Innovations of the New Wave Pt. 1

What were some key stylistic innovations of the French New Wave?  How did it change editing?

    Some key stylistic innovations of the French New Wave are the rule breaking, the messages, and the unconventional editing. French New Waved stemmed from four film enthusiasts who thought that movies felt stale and boring due to a lack of innovation; thus, they began to make their own films that strived to be different. Regarding the story and message, New Wave was meant to create a more personal kind of cinema, telling stories that more closely represent the opinions and experiences of the filmmakers behind them. Furthermore, New Wave changed editing as a prominent method was to abandon traditional editing techniques. One such rule and technique was the approach to jump cuts. French New Wave used jump cuts in order to contrast shots, often cutting out anything in a scene that they deemed unnecessary. This led to faster paced films, which influenced today's editing and pacing. Furthermore, the use of jump cuts influenced montage theory and helped to create the montages that we know today.

The Acting Method Pt. 4

After watching this entire video, what are 3 key things that you've learned about acting from this lesson?  What changed your understanding about the importance of acting in film?

    Three key things that I've learned about acting from this lesson are how actors bring life to the film, the various methods that have been adopted and developed, and important advice in regards to acting. Actors are the ones who bring the character's to life. You can do so many things with lighting, framing, and editing, but all of it can be limited or superseded by an actor's performance. Making the audience feel something is key in film and the way that the actor portray's their character is a major aspect of that. There have stemmed three well-known methods when it comes to acting technique: the Stanislavski System, the Strasberg Method, and the Adler Method. The Strasberg and Adler methods both stemmed from the Stanislavski System, with Strasberg focusing on emotional memory and Adler focusing on imagination. However, all of these methods strive to portray some level of truthfulness into a performance, which helps to make it feel real. This goes into the third thing which is that many people advise and encourage you to find your own method, not to follow one single method religiously. Instead, you should find a way that works for you but still brings the character to life. Furthermore, acting is more than just reciting words and memorizing lines, its the performance and emotion behind the actions and words. Something that changed about my understanding about the importance of acting in film is the fact that actors are who bring the characters and thus the story to life. Characters are one of the most pivotal parts of a story; being someone to root for, someone to act as an obstacle, someone to make the audience or protagonist question things, and so on and so forth. Although characters are tools to move the story forwards and give the audience something to latch onto, people won't connect to the story if those characters feel flat and fake. That's why it is absolutely necessary for actors to bring life to the characters that they play, it adds the emotional drive and impact of each moment and scene.

The Origins of Acting Pt. 3

What is method acting?  How was it different from the Stanislavski System?  How did Brando, James Dean, and Monroe change their acting style in the 50s?

    Method acting was an American interpretation of the Stanislavski System introduced by Strasberg. The Strasberg Method focused on emotional memory, which was thinking back to past memories where you felt what the characters did. Method differs from the Stanislavski System as he had abandoned emotional memory and shifted towards imagination, which was essentially taking a life's worth of experiences and ask the "what ifs" needed for the scene. This was key because it created two distinct deviations from Stanislavksi in America, one focused on emotional memory and the other by imagination. Brando, James Dean, and Monroe changed their acting style in the 50's because of teachings from Strasberg and Adler. Strasberg takes credit for Brando's performance, but Brando denies his claim, stating that he learned his technique from Adler. However, James Dean and Marylin Monroe were taught by Strasberg and thus popularized Method as how an actor prepares for a role.

The Origins of Acting Pt. 2

What was traditional acting on the stage like in the 19th century?  How did Stanislavski change acting?  What was the Stanislavski System?

