Term
Soviet Cinema in the 1920s
• context |
|
Definition
o Pre-Revolutionary Russia
o Czar-> rest were peasants
o Czar Nicholas II- 1917 overthrown
o V.I. Lenin
• motion pictures- film was the most important art
• most peasants were illiterate
o VGIK (Moscow Film School)
• further the Bolshevik cause
• state-run
o “agitprop”- agitation and propaganda |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
o kino glaz (film eye)
• camera could record reality
• duty of the camera to show reality to people
o kino prava (film truth) newsreels
• arrange images in a persuasive way
• win people over to new and revolutionary way of life
o Man With a Movie Camera (1929)- “city symphony films” |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
o “Kuleshov Workshops”
• focus on issues of theory and experimentation
• outside of school
o Creative Geography
• take shots of people in different places and juxtapose them together
• creating an imaginary space
o “The Kuleshov Effect”
• how the audience reads and image
• facial expression remains the same
• every shot has two distinct values; that which it posses as a photographic image of reality and
• that which it acquires when placed in relationship to other shots
o Montage- putting imagery together |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
o “Kuleshov Workshops”
• focus on issues of theory and experimentation
• outside of school
o Creative Geography
• take shots of people in different places and juxtapose them together
• creating an imaginary space
o “The Kuleshov Effect”
• how the audience reads and image
• facial expression remains the same
• every shot has two distinct values; that which it posses as a photographic image of reality and
• that which it acquires when placed in relationship to other shots
o Montage- putting imagery together |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
o put theories into practice
o create movies with collective protagonists
o goal-oriented protagonist
o Strike (1925)
o typeage
o Potemkin (1925)- Odessa Steps Sequence
o 5 types of Montage:
• metric- tempo of cuts throughout sequence
• rhythmic- cutting based on movement within shots
cut as a counterpoint
cut to reinforce
• tonal- cutting based on dominant emotional tone within scene
• overtonal- synthesis of first three together
• intellectual or ideological- creating metaphors, ideas
• Intellectual Montage
o basis in Japanese Ideograms
• bird + mouth = song
• water + eye = cry
• dog + mouth = bark
o basis in Marxist Dialectic
new ruling class
bourgeoisie -> proletariat
synthesis
thesis -> antithesis
o October (1926)
• Stalin’s Influence
o “socialist realism” |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
• metric- tempo of cuts throughout sequence
• rhythmic- cutting based on movement within shots
cut as a counterpoint
cut to reinforce
• tonal- cutting based on dominant emotional tone within scene
• overtonal- synthesis of first three together
• intellectual or ideological- creating metaphors, ideas |
|
|
Term
The German Golden Age, 1923-1929
• Pre-History |
|
Definition
o autorenfilm-> “famous authors film”
o The Student of Prague (1913) |
|
|
Term
| • The Weiman Republic, 1919-1933 |
|
Definition
o Treaty of Versailles
o German economy left in shambles -> hyper-inflation
o flowering of art and ideas, literature, and theater
o Bauhaus |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
o merger of smaller companies
o The Parufamet Agreement
• MGM, Paramount, Ufa
• bail out for German film debt
• line between German and Hollywood cripples German film industry |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
o costume films
o expressionism*
o realism |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
• art movement
o revolt against impressionism, naturalism, optimism
o Munch, Grosz, Beckman
• The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1919)
o D: Robert Wiene
o 1st expressionist film
o importance:
• establishes expressionist characteristic
• stories of uncanny, psychological dysfunction
• acting style
• characters=types
• stylized design (mise-en-scene) what you see within a frame
setting and props
lighting
costume and makeup
figure expressionism and movement
• Nosferatu (1922)
o D: F.W. Murnau
o expressionist elements
• Metropolis (1926)
o D: Fritz Lang
o final expressionist film
o Schufftan Process- mirrors/double exposure |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
• Kammerspiel
o “Intimate Theater”
o characteristics:
• focused on lower-middle class life
• claustrophobic/ very close
• importance of inanimate objects
• The Last Laugh (1924)
o D: F.W. Murnau w/ Emil Jannings
o DP: Karl Freund
o “The Unchained Camera”
• TV: I Love Lucy ’51- 3 cameras and use of lightgrid
• Psychological Realism
• End of the Golden Age
o 1931- M, last film of the Golden Age
o Fritz Lang- long career in U.S. until he returns to Germany in the 60s |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
• Stylistic Concerns
• Expressionism in Hollywood
o horror films
o Orson Welles
o film noir
o The Fool Killer
o recent movies |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
• Pre-History
o silents were never silent
