Thursday 27 June 2013

Contextual Documentary - "The Nation behind the cinema"

Friday Research Amelie & Pans Labrynth

Start to compile your video essays "The Nation behind the cinema"

Historical, political, social/cultural context (War, Immigration, Myths)
Film criticism - National & International response (why these film have global appeal?)
National Cinema - movement & styles, theories
Authorship - directors - themes, style and filmography

Key movements, directors and films
Key themes and styles (surrealism, 'magical realism'?)
National identity
Authorship & influences of past (devils backbone) films (spirit of beehive & Franco era films criticising regime?)

Macro Analysis of the film
Narrative structure prop heroes journey?
Genre romance fantasy?
Style  'magical realism' to explore myths
Representation of nation & gender


Video essay by end of term.

Opinions & criticisms

http://www.filmcomment.com/article/the-amelie-effect

Work through
http://www.filmeducation.org/pdf/film/Amelie.pdf



Is Amelie is CHN?
http://davidmayerfilm101.blogspot.co.uk/2009/09/bordwell-and-amelie.html?m=1

How does the Storybook narrative link the 2

Homework:
Individually write a textual analysis of the film 'style' over the summer
 
Magical Realism (mise-en-scene)
Sound
Cinematography
Colour Correction




1. provide 1 still to define what aspect of style you are using as evidence
2. why is this used, what is the purpose of this stylistic effect?
3. what is the sub-text/ messages/meaning about chracters?
http://isabellawen-artofvideo2.blogspot.co.uk/2010/09/amelie-textual-analysis.html?m=1

Magical Realism Assessment

  1. Where does it come from and why is this in a Spanish tradition?
  2. What is recognisable/what defines it?
  3. It is a Style or is it a Film Genre?
  4. How is it different to Fantasy?
  5. How does it lend itself to CHN - psychological motivations, beg/mid/end, clear resolution?
  6. How does is it a 'framing device' for the story?
  7. How does it allow the discussion of Myths & Themes?
  8. How does it link Amelie and Ofelia and their stories?

wk 3.1 Spanish Cinema & Magical Realism

Spanish film influences & messages



Warm up starter:
Style: Magical realism what is it how does it link the 2 films?
What themes in the film?
Why does it use this style to explore themes?
What myths are explored
How do the films use CHN?



Make into a short film

2 levels to the narrative - a subtext. Think carefully about what social/cultural `myths' you are exploring - national identity

Ophelia is a psychologically abused child by the war who gets shot  

Amelie has the mind of a child in a young woman's body who only sees the good in people, is this someone who should be entering an adult relationship?

Pan's Labrynth & Magical Realism

Pan Labrynth & Magical Realsim

Example of Practical 2min film

In 4s now make a short film demonstrating technique of magical realism

Magical Realism

Magical Realism

Wednesday 19 June 2013

Spirit of the Beehive 1973

Espiritu de la Comina

New Spanish Cinema

The new Spanish cinema

In 1962, José María García Escudero became the Director General of Cinema, propelling forward state efforts and the Escuela Oficial de Cine (Official Cinema School), from which emerged the majority of new directors, generally from the political left and those opposed to the Franco dictatorship. Among these were Mario Camus, Miguel Picazo, Francisco Regueiro, Manuel Summers, and, above all, Carlos Saura. Apart from this line of directors, Fernando Fernán Gómez made the classic El extraño viaje (The Strange Trip) (1964) and Víctor Erice created the internationally acclaimed El espíritu de la colmena (The Spirit of the Beehive) (1973).

  • Marsha Kinder: Blood Cinema: The Reconstruction of National Identity in Spain, University of California Press, 1993, ISBN 0-520-08157-9
  • Marvin D'Lugo: Guide to the Cinema of Spain (Reference Guides to the World's Cinema), Greenwood Pub Group, 1997
  • Nuria Triana-Toribio: Spanish National Cinema (National Cinemas Series), Routledge 2002, ISBN 0-415-22060-2
  • The Cinema of Spain and Portugal (24 Frames (Paper), ed. by Alberto Mira, Wallflower Press 2005 – 24 films are analyzed
  • Ronald Schwartz: Great Spanish Films Since 1950, Scarecrow Press, 2008
  • Tatjana Pavlovic: 100 Years of Spanish Cinema, John Wiley & Sons, 2008

Pans Labrynth Study Pack

What is the French New Wave - Style, Philosophy, Themes





The French New Wave influence

French New Wave style



Spanish National Cinemas

Film Art: David Bordwell
Blood Cinema: Reconstructing Spanish Idenity




National Cinema - cultural ideology, identity and style

Friday 14 June 2013

National Cinema - Identity


Detective work = analysis
Detective work - why a puddle of water? Why are they rioting?
Style, Themes, Messages What sort of personality or characteristics does this give Paris?

