Explain how the political, social and economic context of the Weimar Republic affected the production and content of classic German Expressionist Cinema: Filmmakers wanted to show the struggles they went/are going through as a result of World War 1.
Why has UFA managed to stay in business: It adapted to modern film techniques, moved into television production and has traded upon it’s heritage. After the fall of the Nazis, it was used for soviet propaganda and communist films. It’s studio is still used today.
Name 3 other films identified by critics as German Expressionist Films:
The Man Who Laughs (1928)Asphalt (1929)The Last Laugh (1924)
These works main goal wasn’t to be realistic, but to show emotion through their use of colour and shapes especially. They wanted to push feeling through their art, instead of aiming for perfection. The use of colour was bold and abstract, with each part being emphasised. Fine details were not their priority, they wanted to show through large elements, instead of intricacies. Aswell as this, they often had a surreal feeling, due to the unrealistic, distorted and strange shapes used.
Buster Keaton: Buster Keaton was a film producer, comedian and actor who was known for his deadpan comedy films. He wrote, directed and starred in most of his movies. The General (1926) was thought to be his masterpiece, which was based off the Great Locomotive Chase of the American Civil war. His career sadly declined when he lost his artistic independence when he signed with MGM, but he brought himself back up years later as a comic performer. He inspired Orson Welles, who became one of the best filmmakers of all time.
Charlie Chaplin: Charlie Chaplin was a film producer, comedian and actor who was also known for his comedy films, which were mostly slapstick. He starred in most of his films on top of being the director and screenwriter. His first feature-length film was The Kid (1921) which both featured comedy and drama, spreading empathy for those in poverty, just like he was as a child. However in 1940 his career began to decline as he was accused of being a communist sympathizer and was forced out of the United States and move to Switzerland.
Harold Lloyd: Harold Lloyd was a film producer and stunt performer, who was popular due to his ‘thrill scenes’ where he performed dangerous comedic stunts.
My favourite scene was the ending scene where they burnt the sled, due to how cleverly anticipation was built up to the final answer the audience has been looking for. A continuous take showing all his wealth and possessions helps emphasise how insanely rich Kane was, only for this shot to end in a cut showing a burning fire, with everything he had ever worked for being destroyed. The mise en scene here is incredibly significant, as the sheer magnitude of items would be insane for the audience to comprehend, especially the WW2 audience at the time, considering how poor some became, which therefore emphasised it’s impact on this audience. This continuous take drastically increases the anticipation, as the audience knows this is the end as they have seen Kane has died, so they are eagerly waiting for the answer they have been waiting for. There is then a slow fade through to the burning sledge to increase suspense, as the word ‘Rosebud’ is revealed instead of being burnt due to the shot being reversed. By cleverly reversing this shot, it increases the impact of this answer, as it is slowly revealed instead of being burnt, emphasising how important this word is to the audience. The sound here is also overwhelming and loud to exaggerate what the audience sees on screen: the final reveal. After this reveal, there is a camera tilt towards the rising smoke created from the fire, with this dark smoke contrasting against the lighter sky. This huge amount of smoke could symbolise how huge of an impact Kane had, and how much wealth he truly obtained, only for it to rise as smoke in the end. I think this was an extremely fitting ending for the movie, as is summarises the core message commentating on how power and wealth will consume one, and how you will wish to return to simpler times.
The first film by the Lumiere brothers was ‘Workers leaving the factory 1895’.
The phantom ride was where you put a camera on the front of a train or a car to give it a supernatural effect.
‘The Sick Kitten’ was groundbreaking as it used a cut where it changed to a close up of the cat which was a new technique. ‘Life of an American Fireman’ was groundbreaking as it was the first example of continuity editing.
The name of the first film star was Florence Lawrence.
The hub of film changed from East America to Hollywood as they wanted to avoid Edison’s patents on his technology. Hollywood also had great weather and light for filming.
During the Golden Ages of cinema 1930-60 there were 4 cinema screens, however there were more seats as they all went to see the same film. All the staff members had uniforms, it was a big occasion to go to the cinema unlike today. There are currently 10 cinema screens on Jersey, with all 10 being in Cineworld in the waterfront. The number of screens in cinema have increased, but the seats have decreased. The market has become fragmented.
Knives Out’s soundtrack appeals to me so much because it captures the tone and atmosphere of the movie so well. It creates a sense of mystery and tension, which helps immerse the audience into it’s world. The soundtrack also helps emphasise the films extravagant setting with the frequent use of strings.
Sound Editor VS Sound Mixer: Sound editor is the person who makes the creative decisions with sound, and what is added. The sound mixer is the person who comes after and essentially determines how the audience hears it.
Examples of Diegetic and Non-diegetic sounds in Shaun of the Dead:
Example of a film that uses a sound motif: James Bond
Example of a film that uses a voice-over and why it has been used:
Examples of sounds created by Foley artists: – Horse sounds – Sci-fi sounds – TV – Animal sounds – Sounds for injuries
