Exit from the factory – 22 March 1895

Films showing progress of transport, usually by strapping a camera to the front of a vehicle moving forward. Where only the track and scenery can be scene

‘The sick kitten’ (1903) includes the first close-up to show the kitten eating the food and ‘Life of an American Fireman’ (1903) includes the earliest example of continuity editing, notably during the final scenes of the rescue of the woman and her child

Florence Lawrence (January 2, 1886 – December 28, 1938) was the first film actor to be named publicly

Directed by D. W. Griffith, (1915) controversial because considered propaganda due to the message that black people couldn’t become part of the American society as equals to the white and re sparked the KKK movement

Considered the Danish film industry the best in the world because it took film seriously

Directors such as Benjamin Christensen, Urban Gad and films: Häxan, The Abyss were considered ‘remarkable’ by Cousin’s

1.) What and when was the first film created by Lumiere Brothers?

The first film created by Lumiere Brothers was “Workers Leaving The Lumière Factory in Lyon” also known as “Employees Leaving the Lumière Factory and Exiting the Factory”. It was filmed in 1895 and it is a French short, black and white documentary film directed and produced by Louis Lumiere.

2.) What is a Phantom Ride?

Phantom rides, also known as panoramas, were a genre of film popular in Britain and the US in the 19th Century. It’s when the position of the camera showed only the track and scenery and the movement appeared to be coming from an invisible force.

3.) What was ground-breaking about the films “The Sick Kitten” and “Life of an American Fireman”?

In The Sick Kitten, the editing technique used in “Grandma’s Reading Glasses” of switching from a medium shot to a point-of-view close up was used; but without the circular black mask to differentiate it. Life of an American Fireman was the earliest example of Cross-Cutting, an unusual editing technique where you alternate one sequence with another.

4.) What was the name of the first film star in Hollywood?

Florence Lawrence (January 2, 1886 – December 28, 1938) was a Canadian-American stage performer and film actress.

 

1. Workers leaving the Lumiere Factory in Lyon in 1895 what was 45 seconds long and was directed by Louis Lumiere.
2. Phantom Rides was applied because the position of the camera meant that only the track and scenery could be seen and the movement appeared to be coming from an invisible force.
3. The Sick Kitten was significant because director George Albert Smith editing technique with the mid shot to the close up. While Edwin S. Porter’s Life of an fireman is significant through his continuous narrative over seven scenes in a total of nine shots.
4. Florence Lawrence is referred to as the first movie film star.
5. Birth of a Nation 1915 was directed by D. W. Griffith and is controversial in today’s world through its depiction of African-Americans and how the KKK is idolized in the film as heroes.
6. The Danish film industry is what Cousin sees as the best film industry in the 1910’s.
7. Haxan by Benjamin Christensen, The Phantom Carriage by Victor Sjostrom are two films and directors who he sees as remarkable.

In Citizen Kane the director popularized the style of using the camera to convey the characters status in a scene. An example of this when Kane is walking towards the massive window showing him getting further away and demonstrating to the audience his growing disconnect with everyone around him.

Another example of the director using cinematography to improve the scenes is with the use of set design. For example at the end when the camera is flying thought Kane’s boxed assets its constructed in a way to look like an entire city. Whereas if the shot was just a straight still.

Overall the main way the directors convey the story-line of Citizen Kane is  through the actors port-rials of the characters with the main example being Kane’s angry outburst where he destroys all the items in his second wife room. The actor Orson Well’s use of physicality when he throws the lamp post over the wardrobe demonstrates his destructive anger at that instant.

 

 

German expressionism came about after WW1 and during the rise of Hitler, Germany was eager to be the best when it came to intellectual and artistic production. They were always competing with America. Hollywood was beginning to use technological advancements in their movies which the German film industry couldn’t compete with. So, they developed a new movement which was full of symbolism’s and this was the birth of expressionism.

The Cabinet of Dr Caligari (Robert Wiene) was released in 1920 is a German silent horror film, which tells the story of Dr Caligari and his silent Cesare,  Caligari stores Cesare in a  cabinet and shows it off at the Holstenwall Carnival. Based upon an unsolved murder of a girl at a carnival, the film sees Caligari ordering Cesare to murder various individuals during the night.

The film is greatly influenced by German Expressionism, the set design in particular reflecting this through unusual and twisted backgrounds, painted in very contrasting colours. The Mise en scene is incredible in this film for the 1920’s, as you can see there are lots of angular shadows and shapes in this particular scene. the use of light and dark in this scene gives the audience an idea of a much larger scale than the set itself.

Another example of light in this film is In the scene where Cesare was going to kidnap Jane, he is shown as a total black shadow on the wall. That scene really disclosures Cesare’s sinister feelings and intentions and the use of light or lack of light allows this feeling. 

 

Why is Citizen Kane Still Considered the Greatest Movie of All Time

Production Context of Citizen Kane