ART APPRECIATION: FILM

T, R, 9:30-10:50AMProfessor Paige Prater

1. Name one of the forms of earliest photography, either printed on silver-plate (French) or with light-sensitive solution on paper (English)

2. Name 2 principles and 2 elements of art at play in this photograph:

QUICK QUIZ:

• Zoetrope– Illusion of movement

• Persistence of vision (theory)– Flip-book

• Modern movie: 24 frames per second

• IMAX: 48 frames per second

MOVING IMAGES BEFORE FILM

• Flexible, culluloid, light-sensitive (splice-able, high production costs)

vs. • equipment/software (cheaper,

long-term)

FILM VS. DIGITAL

• Galloping horse wager– All 4 legs off ground at

once?

EADWEARD MUYBRIDGE

• No soundtrack• Nickelodeons: small storefront

movie theatres/ live piano & drums, sometimes lecturers

• 1896: movies shown all over Europe & U.S.

SILENT FILM/BLACK & WHITE

• 1861-1938 – magician, filmmaker, theatrical magic show

• Multiple settings, repeated scenes, cuts (time moving forward)

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JDaOOw0MEE

EDWARD MÉLIÈS’ TRIP TO THE MOON (1902)

• Hollywood’s first blockbuster• Epic story• Original editing styles

– Symbolism– Gesture– Intertitles

• Reinforcement of racist views?• Propaganda tool• http://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=a9UPOkIpR0A

D.W. GRIFFITH’S BIRTH OF A NATION (1915)

• Wrote/directed/starred in it• Box-office failure; critics loved it• Loosely based on newspaper tycoon

William Randolph Hearst; questions values of American Dream

• Fabricated newspaper reels• Flashbacks• Dramatic lighting, natural sound• Elaborate sets• Moving camera shots/ innovative

editing/deep focus/low camera angles

• Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyv19bg0scg

ORSON WELLES CITIZEN KANE (1941)

• The Wizard of Oz (1939) – black-white to color

• Singin’ in the Rain (1952) – integrated sound

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w40ushYAaYA– synchronizing sound with lip

movements/dubbing– Songs/sounds recorded

separately; no longer “live”

SOUND & COLOR –1920S

• Wladyslaw Starewicz (1882-1965)The Cameraman’s Revenge (1912) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIC0Sb6pLvI• Walt Disney “Snow White” (1938)• http://

www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7ZkWfD0ELE

• CEL- DRAWING• Spirited Away (2001)

– 12-30 drawings for every second!

– 125 min: 90,000-200,000 drawings!

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6az9wGfeSgM

ANIMATION & SPECIAL EFFECTS

• Blockbuster: $194 million• Tunisia, Guatemala, Death

Valley, CA – footage on location• Super-realist paintings• Detailed models• Computer-generated/digitally-

timed effects

GEORGE LUCAS STAR WARS (1977)

• Musicals• Sci-fi• Romantic• Westerns• Horror

– German Expressionism: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) – directed by Robert Wiene (1873-1938) -http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0A0sfxM6AE

• Documentary

FILM GENRES

• Meshes of the Afternoon (1943) – Maya Deren (1917-1961) and husbund, cinematographer Alexander Hammid

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4S03Aw5HULU

• Flat is Beautiful (1998) –Sadie Benning– Toy camera, Super 8 film,

collages

FILM AS ART

• Global Groove (1973) - Nam June Paik – Paik-Abe Synthesizer:

device to modulate video signals

– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InLcRXfd3NI

• The Raft (2004), Bill Viola• http://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=faAKOxACgAw

VIDEO ARTWORKS