According to Gunning (1986), spectacle dominates narrative in the early film-making industry (p. 59), whilst this is the most significant feature in the conception of “cinema of attraction”. When film-making is still at the exploration stage, attempting to play with the new technology and produce films of different genres, most of the works before 1906 present the characteristics of “cinema of attractions” introduced by Gunning. Cinema pre-1906 attempts to show the actuality or perform directly and explicitly to the spectators, instead of narrating a story. Film makers tend to play with the technology and create visual impact to the spectators. Moreover, cinema pre-1906 is a cheap entertainment for people to meet friends and have fun after working. It allows the spectators to get distracted during the screening; in the meantime they are amused by the films. Thus, again, narrative is not important. It is “an exhibitionist cinema” (p. 57): performers often use an exaggerating body movement mainly to attract the spectator’s attention in the theatre. They solicit the spectators to watch their shows using histrionic style of performance as if they are acting on the stage. Comparing to narrative films which rely more on scenario and performers’ facial expression, long shots are often used in cinema pre-1906 in order to capture the whole image of the scene. Long shots also allow the performers to utilize the entire frame since they emphasize more on body movement. In Uncle Josh at the Moving Picture Show (Porter, 1902), the way the performer acts is as mentioned in Gunning’s thesis. Even though the camera position is static with long shot and long take, the performer has succeeded to draw spectator’s attention by jumping here and there,... ... middle of paper ... ...in film-making and thus, they play around with the technology. This results in the visual impact created which give the spectators a new sensation towards this new art. Cinema pre-1906 is somewhere for the people to take a rest and to have fun with friends and families. They visit there merely for entertainment and cheerfulness. They are not required to think and analyze the films; instead they need only to sit back and relax, and to perceive the series of views with amusement. These features build up the cinema pre-1906, which is also the “cinema of attractions”. Works Cited Brooke, M. (n.d.). Santa Claus (1898). Retrieved from http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/725468/ Gunning, T. (1986). The cinema of attractions: Early film, its spectators and the avant-garde. In T. Elsaesser (Ed.), Early cinema: Space, frame, narrative (pp. 56-62). London: BFI.
Beginning the mid 1920s, Hollywood’s ostensibly all-powerful film studios controlled the American film industry, creating a period of film history now recognized as “Classical Hollywood”. Distinguished by a practical, workmanlike, “invisible” method of filmmaking- whose purpose was to demand as little attention to the camera as possible, Classical Hollywood cinema supported undeviating storylines (with the occasional flashback being an exception), an observance of a the three act structure, frontality, and visibly identified goals for the “hero” to work toward and well-defined conflict/story resolution, most commonly illustrated with the employment of the “happy ending”. Studios understood precisely what an audience desired, and accommodated their wants and needs, resulting in films that were generally all the same, starring similar (sometimes the same) actors, crafted in a similar manner. It became the principal style throughout the western world against which all other styles were judged. While there have been some deviations and experiments with the format in the past 50 plus ye...
Grainge, P., Jancovich, M., & Monteith, S. (2012). Film Histories; An introduction and reader. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
Mulvey, Laura. “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema.” Narrative Apparatus Ideology. Ed. Philip Rosen, (New York: Columbia UP, 1986), 198-209.
BIBLIOGRAPHY An Introduction to Film Studies Jill Nelmes (ed.) Routledge 1996 Anatomy of Film Bernard H. Dick St. Martins Press 1998 Key Concepts in Cinema Studies Susan Hayward Routledge 1996 Teach Yourself Film Studies Warren Buckland Hodder & Stoughton 1998 Interpreting the Moving Image Noel Carroll Cambridge University Press 1998 The Cinema Book Pam Cook (ed.) BFI 1985 FILMOGRAPHY All That Heaven Allows Dir. Douglas Sirk Universal 1955 Being There Dir. Hal Ashby 1979
After four hard years of fighting, Canadians celebrated the end of the Great War. Many returned to the country early in 1919, only to be brought down by the lack of employment and other disappointments. However, slowly, good times returned back to Canada, as the country ushered into a new era known as the “Roaring Twenties”. Many Canadians participated in the good life as the wealthy, as well as average families had more money to spend. Economic prosperity and technological advances brought Canadians pleasure to their lives. Canadians tuned in to their radios, used the automobile, cheered for their home sports teams, followed new fashion trends, listened to the same music and did the same dances. In addition, the 1920s marked the growth of movies as Canadians packed theatres to watch their favourite stars. The 1920s were one of the most important and revolutionary times for the film industry.
