Film Studies Daily Log

Friday, Februaty 6

We watched the first famous science fiction film, Melies's A Trip to the Moon (1902), and agreed that it was stronger on special effects than narrative, as is reportedly true of Melies's films as a whole. The Hepworth Studio's Rescued by Rover (1905) was used as an example of the opposite, an early film where a suspensful story line is aided by skillful cutting. The technique of cross-cutting was examined hypothetically, leaving examples for next class period on Monday.

HW due Tuesday:
A handout on "Classic Hollywood Cinema: Style" was distributed. It covers many basics of cinematic technique, though it focuses on their use in American films of the classic period of the nineteen-thirties and -forties. Quiz on Tuesday over the packet.