Looking at Movies: An Introduction to Film

by Barsam, Richard M.

• ISBN13: 9780393974362
• ISBN10: 0393974367
• Edition: CD
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-08-01
• Publisher: W W Norton & Co Inc

Table of Contents

To Students	xix
Preface	xxi
Acknowledgments	xxv
What is a Movie?	1	(56)
Fundamental Principles	2	(38)
Movies Manipulate Space and Time in Ways That Other Art Forms Cannot	2	(12)
Movies Depend on Light	14	(2)
Photography	16	(2)
Series Photography	18	(1)
Motion Picture Photography	19	(3)
Inventing Motion Pictures	22	(2)
Movies Provide an Illusion of Movement	24	(3)
Movies Can Depict Worlds Convincingly	27	(6)
Movies Generally Result from a Complex, Expensive, and Highly Collaborative Process	33	(2)
Preproduction	35	(2)
Production	37	(3)
Postproduction	40	(1)
Types of Movies	40	(12)
Nonfiction Films	40	(4)
Narrative Films	44	(1)
Genre	44	(2)
Animated Films	46	(3)
Experimental Films	49	(3)
Questions for Review	52	(1)
Questions for Analysis	53	(1)
A Note on ``Case Studies''	53	(1)
For Further Reading	54	(3)
Form and Narrative	57	(64)
What is Form?	58	(4)
Principles of Film Form	62	(14)
Form and Expectations	62	(3)
Form and Patterns	65	(8)
Form and Themes	73	(1)
Coherence, Progression, and Unity and Balance	74	(2)
What is Narrative?	76	(4)
Telling the Story	77	(3)
Elements of Narrative	80	(27)
Story and Plot	80	(4)
Order	84	(2)
Events: Hubs and Satellites	86	(1)
Duration	87	(4)
Suspense versus Surprise	91	(2)
Frequency	93	(1)
Characters	94	(4)
Setting	98	(2)
Point of View	100	(1)
Omniscient POV	100	(1)
Subjective or Restricted POV	101	(5)
Scope	106	(1)
Analyzing Narrative	107	(11)
John Ford's Stagecoach	109	(9)
Questions for Review	118	(1)
Questions for Analysis	118	(1)
For Further Reading	119	(2)
Mise-En-Scene and Design	121	(56)
What is Mise-En-Scene?	122	(4)
Composition and Mise-En-Scene	126	(13)
Framing: What We See on the Screen	128	(5)
Kinesis: What Moves on the Screen	133	(3)
Movement of Figures within the Frame	136	(3)
Analyzing Mise-En-Scene	139	(4)
Jean Renoir's The Rules of the Game	139	(4)
What is Design?	143	(4)
Process and Elements of Design	147	(16)
Roles of the Art Director and the Production Designer	147	(1)
Setting	148	(2)
Lighting	150	(2)
Costume, Makeup, and Hairstyle	152	(1)
Costume	153	(2)
Makeup and Hairstyle	155	(2)
International Styles and Development	157	(6)
Analyzing Design	163	(11)
Todd Solondz's Happiness	164	(3)
Sam Mendes's American Beauty	167	(4)
Michael Almereyda's Hamlet	171	(3)
Questions for Review	174	(1)
Questions for Analysis	174	(1)
For Further Reading	174	(3)
Cinematography	177	(70)
What is Cinematography?	178	(2)
The Director of Photography	180	(1)
The D.P.'s Responsibilities	180	(1)
Cinematographic Properties of the Shot	181	(14)
Film Stock	181	(2)
Black-and-White Film Stock	183	(2)
Color Film Stock	185	(4)
Lighting	189	(1)
Source	189	(1)
Quality	190	(1)
Direction	190	(2)
Color	192	(1)
Lenses	192	(2)
Style	194	(1)
Framing of the Shot	195	(33)
Visualization and Composition	195	(3)
Types of Shots	198	(3)
Depth	201	(6)
Camera Angle and Height	207	(1)
Eye-Level Shot	207	(1)
