Short Film Essays (Examples)

Marjoun and the Flying Headscarf filmmaker Susan Yousseff presents the self and subjectivity of Marjoun, a young Muslim woman and daughter of immigrants. I will speak of Marjoun as though she were a case scenario. Marjoun in depicting her own self as the protagonist is dependent upon the headscarf of the film's title, a hijab which she insists on wearing even indoors (to her mother's derision) and which becomes a crucial symbol at the climax of the story, but which overall represents her own greater outward religious observance in front of her parents.

Marjoun's mother and father are in conflict with Marjoun and her vision of herself in crucial ways. Marjoun's ostentatious religious display of wearing her hijab indoors -- which her mother criticizes -- mostly bewilders her mother and sister, who seem more assimilated than Marjoun. Yet Marjoun's father is in conflict with that observant Muslim woman's commitment to…

film Lone Star discussing various aspects of the movie.

Lone Star" is John Sayles' best movie yet, a richly textured, multi-racial, multi-generational examination of a Texas town. The writer/director Sayles brilliantly combines drama, romance, mystery, and social observation into a one third love story with a twisted one-third-murder mystery. Exploring the lives of half a dozen people in a Texas border town (i.e. border) Sayles ties them all together in his script with discovery of a skeleton in the desert that brings the skeleton out if every closet in the sleepy little berg. Two off-duty sergeants from an Army post near the town of Frontera find skeleton remains and a rusty Sheriff's badge. The current sheriff of Frontera Sam Deeds, son of late legendary lawman uddy Deeds, begins an investigation. Sam quickly learns that the remains are those of the corrupt sheriff Charley Wade, his father reputed to have run…

But "dog" can mean other things, too. It can mean a performance or an event that just didn't match up -- "That was such a dog," or, in street language, can be a greeting or something based on meeting up, "What's up dog?" Getting back to the animal definition, though, one can be called a dog meaning faithful companion; while one can be a dog with the connotation of subservient; beat like a dog. The interesting thing about "dog," though, is the mental images conjured up. Given 50 people in a room, if asked to paint or describe a dog, would have likely 50 different breeds and/or sizes. Still more likely is that the large majority of these people would see the dog as a pet or companion, loyal as and with more fond than harsh memories of childhood and simpler times.

Week 10- 1 -- People in Order is…

Film has the potential to provide multifaceted multimedia insight into a culture and community. Mexico has a rich and varied cinematic history, and the traditions and themes of Mexican filmmaking have naturally spilled across the border to influence Chicano-made films in the United States. hen Chicanos produce, write, and direct their own films, they remain firmly in control of the ways their people and community are portrayed. Thus, film can become a medium of political and social empowerment even when the film is not directly about a political issue. Many Chicano films do, however, directly address social justice like Luis Bunuel's classic Los Olvidados. Los Olvidados continues to have an important message about class conflict in Mexico. As such, Los Olvidados is much more about class-based social justice than it is about Chicano culture. Similarly, Harry Gamboa's short film "Baby Kake" is less about Chicano culture than it is about…

Not only does Nichols provide a good context for the many paradoxes that can confront film studies with his insightful and thoughtful introduction, but he also shows how sharing approaches and methods can help to stimulate a lot of the best writing regarding film. In addition he shows many of the common problems that are seen and deals with the contradictions that appear. Like the first volume of the anthology, this second volume also provides smaller introductions so that each essay and piece of information can be more easily understood. It also allows a reader to peruse the book and find the pertinent piece of information that he or she needs at that point in time, which can be very valuable, especially for a novice to the film industry trying to find information quickly. Having the smaller introductions before each piece also help to showcase each item within the context…

Film Awards

The film industry produces experience goods for consumer enjoyment and consumption, and substantively relies on consumer differentiation for the economic success of movies. Moviegoers appear to differentiate films primarily on the basis of genre, starring actors, exposure to promotion, recommendations from other moviegoers and film critics, and -- for the dedicated film buffs and connoisseurs -- directors, cinematographers, and even screenwriters associated with the film production (Albert 1998, De Vany 2004, Eliashberg and Shugan 1997, Hand 2002, Krider and Weinberg 1998, Nelson et al. 2001, avid 1999, Smith and Smith 1986, Wallace, Steigermann and Holbrook 1993). Access to information about films is related to the resources and networks that moviegoers enjoy, and on the attention that films garner, as expressed by the media and through social networks. Information about films is accessed by moviegoers from many sources: 1) The genre of the film; 2) the rating of the…

There are enough similarities of story and characterization, however, that while one must take care not to see Troy as fact, or even as an essentially faithful movie version of the Homer's the Iliad, one may still learn something about the plot, characters, and setting of Homer's great poem by seeing it. Educationally speaking, perhaps one of the greatest benefits of a major motion picture like Troy is that seeing it might interest more people in reading the Iliad, for comparison, and/or in learning more about Greek legends, myths, and mythological characters in general.

The basic plot and setting of the film is this: the Mycenae Greeks (Greece and Sparta) and the Trojans, having been at war, have finally reached peace after many years. Two handsome young Trojan princes, Hector and Paris (sons of King Priam) are celebrating this fact with Menelaus, King of Sparta (Menelaus's brother Agamemnon is King…

Grey with a way to accommodate the needs of their Ids and their Superegos. Their Superegos imposed the societal constraints on sexual relationships, which would drive both Lee and Mr. Grey to enter into monogamous sexual relationships. Their Ids drove Lee and Mr. Grey to seek immediate gratification of their aggressive urges through sexual behavior. By entering into a relationship with each other that allows them to fulfill both needs, Lee and Mr. Grey allow their Egos to reconcile the needs of their Ids and Superegos.