Wednesday 12 June 2013

Set work for Thursday

2 Teams: 1hr 30 mins

Jasmine, Luke, Grace, Benn, Danica, David (Pan's Labrynth)
vs
Cara, Ollie, Martin, Peter, Layla, Beckie (Amelie)

Task: Split into research teams for your documentary to find visuals, B-roll, and footage for your documentary


1. Explore the historical political & social contexts of the countries studied

France in 1995-2000's compare with films like La Haine, investigate Paris Riots -interview Ms Wace, French department
or
Spain 1940's - Interview Spanish Teachers, Spanish Civil War (me)
Conclusion: How have these contexts affected the messages/themes of the film?

2. Reception/audience response to the films (rotten tomatoes, facebook groups, blogs, IMDB) domestic & global/box office criticism/reviews, how the films were received in their own countries. 
Conclusion: What messages did critics read into these films, what criticisms?

3. Authorship - Profile the Directors - Produce a Family tree & Bio main actors/producers/filmography/style/genre preferences. 
Conclusion: What themes or messages are they interested in exploring across their work



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AG4rfHNBqR8





http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/filmblog/2011/mar/29/short-history-spanish-cinema
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/gallery/2013/jan/12/world-cinema-pictures#/?picture=402252740&index=4
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2001/oct/05/1?INTCMP=SRCH
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/filmblog/2011/oct/18/amelie-sweet-smell-success
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B6hk0WVDZfsiZFNuTVlwMnpwZnc/edit?usp=sharing
http://www.pajiba.com/seriously_random_lists/mindhole-blowers-20-facts-about-pans-labyrinth-that-might-make-you-believe-in-magic.php

http://filmexperience.blogspot.co.uk/2010/12/distant-relatives-spirit-of-beehive-and.html

The Auteur Theory




http://sssfcfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/auteur-theory.html

Mark Kermode on Foreign Langauge Remakes

Girl with Dragon Tattoo remake Video Essay

Friday 7 June 2013

AUTHORSHIP or "The Autuer"

Objective: To develop your Research skills and know about Authorship

Outcomes:
C. Investigate your director & examine their style, themes & messages
B. Analyse how their work develops themes & messages
A. Explain why they are an Auteur

Research your Director
Get 9 key images 

1. STYLE - VISUAL, NARRATIVE, SCRIPTING
2. GENRES OR ACROSS - WHY?
3. THEMES & MESSAGES ARE THEY INTERESTED IN THROUGH THEIR FILMS - CONTINUED
4. FILMOGRAPHY - WHICH FILMS HAVE CRITICS PRAISED & WHY?

5 RESOURCES -
1. IMDB IS
2. TEXTUAL ANALYSIS OF THE TRAILER or
3. FRENCH AUTEUR THEORY IS - GOOGLE "A _ _ _ E / B_ _ _ N"
4. Book/Academic Article

Are they an auteur
Any problems with this theory?

Keep list of your links & Book references
Who is this author

Give out Sight & Sound for homework reading - related to director or movement

Jasmine: Alien
Cara: Bad Leutenant
David: Independent films track down
Peter: Cronenberg
Benn: The Wrestler
Luke: Clint Eastwood
Ollie: Who needs critics
Beckie: Panic Room
Layla: Indiewood
Grace:
Martin: Films that time forgot
Danica: Cahiers du cinema

Wednesday 5 June 2013

Coursework Module 6

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A Study of National Cinema with either: 
  • Historical contextualisation
  • Foreign cinema contextualisation

What is National Cinema?

Coursework rules:
No texts that have already been taught in class or last year

Centres must not ‘teach’ the content for the areas of research - it is expected that each candidate’s work will reflect individual choice of research topic.