o trying experiments to synch sound from the beginning
o always an auditory component
• problems with sound
o synchronization
o amplification
o cost of conversion
o standardization |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
• sound-on-disk
o Warner’s “Vitaphone”
o AT&T -> research and development division: Western Electric
o a deal is made- 1925
o Don Juan (1926)- 1st feature-length sound motion picture
o The Jazz Singer (1927)- Al Jolson (hugely popular vaudeville star)
o 1928- first “all talking” picture: Light of New York
• sound-on-film
o early efforts- DeForest, “Phonofilm”
o William Fox buys Case System (Fox Movietone News Reels: Charles Lindburgh)
o Fox “Movietone”
o RCA creates RKO (Radio Keith Orphium)- “Photophone” |
|
|
Term
Sound Arrives
• The Conversion |
|
Definition
o industry cooperation
o studios sit back with a “wait-and-see” attitude
o sound-on-film wins out |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
o economic
• huge need for money to make conversion possible
• $100,000,000 to wire theaters
• go to the bank to get this money
• reps from Wall Street become part of motion picture companies
• intro of sound helps stave off effects of the depression on the film industry
• language causes a problem-> exporting difficulties
make movie twice either with:
new cast
or same cast speaking different language
o aesthetic
• can’t move camera initially
• can’t let actors move around as much, must cluster around mic
• editing becomes difficult
• first few years of talkies stiff and stilted
• overly sensitive mics
• kills off some careers
• importing of stars from Broadway
• new crop of writers
• death of genres (ex: silent comedy)
• development of genres |
|
|
Term
Hollywood and the Depression
• Effect on Hollywood |
|
Definition
o drop in profits
o from a robust and healthy industry to one that is on the edge
o drops in attendance
o listening to Radio instead of going out to see films
o The New Deal
• NIRA (National Industrial Recovery Act) Code- 1933
• Roosevelt
• rise of unions in Hollywood |
|
|
Term
| • Reaction of Film Industry |
|
Definition
o cutting of prices
o double features/ double bills (buy one get one free)
o gimmicks: dish night
o amp up violence and sex: gangster movies, the “fallen women” films (Red-Headed Woman) |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
o creation of “Production Code” (1930)
• redrafting of “Don’ts and Be Carefuls”
• statement of philosophy
• people mostly ignore the code
o book: Our Movie Made Children (1933)
o Payne Fund Study |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
• Catholic Legion of Decency (1934)
• Production Code Administration (PCA)
o aka “The (Joseph I.) Breen Office” (1934)
o within Hays Office (MPPDA)
• Content Must Be Approved
o enforced
o $25,000 fine
o no showing in big 1st-run theaters
o ratings begin: A,B,C (“C” only seen “under penalty of sin”) |
|
|
Term
The Studio System
• Background |
|
Definition
o 1917-8 American film industry’s main commodity is the feature-length film
o move to Hollywood
o 20s vertical integration
o stock market crash- Hollywood staves off the depression for some time, but then it too suffers |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
o MGM- Metro Goldwyn Mayer
• Louis B. Mayer
• star-studded attractions
• Clark Gable
• Greta Garbo
• known for musicals
• Judy Garland
• made B-movies that were more like A-movies for other studios
o Paramount
• Adolf Zukor
• an air of European sophistication
• Gary Cooper
• 1940s- film noirs and a certain level of sophistication
o Warner Brothers
• Jack Warner
• known for socially conscious dramas (taking stories from the headlines) vs. MGM and Paramount who would buy the rights to novels
• known form costume films in the mid and late 1930s
• Errol Flinn
• Bette Davis
• Joan Crawford
• Humphrey Bogart
• Casablanca
o 20th Century-Fox
• Darryl F. Zanuck
• Shirley Temple
• Henry Fonda
• John Ford
• Marilyn Monroe
o RKO
• Fred Astaire
• Ginger Rogers
• Orson Welles- Citizen Kane
• well-known for noir films |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
• Universal- not vertically integrated (no theaters)
• Columbia- not vertically integrated (no theaters)
• United Artists- didn’t make films, only distributed them
o Universal
• All Quiet on the Western Front
• horror initiator
• known for series films (Abbott and Costello
o Columbia
• Jimmy Stewart
• Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
• known for series films
• Frank Capra
o United Artists
• Charlie Chaplin
• distributed independent films
• Alfred Hitchcock |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
o “mature oligopoly”
o “interlocking directorates”
this system was created to maintain stability |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
o major independents
• David O. Selznick- Gone with the Wind
• Samuel L. Goldwyn- Wuthering Heights
• Walt Disney- Steamboat Willie
o poverty row
• Republic
westerns
serials
one of the best special effects studios
• Monogram
Charlie Chan
series with kids from Angels with Dirty Faces |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
o certain number directors, etc.