    Traditional acting on stage during the 19th century was still using the declamatory style that was seen in ancient Greece and Rome as (1) it was necessary due to the technical limitations and (2) it was seen as the traditional style of how theatre should have exaggerated acting. The idea was that theatre was only truly art when there was idealization or stress; where it wasn't naturalistic acting but rather simulated. Stanislavski changed acting as he found this simulated style of acting boring and was more interested in "living" the part. The Stanislavski System is a psychological approach to acting that focuses on getting the actors "into the moment." This includes (1) preparation of the voice and body, (2) studying the role, and (3) truth as the actor feels as though what happens to the character is real. To create realism, Stanislavski used emotional memory, which is where you think back to a time when you felt that feeling in order to show it outwardly; however, this was abandoned due to causing actors to go crazy.

The Origins of Acting Pt. 1

How did Greek and Roman theatre create the art form of acting?  What was commedia del' arte's influence on the development of acting?

    Greek and Roman theatre created the art form of acting through the development of theatre. Theatre began as spoken stories that were passed down through word of mouth. Eventually, theatre were created to develop the Greek god Dionysus with stories that included Lampoons, Comedies, and Tragedies. The performances had to be much bigger and declamatory; having to focus on vocal projection because of the larger open spaces that the crowds were in. However, theatre momentarily died during the Dark Ages after Rome fell. Commedia del' arte's influenced the development of acting as it was an incredibly popular form of theatre that spread amongst different cultures. It had many character types and acting styles that influenced early film as well such as Charlie Chaplin.

Auteur Theory Pt. 3

How did the French New Wave transition to the United States?  What influence did it have on cinema here? 

    French New Wave transitioned to the United States by . French New Wave influenced the cinema

Auteur Theory Pt. 2

How did French cinema critics begin to influence the development of auteur theory?  What were two key critiques they made on the difference between auteur directors and traditional directors?

    French cinema critics began to influence the development of auteur theory as . Two key critiques that they made on the difference between auteur directors and traditional directors were  and  

Autuer Theory Pt. 1

What is auteur theory?  How did it first develop in France?

    Auteur theory is that a film is the reflection of the creative vision of the director, wherein the director is attributed to being the author of the film akin to the way that a writer is the author of a novel. The conclusion from this theory is that a film's quality is directly tied to the director's choices and ability. It first developed in France because of the advancement into sound and the subsequent influence of larger studios who created less "artistic" films. Because of this, a return to the idea of film as art occurred, circulating the auteur theory.

Guillermo Del Toro on Directing

What are the key pieces of advice that Guillermo del Toro gives beginning directors?  How can this apply to your career?

    Key pieces of advice that Guillermo del Toro gives to beginning directors are the mindset, share your opinions through a piece of work, and to simply just start. His first piece of advice is a simple as changing the way you think from "I want to be a director" to "I am a director," because as soon as you're actually doing something regarding any kind of media, no matter the level, you are still a director. His second piece of advice was to use work as a method of communicating your contempt towards different issues. He illustrated an example of if you dislike the movies that are being made, instead of complaining, you should make a film that exemplifies what you think movies should be like. His last piece of advice ties back to the first, but if you want to become something, simply just start doing it. Whether that be as a director or a writer, although directing does require more resources and collaboration than writing does. This can apply to my career as I could take these pieces of advice to heart and use it to drive my work and motivate myself.

What's the Point of a Director

What do you know about a director's role in a film?  What questions do you have about the director's role on a film?

    When it comes to filmmaking, people often gravitate towards and give the most attention towards the glamorous positions. One of the biggest ones being the director. Most people think of the director as the leader of a set; however, there's a lot more to a director's job than giving out orders. The director's role in a film is to make their vision come to life and make the decisions on set.

    The director is the creative lead of the film; they dictate the actual look of the production, primarily things such as costuming, sets, locations, props, makeup, and so on and so forth. They must work closely with each of the different creative departments both before and during the production in order to create the visual look of the film. Although they may not be in charge of the look camera-wise, they still have a lot of effects on how the film looks through color, costuming, and locations, all of which affect the impact of the film.