Furthermore, the Secretary addresses the issue of sexuality, and highlights the intimate relationship between sexuality and aggression. The unusual thing about the Secretary is that it demonstrates that a relationship that might be viewed as deviant was actually helpful to both members of the relationship. Prior to becoming involved with one another, Lee and Mr. Grey are both in pretty bad shape. Lee was…

My story being done,

She gave me for my pains a world of sighs:

She swore, in faith, twas strange, 'twas passing strange,

Twas pitiful, 'twas wondrous pitiful:

She wish'd she had not heard it, yet she wish'd

That heaven had made her such a man: she thank'd me,

And bade me, if I had a friend that loved her, should but teach him how to tell my story.

And that would woo her. Upon this hint I spake:

She loved me for the dangers I had pass'd,

And I loved her that she did pity them.

This only is the witchcraft I have used:

Here comes the lady; let her witness it.

Translation

Setting: The inside of the administrative building. Nighttime. Othello is wearing a suit, and is confronted by the school's president, 'Dr. B,' and several members of the administration in their pajamas.

John Othello: Look Dr. B,…

Technology and Film

Almost from its inception, the idea of the relationship between the individual and technology has been part of an evolving paradigm. While this new technology brought entertainment to the masses, technology itself as often the subject of early films which explored the idea of whether technology was a tool for humans to use, or a foreboding tyrant that both dehumanized and attempted to control both the individual and society. The idea of dehumanization by technology was, of course, nothing new and was part of the Marxist view that industry actually prevented humans from actualizing as humans while paying them a wage that resulted in a kind of self-slavery. Technology could both save and awe humans, it could expand boundaries, but it could also warn of impending doom.

In the 1902 film A Trip to the Moon, for instance, space travel was introduced to the public by using…

Chinese Film

The Evolution of the Chinese Film Industry

Contemporary Chinese Film Poster (Chinese Films)

For literally thousands of years, the Culture of China has inspired people and been a source of awe and excitement for people all over the world. The Chinese culture is rather unique and elegant with elements that are not commonly found in other cultures. Part of the cultures attraction is undoubtedly because it is one of the oldest cultures in the world and had has thousands and thousands of years to evolve into what it is today. It has drawn so much interest that it is integrating with other cultures. Although much of the ancient traditions have been somewhat overcome by various estern influences and modernization, traces of various aspects of the previous cultures still manage to stand the test of time and can still be seen today.

Many changes have occurred in the Chinese…

Horror films date back over a century ago starting with the 3-minute short film “Le Manoir du Diable (1896)” popularly known as “The House of the Devil” by film's earliest visionaries, Georges Méliès (Rockoff). Horror films are characterized by surreal and unsettling pieces blending in diverse and reconstructed art forms. The horror films are designated to evoke panic, fear, alarm, through a cathartic, captivating and entertaining experience. There are divergent genres of horror film including action horror, body horror; comedy horror; holiday horror; horror adventure; horror drama; psychological horror; superhero horror, zombie horror, gothic horror; science fiction horror, slasher film, splatter film among others. Horror movies peaked in popularity in the 1970s following the debut of 1978 classic slasher based horror film “Halloween” directed by John Carpenter. Crossing over $70 Million on its initial global release with a $320,000 production budget making it the most financially successful single independent (Grant 73).…

Emile Zola and the Movies

The translation of any work of literature into another medium, even one apparently so closely aligned with the written word as film, is always a chancy proposition. While literature and film focus themselves on the same targets within the minds of their audiences; that of completing an organic connection between the conception and the reception of an idea, the very natures of the two disciplines demand different things of the person who is reading or watching the material. As exciting and enveloping as the best film experience may be, it is still, in its essence a passive experience; every action is already determined, "painted," and set in celluloid by the filmmaker. On the other hand, literature demands much more of its audience. Even when a writer devotes paragraphs to descriptions of various characters or activities, the reader still plays an integral part in the final…

However, in spite of the fact that the film was promoted as a motion picture displaying real-life events, it appears that the director did not hesitate to modify a series of aspects about the environment that he shot in and the story itself. The protagonist's wife and children were not actually his and Flaherty correctly believed that audiences would be more deeply impressed if he presented the story from a more spectacular point-of-view. Even with this, one can still claim that the film is a documentary because it presents viewers with its own creation.

Many individuals took advantage of the fact that documentary films were very influential and devised propaganda strategies using motion pictures. Many individuals involved in this affair considered that fiction films no longer had a strong appeal and that society was more concerned about seeing 'cinema verite'. Many filmmakers got actively engaged in creating films discussing political…

movie versions of "The Green Mile"

The Green Mile" is a six-part serial novel by Stephen King, an acclaimed novelist known for his themes of suspense, thriller, and the supernatural. The novel uses Paul Edgecombe, the chief prison guard of Cold Mountain Penitentiary, as the chief narrator of the story. He talks about his life as a prison guard during the Great Depression years, specifically during the year 1932, a year when he met John Coffey, a black American convicted for raping and killing two young girls. Edgecombe shares how his life (and belief) has changed tremendously when he met this particular man, most especially when a "miracle," a supernatural thing that happened to Edgecombe, making him doubt whether Coffey was indeed capable of murder or not. The novel also includes numerous characters that takes the novel an interesting turn, starting from Edgecombe's friends, also prison guards in Cold Mountain,…

film required for the class with a non-Required film of your choice.

