FREE SUMMER OPPORTUNITY

This looks like a great program and it's FREE. The contact person, Da'Von McCune, is a CHS grad and a friend of mine, so please mention you are in my class when you apply. Here is the link: http://buffaloartstechcenter.org/?page_id=1890. If you want more information about the program, contact Da'Von at 716-259-1680 or mccune@buffcat.org.

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/

Interesting David Bordwell Essay

I just found this short essay on the differences between being a film fan versus being a film scholar. If your friends are confused about what motivates us in IB Film versus what motivates your average viewer, have them read this article, Studying Cinema.

White Heat & the Gangster Genre

In at least 3 hearty paragraphs, discuss White Heat, as well as the characteristics of the gangster genre and its role as an art form. In your discussion, bring in another gangster film if you've seen one on your own (The Godfather, Goodfellas, etc.). Your discussion should be in relation to the Warshow article I handed out in class and the idea of the gangster as an individual. I want to see 2 quotes from the article in your discussion. Use your film textbook for more information on the gangster genre.

Breathless

Read this article. Choose a scene in Breathless and respond to the following quote. Be sure to write at least 2 paragraphs. Respond to each others' posts for extra credit. Here's the quote:

"This basic sequence of events is the minimal thread of continuity that holds the filmic narrative together. However, causal development and character motivation in the traditional sense are relatively loose. While the film does not reject narrative conventions as a whole, it goes a long way towards weakening the tight-knit structure and explanatory mechanisms affiliated with dominant narrative. The film's visual construction works even more aggressively against conventional film style. It systematically departs from the aesthetic guidelines and rules defined by continuity editing, relying variously on long-take sequences (often shot with hand-held camera) and jump cutting."

The 400 Blows

Pick one of the scenes below and write a 3-paragraph DETAILED analysis. Include at least one quote from a review that you find on the Movie Review Query Engine. Remember also to come up with an overarching theme for your analysis, state why you chose your scene, and the scene's relationship to the film as a whole.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uP2eWHdZLDE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9I-gsap0po

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERAGjXnXQwk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r00iQjNtC0k

Rififi

Examine Rififi through a feminist lens. Use at least one quote from a feminist film theory essay (either the Laura Mulvey essay or Anneke Smelik's essay.) Read the film by FULLY analyzing one five-minute scene. Be sure to discuss the film's meaning as a whole (through the feminist lens) and the scene's relation to that meaning. Why did you choose the scene? I also want you to mention your favorite part of the movie and what cinematic techniques you learned you could use in your own productions. Minimum of 2 paragraphs.

And, check out these cool production design pictures from the movie!