FILM HISTORY
The Associated Press, in partnership with the newsreel archive British Movietone, is releasing over one million minutes of video footage posted to YouTube. It’s a treasure trove of iconic milestones in history and some rarely seen and quirky moments as well. Some of our favorite finds, the eruption of Italy’s famed Mount Vesuvius in 1938, a 1935 elephant race through the streets of Chicago, and a home exercise machine for dogs from 1937.
You can now watch a century of historic newsreels on YouTube
David Stratton: A Cinematic Life Official Trailer
Interview with Jo-anne McGowan: the making of David Stratton: A Cinematic Life
The Experts Series: Korean Film
Pixar’s Tribute to Cinema
Six secrets you didn’t know about The Handmaid’s Tale. There’s a good chance you may have read it in school but just like many other books over the past few decades, The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood has seen a fresh surge in popularity thanks to a TV adaptation of the same name. The show recently cleaned up at the Emmy Awards with 13 nominations and 8 wins.
THE MOSCOW ART THEATRE – МХТ им. А. П. Чехова
Stanislavsky in Focus, by brilliantly examines the history and actual premises of Stanislavsky’s ‘System’, separating myth from fact with forensic skill
The History of Cutting – The Birth of Cinema and Continuity Editing
The Haunted Castle 1896 George Melies Silent Film
Le Voyage Dans la Lun (A Trip to the Moon) by Georges Méliès (1902)
Georges Melies – 1898 – Un homme de têtes – The Four Troublesome Heads with the use of Travelling Mattes
Georges Melies – 1898 – La lune à un mètre – One meter to the moon
Life of an American Fireman (1903) – Edwin S. Porter | George S. Fleming | Thomas Edison
Edwin Stanton Porter: The Great Train Robbery (1903)
Rescued from an Eagle’s Nest-1908- The first D. W. Griffith’s film appearance as actor- Early cinema
Adventures Of Dollie 1908
D.W. Griffith
The Lonely Villa (1909) D.W. Griffith
The Birth of a Nation (1915 film by D.W Griffith)
The Rise and Fall of Free Speech in America (FULL Audiobook)
Intolerance Love’s Struggle Throughout the Ages (1916) long version
The History of Cutting – The Soviet Theory of Montage
Battleship Potempkin – Odessa Steps scene (Einsenstein 1925)
Battleship Potemkin (1925) – Full Movie; English
October: Ten Days That Shook the World – Sergei M. Eisenstein
Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau: Sunrise – A Song Of Two Humans (1927)
The Invisible Man by H.G.Wells
Kong climbs The Empire State Building ( King Kong 1933 )
The Last Days Of Pompeii (1935) Movie[HD]
The Thief Of Bagdad 1940
Ten Commandments Part 1 ~ Full Movie
The Old Man and the Sea
The Parent Trap
The Absent-Minded Professor
Mary Poppins
Ben Hur
Escape from New York
The Empire Strikes Back.
Scientific and Effects Cinematography: “Behind the Lens” 1940 Chevrolet
Special Effects: Norman Dawn creates earliest techniques
HOLLYWOOD’S HISTORY OF FAKING IT | THE EVOLUTION OF GREENSCREEN COMPOSITING
Hollywoods History of Faking It | The Evolution of Greenscreen Compositing
12 Best Long Takes in Film History
Restoration: Samantha Lang’s The Well
As part of Sydney Film Festival’s Restoration program, Samantha Lang’s Cannes nominated film, The Well, returns in stunning form. This vivid and vital Australian film, that boasts a strong female cast and crew, offers more than ever 20 years on. Ahead of its screening at the festival we spoke with Samantha Lang.
FILM NOIR (literally ‘black film or cinema’)
The Untold Story of ILM, a Titan That Forever Changed Film
Film Timeline 1878 – 1919
Aussie Female Feature Filmmakers
These feature films are made by Australian female filmmakers and have been recently released or are coming soon. Support women in film and check out these Aussie titles now at cinemas and online!
- ALL ABOUT E – writer/director Louise Wadley / producer Jay Rutovitz
- AMBROSIA – writer/director Rhiannon Bannenberg
- BEIJING BEING – writer/director/producer Emma Jaay
- BERLIN SYNDROME – director Cate Shortland / producer Polly Staniford / novel by Melanie Joosten
- BLUE – writer/directer/producer Karina Holden producers Sarah Beard and Sue Clother
- CALL ME DAD – writer/director Sophie Wiesner producers Rebecca Barry, Madeleine Hetherton.
