Week 06: The Many Truths—Documentaries

Week 06: The Many Truths—Documentaries
Tu 10.01/Th 10.03

• Class: Lecture—“A Brief History of Documentaries, Pt. I”
• Screening: Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son about His Father (Kuenne, 2008 USA)

Movie News 09.24.13

• Uncovered: Christian Bale's Dark Knight audition (Dark Horizons)
• Who should play Tupac in his new biopic? (Entertainment Weekly)
• No, Daniel Radcliffe is NOT playing Freddie Mercury (Empire)
• Coming soon: A World of Warcraft movie (Independent)
• China to build its own Hollywood (Verge)
• Marvel in no rush to produce a female superhero-led film (Atlantic)

Week 05: Brave New Worlds—The Science Fiction Film

Week 05: Brave New Worlds—The Science Fiction Film
Tu 9.24/Th 9.26

• Class: Lecture—“A History of Science on Screen, Pt. II”
• Screening: Another Earth (Cahill, 2011 USA)
• Due: Journal 2

Journal 02: Coming Soon—The (Lost?) Art of the Movie Poster

From the beginning, studios and filmmakers understood that the key to building anticipation for a film were the visuals associated with it. And since trailers hadn't yet been invented, silent era studios turned to the movie poster. Since then, movies and their posters (both good and bad) have been in inextricably linked. In fact, it's almost impossible to think about some films without also thinking about their posters. But what's the difference between a poster that makes you stop in a theater lobby to examine it further and one that you pass by? What makes a movie poster stand out? And can a poster actually make you look forward to a film's release? Likewise, can a poster turn you off to seeing a film? What do you consider to be the key elements of an effective movie poster?

Include at least two of the following in your discussion:

• "40 Worst Movie Posters Ever" (TotalFilm)
• "There are Only Three Ways to Design a Kids Movie Poster" (Imgur)
• "15 Over-Used Movie Poster Clichés" (Imgur)
• "7 Elements of a Great Movie Poster Design" (WebdesignerDepot)
• "The 75 Most Iconic Film Posters of All Time" (Complex)
• "The Lost Art of the Film Poster" (Collective Review)

Requirements:

• Must be in MLA Style
• Must be two full pages in length
  

Due: Th 09.26

Notice: Changes to Our Meeting Times

There's been a slight adjustment to our meeting times.

Here is our new schedule:
Tu 12:45-3:00 PM (30 minutes longer)
Th 12:45-2:05 PM (25 minutes shorter)

This new schedule begins on Tuesday, Sept 17th.

Week 04: Brave New Worlds—The Science Fiction Film

Week 04: Brave New Worlds—The Science Fiction Film
Tu 9.17/Th 9.19

• Class: Lecture—“A History of Science on Screen, Pt. I”
• Screening: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Gondry, 2004 US)

Week 03: On the Ropes—Sports on Film

Week 03: On the Ropes--Sports on Film
Tu 9.10/Th 9.12

• Class: Lecture—“An Introduction to Sports on Film, Pt. II”
• Screening: The Wrestler (Aronofsky, 2008 USA)
• Due: Journal 1

Movie News 09.04.13

• James Cameron: Alfonso Cuarón's Gravity is the "the best space film ever done" (Huffington Post)
• Mobile movies rise as drive-ins dwindle (USA Today)
• Hollywood's "Summer of Flops" turns out to be its biggest ever (Atlantic)
• High-end Hunger Games-inspired clothing line coming soon (Hollywood Reporter)
• Target takes on Netflix (Trefis)
• Hollywood embraces the F-word (Los Angeles Times)

Journal 01: Playing Dress Up—Costuming in Film

As any actor will tell you, a character doesn't really come together until the right costume is in place. In fact, many films have become classics, in part, because of their unique costuming. That's because when done right, a costume can add an unexpected element to an actor's performance. In some cases, the right costume can tell us everything we need to know about a character in just seconds. And some characters and costumes are so intertwined that they're difficult to divorce, such as the tattered suit of Charlie Chaplin's Tramp or the leather and metal of Johnny Depp's Edward Scissorhands. For audiences, costumes can also become a sentimental part of a favorite film. One need only look at the robust movie costume auctions to see that collectors will pay top dollar for costumes they consider special or important—one of Dorothy's blue gingham dresses from the Wizard of Oz recently sold for a record $300,000. For your first reflection, you will consider the important role costuming plays in a scene. Below is a list of iconic films, each of which contains equally iconic costuming. Watch three of the scenes and analyze the function costuming plays in the role. Specifically, consider what the costume adds to the overall experience of the scene. For example, is the costuming subtle or does it make a statement? Does it utilize color? If so, how? How does the costume act as an extension of the character or actor? You may also consider hair and makeup in your analysis.

Choose three of the following scenes to explore:

• Mademoiselle Amy Jolly (Marlene Dietrich) in Morocco, 1930 
• Jerry and Dale (Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers) in Top Hat, 1935
• Gilda (Rita Hayworth) in Gilda, 1946
• Stanley Kowalski (Marlon Brando) in A Streetcar Named Desire, 1951
• Lorelei (Marilyn Monroe) in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, 1953
• Lisa (Grace Kelly) in Rear Window, 1954
• Henry Higgins and Eliza Doolittle (Rex Harrison and Audrey Hepburn) in My Fair Lady, 1964
• Tony Manero (John Travolta) in Saturday Night Fever, 1977
• Superman and Lois Lane (Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder) in Superman, 1978
• Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) in Raiders of the Lost Ark, 1981
• Andrew, Brian, John, Claire, and Alison (Emilio Estevez, Anthony Michael Hall, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, and Ally Sheedy) in The Breakfast Club, 1985
• Vivian (Julia Roberts) in Pretty Woman, 1990
• Catwoman (Michelle Pfeiffer) in Batman Returns, 1992
• Eva Peron (Madonna) in Evita, 1996
• Queen Amidala (Natalie Portman) in Star Wars, Episode I: The Phantom Menace, 1999 
• Velma and Roxie (Catherine Zeta-Jones and Renée Zellweger) in Chicago, 2002
• Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) in Pirates of the Caribbean; Curse of the Black Pearl, 2003
• Nina (Natalie Portman) in Black Swan, 2010 
• Effie Trinket (Elizabeth Banks) in The Hunger Games, 2012
• Fantine (Anne Hathaway) in Les Miserables, 2012

Requirements:

• Must be in MLA Style
• Must be two full pages in length
  

Due: Th 09.12

Week 02: On the Ropes—Sports on Film

Week 02: On the Ropes—Sports on Film
Tu 9.3/Th 9.5

• Class: Lecture—“An Introduction to Sports on Film, Pt. I”
• Screening: Rocky (Avildsen, 1976 USA)