ET #1

Compare Muybridge and Duchamp's depictions of a Nude Descending a Staircase.


How is each "modern"?Think about science, technology, classical art (nudes paintings and sculptures from Ancient Greece, etc), realism.


Which is the more "modern",  in your opinion, and why? Which do you think is the more dangerous or controversial to the audiences of the time

MUYBRIDGE AND MODERN ART

Muybridge's strobe photographs were a factor that inspired Cubism and Futurism: Marcel Duchamp Nude Descending a Staircase 

EADWEARD MUYBRIDGE

A man as strange and interesting as the way he spelled his name. Find him on Wikipedia

EADWEARD MUYBRIDGE: Leland Stanford's Horse

ATTENDANCE

You are required to attend all classes and screenings. Attendance will always be taken.


More than three unexcused absences over the course of the semester will result in a lowering of your final assessment by one full grade.

GRADING CRITERIA FILM 101

Informed Class Participation + Overall Blog	20%
Blog Essays (8)	40%
In Class Quizzes (2)	10%
Comparative Critical Essay	20%
Total	100%

REQUIRED BLOG

You are required to keep a blog for this course. The blog should contain:

• Your picture and personal information: contact information, major, advisor.
• The required short critical essays.
• All your observations about issues brought up in class.
• Critiques of films you watch outside class.
• Interactions with other students.
• Anything else you wish to post.

You should link your blog to this course blog: 

You will receive an overall grade for your blog, worth 10% of your final grade -- counts as part of class participation.

REQUIRED COMPARISON ESSAY

THIS ESSAY IS IN LIEU OF A FINAL EXAMINATION. 
WORTH 30% OF YOUR GRADE
FROM FIVE TO SEVEN PAGES LONG
HANDED IN -- HARD COPY.


WRITE A CRITICAL COMPARISON OF TWO FILMS -- EITHER:

• BY THE SAME DIRECTOR
• FROM THE SAME GENRE
• STARRING THE SAME ACTOR

THE FILMS YOU CHOOSE MUST BE APPROVED BY THE LECTURER AND SHOULD COME FROM THE TAYLOR'S FILM COLLECTION.

MORE INFORMATION LATER

Tim Heathrington's "Diary" -- Must watch

Tim Hetherington, the Co-Director and cinematographer of Restrepo died in Libya, doing his job, practicing his craft, capturing the reality of war.

This brief film, sums it all up. It bears a direct connection to themes we will be dealing with in FILM 101. Watch it. We will discuss it in class.

Sebastian Junger, wrote this moving letter to his dead friend.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS GUIDELINES:

YOU MUST POST EIGHT SHORT CRITICAL ESSAYS OF THREE TO FIVE PARAGRAPHS DURING THE COURSE OF THE SEMESTER. 

EACH ONE MUST DEAL WITH A PARTICULAR SEQUENCE OR TOPIC FROM ONE OF THE FILMS WE WATCH DURING THE SEMESTER. 


YOU WILL BE ABLE TO FIND SPECIFIC SEQUENCES ON YOUTUBE.

EACH ESSAY WILL COUNT FOR FIVE POINTS. SO THIS REQUIREMENT COVERS 40% OF YOUR FINAL GRADE

THE FOLLOWING IS A SET OF GUIDELINES TO HELP YOU. DON'T DEAL WITH EVERY TOPIC: PICK OUT A FEW THAT ARE MOST SIGNIFICANT TO YOU AND BASE YOUR ESSAY ON THEM.

YOU MUST COME UP WITH A COHERENT CRITICAL SYNTHESIS/THESIS 

CRITICAL ANALYSIS;

WHAT IS THE FILM ABOUT? HOW IS IT ABOUT WHAT IT IS ABOUT?

Narrative Elements: What is the story? What are the elements of storytelling?

Story:

Plot Structure:

Non-Story Elements:

Characters:

Stylistic Elements: How is the story made into a  film?

• Camera Technique (Cinematography)
• Acting
• Mis en Scene
• Sets/locations
• Costumes
• Lighting
• Camera Placement and movement
• Other elements

Post-Production Elements:

Editing (Montage)

Sound

Music

Ideological/Thematic Elements: What are the ideas and themes expressed in the work?

Objective of film; intended audience. What kind of audience is the film intended for? Does it succeed in reaching its audience?

YOUR CRITICAL SYNTHESIS/THESIS What are the most important elements to you? What are your critical ideas

Culture Clash in the Middle East

What happens when an irreverent Iranian-American director from Brooklyn brings his film to a film festival in a conservative Islamic kingdom? This is a fascinating clash of cultures -- modern vs medieval, the voice of authority vs the voice of the individual, the ambition to be "global" vs the fear of outsiders -- and it is happening in Malaysia right now, not just in the UAE.

Wonderful Old Movie Theatres -- Abandoned

These old movie theatres outlived their time. Televison, malls, and multiplexes killed them off.

Sidney Lumet RIP

Sidney Lumet was, to me,  the greatest of the New York City Directors. Coppola and Scorsese learned from him. I still learn from him when I watch his films.

From Nickelodeon to UTube

What goes around comes around. The screen is becoming intimate and personal again. See this article on film production for UTube.

Vertov Article

New York Times article on Dziga Vertov exhibit at MoMA (Museum of Modern Art)

Online Resources

• David Bordwell on Cinema:The author of your textbook maintains an inexhaustible website. 
• The international Movie Database is the prime source of information about film and TV.Click on IMDb for everything you want to know about any movie.
• Film Journal International will keep you up to date on the latest movies. Great Reviews.
• The New York Times movie section is a must. Articles and reviews of wide-ranging interest. But limited access -- only twenty hits a month unless you pay.
• Roger Ebert is a prolific critic from Chicago who has been reviewing movies since the late '60's. His extensive website contains all sorts of goodies, including reviews of the films we'll be watching in class. 

From Morgue to Movie Theatre

A good place to begin the course.

<http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/10/movies/the-24-hour-movie-and-digital-technology.html?ref=movies>

WELCOME TO FILM 101

This blog will contain all sorts of stuff for your information and response. Please access frequently and contribute as much as you want.