One can find a lot of parallels between John Singleton's 1991 film "oyz n the Hood" and Allen and Albert Hughes' film "Menace II Society," taking into account that they both address the idea of young men dealing with violence in underprivileged African-American neighborhoods in the U.S. Even with the fact that both films are filled with stereotypes, they manage to put across the message the producers were interested in sending. They basically emphasize the harsh environment that a person has to deal with in order to be able to achieve success in his or her enterprise.

The fact that both movies are largely appreciated for the way they represent the 'Hood' means that they each have a large fan-base and that reviews are likely to differ on account of how each reviewer perceives each film. "oyz n…

movie industry in America has been controlled by some of the monolithic companies which not only provided a place for making the movies, but also made the movies themselves and then distributed it throughout the entire country. These are movie companies and their entire image revolved around the number of participants of their films. People who wanted to see the movies being made had to go to the studios in order to see them. They made movies in a profitable manner for the sake of the studios, but placed the entire industry under their control and dominated over it. The discussion here is about some of those famous studios inclusive of that of names like Metro Goldwyn Mayer, Culver, RKO, Paramount Studios, Warner Bros, 20th Century Fox, Walt Disney Studios, Universal Studios, Raleigh Studio, Hollywood Center Studio, Sunset Gower Studio, Ren-Mar Studios, Charlie Chaplin Studios and now, Manhattan Beach Studio.…

movie proposals. These would be the mission for the firm and its basic proposals, the company's "must" objectives, the company's "want" objectives and the estimated ROI for each of the for movies. This report will evaluate each of the movies as perceived by the four criteria previously mentioned and will subsequently make an overall evaluation and reason the best choice for the company.

The first movie, "My Life with Dalai Lama," perfectly complies with the main ideas of the company's mission. First of all, from a creative point-of-view, the idea to present the life of a personality through the eyes of a snake and through the eyes of other animals befriending him is new, interesting and creatively a positive aspect. Further more, to some degree it is also championing environmental concerns by presenting the role of animals in the life of a personality of 20th century history, bringing the animal…

Even if it successfully brings back to life a story forgotten by the public and distinguishes itself from today's typical films, Disturbia is no match for Rear indow.

It is not certain if Disturbia is homage or a remake to Rear indow, since the two movies are not exactly the same, but they are not very different either. hile some might consider Disturbia to be a rip-off to Rear indow (ilonsky 66), it is not the case here, since copying an idea as long as one does not copy its expression is not illegal. The reaction of the masses to Disturbia regarding the plagiarism involved in it is most probably owed to the film's success, since it is very probable for this condition to have been inexistent if the film were to make little to no money.

Caruso was right in bringing back the story present in Rear indow, considering…

This also makes an additional and still very strong point about the values of the contemporary world, that is the material ones.

Another issue that can be discussed is that of personal freedom. Nick Naylor may be a very intelligent and skilled orator, but he is not forcing people to do something against their will. All people ought to be able to decide for themselves. We have absolute freedom and control over ourselves. Therefore should we decide to harm ourselves through various vices such as drinking or smoking, why should there be anyone to prevent us from doing it? Does the stare still have the role to protect its citizens? Are the anti-smoking campaigns really made for the benefit of the people or is it everything about financial interests? Are there such things as the devil's advocates or do we have to take care of ourselves on our own? Do…

Right Thing

The first scene of Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing presents Senor Love Daddy (Samuel L. Jackson) in his element as morning radio host. Shot in one long take, the scene begins with an extreme close-up (ECU) of an alarm clock bearing the time 8 AM, a large silver radio microphone, and Senor Love Daddy's mustached mouth; he is obviously an African-American male. In addition to the ringing alarm clock, his cry of "Waaaake up!" alludes to the potential of the film to awaken increased racial consciousness. The camera gradually zooms out to reveal more of his face. Senor Love Daddy wears dark sunglasses in which a reflection mimics a pair of eyes. Later, his word play cleverly coincides with the unique shot of his eyes, as he says, "I'z only play the platters that matter..."

In the background, soul music plays softly so that it does not…

film "In Bedroom" story "Killings Andre Dobus.

Too Hollywood: "Killings" vs. In The Bed

In all actuality, it would be exceedingly difficult for any feature film to match the emotional depth and breadth of a (good) work of literature. Although Hollywood will claim otherwise, a true story cannot be told with images but with the connotations, the complexities, and the nuances of words, and with words alone. Subsequently, as can be expected anytime anyone attempts to stretch out a 15-page short story (approximately) into a two hours plus (130 minutes) film, there are several inconsistencies between Andre Dubus' short story entitled "Killings" and its feature film adaptation, In The Bedroom. But that's not the primary problem with the latter which, even more so than the short story itself, is a bloated, exceedingly lengthy production high on theatrics and drama and relatively low on emotion and characterization. The primary problem with…

