Movies and Film

Welcome to the presentation of the Cinema group. It has already passed over hundred years from the invention of film, more that television, but the constant innovations kept cinemas enchanting mass audiences. You might say there will not be enough talk, or too much talk about Film depending on your position, but we decided to focus also on aspect that is common too all narrative media content – Storytelling and how it relates to Film. But fear not, discussions about art in movies may ensue.

You may feel many of the topics are omitted and this is a chance to continue the conversation online or mention them at the discussion part.

Group members

Bo Kyung Kim
Žiga Pavlovič
Jonas Janssen

Scenario

PART 1: History of motion picture - 20 min
PART 2: Storytelling, Plot devices, holes, 7 basic plots, Types of film – 25 min
Break
PART 3: Activity for developing visual sense 30 min
PART4 : Discussion - Evolution and future of film (as media ), Transmedia, Movie industries - for the rest of the time.

PART 1. History of Motion Pictures

Intro - History of Enchantment

Ever since we humans started making shadow puppets in the firelight of our caves, we’ve been fascinated by the power of the projected image. From the very beginning of human history, human being has been captivated by illusion of movement. As early as 200 BC, in China, there was toy for children, a disk with an image on each side, suspended by two strings. When the disk is spun on its strings, the images appear to merge. This simple mechanical device actually based on the most essential phenomenon for filmmaking; Persistence of Vision. When each successive image stands still for about 24th of a second, the human eye is tricked into believing that the flow of movement is continuous.
In the 17th century, the magic lantern, an early type of image projector was often called "lantern of fright” or "lantern of fear". Because at that time, many magicians used this machine to make image appear or disappear, animate normally inanimate objects, or even create the belief of bringing the dead back to life. People believed that those images were real and they were frightened and awed by them.
From the magic lantern to today's 3D cinema, illusion of movement has always been enchanting human being, giving great pleasure and amusement. Today I’d love to introduce you history of motion picture, in other words, history of enchantment :)

Camera Obscura

One of the first technological precursors of film is the pinhole camera, followed by the more advanced camera obscura, which is inverted through a small hole or lens from outside, and projected onto a surface or screen. Using camera obscura, it was possible to project a moving image, but there was no means of recording the image for later viewing.

Muybridge

The invention of the motion picture camera was actually provoked by a simple bet. In 1877 Eadweard Muybridge made a bet with a friend to determine whether or not a horse has a foot on the ground at all times during a sprint. Although Muybridge initially considered the task impossible, he made history when he arranged 24 cameras alongside a race track. The cameras were arranged along a track parallel to the horse's, and each camera shutter was controlled by a trip wire which was triggered by the horse's hooves. What resulted was the world's first motion picture. Muybridge also won the bet as the horse did indeed lift all four feet off the ground while running.

Thomas Edison & W.K.L.Dickson

In 1889 Thomas Edison got into the motion picture game with the Kinetoscope, a peep show device that moved a piece of film across a light to display a moving image. This was contained within a large box, and only permitted the images to be viewed by one person at a time looking into it through a peephole, after starting the machine by inserting a coin. That same year the Eastman Kodak company perfected its celluloid-based film as a capturing medium.
Edison is usually given full credit for the invention of a movie camera and projector, but the first to design a fully successful apparatus was W. K. L. Dickson, working under the direction of Edison. His fully developed camera, called the Kinetograph, was patented in 1891 and took a series of instantaneous photographs on standard Eastman Kodak’s celluloid film.

Lumière Brothers

French brothers Auguste and Louis Lumière are often credited with creating the first camera. Their cinématographe, patented in 1895, was an all-in-one camera, which also served as a film projector and developer. Workers Leaving the Lumière Factory, was shown in 1895 at the Grand Café in Paris, along with nine other short movies. + people’s reaction

Sound

Initially, there were technical difficulties in synchronizing images with sound. However, the art of motion pictures grew into full maturity in the "silent era"(1894-1929) before silent films were replaced by "talking pictures" in the late 1920s. Silent films were commonly accompanied by live musicians and sometimes sound effects and even commentary spoken by the showman or projectionist. In most countries, intertitles came to be used to provide dialogue and narration for the film.