High-Angle Shot	208	(1)
Low-Angle Shot	208	(4)
Dutch-Angle Shot	212	(1)
Point-of-View Shot	212	(4)
Aerial-View Shot	216	(2)
Scale	218	(1)
Camera Movement	219	(1)
Pan Shot	220	(1)
Tilt Shot	221	(1)
Tracking Shot	221	(2)
Crane Shot	223	(3)
Steadicam	226	(1)
Zoom Lens	227	(1)
Speed and Length of the Shot	228	(3)
Special Effects Cinematography	231	(4)
Analyzing Cinematography	235	(7)
Terrence Malick's Days of Heaven	235	(7)
Questions for Review	242	(1)
Questions for Analysis	243	(1)
For Further Reading	243	(4)
Acting	247	(48)
What is Acting?	248	(17)
The Paradox of Acting	251	(1)
Early Screen-Acting Styles	251	(2)
D. W. Griffith and Lillian Gish	253	(2)
Konstantin Stanislavsky and Method Acting	255	(1)
Bertolt Brecht	256	(1)
The Influence of Sound	257	(2)
Movie Stars in the Golden Age of Hollywood	259	(4)
Screen Acting Today	263	(2)
Casting Actors	265	(4)
Factors Involved in Casting	266	(3)
Aspects of Performance	269	(9)
Types of Roles	269	(2)
Preparing for Roles	271	(2)
Naturalistic and Nonnaturalistic Styles	273	(1)
Improvisational Acting	274	(3)
Directors and Actors	277	(1)
How Filmmaking Affects Acting	278	(7)
Framing, Composition, Lighting, and the Long Take	278	(5)
The Camera and the Close-Up	283	(2)
Analyzing Acting	285	(6)
Barbara Stanwyck in King Vidor's Stella Dallas	287	(2)
Maggie Smith in Jack Clayton's The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne	289	(2)
Questions for Review	291	(1)
Questions for Analysis	291	(1)
For Further Reading	292	(3)
Editing	295	(56)
What is Editing?	296	(10)
Continuity Editing	298	(2)
Screen Direction	300	(2)
Discontinuity Editing	302	(4)
The Editor's Responsibilities	306	(9)
Spatial, Temporal, and Visual Relationships between Individual Shots	307	(2)
Rhythm	309	(4)
Mood	313	(1)
Ellipsis	313	(1)
Separation	313	(2)
Pattern	315	(1)
Slow Disclosure	315	(1)
Conventions of Editing	315	(14)
Establishing Shot	317	(1)
Match Cut	317	(1)
Match-on-Action Cut	317	(1)
Graphic Match Cut	317	(1)
Eyeline-Match Cut	318	(1)
Point-of-View Editing	318	(1)
Parallel Editing	319	(2)
Shot/Reverse Shot	321	(1)
Jump Cut	321	(1)
Fade-In and Fade-Out	322	(1)
Dissolve	323	(1)
Wipe	324	(1)
Iris-In and Iris-Out	325	(1)
Flashback and Flashforward	325	(1)
Freeze Frame	326	(1)
Split-Screen	327	(1)
Montage	328	(1)
Conventions of Editing in Mark Sandrich's Top Hat	329	(1)
Editing and Postproduction	329	(3)
The Editor's Tools	332	(2)
Editing with Rudimentary Equipment and with Upright and Flatbed Machines	332	(1)
Linear Editing with Videotape	333	(1)
Nonlinear Digital Editing with Computerized Equipment	333	(1)
Analyzing Film Editing	334	(15)
D. W. Griffith's The Birth of a Nation	335	(6)
Buster Keaton's Sherlock, Jr.	341	(1)
Sergei Eisenstein's Battleship Potemkin	341	(3)
Leni Riefenstahl's Olympia	344	(1)
Orson Welles's Citizen Kane	344	(1)
Elia Kazan's On the Waterfront	344	(3)
Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho	347	(1)
Sidney Lumet's The Pawnbroker	348	(1)
Questions for Review	349	(1)
Questions for Analysis	349	(1)
For Further Reading	350	(1)
Sound	351	(52)
What is Sound?	352	(1)
