitions between Shots......Page 371
Looking at Editing......Page 379
Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund’s City of God......Page 383
Screening Checklist: Editing......Page 388
Movies Described or Illustrated in This Chapter......Page 389
CHAPTER 9 Sound......Page 391
What Is Sound?......Page 392
Sound Production......Page 393
Design......Page 394
Editing......Page 395
Mixing......Page 396
Pitch, Loudness, Quality......Page 397
Fidelity......Page 398
Diegetic versus Nondiegetic......Page 399
Onscreen versus Offscreen......Page 401
Internal versus External......Page 402
Vocal Sounds......Page 403
Environmental Sounds......Page 405
Music......Page 407
Silence......Page 412
Types of Sound in Steven Spielberg’s War of the Worlds......Page 413
Functions of Film Sound......Page 417
Audience Awareness......Page 418
Audience Expectations......Page 419
Expression of Point of View......Page 420
Rhythm......Page 421
Continuity......Page 423
Emphasis......Page 424
Sound in Orson Welles’s Citizen Kane......Page 425
Sources and Types......Page 426
Functions......Page 427
Characterization......Page 428
Themes......Page 430
Questions for Review......Page 431
Movies Described or Illustrated in This Chapter......Page 432
CHAPTER 10 Film History......Page 435
What Is Film History?......Page 436
The Aesthetic Approach......Page 437
Film as Social History......Page 438
Precinema......Page 439
1891–1903: The First Movies......Page 441
1908–1927: Origins of the Classical Hollywood Style— the Silent Period......Page 445
1919–1931: German Expressionism......Page 447
1918–1930: French Avant-Garde Filmmaking......Page 450
1924–1930: The Soviet Montage Movement......Page 451
1927–1947: Classical Hollywood Style in Hollywood’s Golden Age......Page 454
1942–1951: Italian Neorealism......Page 458
1959–1964: French New Wave......Page 461
1947–Present: New Cinemas in Great Britain, Europe, and Asia......Page 464
England and the Free Cinema Movement......Page 465
Denmark and the Dogme 95 Movement......Page 466
Germany and Das neue Kino......Page 467
China and Postwar Filmmaking......Page 468
1965–1995: The New American Cinema......Page 471
Screening Checklist: Film History......Page 477
Questions for Review......Page 478
Movies Described or Illustrated in This Chapter......Page 479
CHAPTER 11 Filmmaking Technologies and Production Systems......Page 483
The Whole Equation......Page 484
Film Technology......Page 486
Digital Technology......Page 489
Film versus Digital Technology......Page 490
Preproduction......Page 491
Production......Page 493
Postproduction......Page 494
Organization after 1931......Page 495
Organization during the Golden Age......Page 497
The Decline of the Studio System......Page 500
The Independent System......Page 501
Labor and Unions......Page 503
Professional Organizations and Standardization......Page 504
Financing in the Industry......Page 505
Marketing and Distribution......Page 507
Production in Hollywood Today......Page 510
Maverick Producers and Directors......Page 513
Screening Checklist: Filmmaking Technologies and Production Systems......Page 514
Questions for Review......Page 515
For Further Viewing......Page 516
Academy Award Winners for Best Picture......Page 519
Sight & Sound: Top Ten Best Movies of All Time......Page 522
American Film Institute: One Hundred Greatest American Movies of All Time......Page 523
Entertainment Weekly: One Hundred Greatest Movies of All Time......Page 526
The Village Voice: One Hundred Best Films of the Twentieth Century......Page 529
Further Reading......Page 533
Glossary......Page 567
Permissions Acknowledgments......Page 585
Index......Page 591