Viewing Your Genre Film - DUE Mon., 4/12

Now that you've chosen three films from a particular genre, it's time to view one of them by Monday, April 12.

UPDATE: I've emailed everyone a pdf version of the 2-page VIEWING GUIDE that you need to submit on Monday, 4/12. You need to fill it out with your research and observations about your film. The pdf is also available from our class web site, barebodkin.net.

The lefthand column asks questions about genre conventions that you need to fill out in the other two columns.

The middle column is where you answer those questions regarding the typical conventions of YOUR GENRE.

The righthand column is where you note similarities and differences with YOUR FILM and the conventions you've noted in the middle column.

Please email me if you have any questions about filling out this graphic organizer. It will be collected in class on 4/12.

Choosing a Genre Film - DUE Thurs., 3/25 by 9 p.m.

Spring is in the air, and so is our upcoming research paper!

Here's how we'll start: while we're studying Billy Wilder's Double Indemnity in class as the quintessential Film Noir, you're exploring a genre film of your own choice.

STEP 1: Choose a genre - Horror, Romantic Comedy, Western, Gangster/Crime Drama, Documentary, Science Fiction, Thriller, etc.

STEP 2: Choose three (3) films from that genre made before 1992.

STEP 3: By 9 p.m. on Thursday, March 25, leave a blog comment on this post that describes your chosen genre, the 3 films (with titles and years they were released) you're considering from that genre, and several of that genre's conventions (essentially what you might expect from those films based on their genre)

STEP 4: By Monday, April 12, view one (1) of those genre films on your own and submit your completed handouts that can be found in the post above this one.

After Spring Break we'll begin a research project based on your genre film!

TEST on Friday, 3/19

The test will focus on Peter Weir's Witness, the documentary Young @ Heart, Tom Tykwer's Run Lola Run, and the terms and concepts from chapters 1, 2, and 8 of our textbook, Understanding Movies.


Look over your notes, your homework assignments, and all Viewing Guides and handouts.

Along with the general plot and character developments of the following films, be sure to focus on these areas in your review:

• In Run Lola Run: epigraph, birds-eye view shot, split screen, pastiche, arc shot, crane or boom shot, steadicam, chaos theory, motifs (spirals, etc.), establishing sound, snorkel camera, montage, red filter, (NEW: freeze frame,) web of life plot, Lola as hero. Be able to cite specific examples of these concepts from the film to prove your point.
• In Young @ Heart: the documentary style spectrum (characteristics of realism & formalism), inter-title, cinema verite, reaction shot, episodic structure. Be able to cite specific examples of these concepts from the film to prove your point.
• In Witness: establishing shot, Amish culture, setting (Philadelphia vs. the Amish world), the Ordnung, the bonds of community vs. individual desire. Be able to cite specific examples of these concepts from the film to prove your point.
• Key Terms: Be able to define the term 'rhetoric' and how it relates to the title of our course: Rhetoric of the Moving Image. Also, literary, cinematic, & dramatic aspects, long/medium/close-up shots, high/low/eye-level/dutch (canted) angles, low/high key lighting, subjective/authorial point of view, eye-line match, diegetic/nondiegetic sound, (NEW: mid-ground, background, foreground.)
• From Understanding Movies: (Ch. 1) Film style: formalism/realism/classicism. (Ch. 2) Mise-en-scene ("placing on stage"), aspect ratio (standard vs. widescreen), iris shot, the dominant, intrinsic interest, tight vs. loose framing, proxemic patterns, open vs. closed form. (Ch. 8) Mimesis, diegesis, avant-garde, plot, story, conventions, genre, classical paradigm, linear vs. nonlinear narratives, realism as style, rites of passage.

This is only a general guide and not a complete list of everything we learned and everything you should study! Extra help will be at 2:45 p.m on Thursday, 3/18 in room 452.

NEW: The general format of the test will be approximately as follows: PART I (40 points) - 20 multiple choice questions on film terminology, character and plot developments in our three films, and textbook/homework terms. PART II (40 points) - 4 short answer questions on major terms and concepts from the textbook relating to our three films. PART III (20 points) - mini-essay mise en scene analysis of a frame from one of our three films.


Good luck!

Writing an Argument for 'Young @ Heart'

The Assignment: Write an original essay arguing for where you place Young @ Heart on the Style Spectrum for Documentaries (Click on the image above for a larger view). What about it is formalistic and/or realistic? Be sure to consider narrative structure (Ch. 8) and visual style (Chs. 1&2).

Remember some of the key elements of an argument. You must have a thesis statement with specific evidence from the film that supports your thesis, and a conclusion that sums up your ideas without repeating your introduction verbatim.

This essay must be 1-2 pages, typed and double-spaced. It should be convincing and well written, following the conventions of standard written English.

Be certain to demonstrate a thorough knowledge of Young @ Heart and the various documentary film styles we have studied.

DUE: Tuesday, 3/16

REMEMBER: IF YOU COME TO SCHOOL AFTER 1st PERIOD, YOUR ESSAY IS STILL DUE. DROP IT OFF IN THE ENGLISH OFFICE - RM. 450.

Homework Topic #2 - DUE Wednesday, 3/10 @ 9 p.m.

Respond to the following prompt in the form of a COMMENT regarding our study of Chapter 2: Mise en Scene in Understanding Movies and Peter Weir's Witness. (To write your comment, click on the link below that says "0 COMMENTS ON THIS TOPIC.")

For full credit on this homework assignment, your COMMENT must be completely original and well-developed. Your COMMENT may be bullet points followed by a paragraph response. COMMENTs that are not proofread will receive a zero. (Remember that after you publish your comment it will not immediately appear, but I will be able to review it. After the deadline I will publish all comments simultaneously.)

HOMEWORK TOPIC #2: Do a mise en scene analysis of the above frame from Witness. Respond in bullet points to the following elements:

• What is the frame's dominant?
• What is the angle of this shot?
• Composition? (Parallel? Triadic? S or X shaped?)
• Form? Open or closed?
• Framing? Tight or loose?
• What are the staging positions of those in this frame?
• Character proxemics? How much space is there between the characters and how does this comment on their relationship?

Then, respond in a paragraph detailing how these elements work together to make the frame meaningful and to visually convey essential information about the film.

You can click on the image for a larger version of it. Check your handouts and Chapter 2 for help with the above terms.

Questions? Answers: mrd@barebodkin.net