week 16.

1. What has been the ongoing relationship between so-called mumblecore filmmakers and the South By Southwest (SXSW) Festival in Austin, TX?

Well to start off, SxSW is an industry based event, a place where musicians and filmmakers and producers and record labels can meet and talk and possibly forge connections for future projects. As a band, it is one of the funnest festivals to play all year, as well as the most rewarding in terms of the contacts and expanded fan base it generates. You play multiple stages to a wide range of audiences as well as giving interviews for most major music magazines. Although I've been to SxSW several times, we've always been so busy with interviews and performances and meetings with labels, magazines, equipment representatives and other bands that I haven't really had much time to check out the film part. The music part only last three days at the end of the festival, so we usually only have that much time budgeted into our tour schedule and don't get to hang out at the film intensive part of the festival beforehand. But from my experience, I'm guessing the relationship between mumblecore filmmakers and SxSW most likely comes from the festival's focus on new, often independent directors and non-hollywood films.


2. Broadly speaking, what characteristics define mumblecore?

Mumblecore is defined by a focus on everday life through the use of improvisation, non professional actors, digital cameras and home video style operating. They are usually low budget and reality based, using whatever is at hand rather than building elaborate sets.


3. IFC Films picked up Hannah Takes the Stairs for “day-and-date” distribution. What does this mean?

IFC films' "day-and-date" distribution means IFC selects a film and shows it both on their tv channel and on demand.


4. Which two mumblecore directors does Taubin characterize as “breakout talents,” and why?

Taubin considers Bjalski and Katz as breakout talents thanks to Bjalski's talent for writing and directing a scene so that the character's actions are of equal or greater importance than the dialogue itself, and Katz' talent for manipulating digital cameras into giving him a beautiful image as well as creating sound that blends perfectly into that image.

week 15.

1. Despite its use of improvisation, how is Gummo different from “execution dependent” screenplays such as Stranger than Paradise?
Despite the improvisation employed in Gummo, it is not an execution dependent screenplay. Unlike Stranger than Paradise, when you read the script to Gummo it flows and makes sense. A producer can read the script to Gummo and understand the film, making it not as big of a risk as something as execution dependent as Stranger than Paradise, and therefore more likely to get made.

2. What are the current platforms and delivery systems for digital distribution?
Digital distribution has become wide spread and works on many platforms. Online, movie and music files can be downloaded as protected files from iTunes or streamed from NetFlix or Amazon. There are also features standard now with dish/direct tv boxes and video game consoles that allow you to connect to the internet and rent movies off the provider's database which feed directly onto your tv.

3. What were the advantages and disadvantages of releasing Ed Burns’s Purple Violets on i-Tunes?
The advantage of releasing Purple Violets on iTunes is that is reaches a much broader audience than an art house release. You can rent the movie for $2.99 or buy it for $9.99, which is much more convenient than it probably would have been to try to get this film had it had an independent dvd release.
The biggest disadvantage of buying movies on iTunes, in my opinion, is that it doesn't include any bonus features. You miss out on any behind the scenes footage, deleted scenes or special stuff the director wants to include. Also, you can burn it to a dvd, but only to play on other computers - the only way to play an iTunes movie on a tv is to have an appleTV connected to your computer.

4. What is a digital media aggregator, and what is its equivalent in the traditional home video chain between the filmmaker and the consumer?
A digital media aggregator is the video distributing agent of the digital world. They represent films to attract the interest of bigger distribution companies, such as iTunes.

5. What is the Digital Cinema Initiative (DCI), and why is it important for both the studios and independent filmmakers?
The Digital Cinema Initiative is responsible for paving the way to digital cinema. Their responsibilities include updating older theatres and installing digital projectors and screens. It is important for the studios because switching to digital cinema will keep them at the cutting edge of technology and it is important for the independents because it can help their product look better and draw more audience.

week 14.

