Film No. PDF

#### **1. Avant-Garde Cinema** **Definition**: - Experimental cinema that challenges conventional filmmaking, focusing on innovation, abstraction, and symbolic representation. **Core Characteristics**: - Non-conformist and anti-narrative. - Prioritizes emotion, ideas, and visuals over...

#### **1. Avant-Garde Cinema** **Definition**: - Experimental cinema that challenges conventional filmmaking, focusing on innovation, abstraction, and symbolic representation. **Core Characteristics**: - Non-conformist and anti-narrative. - Prioritizes emotion, ideas, and visuals over linear storytelling. **Key Forms**: 1. **Abstract Form**: a. Focus on visuals (colors, shapes, movements). b. Example: *Film No. 3: Interwoven* by Harry Smith. 2. **Associational Form**: c. Juxtaposes unrelated images to create emotional or intellectual resonance. d. Example: *By Night with Torch and Spear* by Joseph Cornell. 3. **Narrative Deconstruction**: e. Non-linear and fragmented storytelling. f. Example: *Meshes of the Afternoon* by Maya Deren. 4. **Structural Form**: g. Focus on the materiality of the medium. h. Example: *(nostalgia)* by Hollis Frampton. **Key Films**: - **Film No. 3: Interwoven** (Harry Smith, 1947--49, USA): Abstract animations using vibrant colors and patterns. - **By Night with Torch and Spear** (Joseph Cornell, 1940s, USA): Surrealist montage of found footage. - **Meshes of the Afternoon** (Maya Deren, 1943, USA): Pioneering feminist and dreamlike narrative. - **Hamfat Asar** (Lawrence Jordan, 1965): Layered, collage-like imagery with mythological themes. - **Fog Line** (Larry Gottheim, 1970): Minimalist landscape film emphasizing stillness and subtle changes. - **(nostalgia)** (Hollis Frampton, 1971): Explores memory and temporality using burnt photographs. - **The Dante Quartet** (Stan Brakhage, 1987): Abstract hand-painted film inspired by Dante's *Divine Comedy*. - **The Web I Want** (Jeremy Bailey, 2015, Canada): Explores themes of technology and personal identity in the digital era. - #### **2. Eisenstein's "Montage of Attractions"** **Definition**: - A sequence of images designed to provoke emotional and intellectual responses through juxtaposition. **Types of Montage**: 1. **Metric**: Fixed cutting rhythm. 2. **Rhythmic**: Matches editing pace to movement within shots. 3. **Tonal**: Uses mood and emotion to guide editing. 4. **Intellectual**: Combines images to convey abstract ideas. **Example**: - *Strike*: Juxtaposes workers being massacred with slaughterhouse imagery for symbolic impact. #### **3. Art Cinema** **Definition**: - Emerged post-WWII as an alternative to Hollywood cinema, emphasizing ambiguity, character psychology, and stylistic expression. **Key Movements**: 1. **Italian Neorealism (1942--1951)**: a. Traits: On-location shooting, non-professional actors. b. Example: *Bicycle Thieves* (Vittorio De Sica). 2. **French New Wave (1959--1964)**: c. Traits: Jump cuts, existential themes, handheld cameras. d. Example: *Breathless* (Jean-Luc Godard). 3. **New Hollywood (1970--1980s)**: e. Traits: Counterculture themes and blending ambiguity with production. f. Example: *The Graduate* (Mike Nichols). **Comparison**: - **Hollywood**: Linear storytelling, clear resolutions. - **Art Cinema**: Non-linear, open-ended, psychological focus. #### **4. Key Film Techniques** **Mise-en-Scène**: - Arrangement of visual elements in the frame. - Key Components: - Setting: Reflects themes or character psychology. - Costume and Makeup: Defines character traits and setting. - Lighting: High-key (bright) vs. low-key (shadowy). **Cinematography**: - Art of capturing visuals using camera angles, movement, and lighting. - Techniques: Close-ups, tracking shots, chiaroscuro lighting. **Editing**: - **Continuity Editing**: Ensures spatial and temporal consistency. - **Montage**: Creates meaning through juxtaposition of shots. **Sound**: - **Diegetic Sound**: Within the story world (e.g., dialogue). - **Non-Diegetic Sound**: External to the story (e.g., soundtrack). #### **5. Weekly Highlights and Screenings** - **Week 1**: *Run Lola Run* (Tom Tykwer, 1999) Themes: Non-linear narrative, repetition, causality. - **Week 2**: *Moonrise Kingdom* (Wes Anderson, 2012) Features: Symmetrical framing, nostalgic tone. - **Week 3**: *Rope* (Alfred Hitchcock, 1948) Technical Focus: \"Single-take\" illusion. - **Week 4**: *Ocean's Eleven* (Soderbergh, 2001) Focus: Smooth continuity editing for ensemble characters. - **Week 5**: *Battleship Potemkin* (Eisenstein, 1925) Example: "Odessa Steps" sequence. - **Week 6**: *Sound of Metal* (Darius Marder, 2019) Focus: Subjective sound design depicting hearing loss. - **Week 7**: *Citizen Kane* (Orson Welles, 1941) Features: Non-linear narrative, deep focus. - **Week 8**: *Grizzly Man* (Werner Herzog, 2005) Themes: Human-nature relationship. - **Week 9**: *Double Indemnity* (Billy Wilder, 1944) Features: Noir elements (femme fatale, chiaroscuro lighting). - **Week 10**: *Chungking Express* (Wong Kar-Wai, 1996) Themes: Genre blending and fragmented narrative. - **Week 11**: Avant-Garde Shorts Focus: Brakhage's hand-painted films (*The Dante Quartet*). - **Week 12**: *Spirited Away* (Miyazaki, 2001) Features: World-building and emotional depth. #### **6. Experimental Films** - **I AM CUBA** (1964): Revolutionary themes, poetic cinematography, groundbreaking long takes. - **Koyaanisqatsi** (1982): Non-narrative, time-lapse photography critiquing modernity. - **Ballet Mécanique** (1924): Abstract montage emphasizing mechanization and dehumanization.