Friday, February 26
We continued our discussion of the Beyond Doubt documentary, hearing from several students about what they found significant in it, and re-viewing several parts of Shadow in response.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Wednesday, February 24
We returned to the concept of motifs, in music and in film, listening to the beginning of Prokoviev's Peter and the Wolf for illustration of the former, then made a list of certain visual motifs in Shadow of a Doubt, includings shadows themselves, smoke (those two intersecting crucially in the scene of Uncle Charle's arrival), and stairs -- the three S's.
We returned to the concept of motifs, in music and in film, listening to the beginning of Prokoviev's Peter and the Wolf for illustration of the former, then made a list of certain visual motifs in Shadow of a Doubt, includings shadows themselves, smoke (those two intersecting crucially in the scene of Uncle Charle's arrival), and stairs -- the three S's.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Tuesday, February 23
Students turned in their Academy Award-related assignments, and we looked at who some students had singled out as leading film composers through the years (e.g., Alfred Newman and John Williams), then learned a little about Dmitri Tiomkin, pal of Sergei Prokoviev, and composer of the score for Shadow of a Doubt and 127 other films.
We returned then to the music in Shadow's library scene and from there to a discussion of musical motifs more broadly, and to the use of motifs more generally in art, architecture, literature and film.
Students turned in their Academy Award-related assignments, and we looked at who some students had singled out as leading film composers through the years (e.g., Alfred Newman and John Williams), then learned a little about Dmitri Tiomkin, pal of Sergei Prokoviev, and composer of the score for Shadow of a Doubt and 127 other films.
We returned then to the music in Shadow's library scene and from there to a discussion of musical motifs more broadly, and to the use of motifs more generally in art, architecture, literature and film.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Monday, February 22
We began to examine Shadow of a Doubt, starting with "The Merry Widow Waltz," its significance within the film, and the transformations Dmitri Tiomkin puts it through to accompany the film.
Students identified short scenes or images which stuck with them from the film, and we looked at one of those, the library scene, with an eye (ear) for both the music and the use of the camera and of lighting.
HW due Tuesday:
Academy Awards assignment. See Friday, February 12, and the Documents and Links pages.
We began to examine Shadow of a Doubt, starting with "The Merry Widow Waltz," its significance within the film, and the transformations Dmitri Tiomkin puts it through to accompany the film.
Students identified short scenes or images which stuck with them from the film, and we looked at one of those, the library scene, with an eye (ear) for both the music and the use of the camera and of lighting.
HW due Tuesday:
Academy Awards assignment. See Friday, February 12, and the Documents and Links pages.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Friday, February 12
Students took an open-packet quiz over "Classic American Cinema: Style."
HW due Tuesday, February 23:
Motion Picture Arts and Sciences assignment (see Documents page and Links page).
Apropos of the upcoming Academy Awards event, students are to research and briefly describe some of the different "arts and sciences" which the awards recognize. What are the jobdescriptions for each category? Who are some of the most famous practicioners of each art and what movies did they work on?
Thursday, February 11
Mr. P was absent.
Students finished watching Shadow of a Doubt.
Students took an open-packet quiz over "Classic American Cinema: Style."
HW due Tuesday, February 23:
Motion Picture Arts and Sciences assignment (see Documents page and Links page).
Apropos of the upcoming Academy Awards event, students are to research and briefly describe some of the different "arts and sciences" which the awards recognize. What are the jobdescriptions for each category? Who are some of the most famous practicioners of each art and what movies did they work on?
Thursday, February 11
Mr. P was absent.
Students finished watching Shadow of a Doubt.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Tuesday, February 9
Mr. P passed out copies of the "Classical Hollwood Cinema: Style" packet again, this time containing even- as well as odd-numbered pages. Friday was announced as the date to try again with the quiz over it.
We proceeded to watch the first scene of Hitchcock's Shadow of a Doubt, to discuss it briefly, and then to read the initial section of the packet, which analyzes the mise en scene of that scene. Afterwards, we watched a bit more of the film (to be continued Wednesday).
HW due Friday:
Read "Classical Hollwood Cinema: Style." There will be a quiz over it in class that day.
Mr. P passed out copies of the "Classical Hollwood Cinema: Style" packet again, this time containing even- as well as odd-numbered pages. Friday was announced as the date to try again with the quiz over it.
We proceeded to watch the first scene of Hitchcock's Shadow of a Doubt, to discuss it briefly, and then to read the initial section of the packet, which analyzes the mise en scene of that scene. Afterwards, we watched a bit more of the film (to be continued Wednesday).
HW due Friday:
Read "Classical Hollwood Cinema: Style." There will be a quiz over it in class that day.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Monday, February 8
We discovered that Mr. P had photocopied the "Classical Hollywood Cinema" packets incorrectly, and the quiz over it had to be postponed. Proper packets will be available tomorrow.