1. How is a $10 million dollar gross for an independent film typically broken up before the producers receive their share? How much goes to the following entities / categories?
Exhibitors: 60% of gross, $6 million
Distribution Rentals: 40% of gross, $4 million
Distributor’s Fee: 30% of the distributors share, around $1.33 million
Prints and Advertising: $3 million (as a minimum - this is 1/6 the average in 98, and around 1/9 of todays average)
Payout (financiers, director, stars): profit split up between financier and producer. but theres no profit, cause the film is in the negative..
Producer’s Net Profit: negative $333,000

2. What is an "execution dependent" screenplay?
A screenplay that needs to be seen to be appreciated is referred to as "execution dependent". Its a script that doesn't rely on dialogue to move the play forward but instead relies on action, which may be hard to understand and visualize when simply reading the script.

3. What are some of the expenses associated with the Cannes Film Festival (or any festival, for that matter)?
Cannes has a laundry list of expenses that add up very quickly. Probably the biggest expense comes from Cannes' requirement of the submission of two prints that have subtitles in French. The filmmaker has to come up with the money for a translation of the dialogue and the two new prints, as well as paying to have them shipped to France. In order to spread the word about their film, the director must also provide press packets and publicity, as well as expenses to attend parties. During the festival hotels raise their prices, and the festival only covers the director's hotel room for three nights. Any time beyond that, and any rooms for people other than the director, have to come out of pocket. All told, Shamus estimates that Cannes' budget is around $150,000 per filmmaker.

week 13.

1. According to Murphy, what are the two major faults of the traditional screenwriting manuals in their treatment of independent cinema?

Murphy's problem with traditional screenwriting manuals' treatment of independent cinema is the manuals rely on formulas to create a film, which is too structured and traditional for an independent film. The manuals do not understand this, however, and try to force independent films to fit into their formulas; fitting into a formula is pretty much the opposite of most independent cinema, which strives to be unique and against the norm.

3. According to Murphy, how are independent films different than classical Hollywood in the following areas?

Protagonists / Antagonists: Independent films are lacking both goal-oriented protagonists and goal-thwarting antagonists.
Dual plotlines (romance): Non cause and effect writing eliminates the cause for most romance.
Character Motivation (goals): Characters simply react to what is going on around them because the script lacks in goal orientation and causality.
Dialogue: little or no dialogue, or true to life conversationalist dialogue creates ambiguity in the characters which is not seen through the goal-pushing clear minded dialogue of most Hollywood films.
Closure: Independent films prefer open endings with a lack of closure.

4. According to Ed Guerrero, what were the three phases of the black image in Hollywood?

The three phases are:
1) pre-blaxploitation. the mainstream image was that of submissiveness from black characters.
2) blaxploitation. resistance and reversal of mainstream ideology.
3) new black cinema. compromise between Hollywood and black filmmakers.

6. What are the two distinct notions of "guerrilla cinema" exemplified by Spike Lee and Bill Gunn?

"Guerilla Cinema" was embodied by Spike Lee as using independent films as a step ladder to breaking in to mainstream Hollywood. It was embodied by Bill Gunn as a way to use the system and take funding meant for standard, d grade films to make socially conscious films.

week 12. happy election day...time to choose not to loose!

1. What were the average shot lengths (ASLs) for the following periods?
1920s-4 to 6 seconds
1930-1960-8 to 11 seconds
Mid-1960s-6 to 8 seconds
1980s- 4 to 7 seconds
2000 (“by century’s end”)- 3 to 6 seconds


2. How has faster editing in Hollywood affected the other elements of film style?
It allows for jump cuts, fast and slow motion, and using short and long lenses within the same sequence. In addition, cutting in the midst of a camera movement and using matches on action became the norm.


3. How were wide angle (short) lenses used after 1970?
Wide lenses were used to provide views from within cramped quarters, give us expansive establishing shots and provide looming close ups.


4. How were telephoto (long) lenses used after 1970?
The telephoto lens was used to compress the background and foreground action.


5. Why did filmmakers start mixing long and short lenses within scenes?
Lenses were mixed because while filmmakers liked the advantages of long lenses, they still liked the look and feel they got from the wide lens.

week 11.