- CASTING JONBENET – writer/director/producer Kitty Green
- CHASING ASYLUM – director/producer Eva Orner
- CONSTANCE ON THE EDGE – director Belinda Mason / producer Marguerite Grey
- CRUSHED – writer/director/producer Megan Riakos / producer Sarah Bishop
- DAMAGED – director/producer Maha Wilson
- DEFIANT LIVES – writer/director/producer Sarah Barton / producer Liz Burke
- DESTINATION ARNOLD – writer/director Sascha Ettinger Epstein /
Producer Michaela Perske - DRAMA – writer/director/producer by Sophie Mathisen / producer Dominique Mathisen
- EMBRACE – writer/director/producer Taryn Brumfitt / producer Anna Vincent
- FOR NOW – writer/producer Katherine Du Bois / writer/director/producer Hannah Barlow
- FRISKY – writer/director/producer Claudia Pickering
- FUN MOM DINNER – director Alethea Jones / writer Julie Rudd / producer Naomi Scott
- GAYBY BABY – Maya Newell
- GIRL ASLEEP – director/co-producer Rosemary Myers
- IN MY OWN WORDS – writer/director Erica Glynn
- INNER DEMON – writer/director Ursula Dobrowski / producer Sue Brown
- INNUENDO – writer/director/producer Saara Lamberg
- JASPER JONES – director Rachel Perkins
- LOOKING FOR GRACE – writer/director Sue Brooks / producers Lizzette Atkins, Sue Taylor, Alison Tilson
- LOST GULLY ROAD – writer/director/producer Donna McRae / producer Liz Baulch
- LOST IN PARIS – writer/director/actor Fiona Gordon / producer Christie Molia
- MOUNTAIN – writer/director Jennifer Peedom / producer Jo-Anne McGowan
- PAULINE HANSON: Please Explain! – writer/director Anna Broinowski
- RIP TIDE – writer Georgia Harrison / director Rhiannon Bannenberg
- ROLLER DREAMS – writer/director/producer Kate Hickey producers Cecilia Ritchie and Diana Ward
- SKIN DEEP – writer Monica Zanetti / producer by Rosie Lourde
- SHERPA – writer/director Jennifer Peedom / producer Bridget Ikin
- SPOKE – writer/director Em Baker
- STRANGERLAND – director Kim Farrant / writer Fiona Seres / producer Naomi Wenck
- THAT’S NOT ME – writer/actress/producer Alice Foulcher / producers Anna Kojevnikov, Sally Storey
- THE BAULKHAM HILLS AFRICAN LADIES TROUPE – writer/director Ros Horin
- THE CONNECTION – Shannon Harvey
- THE DRESS MAKER – writer/director Jocelyn Moorhouse / producer Sue Maslin / novel by Rosalie Ham
- THE LAST GOLDFISH – writer/director/producer Su Goldfish
- THE OPPOSITION – director/producer Hollie Fifer / producers Rebecca Barry, Madeleine Hetherton
- THE PINK HOUSE – writer/director Sascha Ettinger Epstein / producer Claire Haywood
- THE WEATHERMAN’S UMBRELLA – Anne Richey
- THE WILL TO FLY – writer/director Katie Bender
- WIDE OPEN SKY – writer/director/producer Lisa Nicol / producer Anna Craney
- WHAT IF IT WORKS? – writer/director/producer Romi Trower
- WOMEN HE’S UNDRESSED – director/producer Gillian Armstrong / writer Katherine Thomson
Have you recently released a film and not on the above list? Email us at info@wiftnsw.org.au to be added to next month’s e-news.
Interesting Film History by Emilano Richards
Edison’s Black Maria
The Lumière brothers ‘Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat’ First silent documentary 1896
Georges Méliès ‘A Trip to the Moon’
George Albert Smith ‘A Kiss in the Tunnel’
‘The Sick Kitten’
Edwin S Porter ‘The Life of an American Fireman’
Benjamin Christensen ‘The Mysterious X’ 1914
Victor Sjöström ‘The Phantom Carriage’ 1921
Alice Guy-Blaché ‘Falling Leaves’ 1912
D W Griffith ‘Intolerance – Love’s Struggle Through the Ages’ 1916
‘The Birth of a Nation’
Robert J Flaherty ‘Nanook of the North’ 1921
Abel Gance ‘La Roue’ 1922
F W Murnau ‘Nosferatu’ 1922
Raoul Walsh ‘The Thief of Bagdad’ 1924
Erich von Stroheim ‘Greed’, the last three minutes 1924
King Vidor ‘The Crowd’ 1928
Carl Theodor Dreyer ‘The Passion of Joan of Arc
Otto Preminger ‘A Royal Scandal’ 1945
Forough Farrokhzad ‘The House is Black’ 1963
Jorgen Leth ‘The Perfect Human’ 1967
SCREEN STUDIES
Mise-en-Scène
Mise-en-Scène translates to ‘placing-in-the-scene’ and being interpreted to cover the arrangement of everything that appears in the framing and that takes place on the set.