Popular Film Cultures Have Propelled Civil and Social Rights

Culture is referred as shared interaction, patterns, cognitive constructs, behaviors as well as effective understanding learned through socialization and transferred from one generation to the other. In the United States and outside the United States, films have become a powerful tool to transmit cultures. In 2009, there were more than 6.8 billion films released compared to the world population that was roughly the same number. Moreover, films have produced revenue of more than $30 billion annually, and its impact on films on people's behaviors is staggering. For example, many people across the world are imitating American culture by watching their movies. Moreover, films have become a powerful tool for propelling civil and social rights.[footnoteRef:1] The social civil rights are the class of rights and freedoms people demand from the government, private individuals or social organizations. Civil rights movements protect people from…

film Sarah and James by Nikowa Namate offers an opportunity to reflect on the deeper themes in light of several film theories including Freudian theory, Queer theory, and an understanding of realism, naturalism, and kitchen sink drama. This essay will offer a nuanced and thorough analysis of my role in the filmmaking experience. In Sarah and James, I played the role of James, one of the title characters. As the title of the film suggests, though, James is not the only protagonist. The interplay between James and his sister Sarah is the foundation of the film, which addresses the way mental illness impacts intimate relationships. Moreover, I was in charge of lighting during the production of Sarah and James and will discuss elements related to lighting during the production of the film. This essay will hinge on the application of realism, naturalism, Freudian theory, and queer theory to my experience…

Women Want is an American romantic comedy brought to the big screen in 2000, staring Helen Hunt and Mel Gibson. The story revolves around Nick Marshall (played by Mel Gibson), a Chicago advertising executive and ultimate alpha male personality and considered to be a chauvinist. He is considered highly skilled at selling what men want and seducing women. Although Nick thinks he is next in line for a big promotion, he is faced with new competition from Darcy McGuire (played by Helen Hunt), who is hired in the position Nick aspired to, to broaden the company's general appeal to women. In a freak accident, Nick is electrocuted and develops the ability to hear the innermost thoughts of women. He subsequently uses that ability to advance his ideas vicariously through Helen Hunt; encouraging her as if the ideas were her own or even a collaboration of their two ideas. Nick also…

However, modern audiences know better, and they have to see through the stereotyping of white supremacy in this film. In an age when there is so much diversity in Hollywood, it seems the writers and directors could have done much more to work diversity into the picture. A character here or there is simply not effective. Many other films have managed to create diverse characters while still portraying comic book type situations. "Men in Black" is an excellent example. Therefore, this film did not help diversity, if anything, it added to the problem of diversity and stereotypical characters that behave in certain ways and do not mix with people of other colors or races.

No, this film did not foster a better understanding of diversity and multiculturalism. In fact, it fostered just the opposite. The film, if anything, is a celebration of white supremacy in the media. It is odd,…

film Instrument: Ten Years with the Band Fugazi, directed by Jem Cohen, at first seems, unlike many 'rock-us-mentaries,' to have no particular perspective upon its subject. But when a viewer looks at the film more closely and carefully applies a critical cinematic eye to the filmmaking process, a solidified interpretation begins to become clear. By not having an ostentatiously obvious 'take' on this punk band and the particular music the band has produced, the director has revealed his own moral orientation in favor of personal simplicity and a lack of hype in the production of music. The director has chosen to focus on the band because Fugazi is one of the supreme manifestations of the punk scene, a scene that emerged as a radical movement in youth music but largely became commercialized. Fugazi stands apart in sharp contrast to all of descents into commercialization, however, and still remains pure and…

Keeping the Faith: Presentation Outline

"Keeping the Faith" is a comedy movie that shows relationship between love, friendship and faith. The writer Stuart Blumberg and director Edward Norton have presented a story of three friends who belong to different faiths but fall in love due to close friendship. Overall it is a thought provoking and a romantic comedy drama movie which shows the complexities of relations between the faiths/religions of different people.

The two central characters of this comedy drama are the rabbi and priest (Frederic and Brussat, 2012) namely Jake and Brian. Jake is a "Jew" and Brian is a "oman Catholic." These two young adults, who grew up together in the New York City, take very much interest in each other's religion and have committed their lives to their faiths. Anna is their childhood neighbor and junior school friend who meets them after several years.

In these two…

Dead Man's Walk

In the stories of the Wild West, there is always a white man in a white hat who serves as the hero of the story. The villain is always the other white man in the black hat. Symbolically, the villain becomes a racial other because of the color of his hat. When a black hat cannot be found, the other villain of a western will be the Native American, more commonly referred to as the Indian, since calling them by the more politically correct term would be anachronistic. This is a tradition of American stories of the Wild West where the white man, no matter what his character is, will always be heroic in comparison to the villainous other. In the movie version of Larry McMurtry's novel Dead Man's Walk, the heroes of the story are intended to be the Caucasian Texas Rangers and the villains are…

The ideology of race only came to justify the existence of slavery after all 'equal' men were said to have inherent rights. Until then, virtually all peoples of the world had been enslaved at one point or another, even before the existence of 'races,' and inferiority as a category could be applied to the poor, to despised ethnicities like the Irish, or even to despised members of other tribes in Africa.

orks Cited

Fields, Barbara. "Presentation." Race: The Power of an Illusion. PBS ebsite. 2001. February 9, 2009. http://www.pbs.org/race/000_About/002_04-background-02-02.htm

Davidson, Basil.

