Thursday, June 11, 2015
Independent Study Rationale
I want everyone to post their four films as well as their rationale by the first day of school. If you post over the summer I can read them and help you refine. Also, you can comment on each other's rationales as well...if you have ideas for films or themes. This site might be of help to you as well. Click on the Imagery and Themes tabs for ideas on filmmakers who are known for various themes... http://www.filmref.com/
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Rationale:
ReplyDeleteFilm, throughout it's history, has often left an indelible effect on the cultures that surround it. Films can - have - left enormous marks on certain societies vernacular and culture. Films can capture the zeitgest, or - as the films in this document have - they can change it completely, altering pop culture and paving the way for some of the things we see today. This document attempts to analyze the way the films used have left an effect on their respective cultures through film language, as well as develop how these changes surface over time.
Movies Used:
Clueless (Amy Heckerling, 1995)
Pulp Fiction (Quentin Tarantino, 1994)
Casablanca (Micheal Curtiz, 1942)
Gojira (Ishiro Honda, 1954)
Rationale:
ReplyDeleteChildhood shapes us into the adults we will become. Often childhood can be a great thing; full of innocence and freedom. But for several people growing up in difficult situations childhood can become very different. Film can capture growing up in difficult situations with careful detail and depict the evolution of an individual using cinematic language. The 400 Blows, City of God, Boyz n the Hood and The Sixth Sense all portray growing up in a difficult situation. This documentary analyses the use of cinematic language to illustrate growing up in difficult situations in world cinema.
Movies Used:
The 400 Blows (François Truffaut, 1959)
City of God (Fernando Meirelles/Kátia Lund, 2002)
Boyz n the Hood (John Singleton, 1991)
The Sixth Sense (M. Night Shyamalan, 1999)
Rationale:
ReplyDeleteThe battle between society and an individual is never ending. Films constantly criticize society through a narrative of an unusual individual expecting them to be perfect even though the social norm is far from it. That individual may be placed in an unfortunate situation by society and end up sacrificing themselves for it or just blatantly standing up and out from the social norm or against it. In the movies Run Lola Run, Breathless, Arsenal, and Man with A Movie Camera individuals are shown in difficult situations because of society and fighting against it. This document reveals how the use of jump cuts with the juxtaposition of shots emphasizes societal struggle and defiance.
Movies Used:
Run Lola Run (Tom Tykwer, 1998)
Arsenal (Alexander Dovzhenko, 1929)
Breathless (Jean-Luc Goddard,1960)
Man with A Movie Camera (Dziga Vertov, 1929)
Chantal Akerman
ReplyDeleteJeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles, 1975
[Jeanne Dielman, 23 Commerce Quay, 1080 Brussels]
Tsai Ming-Liang
Ch'ing shaonien na cha, 1992
[Rebels of the Neon God]
DAREZHAN OMIRBAEV
Kaïrat 1992
Bèla Tarr
Öszi Almanach, 1984
[Autumn Almanac/Almanac of Fall]
Mental, social, and cultural alienation plague the lives of both individuals and societies worldwide. The directors of Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975), Ch'ing shaonien na cha (1992), Öszi Almanach (1984), and Kaïrat (1992), explore the alienation of individuals through a cinematic lens. This script looks to explore the ways in which different cultures methodize lighting in innovative and thrilling ways in order to to accurately depict the common and universal theme of alienation.
Rationale:
ReplyDeleteEvery person in the world is somehow effected by the seemingly endless tolls of wars. Setting has the ability to create distinctive influences on the reactions towards the events in these times of turmoil. These specific receptions are captured and displayed through film as to show other cultures the pain or oppression they feel. In Cabaret, Bicycle Thieves, The Burmese Harp, and Distant Thunder, one can identify the contrasting and comparative hardships faced by families as well as individuals in the face of war. This documentary provides an analysis on the cinematic elements of these films and how they further portray the effect of war on different cultures.
Movies used:
Cabaret (Bob Fosse, 1972)
Bicycle Thieves (Vittorio De Sica, 1946)
The Burmese Harp (Kon Ichikawa, 1956)
Distant Thunder (Satyajit Ray,1973)
Adil Kadwa
ReplyDeleteWord Count: 84
Rationale
In the 1970’s the gangster genre saw a revival of influential films. In this documentary, I will have a focus on the conventions of the genre through comparisons of American gangster films and Yakuza gangster films. Using the films The Godfather, Mean Streets, Sympathy For The Underdog, and Battles Without Honor and Humanity I will look at the portrayal of the “gangster” through mise-en-scene analysis. Additionally, I will be examining how the themes of family, honor, and violence are depicted throughout the films cinematically.
Science fiction has occasionally been overlooked as a source of meaningful philosophical insight. Some see it merely as an easy way of presenting cool and glamorous elements in order to make a flashy and exciting movie. But that is not the true image of science fiction. True science fiction departs from humanity to examine humanity. It offers immediate contrasts to human beings to emphasize human characteristics, present or lacking in the film. It dissects the human psyche and questions why it is how it is. Every aspect of cinematic language is geared towards examination of the human race.
ReplyDeleteFilms Used:
Blade Runner (Ridley Scott, 1982)
The Clone Returns Home (Kanji Nakajima, 2008)
Alphaville (Jean-Luc Godard, 1965)
Stalker (Andrei Tarkovsky, 1979)
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteRationale: My documentary compares and contrasts how each film maker uses cinematic techniques to depict the manner in which one character transforms into another character. Each artist has a different approach to the theme of transformation using camera angles, editing and sound to achieve the desired affect. I chose examples of films from four different genres that depict the theme of transformation in different ways; Ingmar Bergman's Persona (experimental), Roman Polanski's The Tenant (horror), Spike Jonze's Being John Malkovich (comedy), and David Fincher's Fight Club (action). Each creator is able to pique the audience's interest and empathy by having every character go through different experiences and internal conflicts.
ReplyDeleteWord Count: 107
Erik Dahlgren
ReplyDeleteWord Count: 85
Film Rationale
Everyone experiences what it’s like to move through adolescence. For some it is an easy experience, however for others it’s a journey of overcoming hardships in a socio-cultural context. In the films, Boyhood, 400 Blows, Bicycle Thieves, and Juno, cinematic elements depict the times of growing up as a time of change both mentally and physically and how lives change as a result. This documentary discusses these films and how they are cinematically connected through editing, lighting, and sound, and how adolescence is represented throughout.
Films Used:
Boyhood (Richard Linklater, 2014)
The 400 Blows (François Truffaut, 1959)
Bicycle Thieves (Vittorio De Sica, 1946)
Juno (Jason Reitman, 2007)