Thursday, October 30
We watched the first half of Universal Horror, a documentary about tUniversal Studio's silent and early sound horror films and their derivation from German films of the 20's.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Wednesday, October 29
We re-watched the final ten minutes of Nosferatu while students took notes of significant details.
Afterwards we went over some of these details and then discussed the final scene, focusing especially on its ambiguous eroticism.
Some students expressed an interest in watching the 1931 Dracula with Bela Lugosi rather than the planned Frankenstein, and we voted and re-voted between the two, finally deciding that students who wanted to see Dracula should watch it on the big screen tonight at the North Bend Theater. Anyone who wishes may get extra credit by writing three solid paragraphs on how the film relatesd to Expressionismus. (Those unable to attend but wanting an extra-credit opportunity should speak with Mr. Potratz outside of class time.
We re-watched the final ten minutes of Nosferatu while students took notes of significant details.
Afterwards we went over some of these details and then discussed the final scene, focusing especially on its ambiguous eroticism.
Some students expressed an interest in watching the 1931 Dracula with Bela Lugosi rather than the planned Frankenstein, and we voted and re-voted between the two, finally deciding that students who wanted to see Dracula should watch it on the big screen tonight at the North Bend Theater. Anyone who wishes may get extra credit by writing three solid paragraphs on how the film relatesd to Expressionismus. (Those unable to attend but wanting an extra-credit opportunity should speak with Mr. Potratz outside of class time.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Friday, October 24, 2008
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Thursday, October 23
We briefly reviewed the beginning of Metropolis -- its superficial similarity to Vertov's Man with a Movie Camera in its preoccupation with machines and the masses, and its deeper difference from Vertov in its fundamental outlook. We then watched several more sequences from Metropolis before moving on to the first section of Murnau's The Last Laugh.
Quiz Friday over Expressionism.
We briefly reviewed the beginning of Metropolis -- its superficial similarity to Vertov's Man with a Movie Camera in its preoccupation with machines and the masses, and its deeper difference from Vertov in its fundamental outlook. We then watched several more sequences from Metropolis before moving on to the first section of Murnau's The Last Laugh.
Quiz Friday over Expressionism.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Wednesday, October 22
Mr. Potratz distributed copies of two articles on Expressionism and announced that there would be a quiz on the topic Friday morning.
Students were then offered a choice among four (well, three) German silent films: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Metropolis, The Last Laugh, and Nosferatu. The winner was Nosferatu, with the other three to be mined for clips. We began by watching the beginning of Caligari and the first few minutes of Metropolis.
Mr. Potratz distributed copies of two articles on Expressionism and announced that there would be a quiz on the topic Friday morning.
Students were then offered a choice among four (well, three) German silent films: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Metropolis, The Last Laugh, and Nosferatu. The winner was Nosferatu, with the other three to be mined for clips. We began by watching the beginning of Caligari and the first few minutes of Metropolis.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Tuesday, October 21
We finished watching with Yuri Tsivian's commentary the section of Man with a Movie Camera which we started Monday, then examined still images of Russian Constructivist art and architecture, along with documents of Cubism, Futurism, Bauhaus design, Impressionism, and Expressionism.
We finished watching with Yuri Tsivian's commentary the section of Man with a Movie Camera which we started Monday, then examined still images of Russian Constructivist art and architecture, along with documents of Cubism, Futurism, Bauhaus design, Impressionism, and Expressionism.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Monday, October 20
We finished watching the last few minutes of Man with a Movie Camera, then re-viewed the same part with the voiceover commentary by Russian film scholar Yuri Tsivian. In that light, we briefly discussed what we had seen. Afterwards we rewatched another section of the film -- contrasting different types of work -- also with the Tsivian commentary.
We finished watching the last few minutes of Man with a Movie Camera, then re-viewed the same part with the voiceover commentary by Russian film scholar Yuri Tsivian. In that light, we briefly discussed what we had seen. Afterwards we rewatched another section of the film -- contrasting different types of work -- also with the Tsivian commentary.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Tuesday, October 14
We re-watched part of "A Dead Man Calls for Justice" (Act 4 of Battleship Potemkin) as a contrasting example to the "Meeting With the Squadron" from yesterday's class. The cutting of "Dead Man" is as languid and peaceful as the "Meeting" is fast and furious.
Afterwards, Mr. Potratz distributed a further handout reviewing montage in the Odessa Steps sequence, and we re-watched that without music and discussed it.