In 1926, Hollywood studio Warner Bros.introduced the "Vitaphone" system. Soon after the first sound movie, The Jazz Singer, released in 1927, featured Al Jolson singing a few songs. The revolution they wrought was swift. By 1930, silent film was practically extinct in the US and already being referred to as "the old medium".

The thing that made me so sad was that the international language was over. Celric Belfrage, after seeing The Jazz Singer, the first "talkie" in 1927.
The silent movies provided a medium that could communicate its story to all people regardless the language they spoke. But after the first “talkie” released, audiences flocked to the movies just to enjoy the novelty of hearing actors speak. The advent of sound created the question of how to provide for the differing languages of the international audience. Since films could be dubbed or made with subtitles, the universal "language" of the silent films could be replaced with printed or spoken dialogue appropriate for specific audiences.

Color & Widescreen

In the early 1950s, the proliferation of black-and-white television started seriously depressing North American theater attendance, and the increasing popularity of the medium meant that some film theatres would bankrupt and close. In an attempt to lure audiences back into theaters, bigger screens were installed, widescreen processes, polarized 3D projection and stereophonic sound were introduced, and more films were made in color.
While the advent of sound films quickly made silent films and theater musicians obsolete, color replaced black-and-white much more gradually. The pivotal innovation was the introduction of the three-strip version of the Technicolor process.
Color television receivers had been available in the US since the mid-1950s, but at first they were very expensive and few broadcasts were in color. During the 1960s, prices gradually came down, color broadcasts became common, and sales boomed. After the final flurry of black-and-white films had been released in mid-decade, all Hollywood studio productions were filmed in color.

Digital Cinema

Digital cinematography is the process of capturing motion pictures as digital images, rather than on film. Digital capture may occur on video tape, hard disks,flash memory, or other media which can record digital data.
Digital technology has been the driving force for change throughout the 1990s and into the 2000s. During the late 1990s, another cinematic transition began, from physical film stock to digital cinema technology. Meanwhile DVDs became the new standard for consumer video, replacing VHS tapes.
More films were also being released simultaneously to IMAX cinema. After James Cameron's 3D film Avatar became the highest-grossing film of all time, 3D films have gained increasing popularity with many other films being released in 3D, with the best critical and financial successes being in the field of feature film animation.
One major new development in the early 21st century is the development of systems that make it much easier for regular people to write, shoot, edit and distribute their own films without the large apparatus of the film industry. This phenomenon and its repercussions are outlined in Chris Anderson's theory, The Long Tail.
The long tail is the large number of occurrences far from the "head" or central part of a distribution of popularities, probabilities or such. In statistics, a probability distribution is said to have a long tail if a larger share of population rests within its tail than would under a normal distribution.

Part 2: Storytelling

Gustav Freytag's plot progression
- Exposition
First part of the movie when the characters, their relations to one another, goals and motivation and the settings around them are introduced. Most importantly we get to know the main character, what will drive the story and what is at stake if the protagonist fails the goals set for him.

• - Rising action
• The start of the conflict and can be interptereted also as a second act in a 5 act story. The different factions, introduced in exposition, will start to struggle. This is usually where kidnappings, character deaths or challenges in films happen and the protagonist understand hig goal better and begins to work toward it. Smaller problems my arise at first and in this phase shows us mostly how she or he overcomes these problems

- Climax
Turning point of the story, where the character the single big decidion that defines the outcome of their story and who they are as a person. At that moment, after the innitial hurdles have been settled, we usually see the protagonist and antagonist face each other for the first time or last time.
Neither win yet, but the nature of decisions from characters will determine one's fate. In a tradedy the main characters makes a “bad” decision, as a result of a character's tragic flaw.
The climax often contains defining battles or finals confrontations.
- Falling action
Loose ends are being tied up. On the other hand there coud be moments of the greatest tension when the antagonist has an upper hand or the main character has never been further away from the goal. (also the best spot for Deus ex Machina). At this stage the difference between tragedy and comedy (in ancient Greek terms!) will show based on which side, good or evil, our main character will side with.
- Resolution
In the final phase of Freytag's five phase structure, there is a final confrontation between the protagonist and antagonist, where one or the other decisively wins. This phase is the story of that confrontation, of what leads up to it, of why it happens the way it happens, what it means, and what its long-term consequences are.