During the course of this essay it is my intention to discuss the differences between Classical Hollywood and post-Classical Hollywood. Although these terms refer to theoretical movements of which they are not definitive it is my goal to show that they are applicable in a broad way to a cinema tradition that dominated Hollywood production between 1916 and 1960 and which also pervaded Western Mainstream Cinema (Classical Hollywood or Classic Narrative Cinema) and to the movement and changes that came about following this time period (Post-Classical or New Hollywood). I intend to do this by first analysing and defining aspects of Classical Hollywood and having done that, examining post classical at which time the relationship between them will become evident. It is my intention to reference films from both movements and also published texts relative to the subject matter. In order to illustrate the structures involved I will be writing about the subjects of genre and genre transformation, the representation of gender, postmodernism and the relationship between style, form and content.
The concept of ‘cinema of attractions’ encompasses the development of early cinema, its technology, industry and cultural context. The explanation of how it is perceived by early cinema audiences is closely related to the effects of history at that time. How Gunning coined the term ‘cinema of attractions’ pertains to the history of the film industry at the turn of the 20th century and his interpretation of the audience and their reaction film technology. Single shots, the process of creating a moving picture and the juxtaposition of limited techniques, coupled with a new invention of showing a moving picture.
Most of the fantasy stories that were produced made use of film as a tool to expose the shows. Study proved that the world of film has a various capacity in persuading and changing the perspectives of a viewer. A film functions as an int...
middle of paper ... ... In final analysis, the motion picture is the one that goes deeper inside the spectator’s mind. Other mediums such as still picture and theatrical play also provide the visual and aural elements for the spectator, yet they seem to be inferior to the motion picture in that they lack the reality, affinity, and creativity in terms of use of time and space. The levels of emotions such as attention, memory, imagination, emotion, and unity, which were introduced by Munsterberg, indicates how the spectator perceives the elements of the film and ends up with it.
Stanley, Robert H. The Movie Idiom: Film as a Popular Art Form. Illinois: Waveland Press, Inc. 2011. Print
Star Wars (1977) is one of the world’s most successful films of all time. It has made a terrific impact on popular culture since its release. Furthermore, Star Wars changed the narrative and aesthetic style of future Hollywood films. Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, illustrates how cinema has evolved since Fred Ott’s Sneeze (1894). Ultimately, this essay will explain the set up of Star Wars and how it connects to cinema history, in the point of views of the: narrative and cinematic style, genre, auteur theory and the global film industry.
‘Then came the films’; writes the German cultural theorist Walter Benjamin, evoking the arrival of a powerful new art form at the end of 19th century. By this statement, he tried to explain that films were not just another visual medium, but it has a clear differentiation from all previous mediums of visual culture.
The introduction of films began in the early era of 1920s and since then technology in many forms as such Televisions which featured documentary and made films more popular with in audiences, according to commentators it is said that film has become the most global and popular seen and followed form of culture. (Shiel, 2001; Urry & Larsen, 2011). Furthermore in late 1960s cinemas and theaters were popular among people also due to entertainment and transformation of different cultures, it has since then captured a large number of tourists. Today that trend has changed into television viewing, which is hence said it is the major leisure activity among people. In addition to that seeing films...
The aim of this research is to explore cinema audience's, festival goers' and workers in cinema views and experiences of film festivals, trying to understand what values they give to them and trying to figure out if they believe that in difficult times, such as the one we are living through, a film exhibition is still necessary.