The importances of the content when making choices with sets, lights, costume, makeup, props, décor, sound, hair styles, film stock, aspect ratio, performance, aspects of camera and movement to create the mood and ambiance of a film contributes to the range of emotional, subjective, psychological, engrossing and engaging experiences.
It is not only about montage, it is an aspect of cinematic storytelling, narrative information conveyed by building various shots, creating sequences and scenes that are modified to create the film. There is the aesthetics of the shots, the stylistic arranged elements being part of the context that is composed with width, depth, space, time and reality to capture the audience, giving meaning to the film and developing the story.
Mise-en-Scène is about the tools that gives the film life, allowing the viewer to participate in the reality created by the shots and the relationship between the shots.
Bibliography
Bordwell, David, and Kristin Thompson. “Film Art: An Introduction.” In Film Art: An Introduction, Ch 4 118 – 166. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010.
Van Sijll, Jennifer. Cinematic Storytelling: The 100 Most Powerful Film Conventions Every Filmmaker Must Know. Studio City, CA: Michael Wiese Productions, 2005.
Cook, David A. “A History of Narrative Film.” In A History of Narrative Film, pp 49–50, 182, 365–366, 423–24, 456–57, 486, 513–17. 1st ed. New York: Norton, 1981.
Colman, Felicity. “Film, Theory and Philosophy the Key Thinkers.” pp 9, 23, 37, 102, 106, 108, 116, 118, 141, 172, 174, 208, 222, 228–9, 230–1, 343, 2009.
Monaco, James. “How To Read A Film – Movies Media and Beyond.” In How to Read a Film: Movies, Media, and Beyond: Art, Technology, Language, History, Theory, pp 193, 205, 461, 456–468. 4th ed., completely rev. and expanded. Oxford ; New York: Oxford University Press, 2009.
“Wikipedia,” Mise En Scène. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mise_en_scène>
My Impressions of Two Contrasting Editing Styles
In contrast there are many long takes in ‘The Shinning’ which strongly contributes to the eerie, unsettling and terrifying emotions created in this horror film.
These prolonged shots leave the audience wondering where is the story going and what is going to happen. There is no quick distraction, the slow editing to the next shot or action creates suspense setting the audience up and building the tension.
Deconstruct a Shot
The area defined in this shot gives a sense of distance going back to the three soldiers while conflicting the viewer with the flat area cutting across the shot behind the characters. The viewer’s eyes want to go from the Doctor in the front, left to beyond the soldiers, right and the wall stops the eye bringing it coming back to the emotional face of the doctor and the cycle continues without settling.
The hard edged light behind the Doctor’s head and the shape of the light shadow behind the soldiers highlights their position in the environment. There is the strong, vertical building line between them confirming the conflicting relationship and the distance created between them.
The simple and harsh, vertical and horizontal lines of the building’s structures are part of the emotion created in the scene. Colour adds to the mise-en-scène, the shades of blue combined with the rain and mud leave a cold and miserable feeling.
‘….a film can manipulate space to communicate information or convey a feeling.”
Dick, Bernard F. “Anatomy of Film.” In Anatomy of Film, p 49, Boston, Mass.: Bedford St. Martins, 2005.
Sound Assisting the Narrative in Film
How Can Sound Assist the Narrative in Film?
The sound in film assists the narrative by shaping the viewers perception of the story and being a subliminal driving focus of the film.
In the opening sequence of ‘The Other Son’ the exchange of music and strong location effects introduces and establishes the mood of the film. The on and off screen paper stamping sounds in the background during the medical examination has an unconscious influences on the atmosphere in this scene.
In the shower scene from “Psycho” the sound makes it impossible for the viewer not to become emotionally involved in the characters actions. The sharp contrast between the musical sounds and the focus on particular sound effects together with the exaggerated film shots work to build the emotional tension.
The sounds which include foley, ambience, effects and music or lack of, give life to the vision and manipulate audiences. This includes telling them how to feel while evoking feelings, creating moods, influencing the pace, making changes in time, establishing locations, drawing attention to details and making connections between characters, places, images and moments to suggest a few.
Basic Structure of a Story
THELMA and LOUISE
ACT ONE – setup, the trip
The scene is set with the girls preparing to get away for a week-end get away having some freedom away from the routine of their lives. Thelma is married with an abusive husband and Louise is a waitress both bored with their lives, they want change, time away from their tedious lives. Thelmaʼs relationship is not very comfortable and she leaves without letting her husband know and for some reason packs the gun.
They leave and disaster happens when they stop to have some fun at a bar/club on their way. Thelma gets into trouble when a guy she meet at the club gets aggressive in the car park. Louise appears with the gun and shoots Harlam. Now they have to figure out what to do and unknown to them the police have become involved. Louise phones Jimmy for money as they have none and they decide to go on the run.
