Looking at Movies: An Introduction to Film, 2e : W. W. Norton College Books

1. What Is a Movie?
Learning Objectives
Looking at Movies
Form and Content
- Form and Expectations
- Patterns
Principles of Film Form
- Movies Manipulate Space and Time in Unique Ways
- Movies Depend on Light
  - Photography
  - Series Photography
  - Motion Picture Photography
Movies Provide an Illusion of Movement
Realism and Antirealism
- Verisimilitude
Cinematic Language
Types of Movies
- Narrative Films
  - Genre
- Nonfiction Films
- Animated Films
- Experimental Films
Summary: What Is a Movie?
Analyzing Movies
Screening Checklist: What Is a Movie?
Questions for Review
Movies Described or Illustrated in This Chapter
2. Narrative
Learning Objectives
What Is Narrative?
The Screenwriter
- Evolution of a Typical Screenplay
Elements of Narrative
- Story and Plot
- Order
- Events: Hubs and Satellites
- Duration
- Suspense Versus Surprise
- Repetition
- Characters
- Setting
- Scope
- Narration and Narrators
Looking at Narrative: John Ford’s Stagecoach
- Story
- Plot
- Order
- Diegetic and Nondiegetic Elements
- Hubs and Satellites
- Duration
- Suspense
- Repetition
- Characters
- Setting
- Scope
- Narration
Analyzing Narrative
Screening Checklist: Narrative
Questions for Review
Movies Described or Illustrated in This Chapter
3. Mise-en-Scène
Learning Objectives
What Is Mise-en-Scène?
Design
- The Production Designer
- Elements of Design
  - Setting, Décor, and Properties
  - Lighting
  - Costume, Makeup, and Hairstyle
- International Styles of Design
Composition
- Framing: What We See on the Screen
  - Onscreen and Offscreen Space
  - Open and Closed Framing
- Kinesis: What Moves on the Screen
  - Movement of Figures Within the Frame
Looking at Mise-en-Scène
- Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow
- Sam Mendes’s American Beauty
- Michael Almereyda’s Hamlet
Analyzing Mise-en-Scène
Screening Checklist: Mise-en-Scène
Questions for Review
Movies Described or Illustrated in This Chapter
4. Cinematography
Learning Objectives
What Is Cinematography?
The Director of Photography
Cinematographic Properties of the Shot
- Film Stock
  - Black and White
  - Color
- Lighting
  - Source
  - Quality
  - Direction
  - Style
- Lenses
Framing of the Shot
- Proximity to the Camera
- Depth
- Camera Angle and Height
  - Eye Level
  - High Angle
  - Low Angle
  - Dutch Angle
  - Aerial View
- Scale
- Camera Movement
  - Pan Shot
  - Tilt Shot
  - Dolly Shot
  - Zoom
  - Crane Shot
  - Handheld Camera
  - Steadicam
- Framing and Point of View
Speed and Length of the Shot
Special Effects
- In-Camera, Mechanical, and Laboratory Effects
- Computer-Generated Imagery
Analyzing Cinematography
Screening Checklist: Cinematography
Questions for Review
Movies Described or Illustrated in This Chapter
5. Acting
Learning Objectives
What Is Acting?
- Movie Actors
The Evolution of Screen Acting
- Early Screen-Acting Styles
- D. W. Griffith and Lillian Gish
- The Influence of Sound
- Acting in the Classical Studio Era
- Method Acting
- Screen Acting Today
Casting Actors
- Factors Involved in Casting
Aspects of Performance
- Types of Roles
- Preparing for Roles
- Naturalistic and Nonnaturalistic Styles
- Improvisational Acting
- Directors and Actors
- How Filmmaking Affects Acting
  - Framing, Composition, Lighting, and the Long Take
  - The Camera and the Close-up
  - Acting and Editing
Looking at Acting
- Barbara Stanwyck in King Vidor’s Stella Dallas
- Hilary Swank in Clint Eastwood’s Million Dollar Baby
Analyzing Acting