Teachers will provide candidates with an overview of how to:
  • Make sense of ideas and theories
  • Contextualise their investigation using secondary research sources (eg the work of recognised theorists)
  • Analyse primary materials (textual analysis of films)

Must be Film Theory or Historical Context relevant to your area of study eg: 
  • British National Identity (Higson)
  • Feminism (Mulvey/ EA Kaplan)
  • Postmodernism (Jameson - recycling ideas, Lyotard - a lack of Narrative or Genre structure)
  • Psychoanalysis (Freud)
  • Star Theory (Dyer)
  • Marxism (Ideology and Dominant Ideas to maintain a class system)
  • Authorship (Bazin - The Auteur)

In your study for Module 6 with Mr Dixon you will be taught how to:

  • formulate hypotheses
  • evaluate and draw conclusions from their findings
  • present findings
  • reference source materials appropriately.

Your study will be on: 

  • Genre
  • Representation
  • Narrative
  • Themes
  • Values (messages)

Group 1, 2, 3: Historical influence on contemporary (2003-pres)

Classic Westerns and Django Unchained
Hammer Horror/Video Nasties to Modern Horror
Gangster/Mafia films influence on Modern Gangster
War films influence on Inglorious Basterds
French New Wave on US Independent
Dogma 95 influence on US Independent
German Expressionism influence on Tim Burton

Group 4: Foreign & English Adaptation

Girl with Dragon Tattoo
Old Boy to modern equivalent
Ringu to The Ring

Group 5: The representation of minorities/women in a national cinema

Bollywood (Ind)
Volver (Spa)
Once were Warriors (NZ)
City of God (Braz)

 
The research study should be presented as a sustained piece of work of between you as a group 2500 - 3000 words and include:


  1. an introduction explaining the focus the research
  2. a description of key texts both primary and secondary (textual studies of films and theorist/critics analysis, contexts surrounding its production)
  3. the aims of the research - what the candidate is seeking to find out/prove hypothesis or series of research questions.
  4. a discussion of ideas, texts, and secondary research in light of the candidate's aims
  5. conclusions - a clear statement of what the candidate has discovered in response to their aims
  6. a bibliography and filmography.


  • Make sense of ideas and theories
  • Contextualise their investigation using secondary research sources (eg the work of recognised theorists)
  • Analyse primary materials (textual analysis of films)


Intro to Global Cinema: Case Study City of God

















City of God - Genre City of God is part of the 'crime' genre and does follow the conventions of the genre. However it is also a social document giving it's audience an insight in the causes and effects of crime in some of Brazil's most deprived areas. Directors can use the conventions of a generic style to inform their story telling and highlight key issues For example - the reliance of guns and violence from Lil Ze is part of the crime genre - but it also indicates that guns are easily obtainable in the slums of Rio and that violence is used to keep large areas of territory under control





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Unit F633: Global Cinema & Critical Approaches

Section A: Message & Values in Global Film (Non English) - yes foreign!

Our texts: Pans Labrynth & City of God

<br />

1 hr 
Comaprative analysis
Contrasting texts

Contextual influences on filmmaking -  historical - ideological - social context
Macro: Genre, Messages, Authorship  
Representation (childhood) Style (heightend reality bleaker/brghter)
Micro: special effects, locations, costumes, actors, editing, camera, sound

Example question:
"Narrative plays a significant role in communicating messages & values' To what extent is this evident in the films you have studied?"

In Module 6 we will...  
Research & Critical Thinking activity - Prepare a documentary film on

Team 1: Pans Labrynth
Team 2: La Haine
Team 3: City of God
1. Explore the historical political & social contexts of the countries studied

France in 1995-2000's compare with films like La Haine, investigate Paris Riots - interview Mr Shepherd, French department
or
Spain 1940's - Interview Spanish Teachers, Spanish Civil War (me)

2. Reception/audience response to the films (rotten tomatoes, facebook groups, blogs, IMDB) domestic & global/box office criticism/reviews, how the films were received in their own countries. What messages did critics read into these films?

3. Authorship - Profile the Directors - Family tree & bio - main actors actors/producers/films/style/genre. What themes or messages are they interested in exploring across their work

Prepare for a video essay of all the collected research (can use interviews & clips) - How do the the films compare & contrast