Africa: A Voyage of Discovery with Basil Davidson. RM Arts, 1984.

Horton, James O. "Origin of race, slavery." Race: The Power of an Illusion. PBS ebsite. 2003.

February 9, 2009. http://www.pbs.org/race/000_About/002_04-background-02-04.htm

Obadina, Tunde. "Role of African Slave Traders." Edofolks. February 9, 2009. http://www.edofolks.com/html/pub157.htm

Smedley, Audrey. "Origin of the idea of race." Anthropology Newsletter. November 1997.

Reprinted 2003 on Race:…

Society is the same way; it is polarized between "black and white," (as the film's black and white theme indicates), "good and bad," and "kill or be killed." The film's motifs indicate that society and Michel's flaunting of society are intertwined, and that as long as there is an organized society, there will be those who simply cannot accept the rules of society, or fit inside it comfortably. The jump cuts in the film can often be uncomfortable to watch, or irritating, and this too is a way of the director to comment on society and government. Often, there are aspects of the government and state that are uncomfortable or irritating, but the people have to put up with them or make an effort to change them. In this film, Michel does not try to change them, he simply refuses to adapt to them, and it costs him his life.…

Sport in Two Films: Any Given Sunday and Field of Dreams

Sport has been a significant part of society for centuries. In part, sport is a recreational activity, a social activity, and a means of competing. However, sport also holds greater significance for many people. It represents something that goes beyond just competing or just winning and says something about the way people interact and work together to achieve their dreams. At the same time though, the meaning of sport has been lost over the years. Winning has become so important to some that the joy of sport has been lost. For others, sport has become so intertwined with making money that the meaning has eroded. In today's society, the joy and meaning in sport has begun to be lost. Two films that deal with these issues are Any Given Sunday and Field of Dreams. Both films offer a view…

When Carrie expressed to Charles that he was conquest number thirty two, it was one of Scheflen's indicators of sexual intent were of a qualified nature or negated by opposing behaviors. This type of courtship behaviors that she exhibited was in an inappropriate context, however, it showed a teasing interest.

In the opinion of this author, the level of Scheflen's stages that Carrie and Charles reached was obviously invitation, particularly when Carrie shows up at Charles' wedding and this causes him to blow the wedding ceremony by admitting his infatuation with her ("Human nonverbal courtship," 2011).

The gender differences were those normally noted by psychologists such as Scheflen noted are displayed. In such instances, women usually use behaviors such as intimate gazing, touching, smiling, and self-grooming while men used intimate touching. Carrie was atypical in that many women initiate intimate touching only after marriage while men usually do it before…

Crimson Tide: Leadership

If there is anything that makes Crimson Tide watchable, it's the intense conflict of philosophies regarding leadership between the two lead characters, Captain Frank Ramsey (Gene Hackman) and Lieutenant Commander Ron Hunter (Denzel Washington). It is essentially about how people with two completely different mindsets and viewpoints responded to crisis and eventually began respecting each other's wisdom and logic. Ron Hunter represents the new breed of leaders, daring, smart, fearless and honest who can stand up to people and views they find theoretically wrong. Ramsey on the other hand represents the old brigade that had tossed away of the rule-book a long time back and instead use their past experience as the most reliable guide for future actions.

For Hunter, it is incomprehensible why Ramsey would ignore the rules and instead go by his own beliefs and conviction. He is a Harvard graduate and rules mean everything…

movie, A League of Their Own centers on the All-American Girls Professional aseball League's (AAGPL) first season; the league was initiated to bridge the chasm that was formed by disbanding of the Major League aseball on account of the Second World War. For the very first time in baseball history, young females from urban softball and farm leagues across America were sought for playing professional baseball. The league was fairly short-lived, partly due to a return of the men following the war's culmination and subsequent re-establishment of ML; as a result, the AAGPL's popularity dropped. The dozen years for which the league operated left its mark on sports history, since it offered female athletes a chance to professionally pursue baseball and make much more money than factory workers.

How does the film relate to what you read about the early history of sport (Module 3: The Early History of Sport…

Exhaustion" demonstrates an interest in the subject of how different media might affect the meaning of art. Barth's general remarks at the opening of "The Literature of Exhaustion" indicate a sort of ambivalence about what he terms "intermedia' arts" (65). He seems to approve of "their tendency to eliminate…the most traditional notion of the artist…one endowed with uncommon talent, who has moreover developed and disciplined that endowment into virtuosity" (65). Yet in terms of aesthetic theory this is not altogether different from a normative 19th century or modernist conception of the artist's role: one thinks of such famous aesthetic pronouncements as Flaubert declaring that the artist must be like God, "everywhere present and nowhere visible," or Wilde's dictum that "to reveal art and conceal the artist is art's aim," or James Joyce's God-like artist "invisible, refined out of existence, indifferent, paring his fingernails." It could be argued that this main…

Film Reflection: Happy (2011)

The 2011 documentary Happy seeks to understand a very simple question—what makes people happy? As well as interviewing professionals in the field of psychology, the filmmaker Roko Belic solicited the opinion of a wide range of individuals, spanning from a rickshaw driver, a victim of a car accident, and individuals from a variety of nations, occupations, and socio-economic statuses. Belic’s search was spawned by the fact that while some individuals in the developed world enjoy high levels of affluence, they are very rarely happy. How is it possible that someone can be happier as an impoverished Cajun fisherman or a rickshaw driver in India than someone with all of the material comforts one could want in an American suburb?

