The Critical Practice of Film
An Introduction
Published on 16. September 2017
336 pages
978-0-230-34527-0 (ISBN)
Description
The Critical Practice of Film introduces film studies and production through the integration of criticism, theory and practice. Its approach is that of critical practice, a process that explores the integration and intersection between the critical analysis of films and the practical aspects of filmmaking. In other words, this book is both an introduction to the ways in which we watch films, as well as an introduction to how films are created ? the more you know about how films are made, the more you can appreciate the artistry involved in a film.
Author Elspeth kydd combines explorations of basic technical and aesthetic principles with extended analyses drawn from both classic and contemporary Hollywood and other world cinemas, including Battleship Potemkin (1927), Un Chien andalou (1929), Stagecoach (1939), Mildred Pierce (1945), Notorious (1946), Letter from an Unknown Woman (1948), Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), Breathless (1959), Memories of Underdevelopment (1968), Star Wars (1977), Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), Distant Voices, Still Lives (1988), The Matrix (1999), Amores Perros (2000), Gosford Park (2001) and The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001-3). Also included is a range of exercises designed to stimulate critical and analytical thought and help to demystify the process of creative mediamaking. Assignments range in scale from simple storyboarding and narrative development exercises that may be explored with minimal technology, to more complex video projects that can be adapted to suit varying levels of technical skill.
The Critical Practice of Film provides an accessible introduction to the theory and practice of film studies, integrating creative practice with critical and theoretical engagement to guide students towards an engaged form of creative expression and an active role as reviewer and critic. Beautifully presented, this ground-breaking text offers all students an integrated understanding of film criticism and production.
Elspeth kydd is a Senior Lecturer in Film Studies and Video Production at the University of the West of England. She has taught, researched and published in film and television studies for nearly twenty years, as well as being an active documentary videomaker. This book developed from teaching integrated theory-practice film courses at universities in the US and UK.
Author Elspeth kydd combines explorations of basic technical and aesthetic principles with extended analyses drawn from both classic and contemporary Hollywood and other world cinemas, including Battleship Potemkin (1927), Un Chien andalou (1929), Stagecoach (1939), Mildred Pierce (1945), Notorious (1946), Letter from an Unknown Woman (1948), Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), Breathless (1959), Memories of Underdevelopment (1968), Star Wars (1977), Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), Distant Voices, Still Lives (1988), The Matrix (1999), Amores Perros (2000), Gosford Park (2001) and The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001-3). Also included is a range of exercises designed to stimulate critical and analytical thought and help to demystify the process of creative mediamaking. Assignments range in scale from simple storyboarding and narrative development exercises that may be explored with minimal technology, to more complex video projects that can be adapted to suit varying levels of technical skill.
The Critical Practice of Film provides an accessible introduction to the theory and practice of film studies, integrating creative practice with critical and theoretical engagement to guide students towards an engaged form of creative expression and an active role as reviewer and critic. Beautifully presented, this ground-breaking text offers all students an integrated understanding of film criticism and production.
Elspeth kydd is a Senior Lecturer in Film Studies and Video Production at the University of the West of England. She has taught, researched and published in film and television studies for nearly twenty years, as well as being an active documentary videomaker. This book developed from teaching integrated theory-practice film courses at universities in the US and UK.
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ELSPETH KYDD is a Senior Lecturer in Film Studies and Video Production at the University of the West of England. She has taught, researched and published in film and television studies for nearly twenty years, as well as being an active documentary videomaker. This book developed from teaching integrated theory-practice film courses at universities in the US and UK.
