How to View and Appreciate Great Movies

Description

You may sometimes wonder why a single scene from a movie stays with you long after the credits roll, yet in other cases, you can’t recall if you’ve even seen an entire film. Thinking about that memorable moment, what made that impression? Was it a particularly well-acted scene? The dramatic lighting? The emotion of the music? The tension that has built up? The ability to relate to the situation? A powerful choice of words? The answer is, simply, yes. Biography......Page 3 Table of Contents......Page 5 Scope......Page 7 1 — The Art of the Silver Screen......Page 9 2 — We All Need Another Hero: Universal Stories......Page 15 3 — Movie Genre: It’s Not What You Think......Page 21 4 — Genre Layers and Audience Expectations......Page 27 5 — Popcorn Can Wait: Story Shape and Tension......Page 33 6 — Themes on Screen......Page 40 7 — Paradigm Shift: Citizen Kane and Casablanca......Page 46 8 — The Language of Visual Storytelling......Page 55 9 — Building Screen Space: Blocking and Framing......Page 59 10 — The Cutting Room Floor: Powerful Editing......Page 66 11 — Sound Design and Acoustic Illusion......Page 73 12 — Setting the Scene: Masterful Set Design......Page 80 13 — Special Effects in the 20th Century......Page 86 14 — Special Effects in the 21st Century......Page 91 15 — Scoring the Story: Music in Film......Page 98 16 — Color and Light: Elements of Atmosphere......Page 104 17 — Knowing Characters from the Inside Out......Page 110 18 — Knowing Characters from the Outside In......Page 114 19 — Secondary Characters and Supporting Actors......Page 120 20 — Star Power: Lead Actors and Their Roles......Page 125 21 — Character Relationships and Audience Empathy......Page 130 22 — Pathways to Great Antagonists......Page 135 23 — Point of View in Script and on Screen......Page 141 24 — Filmmaker’s Voice and Audience Choice......Page 147 Films Referenced by Lecture......Page 153 Bibliography......Page 197 Image Credits......Page 202