Belic found that community and a sense of purpose was the driving factor in what made people happy. For example, the rickshaw driver he interviewed said that…

This question appears to be at the heart of the production of the movie. I however felt that between the action of the astronauts and the images from the telescope the question was lost. A question that is central to the construction of life on earth or at least the belief of life on other planets. Hubble 3D is however still very captivating.

The short running time while criticized by some is a great feature of the movie. Any longer and the audience would have been treated to the very mundane activities of the astronauts. The length is critical to making this movie work. It is short but not too short. You get the sense that the director is attempting to send a message about space and the tools that are available to look into space and peer into the unending universe.

The use of the astronauts to repair the…

Cinematography Order

Cinematography and Film

In the movie industry there is some very important roles in making a film from the head honcho, the executive producer, his directors, and his cinematographer, and there has to be organization and everyone doing their job in order for a movie to be considered first rate. The director has two main people under him, the art director and his cinematographer, whose main job is to operate the camera, and the camera has to be continuously ready for different shots that are taken in the different sets in the movie because the camera is the one that makes and shapes the lightening of a scene to make it match what is going on during that moment. What people see when they watch every scene in the movie is the cinematography, also known as the visual look of the movie ( ).

Furthermore just like a…

Limitless is a film that was released by elativity Media and Virgin Produced in 2011. The film's primary cast consists of Bradley Cooper, who plays the protagonist, Eddie Morra, Abbie Cornish, who plays Eddie's girlfriend Lindy, and obert DeNiro, who plays Carl Van Loon, a finance and energy tycoon. The premise of the film is that Eddie, a struggling professional writer, comes across the brother of his ex-wife, Vernon, on the streets of New York City by chance. Vernon, a former drug dealer, and now shady pharmaceutical consultant, offers Eddie a drug that allows him complete access to the full capacity of his brain. Vernon is murdered by criminal rivals and Eddie takes Vernon's remaining cash and stash of the fictional wonder-drug to propel his life in a new, much better direction. The conflicts of the film include the unknown and potentially fatal side effects of the drug that Eddie…

Ethics of Film Production

It goes without saying that film producers owe a certain level of responsibility to not only those being filmed but also to the audience. During production, a number of key considerations should ideally be taken into account in regard to how the film will impact on those who happen to be part of it i.e. during its production, those who will view it on release as well as any other pre and post production stakeholders. Hence during filmmaking, producers owe all these constituencies a responsibility. In this text, I concern myself with the ethics of film production. In so doing, I will also shine a spotlight on both copyright and legal issues.

Ethics of Film Production

According to Barbash and Taylor, "ethical issues are rarely discussed in film production manuals" (48). This in the authors' opinion is largely as a result of the discomfort ethical issues…

Of note, Out of the Past was released in Europe and Great Britain as Build My Gallows High. It seems that both films could have been subtitled with this alternative note, particularly when we focus upon the editing -- each piece is but a plank in the construction of the gallows and when the camera has had enough of these nefarious people they are then cast aside as they do others (Homes).

Editing Example 2 -- Geometric vs. Sound-Based Editing- Geometric editing is essentially a technique that uses the positions of the camera, one following each other, when put together, form a geometric shape or picture of the action. For example, the interaction of close ups (when the policemen are talking, for instance) with long shots, of traffic and the city, in The Line Up. In addition, the geometry of the editing moved from box to box, almost in a…

Capote was always clearly a film meant to appeal to a more educated and selective audience, and finding that audience is not as easy as for the major releases. Traditional methods of promotion and marketing are still widely used, but television has become the centerpiece of every campaign, with the advertising blitz in the week or so before a film opens being the determining factor in the success or failure of the effort. Much marketing effort today goes into developing ancillary markets and product tie-ins of various sorts, all to help recoup expenses and, if a film is very successful, to cash in to an even greater degree. Capote also advertised on television, but not with the sort of budget that would be available for a major studio release. Marketing a film like Capote on television would have been very difficult a few years ago when the primary outlet used…

Breakfast Club

The film the Breakfast Club that was a hit nearly 30 years ago, has provided a useful source of information for the study of media, movie and sociology. The purpose of this essay is to discuss the diversity issues related to present day society that are found within this film. The essay will then discuss the potential impact that these issues may have on society.

Diversity Issues

There is no doubt, that society has changed tremendously in the years since the production and screening of the film The Breakfast Club. The theme of this movie revolves around 5 teenage high school students who have found themselves the target of a mean educator who had decided to punish them with an 8-hour detention session taking place on a Saturday. The 5 students, all white, find themselves throughout the film realizing their connection with one another and that the supposed…

1934 film The Goddess directed by Wu Yonggang, uses the film elements mis en scene and cinematography in order to compose and deliver a moving and dramatic narrative. This short clip tells the story of a woman who suddenly discovers that her savings are missing. Upon learning this she exits rapidly to find the culprit, but not before comforting her young son. The main elements used in mis en scene are the following: setting, props, costume, performance, lighting and composition. The main elements used in cinematography are: framing, shot distance, length of take, camera movement, camera angle and depth of film.

