Reel World

 Realism: the artistic attempt to recreate life as it is in the context of an artistic medium. The artist seeks to report and reveal what he/she sees as accurately and honestly as possible. Romanticism: a movement encompassing ideas like the free play of the mind, and imagination above all else.  It embraces how things might or even should be, leaving the viewer free to interpret, surmise, and surrender to what they have felt as well as seen.  Looking over these definitions, I started to think about how these ideas, movements, philosophies, classifications--whatever we wish to call them-- translate into film.  Eventually, I realized they reminded me that it is always of value to effectively explore the enigma of human nature when considering artistic expression in any of its forms. When some people go to look for inspiration, they flip open a magazine, click through Pinterest, or take to the streets for some old-fashioned people-watching.  While I'll not likely ...

This month, Year 1 DP Film scholars will be venturing down the rabbit hole that is German Expressionism in film making as you explore The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Metropolis, and, just in time for the holiday season, Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas.    Links to these films in the drive are available on our website, but they may also be found on our Plex server.   The following article is an exceptional study of how German Expressionism has gone one to influence, and even define the very style and voice of filmmakers like Tim Burton. There is also a link to a great youtube video about the influences of German Expressionism on modern filmmakers like Time Burton. Please read the blog entirely--you may even wish to take some notes as future filmmakers! Not only is this a study of style, but it is, perhaps, more importantly, a study in context. What inspired this strange and wonderfully unique and distinctive style of filmmaking? Why is it so influential? Ho...

In order to fully appreciate Brian De Palma's American crime drama, The Untouchables,  every serious student of film must breakdown the very bloody, very pivotal "Union Station" scene shot by shot, noting every shot size, length, lens, and camera movement to explore how POV adds both depth and tension to an already by definition "intense" scene... One of the first things every film student notices about this scene is that it pays a very obvious homage to the "Odessa Steps" scene from Russian filmmaking legend Sergei Eisenstein's Battleship Potemkin.   Although this may present as an example of "indirect intertextuality," make no mistake: De Palma is most certainly purposeful in his reference here.  Even the political and moral themes from Battleship Potemkin  - the strain between the "bourgeoisie and the proletariat, innocence and oppression" are likewise factored into the narrative of The Untouchables.   Eisenstein's "...

There's no denying the importance of mise en scéne in filmmaking. Truly, it elevates film from just a record of movements and dialogue set to a sweeping score to an art form with depth, greater meaning, and purpose. In a translation from French to English, Mise en scéne means (quite literally): In short, it means to set the stage! This was originally coined in reference to theater. When speaking of film, the scéne or stage refers to everything in front of the camera, including set design, lighting, and actors. It may also be used in reference to the overall effect of how it all comes together for the viewer. As you are designing your mise en scéne assessments for Mrs. Agema, your own collaborative films, and as you are viewing your films of study this month, please complete the following for this blog discussion and exploration:  1. Read this article, including clicking the links within for the informational videos on mise en scéne:   https://www.lightsfilmschool.com/bl...

Hailed as "the first landmark film in Japanese history" by film critic Mark Cousins, Souls on the Road  is a film to which many students and scholars of modern filmmaking give a hard pass.  Some criticize the film as offering a patchy narrative and overly melodramatic character portrayals.  It has also been criticized as being "messy" by modern standards, in terms of directing, lighting, camera angles, and in its unconventional, non-linear storytelling. However, all of these criticisms can also be viewed as groundbreaking in these very areas. Once again, scholars, Context reigns as King!  It is imperative to note that at the time this film was made in Japan, live musicians played traditional instruments to one side of the screen, while a narrator or troupe of narrators called "Benshi" elaboratively explained ("setsumei") the action of the film and its dialogue during the screening.  When intertitles arrived in Japan, Benshi would often inc...

Hello, DP Film Scholars! Mr. Byrne and I are missing ALL of you, and our 7th-period gatherings in the Media Living room. We hope you are well, and that you are getting caught up on your current film projects, and using your creative energy and gift of time and sunshine to make new ones! Before we left on spring break, we had ask you to consider your choice of two possible films for our next film discussion:   Marley and Me  and   Under the Tuscan Sun ,  two favorites of Mr. Byrne and Mrs. Caraway.  We highly recommend that you watch and enjoy both of them under our new circumstances, but we ask that you respond on this blog for just one of your choice. In the interest of familiarizing yourselves with how to comment on and consider various contexts, I have designed a commentary format for you to use below as you watch the films with the critical eye of a film student! But first, I would very much like to share some fun facts about each fil...