FILM 4670 – Film Technology and Style Scene Analysis Due 2/5

In preparation for completing this assignment, review the glossary of film terms attached to this assignment sheet. Then, choose one of the three scenes listed below, each of which involves an early use of a particular cinematic technology with a visible impact on the film’s style. You may view the scenes on DVD (on reserve in the Media Department in the Main Library) or as clips available on the course's ELC site.

As you watch, note where cuts separate individual shots (unbroken takes). Use the grid provided to note your observations about each shot in the categories of mise-en-scène, composition, camera movement, editing, and sound. You may either legibly hand-write your notes on a paper copy of the grid (photocopy or print additional pages from ELC as needed) and scan it, or type them in the Excel version of the grid on ELC. Include the grid when uploading your paper to ELC.

Based on your observations, write a paper of 3-4 double-spaced pages that discusses the impact of the relevant film technology within the film’s overall stylistic strategies (that is, how specific stylistic choices convey narrative information, create a tone or mood, and/or solicit particular reactions from the spectator). You are responsible for familiarizing yourself with the technology if we have not covered it yet in the course; see resources in the “Scene Analysis Assignment” tab on Steadicam and MASSIVE). Make sure to avoid opinions/value judgments (i.e., whether you think the scene is good or bad) and concentrate on analyzing the technology’s effects.

Focusing on the elements you see as most important and using your own words, state an argument about the sequence's aesthetic strategies as a whole in the introductory section of your paper. Support your argument with specific evidence from the scene, making sure to be as precise in your use of film terms as possible. Walk the reader through the scene, including enough detail so that someone who has not viewed it could get a clear sense of its structure and style. Incorporate analysis throughout rather than simply describing your chosen scene.

The Black Pirate, dir. Albert Palmer, 1926 DVD timecode: 38:56 – 41:55

In an early feature made with two-strip Technicolor, the “Black Pirate” of the title (Douglas Fairbanks) convinces his fellow marauders to hold a recently captured ship for ransom, while a royal hostage (Billie Dove) is menaced by the pirates.

The Shining, dir. Stanley Kubrick, 1980 DVD timecode: 2:15:01 – 2:19:27

In one of the final scenes of The Shining, which features an early sustained use of the Steadicam camera rig, a crazed Jack (Jack Nicholson) chases his son (Danny Lloyd) through a snow-covered maze.

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, dir. Peter Jackson, 2002 DVD timecode: 1:34:43 – 1:36:38

Saruman (Christopher Lee) plots to invade the fortress of Helm’s Deep with the help of an Uruk-hai army, visualized using the MASSIVE (Multiple Agent Simulation System in Virtual Environment) program.