5. Film Final: Film Noir AND Transition To Color AND Soviet Montage
Terms
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- How did Sergei Eisenstein use the Kuleshov effect in 'The Battleship Potempkin'?
- he experimented with the effect to get viewers to sympathize with the citizens of Odessa and with the mutinous sailors, and to hate the soldiers of the regime who opressed them
- creative anatomy
- editing together footage of different body parts to lead aduence to assume they are all part of the same body. this technique leads to the use of body doubles and stunt doubles. ie. 1 shot of a womans face. another shot with hands. shot 3 legs, shot 4 torso. all from different bodies, creates impression of the same woman
- The Asphault Jungle
- urban setting, deserted/dark streets, 'you're on your own', shot at night, streets are wet, tall buildings tower over everything, powerlines create a sense of entrapment, police circling, low lighting
- What was the period of Film Noir?
- 1940's and 1950's
- What is the last film to use technicolor in the U.S.?
- Godfather II is the last movie to use technicolor in America, made in 1975.
- major issues and influences of soviet montage films
- shortage of raw film stock, arrival of 'Intolerance' lev Kuleshovs workshop, creative geography, creative anatomy
- Becky Sharp 1935
- feature film, first film to use the three step technicolor process
- The Battle Ship Potempkin (Sergei Eisenstein) - 1925
- significant film by Sergei Eisenstein. known for it's 4th episode 'the Odessa Staircase'
- what was the purpose of filmmaking in soviet montage?
- they wanted to manipulate editing to tell a story (unlike Germans who use mis-en-scene.]
- what challenges did the use of technicolor create for actors on the set?
- the temperature on the set was 100+ degrees optimum for film exposure. (cowardly lion from Wizard of Oz had special water breaks).
- how long was technicolor a common form of coloration?
- 1922-1952
- why was there a problem with filmstock shortages?
- there was no way to bring film stock into the country. training for new filmmakers had to be developed without the use of new filmstock. this was done by taking old film and re-editing it (hence soviet montage)
- Describe the typical middle-class victim/scapegoat in film noir narratives.
- average guy w/ average job & average attractiveness, he typically meets a very hot woman and decides he will do aything to get with her. she convinces him he has to do something for her, but he never ends up with her. is not in films with the detective included.
- Why was chiaroscuro lighting used in film noir?
- 2 reasons. 1: WWII studios were forced to cut their energy loss, which they achieved by using less light in filming. 2: this period in history was much more dark & cynical and film noir filmmakers wanted to reflect this
- The Postman Always Rings Twice
- film noir character:femme fatale (sometimes called female legs, or 'spider woman'. Lots of shadows through venetian blinds, wears shirt, shorts, bares legs, drops lipstick. There is also a middle class victim
- characteristics of Double Indemnity
- urban setting, sex as a weapon, anklet, fast paced dialogue, middle class victim (male), venetian blinds, voiceover narration,
- Soviet Montage
- name of period of Soviet filmmaking in the 1920's.
- Intolerance 1916
- by DW Griffith. silent film. it was a heavy influence on soviet montage. it's 4 stories with several small clips edited together into one larger story. showed a great example of editing to soviets.
- Walt Disneys use of technicolor
- Disney agreed to use technicolor in his cartoons. 1st to agree to do so. he made technicolor sign a two year exclusive deal w/ Disney for the 3 color process, and Disney was the only company to use it for 2 years
- Two color process
- 1922, included red and green. involved two pieces of filmstock glued together, one red, one green. -together they created a larger spectrum of color between red and green.
- what kinds of films were made post-revolution in the Soviet Union?
- the government wanted to use film as propaganda to support the new government. such films adopted Marxist Political and economic ideals-hardwork, cleanliness, good citizenship, ect. post-revolution films represented values of the new govt.]
- voice over narration
- a voice explains what is going even though you don't see the character speaking. like a narrator
- Describe the typical detectives in film noir narratives.
- loner, usually a former police officer or has ties to police officers. he cannot work for them because he has his own ideas of right and wrong. he uses a fast paced dialogue, which makes him attractive to women (somehow). is not combined with maddle-class victim or scapegoat character.
