History of Cinema - Historical Elements of a Film
Historical Elements of a Film
The Scene:
The scene is a take of a completed action. Historically it is typified in films where the actors will act out a whole scene and then walk out and fade into the next scene. A scene would be one shot, one take.
For example:
A trip to the Moon (1902) - George Mélies
George Mélies was a magician that owned the theater where he showed his own films. Between 1900's and 1910 he would make 10 to 12 minutes science fiction films. He made hundreds of these short films. As special effects (fx) he would use:
-In-camera edits
-Dissolves
-Superimpositions
-Animation (with live action)
-Stop-motion photo
-Match shots
His 1902 film "A trip to the moon" was:
1. Very profitable
2. It was a narrative film, it told a story and thus was...
3. a drive towards longer films (10 to 30 minutes)
4. Editing appears.
His films would be composed of scenes of completed actions connected by dissolves but with overlapping action and also proscenium arch style.
The Shot:
The shot is a take of an incomplete action. There are many types of shots. It takes several shots to make one scene. A scene's opening long shot is also called:
The establishing shot, also known as the master shot.
The visual style is subordinate to the narrative or story, in other words, the style should not draw attention to itself.
D.W. Griffith was a premiere producer at biograph which was a major company. some of his most well know films are:
- The lonely villa (1909)
- Lonedale operator (1911)
"A girl and her trust" (1912)
These were Biograph films with Bitzer photography.
What about the representation of subjectivity versus objective or physical space?
If we look at "Dream of a Rarebit Fiend" (1906) - Edwin S. Porter
His use of special fx determine the subjectivity:
- Superimpositions
- Unconventional camera angles
- Unconventional camera movements
- Pixillation
- Animation
- Split screen
Early attempts of continuity were typified in Edwin Porter's films. His were early attempts at continuity editing structured around the shot.
Continuity editing involves:
- Continuity Editing: We are editing to create the illusion of continuous space
- Cross cutting (intercutting) is characterized by edits between spaces for the illusion of simultaneous time. The most common use is the chase. This is also known as parallel editing.
"The Great Train Robbery" (1903) was an Edison Company film where the use of the shot is characteristic of this. There is also tinting and toning, coloring the film.
Intercutting and the use of eyeline match began around 1907.
Eyeline match is a term that is defined by continuity editing where it will give the sense that actors are looking at each other. It goes hand in hand with P.O.V.: Point of View shots.
What conventions of continuity editing are yet to be developed? Analytical Editing.
In conventional editing the pattern of a scene is usually from:
Long Shot (LS) to a
Medium Shot (MS) to a
Close-Up (CU)
Griffith and other people of his era would break with the proscenium arch style and cut within a single space of action (for example cut to a Close-Up CU)
The Scene:
The scene is a take of a completed action. Historically it is typified in films where the actors will act out a whole scene and then walk out and fade into the next scene. A scene would be one shot, one take.
For example:
A trip to the Moon (1902) - George Mélies
George Mélies was a magician that owned the theater where he showed his own films. Between 1900's and 1910 he would make 10 to 12 minutes science fiction films. He made hundreds of these short films. As special effects (fx) he would use:
-In-camera edits
-Dissolves
-Superimpositions
-Animation (with live action)
-Stop-motion photo
-Match shots
His 1902 film "A trip to the moon" was:
1. Very profitable
2. It was a narrative film, it told a story and thus was...
3. a drive towards longer films (10 to 30 minutes)
4. Editing appears.
His films would be composed of scenes of completed actions connected by dissolves but with overlapping action and also proscenium arch style.
The Shot:
The shot is a take of an incomplete action. There are many types of shots. It takes several shots to make one scene. A scene's opening long shot is also called:
The establishing shot, also known as the master shot.
The visual style is subordinate to the narrative or story, in other words, the style should not draw attention to itself.
D.W. Griffith was a premiere producer at biograph which was a major company. some of his most well know films are:
- The lonely villa (1909)
- Lonedale operator (1911)
"A girl and her trust" (1912)
These were Biograph films with Bitzer photography.
What about the representation of subjectivity versus objective or physical space?
If we look at "Dream of a Rarebit Fiend" (1906) - Edwin S. Porter
His use of special fx determine the subjectivity:
- Superimpositions
- Unconventional camera angles
- Unconventional camera movements
- Pixillation
- Animation
- Split screen
Early attempts of continuity were typified in Edwin Porter's films. His were early attempts at continuity editing structured around the shot.
Continuity editing involves:
- Continuity Editing: We are editing to create the illusion of continuous space
- Cross cutting (intercutting) is characterized by edits between spaces for the illusion of simultaneous time. The most common use is the chase. This is also known as parallel editing.
"The Great Train Robbery" (1903) was an Edison Company film where the use of the shot is characteristic of this. There is also tinting and toning, coloring the film.
Intercutting and the use of eyeline match began around 1907.
Eyeline match is a term that is defined by continuity editing where it will give the sense that actors are looking at each other. It goes hand in hand with P.O.V.: Point of View shots.
What conventions of continuity editing are yet to be developed? Analytical Editing.
In conventional editing the pattern of a scene is usually from:
Long Shot (LS) to a
Medium Shot (MS) to a
Close-Up (CU)
Griffith and other people of his era would break with the proscenium arch style and cut within a single space of action (for example cut to a Close-Up CU)
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