Wednesday, May 11

We continued our analysis of elements of filmcraft in Citizen Kane, moving on today to cinematography and lighting. We re-viewed six minutes of Visions of Light which discuss the style of Greg Toland, Kane's cinematographer, then discussed the thematic uses of the film's intense dynamic contrasts and the different effects Toland achieves with the film's many extreme low-angle shots.

HW due Friday, May 20
Second Outside Viewing essay: single-element analysis.

Tuesday, May 10

Students received and read a handout discussing Bernard Herrmann's score for Citizen Kane, and we resumed our analysis of its function in the film. We examined primarily how the "Power motif" and the "Rosebud theme" are used from the film's first scene to its last.

HW due Friday, May 20
Second Outside Viewing essay.

Monday, May 9

Students received the assignment sheet for the second Outside Viewing essay, an analysis of a single cinematic element in a given film (see Documents page).

Students checked out films for the purpose.

We began analyzing Citizen Kane in such a way as to illustrate what students should strive to do on their own in the essay, and students received a note sheet and began taking notes , beginning with sound editing and the musical score.

HW due Friday, May 20
Second Outside Viewing essay.

Friday, May 6

We finished watching Citizen Kane.

Wednesday, May 4

(1) We watched several more minutes of The Battle Over Citizen Kane, portraying Wm. Randolph Hearst's campaign to destroy Citizen Kane and Orson Welles.

(2) We watched the first half hour of Citizen Kane.

Tuesday, May 3

Students took notes on the major points made in The Battle Over Citizen Kane, a documentary about the collision between Orson Welles, creator of Citizen Kane, and William Randolph Hearst, the media czar and real-life model for Charles Foster Kane.

Monday, May 2

Students turned in their descriptions/predictions re the final scene of City Lights, we watched it one final time, and we then spent the balance of the period discussing our different views of the scene. Can the girl love her benefactor now that she knows him for what he is?

Tomorrow:
On to Citizen Kane.