Some of the most iconic films in history were released in the 1970’s. BLAZING SADDLES and CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND may be polar opposites from one another but, they both made Hollywood shine even brighter in the mid to late 70’s. Mel Brook’s 1974 film, BLAZING SADDLES, explored all different types of topics,…
Lighting
Lighting has been crucial to acting since the concoction of plays. Lighting is obviously a necessity to see what characters are feeling, but also with many movies watched at drive-ins, most movies had to be very brightly lit to be visible from their cars. In early Hollywood films, three-point lighting was often used to capture…
Stock Character
You’re watching a movie with your family and in the movie the main character has a little brother. The little brother is not the main character but you can see him in a lot of the shots with little to no attention focused on him. You know he is in the background and know that…
Crane Shots in Films
Crane Shots are mostly common in the beginning of a film and at the end. These shots are taken by a camera on a moving crane or jib. A crane enables the camera to travel the distances up and down, forward and backward and from side to side, while flying high in the air. Cranes also have both an operator and a…
Leitmotif in Film
A Leitmotif is a specific theme that stands out in a film and eventually becomes highly recognizable. Leitmotifs are most commonly iconic sounds and “theme-songs” that are known for only being in that movie or series of movies. Leitmotifs are typically found in famous movies and have a huge impact on the audience. Basically, if…
Swashbuckler Genre
For this week’s film analysis I selected the topic of the “swashbuckler” genre of film. This type of film can best be described as high action, adventure, romance and taking place in a historical setting. When I hear the term swashbuckler, I think of a pirate movie. When I think pirate movie, I think Johnny…
Psychology of Color and Its Use in Film
Since its inception, film has always been, at its core, a visual media. One of the most important and striking aspects of a film is its use of color to incite a psychological response from the audience. Color can be used to convey a mood and set the tone or ambiance of a scene. Take…
Leitmotif in Film
Leitmotif is a tool used in the making of a film that you can see in movies from today to as far back as the 1930’s. It is a melody that is used to associate a character, a place, a person, object, place, or emotion to what you are seeing on screen. Leitmotif’s…
The 180 Degree Rule
There is a rule in cinema called the 180 degree rule. This rule refers to that once the spacial relationship has been established in the scene, no close-up will cross the imaginary line drawn between the two actors until a new line has been established in the shot. The main reason for this rule is…
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