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The story of Film (Part One)
1895-1928: The Birth of Cinema
- The first film made by the Lumiere brothers was Employees leaving the Lumiere factory, (1895).
- The ‘Phantom Ride’ was where a tracking shot was created by filming from the front of a moving train, creating an effect a moving ghost.
- The ground breaking thing about the films ‘The Sick Kitten’ and the ‘Life of an American fireman’ is that cutting was used as an editing technique without the fear of breaking up continuity. The sick kitten uses an effective closeup.
- Florence Lawrence was the first film star in Hollywood.
- The hub of film production is thought to have moved from the East Coast to the west coast due to the good weather, and east coast films and technology being patented.
- The Danish film industry was described as best in the world due to its morphing of film into an art of light.
- Kristian Levring – HAXAN, Dreyer – The Passion of Joan Arc.
- D.W Griffiths Directed Birth of a Nation. Racism and the negative depiction of Black characters makes the film controversial, however critics still hold it up high on its ground breaking cut.
- American Comedy Directors:
Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd and Charlie Chaplin were comedy directors.
Keaton’s famous works include ‘Sherlock Jr’, where editing is used to change setting. ‘The General’ was a film where Keaton played a Train driver during the American Civil War, the pacing of the film notably helps with its comedic value.
Ellie Suleman takes from Keaton, by keeping the shot in pan and making grumpiness a comedic theme.
Charlie Chaplin’s comedy focused more on body movement. ‘City Lights’ is a film where he displays his skill on using his body & character. ‘The Kid’ recreated the childhood Chaplin grew up in, showing how he was able to target complex themes through comedy.
Nicholas Roeg mimics Chaplin’s use of manuerisms, focusing on people’s fidgetting & expressions.
Harold Lloyd was an actor and his scenes involved stunts & action for comedy. ‘Safety Last’ was a film where Lloyd appears to climb a large building and swing across blocks by rope.
Yasujiro Ozu was inspired most by Lloyd, as his films contained stunts and visually funny humour.
The Story of Film: an Odyssey
1895 – 1918: The World Discovers A New Art Form
What was the name of the first film made by the Lumiere Brother and when was it? Employees Leaving the Lumiere Factory (1895)
What was the ‘Phantom Ride’? A tracking shot from the front of a vehicle to show the process of it moving, like a ghost.
What was so ground-breaking about the silent films “The Sick Kitten” and “Life of an American Fireman” It was the first use of a close up and continuous editing being used to show action in two different places.
What was the name of the first ‘film star’ in Hollywood? Florence Lawrence
The Story of Film an Odyssey
PART 1
1895 – 1918 The World Discovers A New Art Form: The Birth of Cinema
What was the name of the first film made by the Lumiere brother’s and when was this? The Lumiere brother’s first film was called: Employees leaving the Lumiere Factory (1895)
What’s the “Phantom Ride”? A “Phantom Ride” is a tracking shot from front of a moving train (as if a ghost was floating through the air).
What was ground-breaking about silent films “The Sick Kitten” and “Life of an American Fireman”? The ground breaking aspect of these silent films were the use of cutting and editing (inside and outside continuity); fragmented shots emphasising movement – “Life of an American Fireman”. Along with introduction of the close up – “The Sick Kitten”
What was the name of the first Hollywood “Film star”? Florence Lawrence
1903-1918 The Thrill Becomes Story: The Hollywood Dream
According to Cousin’s, why did the hub of film production in the USA move from the East Coast of America to Hollywood? The film process had been copyrighted in the East Coast and California was far away from these rights owners (so easier to break the laws there). Thomas Edison.
Which nation’s film industry does Cousin’s describe as “the best in the world” in the 1910’s and why? Denmark – doing most innovative things, using the medium creatively
Find 2 films and 2 directors from this time cited by Cousin’s as remarkable. Carl Theodor Dreyer – The Passion of Joan of Arc and Benjamin Christensen- Häxan
Who Directed Birth of a Nation (1915) and why has the film continued to divide opinions among film critics, practitioners and theorists? D.W. Griffith’s – Racism and a negative portrayal of Black characters (white men in black face, politically unacceptable in modern standards) makes the film controversial, but the opinion is divided by critics due to it’s use of cuts.
PART 2
1918-1928
Who were Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin and Harold Lloyd and why were they so influential? American comedy directors, black and white silent film.
Keaton- greatest comic image maker, defined silent cinema, physical comedy with deadpan expression
Chaplin- body movement, improvisation, politics
Lloyd- Actor, comedian, stunt performer, influenced by Chaplin
Some films they made and other filmmakers they influenced.
Chaplin- City Lights (1931), The Kid (1921), The Great Dictator (1940)
Lloyd- Safety Last (1923),
Palestinian film maker Elia Suleiman is influenced by Keaton.