o cinematographers
o glossy
o every studio has particular House Style
o each studio has a certain look and feel |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
o Big 5 control only 3,000 of the 17-18,000 theaters
o most of their houses are “First Run”
o system of RUN-ZONE-CLEARANCE (waiting period) |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| every person within studio system had a specific job |
|
|
Term
| Classical Hollywood Cinema |
|
Definition
• narrative films
• character-centered: goal-oriented protagonist
• star-genre combinations (type-cast: keeps stars with what they are knows for and what they are good at)
o classical Hollywood cinema
o gangster: James Cagney- waited 10 years to do what he wanted
o John Wayne- western
o Fred Astare- song and dance
o today: not the same, pictures are made on a picture by picture basis |
|
|
Term
Indie African-American Film
• Black Images/White Industry
• Movie-Going |
|
Definition
o (diminished roles)-demeaning
o segregated theaters
o segregated industry |
|
|
Term
| • Independent African-American Film |
|
Definition
o early efforts
• William Foster
• 1910-6: many films
• black entrepreneurs (like Foster)
directed towards African-American audiences
never went beyond a handful of movies
• Birth of a Race (1918)- first full-length feature film by blacks for blacks
Emmitt J. Scott
not successful
• Lincoln Motion Picture Company
George and Noble Johnson
“Race Films”
alternate industry |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
• Background
o a hidden history
o farmer and homesteader
o turns to writing novels-> The Homesteader, self-published
o decides to make a film version of his novel (1918-ish)
o continues to create films
o Roadshowing
• Early Films
o Within Our Gates (1920)
o tried to work off of star system, but begins to run into technical problems into the 1930s
o still dealt with issues of race within his films
• Problems
• Continued Controversy |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
• George Randol
• White-Backed Company
o Ralph Coope/Harry and Leo Popkin
o Million Dollar Productions
• The Duke is Tops (1938): Sack, Toddy, Astor
• Harlem Rides the Range: Herbert Jeffrey
• Spencer Williams
o The Blood of Jesus (1941)
• Hollywood
o all-star musicals
o “social problem films”
• Pinky
• No Way Out (1950)
• Odds Against Tomorrow (1959) |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
• alternative to Hollywood films
• taboo subjects- “adults only”
o neighborhood/independent theaters
o separate from big five
• Production
o cheap, cheap, cheap!
o forbidden spectacle- “the square-up”
• Distribution
o states’ rights- sell rights to certain state or group of states
o roadshow- drive from town to town giving shows
• Exhibition
o age restriction
o set themselves apart from Hollywood with “adults only”
o segregate audiences by sex
o use incredible amounts of publicity
o distribution of “manuals”
o hot and cold versions
• hot- racier versions for places without production code
• cold- cleaned-up versions for jurisdiction with production code
o production code begins to loosen its grip in 1950s |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
• Background
o “child prodigy”
o went to boarding school and produced plays
o federal theater company
• Theater
o WPA federal theater project-> met John Houseman
o Mercury Theatre
• Radio
o Mercury Theatre in the Air
o “War of the Worlds,” October 30, 1938
o Why the panic?