Finally, Mr. Potratz compared Eisenstein's technique with cubist painting and projected Marcel Duchamp's famous "Nude Descending a Staircase."
We re-watched part of "A Dead Man Calls for Justice" (Act 4 of Battleship Potemkin) as a contrasting example to the "Meeting With the Squadron" from yesterday's class. The cutting of "Dead Man" is as languid and peaceful as the "Meeting" is fast and furious.
Afterwards, Mr. Potratz distributed a further handout reviewing montage in the Odessa Steps sequence, and we re-watched that without music and discussed it.
Finally, Mr. Potratz compared Eisenstein's technique with cubist painting and projected Marcel Duchamp's famous "Nude Descending a Staircase."
Monday, October 13, 2008
Monday, October 13
Students watched three sections of The Cutting Edge, a documentary about film editing. The sections partly concerned editing techniques in the films of D.W. Griffith and of the early Soviet filmmakers, including Eisenstein.
We next read a handout on "Soviet Montage" excerpted from A Short History of the Movies by Gerald Mast, and began to illustrate it with parts of Battleship Potemkin.
Students watched three sections of The Cutting Edge, a documentary about film editing. The sections partly concerned editing techniques in the films of D.W. Griffith and of the early Soviet filmmakers, including Eisenstein.
We next read a handout on "Soviet Montage" excerpted from A Short History of the Movies by Gerald Mast, and began to illustrate it with parts of Battleship Potemkin.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Thursday, October 9
We watched the last part of Battleship Potemkin, then made a list on the board of some of the film's most memorable images. Mr. Potratz talked very briefly about Eisenstein's theory and practice of montage, the creation of meaning through the artful juxtaposition of images.
HW due Monday:
Compare and contrast The Birth of a Nation and Battleship Potemkin in an essay including at least five body-paragraph "chunks," and an introductory and/or a concluding paragraph. You may discuss both form and content. 'Form' may include any of the film techniques we have looked at, such as camera agles and movement, lighting, film editing, etc. Typed, double-spaced, 12 pt. Times Roman.
We watched the last part of Battleship Potemkin, then made a list on the board of some of the film's most memorable images. Mr. Potratz talked very briefly about Eisenstein's theory and practice of montage, the creation of meaning through the artful juxtaposition of images.
HW due Monday:
Compare and contrast The Birth of a Nation and Battleship Potemkin in an essay including at least five body-paragraph "chunks," and an introductory and/or a concluding paragraph. You may discuss both form and content. 'Form' may include any of the film techniques we have looked at, such as camera agles and movement, lighting, film editing, etc. Typed, double-spaced, 12 pt. Times Roman.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Tuesday, October 7
Students turned in the checklist of techniques from Birth of a Nation, and we discussed both form and content in the film, especially focusing on Griffith's sophisticated and powerful use of crosscutting in the final reel of the film.
Mr. Potratz announced that the next film will be Sergei Eisenstein's Battleship Potemkin, explaining that Griffith had a strong influence on the early Soviet filmmakers.
Students turned in the checklist of techniques from Birth of a Nation, and we discussed both form and content in the film, especially focusing on Griffith's sophisticated and powerful use of crosscutting in the final reel of the film.
Mr. Potratz announced that the next film will be Sergei Eisenstein's Battleship Potemkin, explaining that Griffith had a strong influence on the early Soviet filmmakers.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Friday, October 3, 2008
Friday, October 3
In the context of the controversy over the cancelled "blackout" at tonight's football game, we looked briefly at the history of blackface in American culture (we watched Al Jolson singinging "Mammy" in The Jazz Singer), and read an online article about a confrontation over racial caricatures.
Thursday, October 2
Senior class meeting. No Film Studies class today.
In the context of the controversy over the cancelled "blackout" at tonight's football game, we looked briefly at the history of blackface in American culture (we watched Al Jolson singinging "Mammy" in The Jazz Singer), and read an online article about a confrontation over racial caricatures.
Thursday, October 2
Senior class meeting. No Film Studies class today.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Wednesday, October 1
We watched Birth of a Nation from Silas Lynch's departure for Piedmont to the death of Flora.
Students received a handout of an excerpt about Reconstruction from Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States with a very different view of that period from that of D.W. Griffith.
HW due Friday: Quiz over the handout.
We watched Birth of a Nation from Silas Lynch's departure for Piedmont to the death of Flora.
Students received a handout of an excerpt about Reconstruction from Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States with a very different view of that period from that of D.W. Griffith.
HW due Friday: Quiz over the handout.
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