Content
Vehicle Movement.- Operator Movement.- SUMMARY AND KEY QUESTIONS.- WANT TO LEARN MORE?.- Chapter 7 Mise-en-Scene.- LEARNING OBJECTIVES.- WHAT IS MISE-EN-SCENE?.- THE ELEMENTS OF DESIGN.- Setting.- Studio Sets.- On Location.- Costume Design.- Costume and Authenticity.- Narrative and Thematic Use of Costumes.- Aesthetic Use of Costumes.- Ideological Use of Costumes.- Make Up.- Props.- DIRECTION.- Continuity Staging.- Alternatives to Continuity Staging.- PERFORMANCE AS AN ELEMENT OF MISE-EN-SCENE.- Acting Styles.- How an Actor Develops a Role.- Performance in Stage Beauty.- SUMMARY AND KEY QUESTIONS.- WANT TO LEARN MORE?.- Chapter 8 Sound.- LEARNING OBJECTIVES.- SOUND IN FILM.- THE CIRCLE OF SOUND.- TYPES OF SOUND.- Listening Well.- Where is that Sound Coming From?.- Voice.- Sound Effects.- Ambiance.- Sound Recording.- Sound Mixing.- An Example Of Sound Types: 'Truck Stop'.- NARRATIVE SOUND.- Sound in the World of the Narrative.- Sound and the Narrative Order.- An Example of Sound in Narrative: Distant Voices, Still Lives.- SUMMARY AND KEY QUESTIONS.- WANT TO LEARN MORE?.- Chapter 9 Editing.- LEARNING OBJECTIVES.- THE FINAL STAGES.- TRANSITIONS.- THE CONTINUITY SYSTEM.- 180° Space.- Shot Selection.- 30° Rule and Jump Cuts.- Adding Complexity to the Scene.- Ideological Significance of Continuity Editing.- THE AESTHETIC TECHNIQUES OF EDITING.- Graphic Matching.- Cutting on Movement.- Pace and Rhythm.- Pacing within the Scene and within the Film.- Pacing for Different Types of Screen Action.- EDITING AND THE WORLD OF THE NARRATIVE.- Time Manipulation through Editing.- Linking Spaces.- Inserts.- MONTAGE.- Eisenstein and The Montage of Conflict.- SUMMARY AND KEY QUESTIONS.- WANT TO LEARN MORE?.- Chapter 10 Music.- LEARNING OBJECTIVES.- LISTENING TO A FILM.- SOURCES OF FILM MUSIC.- ADDING MUSIC TO A FILM.- Adding Music to Your Own Film or Video.- MUSIC IN THE WORLD OF THE NARRATIVE .- MUSICAL THEMES.- MUSIC AND MEANING.- THE IDEOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF FILM MUSIC.- MUSIC IN THE LORD OF THE RINGS.- SUMMARY AND KEY QUESTIONS.- WANT TO LEARN MORE?.- PART 4 ANALYSIS AND CRITICAL PRACTICE.- Chapter 11 Interpretation and Analysis of Film.- LEARNING OBJECTIVES.- WRITING ABOUT FILM.- METHODS OF WRITING ABOUT FILM.- The Film Review.- Historical Research Essay.- Critical Analysis of Film.- Theoretical Interpretation of Film.- ANALYZING A FILM.- The Need for Description.- Identifying the Cinematic Techniques.- Examining How the Cinematic Techniques Tell the Story.- Evaluating the Effectiveness of the Storytelling Techniques.- INTERPRETING A FILM.- Interpretation of Gender Identities.- Women in Film.- Gender in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.- The Ideologies of Race.- Analyzing Race.- Race in Raiders of the Lost Ark.- Relating a Film to its Context of Creation.- Autuer Analysis.- Genre Analysis.- National Cinemas.- ANALYZING YOUR OWN CREATIVE PRACTICE.- SUMMARY AND KEY QUESTIONS.- WANT TO LEARN MORE?.- Chapter 12 Critical Practice in Action.- LEARNING OBJECTIVES.- CRITICAL PRACTITIONERS.- THE CRITICAL PRACTICE OF THE SOVIET MONTAGE THEORISTS.- The Context of Montage.- The Kuleshov Experiments.- Eisenstein and Pudovkin.- Montage in Practice: The End of St. Petersburg.- THE CRITICAL PRACTICE OF THE FRENCH NEW WAVE.- The Context of the French New Wave.- The Theory of the French New Wave.- An Example of the French New Wave: Breathless.- THE CRITICAL PRACTICE OF THIRD CINEMA.- The Context of Third Cinema.- Theories of Third Cinema.- An Example of Third Cinema Memories of Underdevelopment.- CRITICAL PRACTICE IN FEMINIST FILM.- Feminist Alternatives to Mainstream Cinema.- The Films of Agnes Varda.- CRITICAL PRACTICE AND THE NEW QUEER CINEMAThe Context of New Queer Cinema.- Queer Theory and New Queer Cinema.- New Queer Cinema in Action.- CRITICAL PRACTICE IN POPULAR CULT FILM.- Critical Practice in The Matrix.- SUMMARY AND KEY QUESTIONS.- WANT TO LEARN MORE?.- Bibliography.- Glossary.
