The first film created by the Lumiere brothers was titled “Employees Leaving the Lumiere Factory” in 1985 – a documentary piece.

The “Phantom Ride” was one of the first types of tracking shots, where a camera was placed on the front of a train as it drives over the tracks – a shot now often done with all types of vehicles.

The reason that the 1903 short silent comedy film “The Sick Kitten” was so ground-breaking for film, was due to George Albert Smith’s use of a close-up shot to show more detail of the kitten eating. Much like “The Sick Kitten”, Edwin S. Porter’s 1903 short silent film “Life of an American Fireman” innovated film with the first proper uses of editing and film technique – combining multiple shots together with various cuts to show what happens next – one of the first instances of continuous editing.

The first film star in Hollywood was called Florence Lawrence – featuring in a large array of silent films within the late 1900s to the late 1930s.

During the Golden Age of cinema (1930-1960s), Jersey had six cinemas, with typically one screen per cinema, excluding the Odeon, which had a few more.

Nowadays, there are only 10 cinema screens located at Cineworld in St Helier, aside from various independent cinema spaces which could be rented, such as Howard Davis Park, where the Jersey Film Festival has taken place at one year.

The number of cinema screens over the years have declined in Jersey due to the release of DVD and other formats that are more easily accessible, and with the releases of modern streaming services, less and less cinemas have popular films to show. This implies that in the future most films will have to release straight to a streaming service, as a cinema release isn’t as strong a source of profit as it used to be.

Narration within film, much like in theatre productions, typically involves a character detached from the story physically, as if it’s being retold by them, coined as a “Voice of God” style. Often narration is also done by a character featured in the film itself, such as Morgan Freeman within Darabont’s 1994 film The Shawshank Redemption, considered a first-person style. Narration is used this way to position the audience within the mind of a character, and to provide context in a more direct and simpler way. However, the narrator isn’t always a character that the audience can trust – sometimes known as the unreliable narrator – they’re a character that’s lost their credibility in the audiences eyes, whether it’s because they have been deceived by the narrator, or because of certain attributes to the way they talk or behave that makes them unreliable.

Another film including narration like this could be 2005’s Kiss Kiss Bang Bang – starring Robert Downey Jr. as both a separate character and narrator in the narrative, much like The Shawshank Redemption.

My chosen auteur for the powerpoint is Zack Snyder, for his unique visual style and approach to storytelling. I will discuss his directing style, his approach to cinematography and mise-en-scene, his use of colour, and various other aspects of his work.

Leitmotifs are “short, recurring musical phrase” that is typically associated with a character, concept, or location within a film or piece of visual media. They’re often used to stir emotion within the audience, usually for a particular characters arrival or actions.

Leitmotifs are very commonly used throughout Marvel films – in particular the leitmotif of the Avengers Theme, which usually plays as the Avengers make their “last stand” against the antagonist of the specific instalment, such as Avengers: Endgame.

Foley is the process of reproducing the everyday sounds that are heard within film and other visual media to enhance audio quality. Added in post-production, sounds such as the sound of Christian Bale’s character in Mary Harron’s American Psycho walking through a corridor can be replicated in a studio under similar conditions – such as knocking a block of wood on a large stone or even just having the foley artist (the person recreating the sounds) walk on a similar surface. When using sounds like walking, they have to be synced with the movement of the character in the chosen scene, even when their feet aren’t in shot.

Within the horror genre of film, various vegetables such as celery or carrots can be used to recreate the sounds of breaking bones. This enhances the effects of the film as it creates for a more intense experience for both the visuals and the hearing – or, if the foley is offscreen, can provide context to something the audience aren’t yet allowed to see – and overall leave the studio with a more stimulating film for the audience.

Editing is a key factor within film when it comes to maintaining the flow and rhythm of a narrative or scene. Within Damien Chazelle’s 2014 film Whiplash, particularly in the final scene of the picture, he uses fast-paced, harsh editing techniques to constantly build tension – keeping audiences on the edge of their seats for the entirety of the scene’s duration. 