Physical and Perceptual Characteristics of Sound	353	(3)
Sources of Film Sound	356	(7)
Diegetic or Nondiegetic	356	(3)
Internal or External	359	(1)
Onscreen or Offscreen	360	(1)
Synchronous or Asynchronous	361	(1)
Production or Postproduction	362	(1)
Types of Film Sound	363	(10)
Vocal Sounds (Dialogue and Narration)	363	(3)
Environmental Sounds (Ambient Sound and Sound Effects)	366	(1)
Music	367	(5)
Silence	372	(1)
Functions of Film Sound	373	(8)
Audience Awareness	373	(1)
Audience Expectations	374	(1)
Rhythm	375	(1)
Character	376	(1)
Fidelity	377	(1)
Continuity	378	(1)
Emphasis	378	(1)
Juxtaposition	379	(2)
Montage	381	(1)
Sound Versus Silence	381	(9)
Technological Challenges	382	(5)
Commercial Challenges	387	(1)
Aesthetic Challenges	388	(1)
Classical Sound Theory	389	(1)
Modern Sound Theory	390	(1)
Sound Production	390	(4)
Design	390	(2)
Recording	392	(1)
Editing	393	(1)
Mixing	394	(1)
Analyzing Film Sound	394	(6)
Orson Welles's Citizen Kane	394	(6)
Questions for Review	400	(1)
Questions for Analysis	400	(1)
For Further Reading	400	(3)
Writing About Movies	403	(54)
Joining the Critical Conversation About Movies	404	(1)
Fundamental Techniques	405	(10)
Summarizing Plot	405	(1)
Analyzing Shots, Scenes, and Sequences	406	(1)
Plot Segmentation	407	(1)
Taking Notes	407	(1)
Taking Advantage of Tape, DVD, and the Internet	407	(1)
Writing Descriptively	408	(3)
Making an Argument	411	(1)
Developing a Thesis	411	(2)
Incorporating Sources	413	(1)
Avoiding Plagiarism	414	(1)
Assignments and Strategies	415	(6)
Critical Analysis	416	(1)
Comparison and Contrast	416	(1)
Movie Review versus Critical Analysis	417	(3)
Research Paper	420	(1)
Explicit, Implicit, and Ideological Meanings	421	(2)
Genre Study	423	(2)
Critical and Theoretical Approaches	425	(8)
Interpretive Frameworks	426	(1)
Mimicry and Catharsis	426	(1)
Binary Oppositions (Dualism)	427	(1)
Auteurism	428	(1)
Psychological Criticism	429	(1)
Freudianism	429	(1)
Cognitive Psychology	429	(1)
Ideological Criticism	430	(1)
Marxism	431	(1)
Feminism	432	(1)
Cultural Studies	433	(1)
Applied Readings	433	(8)
Die Hard: Mimicry and Catharsis	433	(1)
Die Hard: Binary Oppositions	434	(1)
Wall Street: Freudianism	435	(1)
Vertigo: Cognitive Psychology	436	(1)
Rear Window: Auteurism	437	(1)
Metropolis: Marxism	438	(1)
Thelma and Louise: Feminism	439	(1)
Repo Man: Cultural Studies	440	(1)
The Writing Process	441	(2)
Prewriting: Discovering What You Want to Say	441	(1)
Generating Text	441	(1)
Revising	442	(1)
Sample Student Paper: ``Modern Indemnity''	443	(14)
James Arnett
APPENDIX: OVERVIEW OF HOLLYWOOD PRODUCTION SYSTEMS	457	(22)
The Studio System	458	(9)
Organization before 1931	458	(1)
Organization after 1931	459	(2)
Organization during the Golden Age	461	(3)
Labor, Labor Unions, and the Division of Labor	464	(1)
Professional Organizations and Standardization	465	(1)
Decline of the Studio System	465	(2)
The Independent System	467	(9)
Financing in the Industry	470	(4)
Marketing and Distribution	474	(2)
For Further Reading and Viewing	476	(3)
Glossary	479	(16)
Permissions Acknowledgments	495	(4)
Index	499