During the beginning of the clip the first element that stands out is the setting. This element is carefully chosen in order to give the audience specific information about the characters. The setting is the interior of a humble and simple home. This tells the audience about the characters…

Technology in Film

Fred Ott was the very first movie star that every existed. His brief starring role in the five-second film that showed him sneezing started the use of technology to make films. Since then, technology both in and out of film has changed immeasurably and what technology is used and is said about technology in these same films has evolved quite a lot and the statements sometimes made are profound. A summary of the Fred Ott principle and how it pertains to three films in particular in the early 1900's will be covered in this report. Those films are Modern Times, The General and Lonedale Operator. It will then be answered what technology allows the director to do from a narrative and technical level standpoint as well as when/how/where/why the new technology appears. It will be answered whether there are particular characters that are associated with the technology…

Amazingly, all of the movies mentioned above ranked in the top ten at the box office. atman was the most financially lucrative with a number one box-office rating and a total gross of just over $251 million followed by atman Returns with a number two box-office rating and a total gross of nearly $163 million. Ed Wood was the least successful and came in at number nine at the box office and grossed about $5.8 million (Tim urton FAQ).

In 2001, urton's Planet of the Apes was panned by the critics, leaving some to question if urton had lost his luster. (Andac). About the same time as Planet of the Apes, both of urton's parents died within a short space of time (Jackson and McDermott, 2004). In 2003, he bounced back with ig Fish, a story of a man trying to reconnect with his dying father. This was one of…

The film is about rather ordinary events taking place in an environment that experiences a forceful change. Adults practically contrast children through their thinking and the way that they behave, considering that in spite of the fact that they talk while the children are on a silent strike, they fail to put across thorough thought and only manage to fuel each-other's prejudiced nature. Isamu and Minoru are intriguing through the fact that they manage to display clever and sincere acting, demonstrating that they had a special relationship with the director and that they collaborated in making it possible for the film to express authentic feelings. The fact that their actual role in the film regards their interest in criticizing their parents over their reluctance to say what they think when they think it adds to the thought that the children take on a more rational character. This makes their parents…

persuade classmates film effective social critique. Using Toulmin system, make a claim film's effectiveness ineffectiveness, provide reasons support claim, supply grounds film support reasons.

Crash

The cinematography industry generates numerous motion pictures directed at dealing with contemporary problems and while most of them are Hollywodian and thus commercial in character, they nonetheless manage to put across a thorough account of the topic that they discuss. Paul Haggis' 2004 film Crash is obviously meant to deal with racism and with the fact that it poses a threat to society's well-being. Although the script is filled with marketable elements and most events in it are unlikely to happen in real life (at least not in successive order), the movie express racism exactly as it is, emphasizing that society should indeed be alarmed because of the discriminating character people display on a daily basis.

Considering that Los Angeles is a city overwhelmed with…

Today, more than forty years later, the special effects for a film are still in an evolutionary stage, and the Star ars one was the first films to use the 3 dimensional Computer Generated Images technique in a feature film. Today, visual and special effects are even more popular than they were a few years back, and when Luxo, which was the first computer generated film to be nominated for an Oscar, was created, with the subject of the film being a desk lamp, which would talk and walk, it was indeed a landmark for the film world in the development of technique.

The 'Toy Story' was produced in 1995, and this film used both computer generated images as well as hand drwan ones throughout the movie. In 'Lord of the Rings', the character of Gollum was a computer generated one, and when this image was used in conjunction with…

Taking this into consideration, formalist films always try to come up with the idea that are merely personal imaginations, and events in the film are practically impossible in real life situations. Due to this, the style used in formalist films is usually very high. Its editing is sharp for the purpose of reminding the audience that it is merely a work of an artist. Formalist films always have a deeper and symbolic meaning which only the film elite can understand it. These are audiences who have adequate knowledge of evaluating a film in order to get its meaning.

eferences

Andrew, Dudley. The Major Film Theories: An Introduction. London: Oxford University Press, 1976. Print.

Braudy, L & Cohen, M. " Eisenstein, Sergei" The Dramaturgy of Film Form (The Dialectical Approach to Film Form). Film Theory and Criticism: Introductory eadings. By. New York: Oxford UP, 2009. 24-40. Print.

Braudy, L & Cohen,…

Romeo & Juliet Movie Production Critique

This movie production critique is based on the William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet version, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes. Staring off with the set, this was based as Verona Beach, and portrayed as a modern day city. There are many references to religion in the set, with angel statues and shots of churches and areas of prayer. Also, many of the buildings in the inner city (away from the beach), are large skyscraper-like buildings with large signs denoting Montague or Capulet. The mansion of the Capulet's is large and opulent, with gardens, many staircases, many rooms, and a large pool where the infamous "Romeo, oh Romeo" scene takes place. Modernism is apparent in the billboards, beach front and gas stations shown.

