Lesson 1-1, Activity 1: Introduction to Film
1890s:
The Birth of Film
- Auguste and Louis Lumiere perfected the film camera into the Cinematographe
- Click the image above to watch a short video, “The Lumiere Brothers: Crash Course Film History #3”
(YouTube Crash Course, 4/27/17)
1894-1929:
The Silent Film Era
- The silent film era lasted from 1894-1929
- Actresses such as Mary Pickford, Lillian Gish, and Ethel Barrymore were launched to stardom
- Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, Buster Keaton and Rudolph Valentino were the leading men of the day
1930s-1940s:
Sound Ushers in the Golden Age of Hollywood
- The 1927 film The Jazz Singer was the first “talkie”, a film with sound, ushering in the Golden Age of Hollywood
- Film studios such as MGM (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer), Paramount Pictures, Warner Brothers, and Universal became powerhouses during the Golden Age of Hollywood.
- The actors and directors shown above became extremely famous, with movies exploding in popularity during this era
The 1950s
Challenge
Hollywood
- The 1927 film The Jazz Singer was the first “talkie”, a film with sound, ushering in the Golden Age of Hollywood
- Film studios such as MGM (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer), Paramount Pictures, Warner Brothers, and Universal became powerhouses during the Golden Age of Hollywood.
- The actors and directors shown above became extremely famous, with movies exploding in popularity during this era
1960s: An
Adolescence for American Cinema
- Films in the 1960s were heavily influenced by the continued popularity of musicals and a newfound adult sensibility.
The 1970s:
A New Era in Film
1980s-1990s:
Blockbusters, Independent Film, and the Birth of Home Video
- After Jaws invented the blockbuster in 1975, the movie-going public craved epic, exciting cinema using cutting edge technology. People would line up to see these films more than once; insuring the blockbuster became a permanent fixture of the film industry
- Opportunities for filmmakers working outside of the standard studio framework arose in the 1980s and exploded in the 1990s. Independent films, championed by film festivals and organizations such as the Sundance Institute, allowed viewers to consume film content they normally wouldn’t have access to
- The advent of the home video insdustry (VHS, Laser Disc, and DVD) became the major challenge to keeping people in movie theaters.
The 2000s:
Digital Filmmaking
- In 2002, Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones became the first feature film to be shot completely in digital, instead of 35mm film. Green screens and motion capture began to replace matte paintings and static sets
Lesson 1-1, Activity 2: Emotional Filmmaking
The drama genre encompasses every human emotion and can be found in any type of film; including comedies, romance, science fiction, and war.
Read the following articles to see how dramas earn film awards:
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“There is a formula to winning the Oscars, and it’s all in the statistics” (Lee, Nathaniel, Business Insider, 2/7/20.)
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“Oscars: The winning factors to land among the best films”
(Schacht, Kira et al., DW, 2/21/19.)
Lesson 1-1, Activity 3: Building Vocabulary
- background music
- biopic
- cinematographer
- composition
- establishing shot
- exposition
- flashback
- genre
- leitmotif
- location
- mixing
- MPA
- realism
- score
- sound
- theme
- treatment
These terms will be used in Lesson 1-1, Activity 3 of your student activity workbook.
Lesson 1-1, Activity 4: Behind the Camera Careers - Cinematographer
A Cinematographer:
- Strategizes with the director about overall production
- scouts locations with other departments
- Makes a shot list and storyboads with the director
- Oversees all Photography and camerawork in filmmaking
- Sometimes operates as a cameraperson during production
Cinematographer Internet Resources:
Lesson 1-1, Activity 5: Human Struggle and the Film Industry
Please use the following articles to answer the questions in Lesson 1-1, Activity 5 of your student activity workbook.
“The Struggle to Be Human,” (By: Stosny, Stephen. Psychology Today, 3/17/19.)
“Dehumanizing Always Starts With Language,” (By: Brown, Brene. 5/17/18.)
“How Cinema Stigmatizes Mental Health,” (By: Haider, Arwa. BBC.com, 8/27/18.)