1. Summarize the answers Bordwell gives to the question, “Why do filmmakers bother with classical construction if ardent viewers consider it dispensable, even distracting?”

Bordwell gives five answers to the question "why do filmmakers bother with classical construction if ardent viewers consider it dispensable, even distracting?" First, he states that while a classically set up plot may be unimportant and unapreciated by viewers, it allows them freedom to concentrate on other aspects of the film. They aren't forced to spend all their time paying perfect attention to every plot twist in order to understand whats going on. Second, classic construction involves big stars and bigger action, which is sure to appeal to a wide range of tastes. Third, due to the high cost of producing whammo moments, the entire film cant be made up of spectacle (besides, an entire 2 hours of spectacle would make that spectacle cease to be entertaining); classic construction allows you to fill the time between big moments with classic hollywood narrative - conflicts, deadlines, classic characters, obstacles for the hero. Fourth, filmmakers are making movies for themselves as well as for audiences, and want to make movies they can be proud of and enjoy. And finally, fifth, big-budget films can layer their stories in order to appear to kids and adults alike (ie Shrek).

2. What does Bordwell mean by “genre ecology,” and how does he characterize the current range of genres in Hollywood.

Bordwell refers to "genre ecology" as the rising and falling popularity or success of less-popular (studio-era "B") movies. These genres include science-fiction, fantasy, crime and horror. He characterizes the current range of genres in Hollywood as becoming nearly equal - the result of younger, film school/film brat directors who have gravitated towards the "B" movie genres while the older directors cling to classic hollywood styles.


3. What does Bordwell mean by “worldmaking,” and how does it affect the narrative design of individual films?

"Worldmaking" is the creation of a rich, fully detailed world in which the action is to take place. Every detail within the scene is carefully researched, from costumes to lighting to props and everything in between.


4. What do Bordwell and Thompson mean by the claim that some films are “maximally classical”? What films do they have in mind?

Bordwell and Thompson refer to films as "maximally classical" when they are so classically structured that they don't show anything of themselves and seem to have no goal beyond being a classically structured film. They are referring to Back to the Future, Die Hard and Groundhog Day, among others.

week 10.

#1: What are the five conditions that gave rise to the New Hollywood (here defined as post-1975)?
The five conditions that give rise to "New Hollywood" are:
1. A new generation of directors - the "movie brats"
2. New marketing strategies - the blockbuster
3. New media ownership and management in the film industry - new conglomerates
4. New technologies in sound and image - special effects, dolby, digital.
5. New delivery systems - films are being made and marketed differently than before.

#2: What does Elsaesser mean by New Hollywood being defined either as “the different as same” or “the same as different.” (p. 193)
"Different as same" and "same as different" are ways in which Hollywood acknowledges self-reflexivity and self-consciousness.
"Different as same" means one of the new directors (of the film school/movie brat generation) behaving like an old Hollywood master director (for example, Francis vs. Welles). They're different, but they're trying to be the same.
"Same as different" is the opposite: the directors of this time borrowing in their themes and styles from European filmmakers. This makes the films seem like something new and different to Hollywood while in reality they are the same old thing.


#4: How is the sound/image relationship in horror films fundamentally different than other classical genres?
In horror films, sound and image don't always fit together. Filmmakers are given a lot more freedom in horror sound. While classic cinema requires image and sound to correspond, in horror it is more effective to hear sounds without the image, forcing the viewer to use their imagination to come up with what may be happening to accompany that sound. This can create much greater fear than seeing everything, because an image that may be terrifying for one person could be funny for another. When forced to come up with the image on their own, each individual viewer pictures what is most terrifying to them, and therefore everyone feels fear.


#12: What is the key technical device (hint: in cinematography) that leads to the “decomposition” of the image as representation and the screen as a bounded frame in Bram Stoker’s Dracula? How is the use of this device a break from classical cinema, and why?
Superimposition is the key technical device that allows decomposition of the image in Dracula. This is a departure from the use of superimposition in classical cinema, where it functioned to mark shifts in time or space, or to allow us to see a character's thoughts or memories.

week 9. (more to follow when I actually have time to think!)

