Memorable Scene : All scenes involving Naomi Harris as the mother. Specifically, her final scene in rehab. Also, the beach scene where ‘black’ learns to swim as it involves a lot of symbolism, and is a key moment within the film. The scenes at home where Paula shouts directly at the screen putting the viewer in the position of ‘Black’. 

Film Element Focus: Cinematography, Symbolism, Director/Screenwriting. 

What were the key narrative and technical conventions of the French new wave approach to film making?

The French new wave was aimed at making cinema more personal by focusing on the directors life experiences and philosophies. The French new wave brought the theory of the ‘camera style’ which was the theory and belief that a director should use his camera the same way a writer would use his pen. Furthermore, the French new wave followed the idea of ‘show don’t tell’ within their editing techniques. If the setting had changed within shots then typically in Hollywood there would be a dissolve edit to transition the scene into the next one. However with the French new wave movement they decided to just simply cut to the next shot without having to give to much background information etc.

In what way did Godard conscioulsy challenge the established conventions of cinematography and editing?

Jean-Luc Godard was extremely innovative within cinema, from using a wheelchair to shoot a tracking shot to switching back and forth from black and white to colour shots. Within editing, Godard would leave in the beginning of shots where he is calling action. This was an extremely different concept and helped not only in breaking the fourth wall but also in helping the audience understand the relationship between the director and the actor. Similar to Brecht in theatre, Godard wants his viewers to be actively thinking and to critically watch his films. Furthermore Godard also challenged the established conventions of cinematography by not always directly showing what was taking place. For example in one of Godards films, he shows a car crash has happened by editing the sound of a crash over a panning shot of a deceased characters letter. He would also track back and forth between characters in conversation to represent their conversation as being similar to a tennis game. Within Godards ‘Breathless’ the majority of the shots are filmed with the cinematographers hands and only using natural light. In many of the breathless scenes the actor is looking directly down the lense, creating a more personal tone for the viewer. This personal tone is also furthered by Godard by the way in which he didn’t strictly stick to a script and instead allowed his actors to constantly improvise in order to make it feel more natural.

Which Technique we are using (from list) –

Extremely low/Framed shot/Deep Focus

Where We Are Shooting (Location) –

The school hall.

Who We Are Shooting (Subject) –

What Specific Meaning We Are Trying To Achieve In Relation To Storytelling –

I did these slides which involved the key directors and films of the decade and also the disadvantages AND opportunities of the microphone.

We thought that this scene would be easier then the others it was up against because it doesn’t involve many characters and we had a small group of 3. However, to capture the busy tone of an office on Wall Street we needed more people so that we could have more than two people in a shot. As the director I tried to work around this by having Olly add to the mise-en-scene by waiting for the lift but with his back to the camera so that the audience wouldn’t see his face but would assume it is a fourth member of the office. Overall, I am pleased with the way in which we captured the tone of a lively and busy office in the beginning. If I was to do it again I would reshoot the last shot to make the added dialogue seem natural and believable for the actors.

The reason I originally chose this scene from ‘The Wolf Of Wall Street’ by Martin Scorsese is because it is the plot point 1 in the film. This is the moment in which Jordan Belfort (the protagonist) makes his first call and begins to make his own money. It sets up the confrontation for the rest of the film; Jordan battling with money and the FBI. Therefore this scene is filled with tension and excitment which stems from the simplistic one man dialogue, and the shot reverse shot of the gradually eager colleges. ‘As others bark into phones’ was an action line which instantly drew me to the scene. This is because it instantly creates a struggle/conflict which is overcome at the end of the scene. Lastly, this scene stood out to me as it showed great character. It does this by following Syd Fields theory that to create character, you must first define the need; He is desperate to earn money from scamming clients. You should then create action in how your character achieves this goal; By passionately convincing and persuading over the phone.

What was the name of the first film made by the Lumiere Brother and when was this?​

1895 Workers Leaving the factory

What is the “Phantom Ride”?

Shot from the front of a vehicle or fast moving shots that appear as though a ghost is travelling through the air.

What was ground-breaking about the silent films “The Sick Kitten” (1903) and “Life of an American Fireman” (1903)?​

The Sick Kitten was the first film to use a close up shot and the Life Of A Fireman was the first film to use a crosscut.

What was the name of the first “film star” in Hollywood?

Florence Lawrence