Plot devices
Means of advancing the plot in a story, used to motivate characters, create urgency or resolve difficulty.
- Red Herring
The term 'red herring' comes from the old use of a salted herring (which is red) in training hunting dogs. The well-trained dog would continue following a weaker fox scent rather than be distracted by the strong herring scent.
- Deus Ex Machina
Sudden event that saves an otherwise unavoidable situation. Common and very cheap.
- Macguffin
A character, an idea, or an object that influences everyone in the story . The one ring or Maltese Falcon are prime examples.
Plot holes
A gap or inconsistency in a storyline that goes against the established rules and logic in the story's world, or a blatant ommision of previously mentioned information and actions resulting afterwards as if that information was not known.
Examples: unlikely behavior of characters, illogical or impossible events, events happening for no apparent reason, or statements/events that contradict earlier events in the storyline.
Usually seen as weaknesses, the writers deal with them by including vague statements (e.g. "I've tried everything I can think of..."),
Plot outline (camera angles)
Film medium is a combination of visual imagery and sound. We see the story through a frame defined by camera angles. Different camera angles instill different feelings and are used to convey them.
7 basic plots

• the quest
• Hero learns of a great MacGuffin that he desperately wants to find, and sets out to find it, often with companions.

• Voyage and return
• Hero heads off into a magic land with crazy rules, ultimately triumphs over the madness and returns home far more mature than when he set out.

• Rebirth
• As with the Tragedy plot, but our protagonist manages to realize his error before it's too late, and does a Heel Face Turn to avoid inevitable defeat.
• Comedy

• Hero and Heroine are destined to get together, but a dark force is preventing them from doing so; the story conspires to make the dark force repent, and suddenly the Hero and Heroine are free to get together. This is part of a cascade of effects that shows everyone for who they really are, and allows two or more other relationships to correctly form.

• Tragedy
• The flip side of the Overcoming the Monster plot. Our protagonist character is the Villain, but we get to watch him slowly spiral down into darkness before he's finally defeated, freeing the land from his evil influence.

• Overcoming the monster
• Hero learns of a great evil threatening the land, and sets out to destroy it.

• Rags to riches
• Surrounded by dark forces who suppress and ridicule him, the Hero slowly blossoms into a mature figure who ultimately gets riches, a kingdom, and the perfect mate.

PART 3: Activity for developing visual sense

Movie (visual) literacy - 10 min Martin Scorsese on Visual Literacy 3.00 – 6.05 minute mark
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I90ZluYvHic&feature=related

PART4 : Discussion - Evolution and future of film (as media ), Transmedia, Movie industries

Discussion topics:
- What do you think the future of film is?
-> response -> discuss
-> no response -> show http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFlsc0vyU6Y


Ask if they agree that "3D" is indeed all there is to the future of film.
-> diffrent ways of story telling ? funding? Actors? Cinemas?


Topics :
- evolution of technology to MAKE movies (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=30Pjl31cyDY)
- evolution of technology to SEE (experience?) movies
- story telling (interactive -> games ? -> is this still film ?)
- who makes films in the future? (everyone? -> youtube )
- where will we watch/experience films? (mobile? cinema? home? glasses?)
- substance -> everything for everyone?


Guide questions :
- How do you like the glasses in 3d? ----> what about the immersion glasses?
- pro or contra 3d? -> http://www.2d-glasses.com/ -> why 3d sales going down?
- Opinions on frame rates -> pros & cons
- What is the most important aspect of film? -> how can this be improved?
- Funding -> crowd sourced films? still with big companies ?
- Home or cinema?
- holograms? http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/movies/2011/11/martin-scorsese-hugo-3d-hugo-release-reviews-butterfield-moretz-movie.html
- http://player.vimeo.com/video/38161223

Filling parts (if there's silence ) :

• How the past saw the future : http://www.davidbordwell.net/blog/2012/09/26/the-wayward-charms-of-cinerama/ (why it was a good / bad idea) -> what do you think?
• movie about digital & analog film : http://vimeo.com/35206631