- Herbert Kalmus
- created the technicolor process
- what kinds of films were made pre-revolution in the Soviet Union?
- soviet montage genre films
- problem with the two color process
- did not include blue. had to be run through a special camera that could only be rented, not bought. it had to have a special operator. the film stock was very thick, and it often got stuck.
- Describe the typical nurturing woman in a film noir narrative.
- gets what she wants as well, but does it by being asexual and supporting the male lead. can be featured in films with the femme fatale role
- How is mise-en-scene used in film noir?
- sets were typically cities, which reinforced a sense of entrapment. cities are places of corruption. costumes & props were: detective hats, trenchcoats, females would show their legs, venetian blinds often cast shadows on faces
- What are the characteristics of film noir?
- dark and cynical, chiaroscuro lighting, set in cities, detectives wearing hats and trenchcoats, smokers/drinkers, femme fatales, lots of venetian blinds, features human corruption/greed
- flashback
- main character tells alot of the story by revisiting his memories of what happened, which are shown in the film
- What visuals can be expected in film noir films?
- chiaroscuro lighting,
- What is the typical narrative in film noir?
- narrative typically involved detectives, middle-class victims or scapegoats, femme fatales, a woman in a nurturing role, urban settings, and an underlying theme of negative results connected to giving women jobs & freedom
- creative geography
- using the kuleshov effect to convince viewers that the characters in a film are within a setting that doesn't actually exist. first done by kuleshov. ex. 1. guy on screen walks left 2 right. 2. woman on right side of screen walks right to left. 3. they meet, shake hands, and woman points to left 4. shot of a white house shows with stairs leading up. 5. couple walks up a flight of stairs. audience should make assumption about locations based on editing.
- Three color process
- included red, green, and blue. perfected by Kalmus. this process was now able to represent all colors of the spectrum
- What films signify the beginning and the end of the film noir period?
- The Maltese Falcon (1941) began the film noir period, and it ended with 'Touch of Evil' (1958)
- Odessa Staircase sequence
- episode in the film 'The Battleship Potempkin' in which russian soldiers slaughter the people of Odessa on what appears to be a giant case of stairs outside, for helping mutinous russian seamen. the sequence is important because of the shots and angles used on the staircase to make the soldiers look ominous and the people helpless
- Lev Kuleshov
- experimented a great deal with editing. discovered an effect involving image progression dubbed 'the kuleshov effect'
- Sunset Boulevard
- starts with a dead guy in a pool, femme fatale character/very agressive and demanding, she's a spider woman, bars on doors impart a sense of entrapment.
- Toll of the Sea 1922
- 2 color process film. First general release film colored with 2 color technicolor process
- Describe the typical femme fatale in film noir narratives.
- drinks, smokes, hot woman, has sex with innaproporiate men, uses sex to get what she wants, is typically greedy and corrupt. can be in films combined with the nurturing female role
- What 2 major motion pictures put technicolor on the map?
- Gone w the wind and wizard of oz are 1st 2 live action films to put technicolor on the map
- Double Indemnity
- definition:an insurance case that says if you die in a certain way, you get a double insurance payment. -movie involves story of a husband who died on a train. Includes voice over narration and flashback
- Technicolor
- trademark for a series of patented color processes for film, most widely used between 1922-1952. added vivid and saturated colors to film
- How does film noir depict women who have jobs, freedom, power, money, and control?
- she is corrupt, and she'll just want more
- what happened to technicolor when it went out of fashion in the film industry?
- technocolor lab moved to Beijing. process that we changed to after 1975 is less lasting. colors fade on film, filmstock smells like vinegar. this was ironic because Technicolor was superior but got pushed out of the business.
- the kuleshov effect
- kuleshov took pre-existing footage of famous soviet actors dressed in suit, shot head-on, face with blank expression, and combined this shot (shot1) with a series of other shots like a bowl of steaming soup (shot 2). he showed this to an audience and asked them what they thought the man was feeling. they answered 'hunger'. a shot of a beautiful woman in a casket combined with the same image of the man caused viewers to think he was sad. combined with a child photo he was deemed happy. conclusion of kuleshov effect: you can create meaning where it never existed before with simple editing