The final scene begins with a heavy sense of defeat; with longer takes for each shot, contrasting the more rapid movements between scenes when Miles Teller’s character, Andrew, is focused and playing the drums, of which those match on action shots seem to create a feeling of triumph as Andrew is more ‘in his element’. However, within this section, Andrew’s father, played by Paul Reiser, is rushing to comfort him, in a combination of various short-take shots that Chazelle used to display the unconditional support Andrew’s father has for him, despite not understanding Andrew’s passion himself. 

Each take begins to decrease in length gradually as Andrew walks back onto the stage, unwilling to give up after J.K. Simmons’ character, Fletcher, set him up to fail. The use of this technique quickly turns the feeling of hopelessness into a tense, exciting atmosphere that builds the foundation for the conclusion of the film. Chazelle’s intent here is clearly to keep the audience interested right up until the last second of the film’s runtime, much like how he did with the rest of the film, constantly asking the question of how far Andrew will go to achieve his goal. 

Andrew’s final performance begins abruptly, with an unexpected shot change that careers the tone of the scene back into a high-speed rhythmic montage that the audience is used to. The next few shots grow closer toward Andrew’s face with each cut, presenting Andrew’s seething hatred and desire to prove Fletcher wrong – creating what could be considered a non-physical fight scene as Andrew plays. Chazelle then implements various takes of the cello player, brass players and Fletcher as a sort of tonal montage to enhance volume of each instrument the characters play, their faces showing a mix of confusion whilst still trying to keep up the façade of professionalism in front of their audience. Each shot begins to change angles suddenly, matching the violent drumming of Andrew and the conflict between him and Fletcher, the pace of every change matching the tempo of the music, which aids in developing the rhythmic montage here. 

Further on in the scene, Chazelle uses several instances of shot-reverse-shots – that also function as eyeline matches –  using whip-pan effects during transitions between each shot to present the non-verbal communication between the two as Fletcher attempts to end the performance – Andrew persevering and continuing to play.

This section of the scene is where Chazelle truly shows Andrew’s focus and dedication to his craft – the audio has been edited to become asynchronous – conveying his exhaustion and creating a moment of reflection for the audience toward all he has sacrificed to get this far, before breaking the tension in the finale, finishing his performance and ending the sequence. 

Chazelle also makes use of the Kuleshov Effect several times throughout this scene; the two most obvious examples being the shot of Andrew’s father through the gap in the door, and the music sheets. It helps to form stronger links and associations between each shot that the audiences have gradually familiarized themselves with throughout the duration of the film. 

In conclusion, without Chazelle’s use of editing techniques in Whiplash, the drama and tension in the film would be nowhere near as high-stakes as it feels watching the plot of the narrative unfold. The editing constantly aids the progression of the film, and feels like a song in itself, with the fast cuts acting as a tempo. 

Role 1: Cinematographer – A cinematographer’s role within a film piece is to elevate the director’s vision, making sure that the lighting, camera angles, and location are perfect for the shoot, amplifying the tone of a scene to create a more immersive atmosphere for the audience. I am inspired by Roger Deakins’ cinematography, in particular his continuous long-takes in such films as 1917.

Role 2: Editor – An editor’s job is to manipulate the recorded shots, creating the plot through either direct or almost subliminal means, implementing the score and reinforcing continuity. They are also in charge of what is and isn’t featured in the final product. Tom Cross’ editing within films such as whiplash or la la land.

Role 3: Screenwriter – Screenwriters write the film’s script, forming plotlines with explicit directions for the actors to move the production in the way they want it to – but still with enough room for creative freedom for the rest of the production crew; sometimes even leading in parts of the screenplay being removed for a better film piece. I want to take inspiration from screenwriters like Francis Ford Coppola for this section, to create a compelling short story.

In my opinion, Dunkirk is an almost perfect film, at a 9.5/10 rating (from me). The sound design, costume design, and prop design all help to create a realistic, gritty, gripping narrative that puts audiences in the shoes of the fleeing soldiers; terrified, homesick, and shell-shocked.

A memorable scene for me in this film was the scene of the pilot drowning in his plane – the ambient sound paired with the claustrophobic instrumentals and camera angles create an intense scene that keeps the audience on the edge of their seats.