Lesson 1-2, Activity 6: Movie Selection and Viewing Critical Acclaim
Directions: Once you’ve read the instructions in your SAW on how to choose your films, refer to the list below.If you need help deciding, this table will give you all the information you need in order to select the right kind of film. Once you have two movies you’d like to watch, get them approved by your teacher and begin watching.
Directions: Read the information below about how to choose your films, then watch the movies so you can prepare to fill out your film maps.
Having finished all of the reading now, it is time to start selecting your movies for this unit. Remember that the two movies you select must deal with human struggle in some sense, and you must be able to justify your choices both in your Film Maps and your Assessment Tasks.
As you have learned, the struggle to be human covers many complex emotions and ideas, so you should have a wide array of films from which to choose. Now, although you have lots of control over the movies you choose, there are some set parameters that you must take into account.
One film must be of CRITICAL ACCLAIM — such as winning an award for best picture, actor/actress, screenplay, director (Academy Award, SAG, Golden Globes, film festival winners). If you have another idea for how to represent a critically acclaimed film, then you must have it approved by your instructor.
One film can be a student choice — any kind you want so long as it portrays the theme of human struggle.
Between the two films, one must be more than 20 years old. For example, if the year is 2025, then your film cannot have been released any sooner than 2005.
Now that you are aware of the parameters, it is time to select your movies. You may, of course, choose on your own. However, if you need help deciding, there is the film list available to you below. This list will give you all of the information you need in order to select the right kind of film.
Also, look back to Activity 2 in your student activity workbook where you listed five Academy Award-winning films — these may be eligible if they portray some sort of human struggle.
Once you are certain you have two movies you’d like to watch, get them approved by your teacher and begin watching. As you watch your movies remember to think about the following:
- Review your list of film terms because you will need to use them in your Film Maps and Assessment tasks.
- Taking some notes about scenes and/or themes you see may be a good way to help you fill in your Film Maps.
- Be thinking of the Multimedia Assessment that you must complete. How can you begin to connect the themes of human struggle you see in both films.
Lesson 1-2, Activity 7: Film Map Review
For every film watched in this course, you must fill out a “film map” in order to demonstrate your knowledge of the film, and to prove that you indeed watched the film. A film map is a form with different categores that you must fill out completely for every film you watch in this course. It is important for you to provide details of each of the following components:
- Film title, year, genre, director, and main characters and actors/actresses. It is ok to pull this information from the internet.
- An original summary of the film in your own words. Do not copy it from a website, magazine, book, or DVD case because your teacher will check to make sure you do not plagiarize. Remember that you are using your own words.
- Provide a critical response to the theme of the unit. In other words, how does the movie relate to the overall theme for this unit> A paragraph response is sufficient.
- Apply your film vocabulary in the last section. Using THREE of the film vocabulary terms from this unit, you will summarize how those terms relate to or appear in the movie you watched.
Lesson 1-3, Activity 8: Assessment Task #1
How to Create a Multimedia Presentation
Review the following videos to create an interesting and engaging multimedia presentation using Google Slides or Canva.
Google Slides
Canva
Lesson 1-3, Activity 9: Assessment Task #2
Student Choice
To the right are the four core activities that you will become familiar with because you may be doing them a few times for the different films you choose throughout this course. These activities are designed to prove and challenge your film analysis skills whether it is through an academic essay or a new poster design of a film that inspires you.
Each unit requires you to complete two assessment tasks. One will be mandatory and the other will be your choice. For instance, if you are assigned an argumentative essay for one assessment task, you can choose a more creative or hands on task for your second assessment task. Your instructor will not only make sure that you choose two different projects per unit but that you attempt to complete each project with equal effort and dedication. Your instructor will also make sure that you are diverse with your activity choices and that you do not mainly rely on one type of assessment task to pass the units in this course.
Note that some assessments call for using both films you have viewed, while others will only have you use one viewed film.
In your reader/appendix are detailed descriptions of the four different activities that will be your choices throughout the entire course as well as assessment rubrics and completed examples of an assessment. The availability of certain of these assessments will vary from unit to unit and is solely dependent on the mandatory assessment that has been assigned to you.
