The Studio System began in the early 1900’s through the efforts of Thomas Edison, Carl Laemmle, and Thomas H. Ince, and D. W. Griffith to control the making, distribution, and exhibiting of motion picture films. An important contribution to curtail the costs and improve efficiency was an assembly-line style of production developed by Thomas Ince. The Studio System relied upon a central producer, who supervised a team of associate supervisors. The associate supervisors handled the day-to-day operations of film production, but the central producer retained total control (Barsam & Monahan, 2013, p. 495). During this era, the films were becoming more polished resulting in longer and more costly productions. However, the films from any particular studio were all beginning to look alike and the influence of the central producer was decreasing the individuality of the films (Hollywood stars & studios, n.d.). Central producer…
The film by D.W. Griffith—“Birth of a Nation” is merely propaganda used to brainwash the young white population of 1915 into denying blacks further freedoms. The film shows blacks in a state superiority over Southern whites which is quite ironic because if up to Southern Whites blacks would still have been their property, so technically no white would have allowed that situation to even come close.…
The Academy Award-winning director, John Ford, is considered one of the best filmmakers of all time. Ford achieved in fifty years of filmmaking a unique capacity in American culture in which he put throughout his films. The author Andrew Sinclair stated “he was a practical man who saw his job as showing the mass of the American people the truth of what he recreated about their past” (Sinclair 41). As a man, he concealed his true personality from the public, who built this whole legend of toughness around him to protect his softness as person. From his lack of emotional expression, his films are his way of expressing those feelings through emotionalism. Ford uses a strategy called docudrama. “A docudramas basis in truth actually launches the…
Since the mid 19 century, Hollywood film production has been the most dominate movie cinema throughout the world. Hollywood has produced motion pictures because it was very innovating and creative for this particular period in the film production industry. This type of filming industry has become important to the American society, and there are beliefs that Hollywood has influential effects on a society as well. Howard Zinn was a professor and currently is a book publisher, a play, and musical writer. Howard soon realizes in his career, something seems to be odd about the way Hollywood makes films in history.…
Lack of Diversity is largely due to lack of accurate representation. The roles commonly given to black actors and actresses are stereotypical roles. The stereotypical roles first emerged in D.W Griffith's Birth of a Nation. The film is revered as the first film to use groundbreaking cinematic techniques. However the film is incredibly racist displaying african americans in a negative light. It was one of the first films to use blackface. This film paved a way for other films in regards to stereotypical representation of blacks.…
References: J. Kris Malkiewicz, M. D. (2005). Cinematography: a guide for filmmakers and film teachers. New York: Fireside, rockefeller center.…
Fiction films are often stigmatised by historians, as they distort the truth, causing problems when trying to use them as a source. Their wildly varying content matter, inaccuracies, and bias make them hard to use. Film does not simply suggest a worldview; it states, and we experience, its existence as truth, which is the fundamental power and danger it poses to the observer. One cannot deny, however, film’s phenomenal impact in the twentieth century, drastically changing the way we see the world and how we absorb information. In this way, film is best considered as one stage in the ongoing history of communications. As a historical medium, therefore, fiction film can be very valuable, as despite fictitious content, it still has the potential…
Cinematography is the process of capturing moving images on film or a digital storage device. Mis-en-Scene is used to represent the director’s role of what appears in the shot. This can include lighting, setting, costumes, props and actions of who or what is in the shot. Citizen Kane was a revolutionary film and advanced many film techniques that are still used today. Citizen Kane was released in 1941; Directed by Orson Wells who also stars in the film at the age of 25. It was him film debut. Citizen Kane used Mis-en-Scene and deep focus to show themes in the film. Some major themes in Citizen Kane include loss, materialism, and the American dream.…
The classic masterpiece, Citizen Kane (1941), is probably the world's most famous and highly rated film, with its many remarkable scenes, cinematic and narrative techniques and innovations. The director, star, and producer were all the same individual - Orson Welles (in his film debut at age 25), who collaborated with Herman J. Mankiewicz on the script and with Gregg Toland as cinematographer. Within the maze of its own aesthetic, Citizen Kane develops two interesting themes. The first concerns the debasement of the private personality of the public figure, and the second deals with the crushing weight of materialism. Taken together, these two themes comprise the…
“Am naturally anti-slavery. If slavery is not wrong, nothing is wrong. I cannot remember when I did not so think, and feel. And yet I have never understood that the Presidency conferred upon me an unrestricted right to act officially upon this judgment and feeling.”…
"With the exception of maybe a handful of people, no one has made an impact on the movie making world like George Lucas has. With hundred of hours of film with his mark out there, Lucas has amazed his audiences time and time again with expert story telling" (The Gods of Filmmaking). George Lucas has written, directed, and produced countless films, many of which are some of today 's most highly regarded films by critics all over the world. "George Lucas 's devotion to timeless storytelling and cutting-edge innovation has resulted in some of the most successful and beloved films of all time" (Inside Lucas Film). George Lucas is one of the greatest writers of his time, one of the best directors of his time, and has paved the way in visual and audio effects.…
So in this view, there was a number of the new enterprising film firms in which just sprang up at the turn of the century featuring non-fiction titles, most specifically the travelogues. In the period prior to world travel has been actually widespread and every tourist had a camera. Therefore, the scenes of distant lands as well as the life were then having considerable foreign appeal for film patrons. As in most of whom until time were working class and definitely could not afford travel for such a reason. Citing some instances, for these two filmmakers Edwin S. Porter (1870–1941) and D. W. Griffith (1875–1948) had done perfecting the editing techniques for such a reason of advancing a story. That so happened, non-fiction films had been quickly obscured in attractiveness by narrative films in which had been exploited in editing as well as other cinematic techniques. Among those were framing and the movement of the camera in order to engage audiences expressively. In effect to that, non-fiction film had an assumption to a contributory position. (Kawin 2011)…
leave Casablanca. An employee of the cafe bring a check to a man seated at a…
The Andy Griffith show was a situational family comedy created by Sheldon Leonard and Aaron Ruben that ran from 1960-1968. The show was quite popular and successful in its eight years of air time. Episode one of season one was written by Charles Stewart and Jack Elinson. The Andy Griffith Show portrayed many different themes in the very first episode. Some themes demonstrated focused on loss, acceptance, and non-traditional family, embracing the future, childhood honesty, loyalty, and fear of change. The main theme that really stuck out to me was the fear of change. In my eyes, it is what supported the purpose of the whole episode and immediately gave viewers something to relate to.…
The way films are created and pieced together has progressed greatly over the past century, where before 1910 there was little use of film techniques such as special effects, animation, complex transition sequences and many more. However the introduction of film techniques have helped films gain a sense of genre and establishment as they were used to create specific intensities set out by the director; this is where roles corresponding to certain areas were introduced such as cinematographers, production designers and lighting directors. A classic example of a well-known director would be Alfred Hitchcock (1899 – 1980) who is famous for creating suspense films like The Birds or Psycho. I am mentioning him as he had revolutionised the way films…