• people had just tuned-in during the middle
• people used to news bulletins
• certain level of “Martian sensitivity”
• uses voice of authority (sounds like FDR)
o skyrocketed Welles to fame-> courted by many studios but signs with RKO because they allow him to do whatever he wants |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
o Herman Mankiewicz
o “the Great Synthesis”
o structure
• not a singular point of view (as demonstrated above)
• McGuffin- idea where you see something and it sucks you into the movie (Rosebud)
o visuals
• cinematographer: Gregg Toland
• long take/deep focus
background
middle ground
foreground
• Andre Bazin
aesthetic
discussed long take/deep focus-> gives spectator freedom to decide what’s important
ambiguity
• low-angle shots and high-angle shots
• stylized shots
o editing
• dissolves
• wipes
• shock cuts (death-> News on the March)
o sound: sound bridges between scenes
o themes
• grand figure that meets a tragic end
• corrupting influence of power
• innocence condemned to failure
• effect of past on present |
|
|
Term
The Networks
• Formation of NBC |
|
Definition
o settling parties of RCA
• Premiers Nov. 1926
o WEAF (flagship station)
o 21 stations
o David Sarnoff
• Two kinds of stations
o affiliates- owned independently but sign on with network
o O&O- owned and operated by the network
o advantages for both
• NBC splits into 2 networks
o NBC Red (flagship station WEAF)- commercials and entertainment
o NBC Blue (flagship station WJZ)- “sustaining” programming, public service oriented
o splits into two stations to “avoid” a monopoly
o 1933- 10 O&O stations |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
o Arthur Judson, talent agent
o United Independent Broadcasters, Inc. (initial idea for name)
o Columbia Phonograph Broadcasting Systems premiers Sept. 1927
o Columbia pulls out
• William S. Paley- invests $300,000
• Paley gets other investors
o Paramount-Publix
o stars: Bing Crosby, Kate Smith
• Profits
• Advertising
o agencies initially purchase time for clients
o agencies begin to produce programs
• Factors Structuring Broadcasting 20s-70s
o nationwide systems based on advertising
o networks linked together by long distance phone lines on cables
o stations with temporary licenses
o regulatory commission bases its decisions on (PICON) “public interest, convenience, or necessity |
|
|
Term
The Golden Age of Radio
• The Depression
• Radio and Culture |
|
Definition
o role of the networks
o cultural unity- people hear same joke and programs
o political unity
• F.D.R.- 1st president really able to use this medium to go directly to the people with his policies and programs
• “fireside chats” |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| o genre: a category of art, literature or entertainment distinguished by similarities in style, form or content |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
o defined by a continuing cast of characters who recur over a number of episodes
o three-act structure
• exposition
• complication
• resolution
o continuing vs. contained serials
• never really reach resolution in a continuing serial
• contained serial has a resolution
• continuing: soap opera
• contained: I Love Lucy |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
o Amos ‘n’ Andy
• helps to establish network radio and the serial
• Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll
• origins as Sam and Henry at WGN, Chicago
• lured to WMAQ (NBC) in 1929 from WGN
o syndication- non-networking distribution of programming to individual stations
o three types of sit-coms (situation comedies)
• nuclear family- Two and a Half Men
• domesticated workplace- Mary Tyler Moore
• personality-based- Seinfeld
o The Burns and Allen Show
o The Goldbergs
o Lum ‘n’ Abner
o The Aldrich Family |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
o The Eddie Cantor Show
o The Chase and Sanborn Hour with Edward Bergen and Charlie McCarthy
o Abbott and Costello |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
o The Empire Builders
o Death Valley Days (1930)
o anthology: a series in which the characters and storyline are all contained within the boundaries of a single episode
o The Shadow- “Death Shows the Way”
• listen for three act structure, FX
o other dramatic serials:
• Perry Mason
• Sherlock Holmes
• Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar
• Gunsmoke
o other dramatic anthologies:
• Inner Sanctum
• Lights Out
• Escape
• The Whistler |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
o music
o amateur shows
o quiz and game shows
o soap operas
o kid’s programs |
|
|