What does Bordwell mean by his claim that Hollywood narratives have “passages of overtness balanced with less self-conscious ones” (p. 50)?


Bordwell means that for the most part filmmakers follow a set of guidelines that creates the "classical hollywood film," using standard narrative tricks such as appointments and deadlines to create tension. Frequently, however, filmmakers own style seeps through, adding a uniqueness that makes the movie stand out from the standard Hollywood film - this is the less self-conscious part.

week 7.

-Why is “allusionism” significant for both modernism and post-modernism? If modernist filmmakers alluded to film history, what do post-modernist filmmakers allude to?

Allusionism allows filmmakers to create an emotional connection with the viewer by making connections and references to older, beloved films. Allusionism allows them to create films that can be both entertaining and mass appealing and at the same time also appeal to art house or film-know-it-all crowds. While modernist filmmakers alluded to film history, postmodern films allude to both film history and world history/current events in order to make people look at these things in different ways.



-What is "blind bidding"? Why did exhibitors object to the proposed blind bidding for Jaws? Why was the blind bidding for Jaws called off?

Blind bidding is a system in the distribution process in which exhibitors select a film to exhibit without having actually seen it, with the idea beings that they'll be able to draw an audience to the film and make money off the screenings. Exhibitors were opposed to blind bidding in the case of Jaws because Universal had a lot of stipulations included in the purchase of Jaws. They were asking unheard of sums of money and expecting exhibitors to help out with the advertising costs. After a preview screening in Dallas, however, blind bidding was called off as the Justice Department decided those exhibitors who had attended the screening had an unfair advantage over those who hadn't.



-How was the saturation booking and marketing of Jaws different than other Universal films (or earlier blockbusters such as The Godfather)?

The marketing for Jaws began with the book's release. It continued relentlessly until the film's release, invading TVs and newspapers everywhere. Ads were made to appeal to every audience imaginable. The film was released to 400 theatres nationwide, rather than sticking to the New York-LA, 150 theatre program that was the norm. On the contrary, The Godfather was released initially in New York and LA, and spread by huge demand throughout the states.

week 6.

1. Carroll writes "The number of recent films in the style-as-symbol category that revive film noir as a means of commenting on their dramatic material is legion: Night Moves (75), Elephant Man (80), All The Presidents Men (76), Taxi Driver, Harcore and Body Heat. How might this also relate to the stylistic choices in The Godfather Part II?

The Godfather Part II uses dark images and a slow pace to relate it both to the 30s' Gangster Film genre and to the dark, hidden-from-the-public underworld of the mob in which the Godfather is part of the ruling class.

2. What does Sawhill suggest are the functions of the recurring "wires, phones, intercoms, cameras, mics, speakers" throughout the film?

Sawhill suggests that it gives the film an almost reality show-esque air. It is percieved as "a city recording itself, playing itself back". He says it insinuates that our culture is obsessed with self image; the image is manufactured and marketed within same culture that created it. We love hearing things in our lives played back to us. I think this is true, my best friend has 18 voice mails saved on her phone that she goes back and listens to on a fairly regular basis! Crazy much?

3. What does Sawhill mean when he suggests that Altman "was making non-linear multimedia before the form existed" and that Nashville "doesn't suffer from the fragmenting effects of stop-and-start, at-home viewing"?

Sawhill suggests that Altman pioneered the from of story telling that is most prevelant in popular movies and TV shows today: that of following multiple characters whose lives intertwine both through the plot and through the use of cross cutting to create connections. He took this style of editing from non-existence to become the common-est (is that a word? it is now.) form of editing. He forces your attention to jump around all over the place with the film, this forces the viewer to pay closer attention to what is going on in order to follow it all.

week 5.

1. Give two specific examples of how Godfather Part II disappoints the viewer (according to Berliner) and how these disappointments "work" for the film.