Screening Checklist: Acting
Questions for Review
Movies Described or Illustrated in This Chapter
6. Editing
Learning Objectives
What Is Editing?
The Film Editor
- The Editor’s Responsibilities
  - Spatial Relationships Between Shots
  - Temporal Relationships Between Shots
  - Rhythm
Major Approaches to Editing: Continuity and Discontinuity
- Conventions of Continuity Editing
  - Master Shot
  - Screen Direction
- Editing Techniques That Maintain Continuity
  - Shot/Reverse Shot
  - Match Cuts
    - Match-on-Action Cut
    - Graphic Match Cut
    - Eyeline Match Cut
  - Parallel Editing
  - Point-of-View Editing
- Other Transitions Between Shots
  - Jump Cut
  - Fade
  - Dissolve
  - Wipe
  - Iris Shot
  - Freeze-Frame
  - Split Screen
Analyzing Editing
Screening Checklist: Editing
Questions for Review
Movies Described or Illustrated in This Chapter
7. Sound
What Is Sound?
Sound Production
- Design
- Recording
- Editing
- Mixing
Describing Film Sound
- Pitch, Loudness, Quality
- Fidelity
Sources of Film Sound
- Diegetic Versus Nondiegetic
- Onscreen Versus Offscreen
- Internal Versus External
Types of Film Sound
- Vocal Sounds
- Environmental Sounds
- Music
- Silence
- Types of Sound in Steven Spielberg’s War of the Worlds
Functions of Film Sound
- Audience Awareness
- Audience Expectations
- Expression of Point of View
- Rhythm
- Characterization
- Continuity
- Emphasis
Sound in Orson Welles’s Citizen Kane
- Sources and Types
- Functions
- Characterization
- Themes
Analyzing Sound
Screening Checklist: Sound
Questions for Review
Movies Described or Illustrated in This Chapter
8. Thinking About Movies, Theory, and Meaning
Movies and Meanings
Film Theory and Film Criticism
Explicit, Implicit, and Ideological Meanings
Critical Approaches
- Interpretive Frameworks
  - Mimesis and Catharsis
  - Binary Oppositions (Dualism)
- Major Film Theories
  - Auteurism
  - Psychological Theories
    - Freudianism
    - Cognitive Psychology
  - Ideological Theories
    - Marxism
    - Feminism
  - Cultural Studies
Applied Readings
- Mimesis and Catharsis: Die Hard
- Binary Oppositions: Die Hard
- Freudianism: Wall Street
- Cognitive Psychology: Vertigo
- Auteurism: Rear Window
- Marxism: Metropolis
- Feminism: Thelma & Louise
- Cultural Studies: Repo Man
Other Forms of Film Analysis
- Genre Study
- Film History Study
  - Types of Historical Writing About the Movies
Analyzing Movies
Screening Checklist: Movies, Theory, and Meaning
Questions for Review
Movies Described or Illustrated in This Chapter
Appendix: Hollywood Production Systems
How a Movie Is Made
- Preproduction
- Production
- Postproduction
The Studio System
- Organization Before 1931
- Organization After 1931
- Organization During the Golden Age
  - Labor and Unions
  - Professional Organizations and Standardization
- The Decline of the Studio System
The Independent System
Financing in the Industry
Marketing and Distribution
Production in Hollywood Today
- The Impact of Digital Production and Exhibition
- Maverick Producers and Directors
Further Viewing
Further Viewing
Academy Award Winners for Best Picture
Sight & Sound: Top Ten Best Movies of All Time
American Film Institute: One Hundred Greatest American Movies of All Time
Entertainment Weekly: One Hundred Greatest Movies of All Time
The Village Voice: One Hundred Best Films of the Twentieth Century
Further Reading
Glossary

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W. W. Norton & Company : College Books

Looking at Movies: An Introduction to Film

Contents