Instead of the quiz, we discussed different ways of looking at film: suspending disbelief and entering uncritically into the world of the film or responding critically and analysing how the film works. Are the two ways compatible? (Mr. P thinks they are.)
After that discussion we watched the frst few minutes of "Visions of Light," a documentary film about cinematography. (We stopped just before Gregg Toland is discussed.)
We discovered that Mr. P had photocopied the "Classical Hollywood Cinema" packets incorrectly, and the quiz over it had to be postponed. Proper packets will be available tomorrow.
Instead of the quiz, we discussed different ways of looking at film: suspending disbelief and entering uncritically into the world of the film or responding critically and analysing how the film works. Are the two ways compatible? (Mr. P thinks they are.)
After that discussion we watched the frst few minutes of "Visions of Light," a documentary film about cinematography. (We stopped just before Gregg Toland is discussed.)
Friday, February 5, 2010
Friday, February 5
We rewatched the beginning of "The Girl and Her Trust," then heard a few students summaries of it from Thursday. Perspectives differed, especially between boys and girls in the class.
Next we watched the rest of the film and briefly discussed its virtues, both technical and artistic.
HW due Monday:
Read "Classical Hollwood Cinema: Style" (handout). We will have a quiz over it to start Monday's class.
We rewatched the beginning of "The Girl and Her Trust," then heard a few students summaries of it from Thursday. Perspectives differed, especially between boys and girls in the class.
Next we watched the rest of the film and briefly discussed its virtues, both technical and artistic.
HW due Monday:
Read "Classical Hollwood Cinema: Style" (handout). We will have a quiz over it to start Monday's class.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Thursday, February 4
We watched The Great Train Robbery (1903), and Rescued by Rover (1905), paying attention to the increasing sophistication of editing for continuity and cross-cutting, or parallel editing. Next we watched the beginning of D.W. Griffith's The Girl and Her Trust (1912) and students wrote short accounts of action and characterization in the scene.
HW due Monday:
Quiz over "Classical Hollywood Cinema: Style."
We watched The Great Train Robbery (1903), and Rescued by Rover (1905), paying attention to the increasing sophistication of editing for continuity and cross-cutting, or parallel editing. Next we watched the beginning of D.W. Griffith's The Girl and Her Trust (1912) and students wrote short accounts of action and characterization in the scene.
HW due Monday:
Quiz over "Classical Hollywood Cinema: Style."
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Wednesday, February 3
Students received the closest thing to a textbook that the class offers: a packet entitled "Classical Hollywood Cinema: Style. They should start reading it immediately and carefully. It will be the subject of a quiz on Monday.
We continued watching short, early films, this time focusing not on "actualities," but on films which used the opportunities for fantasy afforded by the medium. The technical similarity between animation and cinema per se, with its frame-by-frame construction was explored briefly. Films included "The Golden Beetle," "Dream of a Rarebit Fiend," "Winsor McCay and his Animated Pictures,: and "Onesieme the Clockmaker."
Students received the closest thing to a textbook that the class offers: a packet entitled "Classical Hollywood Cinema: Style. They should start reading it immediately and carefully. It will be the subject of a quiz on Monday.
We continued watching short, early films, this time focusing not on "actualities," but on films which used the opportunities for fantasy afforded by the medium. The technical similarity between animation and cinema per se, with its frame-by-frame construction was explored briefly. Films included "The Golden Beetle," "Dream of a Rarebit Fiend," "Winsor McCay and his Animated Pictures,: and "Onesieme the Clockmaker."
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Monday, February 1, 2010
Monday, February 1
Students received the course syllabus, and were asked to read it carefully tonight.
Students also received a five-page packet covering the beginnings of cinema and assigned to read it carefully as well, in preparation for a brief quiz over it on Tuesday.
Mr. P read students a brief account of the first public showing of a projected film, in December, 1895 at the Grand Cafe in Paris, after which we wached a few very brief and very early films. These included "actualities," or purely documentary clips, such as "The Arrival of a Train" and "The Snowball Fight" and their opposite, pieces of trick photography such as "Explosion of a Motor Car."
HW due Tuesday:
Read the packet on the early history of film. Quiz over it to begin Tuesday's class.
Students received the course syllabus, and were asked to read it carefully tonight.
Students also received a five-page packet covering the beginnings of cinema and assigned to read it carefully as well, in preparation for a brief quiz over it on Tuesday.
Mr. P read students a brief account of the first public showing of a projected film, in December, 1895 at the Grand Cafe in Paris, after which we wached a few very brief and very early films. These included "actualities," or purely documentary clips, such as "The Arrival of a Train" and "The Snowball Fight" and their opposite, pieces of trick photography such as "Explosion of a Motor Car."
HW due Tuesday:
Read the packet on the early history of film. Quiz over it to begin Tuesday's class.
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