According to Berliner, in the second Godfather, the violence is muted, Michael is a much less charming, colder character than his father and his entourage is less interesting and doesnt seem as jubilant as they did in the first. Berliner suggests that sequels usually show more of what was most popular in the original. In Godfather II, however, the violence of the first film is toned down, the murder sequences aren't so impressive as the first. Berliner says this separates it from the original, forcing the viewer to miss the plot of the first film. According to Berliner, this works by making the audience watching the film feel the emotions chief in the plot, namely disappointment and nostalgia. By showing less of what made the first a sucess, it succeeds on its own.

2. Give examples of how Francis' Zoetrope Studios was similar and different from Roger Corman and AIP.

Francis' Zoetrope Studios was based on Corman's model of one person as the sole share holder. In this way, Francis had control over every aspect of the studio. In contrast to AIP, however, Francis' films recieved mass market exposure, allowing them to gross more in the box office and win more awards than Roger Corman's productions did.

week 4.

1. What does Kramer argue was characteristic of the bulk of Hollywood film criticism in the 1960s?

-Kramer argued that criticism was based upon a small group of elite directors, who had begun work during the studio era and clung to well-established genres and classic film styles.

2. What was Krael's critique of art cinema and New American cinema. Why did Krael call Bonnie & Clyde the "most excitingly American movie"?

- Krael's critique of art cinema was that it blurred the lines between bad, incomprehensible movies and "art", allowing a lot of bad films to be categorized as art.

- Krael called Bonnie & Clyde "the most excitingly American movie" because it connected with audiences in a way that previously only European films had achieved, while giving Americans a purely American story.

3. Which critics were on opposing sides of the debate over Bonnie & Clyde and why?

- Crowther and Page Cook were both opposed to Bonnie & Clyde. They were both of an older, more conservatory generation. Crowther called it a "cheap piece of bald faced slap stick comedy". Both condemmed it for its graphic nature, inaccurateness and inappropriateness. On the other side,  Krael, Sheed and William Wolf supported Bonnie & Clyde. The three were much more liberally minded than the older critics. Sheed accused Crowther of aiming for more censorship. William Wolf called it "a wonderfully authentic look at the 1930s". 

week 3 reading response.

"The Underground".

Charles Theatre was a huge contributer to the development of underground film. Like CBGB with the underground punk scene, Charles Theatre catered to offbeat films. Mekas organized the screenings. Once a month they allowed open screenings, where anybody could come in and pay a little bit to screen their movies. After months of these screenings, the Charles Theatre developed a filmmakers festival. The Charles Theatre was a place for anybody to come and show their work and get reviews, from critics and from regular people. It was a freehouse for underground film, and nurtured the rising filmmakers.

In 1964 Flaming Creatures, Scorpio Rising and Un Chand d Amour all had legal problems. They were accused of being to obscene and were banned from being shown in theatres.

week one reading response

1. According to Bazin, 1939 marked the end of the "classic" period of Hollywood because he believes that at that time Hollywood had reached classical perfection. It marked the end of the "common form of cinematic language" and the beginning of a "cinematic revolution". In other words, he felt that since Hollywood could no longer improve on its standard, "classic" fare, it was time for new improvements.

2. Seldes' main critique of Hollywood was that it was geared towards too young an audience. Due to declining ticket sales in the age groups of 19-29 and 30 and over, most film goers were between the ages of 10 and 19. This forced Hollywood to produce films that would be most appealing to this age group, hence his critique that all other ages were being left out.

3. Kael predicted that Hollywood would loose audiences because of its huge productions. Kael felt Hollywood relied too much on having large budgets, long films and manufactured, unrealistic sets. If it kept presenting a spectacle, eventually audiences would get bored.

Goodman declared the end of Hollywood in 1961 because television was becoming so much more popular, and with the studios selling rights to movies to be broadcast on tv, people could save a theatre ticket and stay at home to watch them. 

4.MacCan, on the other hand, was optimistic for the future of Hollywood. He saw in the changing system potential for a new approach to filmmaking, influenced by European styles.