Cinema

The heart of the assignment is for you to analyze how Pleasantville works as film art in a multi- paragraph essay of around 3 to 5+ pages, double-spaced, 12-point font prose (a standard font like Times New Roman, Arial, or Calibri). Rather than focusing on a single element, like the photography, my suggestion is to organize the paper around the theme or themes you find (and how they are constructed) along with whatever narrative or filmic elements help create that theme or themes, including discussing the characters and what they learn (or what we learn through them [and especially the protagonist and what he wants and how that goal changes or morphs until at the end of the narrative (no longer having any use for it, right?) David aims the remote and clicks the damn show off]). So discuss what the film evokes to you, what Pleasantville means and how that meaning was created, only discussing plot elements as long as they’re evidence for your own analytical assertions

This assignment must not exceed 3 pages (double-spaced, Times New Roman,12-point font margins no smaller than 1 inch).PART ONE (10 marks)Identify the first 10 shots of any film from the course. Use “slug lines” toidentify scenes (the first 10 shots might be one scene or more than one scene: ifit makes sense to do so, the first ten shots could be counted from after theopening title sequence). Look at the sample paper provided for an example ofusing slug lines.Number each shot and provide a brief description of what we see in each shot and its significance. In your descriptions, pay attention to the following.aspects of the shot: type of shot (camera angle, distance, height); framing andcomposition; lighting; staging; camera movement.This section is more likethe kind of notes you would make to prepare for acritical analysis so complete sentences are not essential (again, look at thesample paper) although you should still use correct punctuation and the writing needs to be clear.PART TWO (10 marks)Describe and discuss the functions of editing in this opening sequence. In yourresponse, analyze the spatial, temporal, and rhythmic dimensions of editing (these ideas are covered in the textbook and in the course material for WeekSix). How does editing communicate the spatial and temporal relations ofparticular events in the story? How does this opening sequence prepare the viewer for the film that is to follow? How does an awareness of the film as a whole help to explain the significance of this opening sequence?This section of the assignment must be written in clear, precise, andgrammatically correct prose; pay particular attention to using correct spelling andcomplete sentences. In your analysis, make sure to justify any statements that you make about the editing and its significance by referring to identifiable,concrete examples (PART ONE should have provided you with some of theseexamples).At the end of your assignment provide a Works Cited in MLA format listing thefilm from which you have taken the sequence (see entry on “Films or Movies”: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/09/). The Works Cited can be inaddition to your 3-page limit.Films to select from1.    La Jetée2.    Rashomon3.    The Piano4.    Citizen Kane5.    Lady Bird

The Graduate (Nichols, 1967)General Instructions: For this week’s discussion, select a moment from The Graduate that utilizes cinematographic techniques in meaningful ways. Your goal is to explain how cinematographic techniques contribute to the mood/tone/meaning of your chosen moment. Be sure to avoid scenes that are covered, in-depth, in the lecture. Write 200+ words.The Basics: tell us when the scene takes place in the film, and very briefly (one sentence) state what is happening.The Techniques: IDENTIFY *all* of the cinematographic properties evident in the scene/moment. Only use technique terms from the book.The Meanings: Explain what this scene achieves in terms of meaning generation. Identify how some or all of the cinematographic techniques contribute to the meanings generated in your chosen moment/scene.The Meanings and The Bigger Picture: Explain, to the best of your ability, how the meanings generated in the scene/moment link up with broader themes or take-aways from the film overall.Suggestions: The readings, lectures, and supplementary clips are vital to completing this discussion assignment effectively. The book and lecture, in specific, demonstrate how to analyze techniques for meaning generation. [For reference: cinematographic techniques include: lens choice, focal properties, framing, hue, scale, depth of field, onscreen and offscreen space, speed of motion, camera distance, angle, height, level, movement, and optical point-of-view.] Your post should contain several terms from the chapter.At Least One Screenshot/Clip Required. Reminder: intentionally collecting and embedding screenshots is a requirement for this class. You are expected to collect YOUR OWN SCREENSHOTS. It’s very obvious when students grab ones from another student’s post (!) or Google images (I know, tempting); the point is for you work with intent, to collect screenshots from the specific moment you are writing about. If you’d like to head back to the screenshot/video embedding sandbox, please do! 

PART 1: NarrativeDiscussion Prompt: Write one substantive paragraph (125-200+ words) in which you examine the narrative structure of Rashomon, Groundhog Day, or Parasite. The main goal is to figure out how the film diverges from and/OR adheres to Classical Hollywood format, which is a very specific narrative pattern that begins with exposition and ends with formal closure. In order to fully assess the film’s relative adherence to this pattern, you need to apply all major aspects of this specific format. I recommend defining the features of the format (from the readings!) and then trying to apply each one to the film. You should be relying heavily on Bordwell — if the chapter ideas are not evident throughout your analysis, revise to meet the assignment goals.PART 2: Mise-en-sceneDiscussion Prompt: Write one substantive paragraph (125-200+ words) in which you examine and interpret the mise-en-scene of Rashomon, Groundhog Day, or Parasite. The primary goal is to illuminate how the film uses the four aspects of mise-en-scene to convey meaning about the characters, context, or story. I recommend picking a specific scene (screenshot it) and examining all of the elements therein for meaning generation. You should be relying heavily on Bordwell — if the chapter ideas are not evident throughout your analysis, revise to meet the assignment goals.