Film: An Introduction

Film: An Introductioncovers the movies students know and the films their instructors want them to know including the silent classics of D.W. Griffith and Sergei Eisenstein, the Hong Kong cinema of John Woo, the documentaries of Errol Morris and Michael Moore, and the contemporary films of Quentin Tarantino and Peter Jackson. Through meticulous coverage, an unmatched art program with over 500 frame enlargements, accessible language, and unique study tools,Filmhelps beginning students develop the critical skills they need to analyze films and understand the medium in all its variety.

WILLIAM H. PHILLIPS received his B.A. from Purdue University, his M.A. from Rutgers University, and his Ph.D. (in dramatic literature and film studies) from Indiana University. He has taught introductory film courses at the University of Illinois, Urbana; Indiana University, South Bend; California State University, Stanislaus; and the University of Wisconsin -- Eau Claire. His publications include the books Analyzing Films (1985), Writing Short Scripts (2nd ed., 1999), and Writing Short Stories: The Most Practical Guide (2002).

PART ONE: THE EXPRESSIVENESS OF FILM TECHNIQUES

Chapter 1: Mise en Scene

SETTINGS

SUBJECTS

COMPOSITION: THE USES OF SPACE

MISE EN SCENE AND THE WORLD OUTSIDE THE FRAME

CLOSE-UP: Mise en Scene in Citizen Kane

SUMMARY

QUESTIONS ABOUT MISE EN SCENE

WORKS CITED

FOR FURTHER READING

Chapter 2: Cinematography

FILM STOCK

LIGHTING

THE CAMERA

DIGITAL CINEMATOGRAPHY

CLOSE-UP, Student Essay: Camera Distances and Angles in a Scene from Reversal of Fortune

SUMMARY

QUESTIONS ABOUT CINEMATOGRAPHY

WORKS CITED

FOR FURTHER READING

Chapter 3: Editing

EARLY FILM EDITING

BUILDING BLOCKS

CONTINUITY EDITING

IMAGE ON IMAGE AND IMAGE AFTER IMAGE

PACE AND TIME

DIGITAL EDITING

CLOSE-UP: The Expressiveness of Editing (and Other Techniques): An Excerpt from High Noon

SUMMARY

QUESTIONS ABOUT EDITING

WORKS CITED

FOR FURTHER READING

Chapter 4: Sound

FILM SOUND: EARLY AND RECENT

COMPONENTS OF THE SOUNDTRACK AND THEIR USES

ADDITIONAL USES OF SOUND

CLOSE-UP, STUDENT ESSAY: Sound in One Minute of Fatal Attraction

CLOSE-UP: Vocals, Sound Effects, and Music in an Excerpt from Psycho (1960)

SUMMARY

QUESTIONS ABOUT FILM SOUND

WORKS CITED

FOR FURTHER READING

POSTSCRIPT TO PART ONE: OBVIOUS VS. SUBTLE FILM TECHNIQUES

 

PART TWO: FICTIONAL FILMS

Chapter 5: Sources for the Fictional Film

SCREENPLAYS, SHOOTING SCRIPTS, AND STORYBOARDS

INDIVIDUAL SOURCES

MULTIPLE SOURCES

CLOSE-UP, STUDENT ESSAY: "The Dead": Novella to Film

SUMMARY

QUESTIONS ABOUT SOURCES FOR THE FICTIONAL FILM

WORKS CITED

FOR FURTHER READING

Chapter 6: Components of Fictional Films

NARRATIVES: FACTUAL AND FICTIONAL

SHORT FICTIONAL FILMS

FULL-LENGTH FICTIONAL FILMS

STRUCTURE

TIME

STYLE

CLOSE-UP: The Plot and Fabula of Pulp Fiction (1994)

SUMMARY

QUESTIONS ABOUT COMPONENTS OF THE FICTIONAL FILM

WORKS CITED

FOR FURTHER READING

Chapter 7: Types of Fictional Films

CLASSICAL HOLLYWOOD CINEMA

OTHER CINEMAS

CLOSE-UP, STUDENT ESSAY: Out of the Past as Film Noir

SUMMARY

QUESTIONS ABOUT TYPES OF FICTIONAL FILMS

WORKS CITED

FOR FURTHER READING

 

PART THREE: ALTERNATIVES TO LIVE-ACTION FICTIONAL FILMS

Chapter 8: Documentary Films

WHAT ARE DOCUMENTARY FILMS?

WHAT MIGHT DOCUMENTARIES DO?

WHAT ARE STEPS THAT COULD BE USED TO CONSTRUCT DOCUMENTARIES?

HOW DOES FILMMAKING TECHNOLOGY AFFECT THE DOCUMENTARY FILMS MADE?

CLOSE-UP: Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse as a Narrative Documentary Film

SUMMARY

QUESTIONS ABOUT DOCUMENTARY FILMS

WORKS CITED

FOR FURTHER READING

Chapter 9: Experimental, Hybrid, and Animated Films

EXPERIMENTAL FILMS

HYBRID FILMS

ANIMATION

CLOSE-UP: "Un Chien Andalou" (1928) as an Experimental Film

SUMMARY

QUESTIONS ABOUT EXPERIMENTAL, HYBRID, AND ANIMATED FILMS

WORKS CITED

FOR FURTHER READING

 

PART FOUR: UNDERSTANDING FILMS

Chapter 10: Understanding Films through Contexts

CONTEXTS IN WHICH A FILM HAS BEEN MADE

THE FILM VERSION SEEN

CONTEXTS IN WHICH A FILM HAS BEEN SEEN

CLOSE-UP: Homosexuality in The Maltese Falcon: The Novel, the Production Code, and the 1941 Movie

SUMMARY

QUESTIONS ABOUT UNDERSTAND FILMS THROUGH CONTEXTS

WORKS CITED

FOR FURTHER READING

 

Chapter 11: Thinking About Films

VIEWER EXPECTATIONS AND INTERACTIONS

TYPES OF MEANINGS FORMULATED

INFLUENCES ON THE WAYS WE THINK ABOUT FILMS

CLOSE-UP, STUDENT ESSAY: The Significance of "Rosebud"

CLOSE-UP: Thinking About "The Truman Show" (1998)

SUMMARY

QUESTIONS ABOUT THINKING ABOUT FILMS

WORKS CITED

FOR FURTHER READING

PART FIVE: WRITING ABOUT FILMS

Chapter 12: Reading and Writing about Films

READING TIPS

WRITING ABOUT FILMS

TWO SAMPLE STUDENT ESSAYS

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY FOR THE INTRODUCTORY FILM STUDENT

Chapter 13: A Sample Description and Analysis: The Player

DESCRIPTION

CINEMATOGRAPHY

EDITING

SOUND

SOURCES FOR THE FICTIONAL FILM

ASPECTS OF THE FICTIONAL FILM

TYPES OF FICTIONAL FILMS

UNDERSTANDING THE PLAYER THROUGH CONTEXTS

THINKING ABOUT THE PLAYER

Appendices:

A Chronology: Film in Context (1895-2008)

Illustrated Glossary

How to Read Film Credits

Index