ACT TWO – confrontation, the runaway
They discuss running away as they figure no one saw them. They have a chance of escaping with the possibility of going to Mexico but not through Texas and need go via Oklahoma to pick up the money.
They pick up DJ after some initial reluctance. Jimmy arrives with the money and proposes to Louise. DJ makes his way back to Thelmaʼs room while Louise and Jimmy are catching up. When Thelma meets up with Louise, Louise realises the money will be gone. When the go and check the money is gone.
This leads to Thelma robbing the store and when the police see the security video they are building up more and more information on what they are doing. The men are wondering about what is going on.
Thelma and Louise phone the boys and work out they know and the police are there. Louise asks to speak to the police and finds out they know about them going to Texas. They are becoming fugitives.
They drive towards Mexico and pass a sexist truck driver who Thelma finally ignores. A policeman pulls them over, possible speeding and Thelma shoots the car radio and puts
the policeman in the boot of the car. Louise calls Hal, the police and they are being charged with murder. They are not giving
up, not making any deals – dead or alive. Their fate has been sealed.
ACT THREE – resolution, the escape
They see the macho truck driver again and ask for an apology, when he does not give it to them they shoot the truck tyres and the truck explodes.
A stoned bicycle rider finds the policeman in the boot of the car and the police helicopters are closing in. There hare lots of police cars chasing them, they are out numbered. They go off the road and temporarily lose them under the bridge and pull up close to the edge of a cliff. The police continue to close in until Thelma and Louise can choose, surrender, fight or keep going. They are not giving up and they drive off the cliff.
Ingredients of a Story
What are the essential ingredients of stories. SCHOOL of ROCK is a
musical comedy, a fell good movie when you leave the cinema and the power of music. Dewey Finn : Protagonist Antagonist : ’ can be a threat of obstacle to the main character’ from Wikipedia I was thinking this could be society represented by the teacher, parents, flat mates/friend
Characters
Dewey : On the surface he is a fraud and ill-equipped to be a teacher. The film shows how his role effects the students and they gain confidence and self-esteem. He is a slob rocker, self-absorbed, passionate and incapable of complying with any authority. Being motivate by the need for money, only knowing rock he is not concerned about the interest of the kids. Later it unfolds that he cares for the kids or does he? Is he only interested in rock success thus manipulating his students to follow his interests.
All the kids are includes and if they are not happy with their roll he works it out eg Summers from groupie to manager, Billy from security to band stylist. Tomika from security to singer and Dewey shares his eating habits with her also supports her when she lacks confidence before the concert.
Ms Mullins : the uptight principal Repressed school kids
Summers : determined to please and succeed
Zac : shy with large and overbearing father and uses music to show him other responses ‘step off’
Freddy : rebel, troublemaker drummer and provides the vehicle for Dewey to prove that he cares for the kids
Lawrence : keyboardist, transformed to a rockin’ keyboardist
Tomika : body issues. Does not want to be a security detail or roadie and is a singer. Also needs support before the concert.
Billy : security to band stylists Gordon : roadie to computer lighting the show
Confilct
Is shown from the social side between conservative and band lifestyles. And in the characters by not fitting in, not succeeding in the traditional ways and society expectations. to the desire to succeed in socially acceptable ways and how the story unfold between the two. Dewey goes from being only interested in himself to being concerned about the kids.Including them all in the project to changing their roles, protecting Freddy, playing the kids song at the concert. The kids and his friend change as well as the principle and the parents at the end.
Resolution
With the success of the band and the development of the relationship between Dewey and the kids the parents and principle see the value and talents of the children and there is room for it all.
The children find themselves and what they can do. Dewey finds success and his place in the world.
Ethics
Paying your way, socially acceptable behavior, body issue of being fat, bullying.
World (rules)
Dewey is scruffily dressed and slept in a mess on the sofa, the school environment is neat and tidy, Dewey takes the principle to his pub for coffee and she is uncomfortable, Freddy rolled up his shirt sleeves.
Theme
almost famous, rebellious attitude, norms and deviance, piety and blasphemy, right and wrong.
Environment
fictional school
Beginning : Dewey is a slob rocker who is self-absorbed, problems with authority and not capable of taking responsibility. He is at the end of the line.
Middle : He finds a job teaching kids continuing in his devious ways. He finds out the kids have musical talent and they form a bond. Dewey and the kids learn from each other and their journey makes this part of the story.
End : Dewey gets exposed when the paycheck arrives for Ned. Following this the he is asked questions at the parents evening about what has been going on. His real identity is revealed and he is fired from the school. The next morning the kids come looking for him and push him and they all head to the ‘Battle of the Bands’. The principal and parents realise the kids are missing, head to the concert and their outrage changes to support.
