Film Style
This weeks reading gave us some insight into film style and form. Initially, the reading began discussing how we can associate the term ‘style’ with the editing and filming choices of certain directors.
The reading then explained the importance of making stylistic decisions so techniques can work together. For example, in the movie Inception, although the plot gets confusing, the audience is able to follow the story line due to the director’s choice of costume, lighting and weather.
Subsequently, the reading discusses how the audience has expectations of film style such as the panning of the camera to follow a character. Following on from this point, the reading teaches us how to analyse film style by ‘thinking like a film maker’ and giving us four questions to answer while analysing style:
1. What is the Film’s overall form?
2. What are the Primary techniques being used?
3. What patterns are formed by the techniques?
4. What functions do the techniques and patterns fulfil?
The second half of the reading introduced us to both Hollywood and independent film making from the 1970s to the 1980s. Interestingly, it was elucidated that some of the most popular films weren’t just the disney classics, but films such as The Godfather (1972) and The Exorcist (1973). The reading then dealt with the rise of new directors after the ‘golden age’ directors had retired and the new skills they brought to the film game.
It was interesting to learn that a lot of the films in the 1980s were actually independent films – from which some famous directors made their debut.