    Furthermore, the director's primary job is to work with the talent in order to bring the character's of a film to life. This involves building trust with the actors, rehearsing them so that they are comfortable and prepared, and, of course, directing them during the scene. It is important for the director to build trust with the actors so that they are more sure in what the director tells them. One way is to make them feel like the director has thoroughly planned and thought things out, which could be done with something as simple as having already designated spots for the actors to sit during a read through. Rehearsal is an important process for the director to lead as to allows the actors time to experiment with their performance in a more comfortable setting. Once it comes time for the direction, it is important for the director to approach it in a way that gives the actor the ability to effectively bring their characters to life. Thus, they should focus on telling the actor what their character is thinking and what their goal is in the scene, rather than simply telling them what to do.

    Some questions that I have about the director's role on a film is the scope of their working during pre-production, as, in my current experience, roles have been less solid and more fluid, thus responsibilities have been shared.

Role of the Director

Write an in depth reflection on what the role of the Director is.  What are their duties in the production?

    A director's job is to bring their vision to life. The primary duties of a director involves decision making. They are responsible for guiding the cast and crew in order to reach solutions and achieve their vision. When it comes to actors, they should give clear direction about what their character may be thinking and what their goal(s) are in that moment. This often leads to an overall better result than line reading, which is where the director only really focuses on surface level acting and may cause the actor to just copy how the director does it, restricting creative choice and meaningful performances. During pre-production, the director coaches the location scouts, work with set designers, props, and costumes to decide the visual mise en scene, and during filming the director works with hair and makeup and the special effects department to work out the details of the story telling, and the director decides where the camera goes.

Cinematography Unit Reflection

Explain in detail three key things that you have learned during the scope of this unit.  What are two things you still have questions about or want to learn more about?

    Three key things that I have learned during this unit are the history of cinematography, lighting, and composition. During this unit, I have gotten a more in depth look at the history of cinema and cinematography, which includes how technological limitations and advancements influenced the art of film and the visual storytelling. For example, the introduction of sync sound films also altered the aspect ratio as the strip now had to include the sound. An important area that I learned the most about has been lighting. I have learned the basic principals with 3-point lighting, fill, key lights, back lights, etc. Furthermore, I have learned ideas such as Rembrandt lighting, chiaroscuro, the use of shadows, etc. Another thing that I learned about was a deeper dive into composition. In this unit, we went beyond the basics that we've learned in the beginner class. Different framing and compositional techniques that change the visual story telling of an image. Two things that I want to learn more about are more techniques and staples of horror films and more complex lighting principals and techniques.

Cinematography Scavenger Hunt

Why did you choose this film? What makes it interesting to you?  Use what you've learned in this unit to study the lighting and write a reflection on what you've learned about how the cinematographer uses lighting to communicate the story.

    I chose this film because it was one that I really enjoyed watching. It contained a lot of funny references to a variety of historical figures, events, and time periods. Some things that I learned about how the cinematographer used lighting to communicate the story was during the Vietnam scene

Don't Complicate Lighting

What is Geoff Boyle explaining in this video?  Why is it so important to keep this in mind?

    Geoff Boyle is explaining that ... It is so important to keep this in mind because ...

Grip Gear Scavenger Hunt!

Explain what piece of grip gear this video is about.  Walk us through its features.  What did you find interesting about it?  Why did you choose it?

Film Lights Scavenger Hunt!

Explain what kind of light this video is about.  Walk us through its features.  What did you find interesting about it?  Why did you chose it?

Practical Lights

What is a practical light?  How is it used differently than regular film production lights?  What is Bradford's advice in using them for film?

    A practical light is a motivated light source that the audience is able to see in the shot, such as a lamp, candle, screen, etc. Practicals are used differently than regular film production lights as the audience knows where the light source is coming from relative to the actors; thus, when the actor moves, the direction of the light maintains a fixed position, whereas production lights are more subjective in where they come from, which allows more movement. Bradford's advice in using them for film is to plan the placement and type of practicals based on the location and the blocking in order to effectively communicate the scene to the audience.