Use of light during the day is infused with color and intensity. The sun shines with golden abundance and each characters eyes…

ob einer's 1987 film The Princess Bride enjoyed only moderate box office revenues, but developed popular underground appeal and has become a cult classic. The enduring respect for einer's quirky romantic comedy is immediately apparent: it is far from formulaic, and does not truly fit in either to the "rom com" designation or that of a fantasy. The Princess Bride also includes a cast filled with luminaries like Peter Falk, Andre the Giant, and Christopher Guest. Its cast and celebrity director therefore enhances the credibility of The Princess Bride. Ultimately, though, the script and the overall tone of the film make The Princess Bride classically compelling. William Goldman's eponymous novel, upon which the film is based, transforms seamlessly into a film that capitalizes on the clever story-within-a-story concept. Peter Falk reads The Princess Bride to his grandson, who is staying home sick from school. At first, the grandson balks at…

sound technologies and sound design in Film

Sound in films

Experiments in Early Age

Developments

Crucial innovations

Commercialization of sound cinema: U.S., Europe, and Japan

Sound Design

Unified sound in film production

Sound designers in Cinematography

Sound Recording Technologies

History of Sound Recording Technology

Film sound technology

Modern Digital Technology

History of sound in films

Developments

Sound Design

Sound Recording Technologies

The film industry is a significant beneficiary of performing arts. The liberal arts combined with latest techniques and advancements experienced a number of stages. The introduction of films and sound in films was a significant development of its times. The introduction of first film along with sound was a unique event and it revolutionized the industry in such a way that it influenced every individual related to the industry to start thinking on creative and innovative grounds for improvements. The stages of films can be identified as silent films…

ar Films

Taking Jeanine Basinger at her word would leave us with far fewer war films than we think we have. Basinger is a 'strict constructionist,' accepting as war films only those that have actual scenes of warfare (Curley and etta, 1992. p. 8; Kinney, 2001, p. 21). That means that the four films that will be considered here, and especially the two orld ar II films, are not war films. By Basinger's yardstick, neither Casablanca nor Notorious, neither Born on the Fourth of July nor Coming Home would qualify as war films.

On the other hand, films such as hite Christmas, a lightweight Bing Crosby-Danny Kaye-Rosemary Clooney-Vera Ellen comedy about the aftermath of war for an old soldier might well be a 'war' movie. The opening scene is one in which the old soldier, Dean Jagger, is reviewing his troops when, somewhere in Italy during the Christmas lull, bombs…

Director John McTiernan's 1999 film, The 13th arrior, is a competent movie, made entertaining by its tight storyline, moody tone, masterful cinematography, realistic and often graphic fight scenes, and the strength of its supporting cast. A great deal of the movie's success comes from the cinematography of Peter Menzies, who creates an almost supernatural mood through his shooting of well-choreographed battle scenes in a dark, silent mist. Overall, the movie could never be described as Oscar-worthy material, yet its many strengths make it a watchable and enjoyable film.

The movie's main storyline is tightly plotted and concise. This is not a movie with a preponderance of plot twists and turns, and the storyline is largely self-evident and linear. There are a couple of exceptions, as in a short love interest between Banderas' character and a Norse princess, but they are short and do not distract from the main plot. As…

Student of Prague and German Cinema

The Germany film industry revolution

The Film industry in Germany has come a long way and is seen as one of the ancient film industries that gave a portrayal of both the artistic as well as the aesthetic and the economic value of films in Germany in the early 1900s. The paper will hence not only look into the history of the Germany film industry, but also select a relevant film to demonstrate the significance of the film selected to the subject matter it covered, the people and the relevance to the time that it was produced and it depicted. The film that will be used in this demonstration is "The Student of Prague" which would be analyzed to see the kind of contribution that it brought to the film industry in Germany at that given moment in time.

The films of the early…

River Runs Through it and "A River Runs through It"

Norman Maclean's book vs. The Redford movie -- An illustration of the limits of the visual media of film to transmute the philosophical media of prose

The movie isn't as good as the book." This phrase has become a truism about almost every filmed depiction of a novel, particularly if Hollywood is responsible for the production. However, in the case of director Robert Redford's film of the Norman Maclean novella A River Runs Through It, a more fair critique of Redford's effort might be that the film is inevitably different, not necessarily better. Redford took an intensely introverted, philosophical book, highly dependant upon internal as well as external character development and attempted to render it into the visual media of film.

It must be universally acknowledged that films and books will always differ in their artistic nature to one another.…

Blade Runner directed in 1982 y Ridley Scott, is a film which examines the nature of reality, something that it plays with very heavily using factors like visuals and memory design. The film features Deckard, the protagonist who hunts replicants. However, over time, it ecomes clear that Deckard is not too different from those he hunts (Reagle, 1996). "The replicants rely on photographs and implanted memories to olster their nascent and fragile emotions. After Deckard tells Rachael that her photos and memories are merely copies of those that elong to Tyrell's niece, he falls asleep amidst his own childhood photographs" (Reagle, 1996). This demonstrates oth the sanctity and falliility of memory has a whole and how memory, along with the visual elements of one's collective reality can do a great deal when it comes to shaping one's perspective. Memory can distort, the film gently reminds one, and this distortion can…

A perfect example of this is located in Chapter three. Chapter three opens with the camera zooming steadily in on a window. The shot then cuts to a shot of streetlights, establishing the time of day as early morning. Even though simply not enough of the room is exhibited to demonstrate what exactly exists within it, the shot following the streetlight is of a woman in bed, strongly suggesting it was her bedroom that the camera was stealthily creeping up to in order to peep through the lace curtains unbeknownst to the sleeping woman.

This voyeurism keeps going even as the aforementioned woman gets up, washes and dresses in various sequences interspersed in chapter three. Vertov's camera cuts from the sleeping woman to the painting on the wall of an old man, located and leering as if he too were watching her sleep.

This voyeurism is further emphasized by the…