Influenced by Chaplin- Nicolas Roeg, Jacques Tati, Harold Lloyd (Actor), Yasujiro Ozu.
Shore Task
Ari Aster Auteur Presentation
Production Role 2: Editor
Description: the editor of a film is responsible for the speed and duration of camera shots in post-production. They also craft meaning in a film product through the order or montage of the camera shots. Editors work in close proximity with directors to ensure that the editing creates the intended meaning of the film; this could be achieved by using the correct type of montage or through the use of the kuleshov effect; an editing technique developed by soviet filmmaker Lev Kuleshov, in which the audience can derive meaning from the interaction of two usually reaction shots juxtaposed with a different shot between the two.
Inspirational Professional: I find lots of inspiration in the works of Australian film editor Lee Smith as of his heavy additions to many of Christopher Nolan’s most notable works, e.g. ‘Dunkirk’, ‘Interstellar’ and ‘Inception’. His usage of rhythmic montages in Nolan’s films adds another layer of the theme of ‘time’, reminding the audience of the importance of this theme on the overall narratives. Smith also utilises intellectual montages which adds a second layer of meaning to the finished film.
Jersey’s Cinema Era
How many Cinema screens were there in Jersey during the “Golden Age” of cinema (1930’s to 60’s)?
There was around 7 public cinema screens in Jersey during this era.
How many Cinema screens are there now?
There are 10 public cinema screens currently- all owned by Cineworld.
What independent cinema spaces currently exist in Jersey?
The Art House Jersey, Jersey Arts Centre, The Grand Hotel and Howard Davis park.
Explain why the number of cinema screens have declined over the years and what you think the implications are for the film industry in general?
Cinema screens have been in gradual decline since the 60’s as a result of TV’s being introduced into the home setting; this meant there was less demand for cinemas as people could receive a similar experience from the comfort of their homes. I also believe the decline of cinemas in general is down to the privatisation of the cinema business, as now we have one large corporation (Cineworld) controlling all public cinema screens.
The story of film-QUESTIONS
WHAT WAS THE NAME OF THE FIRST FILM MADE BY THE LUMIERE BROTHERS AND WHEN?
Workers Leaving the Lumière Factory in 1879.
WHAT IS THE PHANTOM RIDE?
It is a tracking shot that gives the illusion of a ghost or character flying through the air.
Denmark- due to it being the most innovative.
WHO WERE BUSTER KEATON,CHARLIE CHAPLIN AND HAROLD LLOYD AND WHY WERE THEY SO INFLUENTIAL?
They were the greatest silent movie comedians; Keaton’s strength was his sense of character development. He wanted the audience to believe in his character;
Chaplin changed the perception of comedy and made it one of the most essential components in cinema.
FILMS THEY HAVE MADE:
FILM MAKERS THEY HAVE INFLUENCED:
Lloyd Inspired: Yasujirō Ozu, with his film Safety last.
Chaplin Inspired: Nicholas Roeg with jittery mannerisms
Keaton- Inspired: Ellie Suleman
The Story of Film An Odyssey
1895-1918: Birth of Cinema
First film made by the Lumiere brother and when: Employees Leaving the Lumiere Factory (1985)
The “Phantom Ride”- the first tracking shot, camera was on the front of a moving train.
What was ground breaking about the silent films “The Sick Kitten”- (first close up) and “Life of an American Fireman”- (show the flow of action from one place to another, using editing (cutting) from different places occurring at the same time.)
The first “film star” in Hollywood: Florence Lawrence
1903-1918
Why did the USA hub of film production move from the East Coast to Hollywood: in the East Coast film had been copyrighted. California was far away, so you could break that law.
Which nations film industry does Cousins describe as “the best in the world” in the 1910s and why? Denmark-most innovative.
Example of two films and two directors from this place and time cited by Cousin’s as remarkable: Carl Theodor Dreyer – The Passion of Joan of Arc and Benjamin Christensen- Häxan
Who directed Birth of a Nation and why does the film still divide opinions among film critics, practitioners and theorists?
D.W Griffiths. It caused black people to be attacked, as it presented them negatively.
Who were Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin and Harold Lloyd and why were they so influential?
Hollywood comedy directors. Inventive ways of comedy.
Keaton- Visual comedy
Chaplin- Body movements (comedy, serious moments and politics)
Examples of some of the films they made and other notable film makers they influenced
Keaton- One Week, Three Ages, The General. Inspired: Ellie Suleman
Chaplin- Limelight, The Kid, City Lights, The Great Dictator. Inspired: Nicholas Roeg (jittery mannerisms), Toto in Colour (costume), Billy Wilder (Some Like it Hot-similar scenes) Harold Lloyd
Lloyd- Safety Last. Inspired: Yasujirō Ozu