Unit 2. Chapt 1 & 2 - Understanding Cinema
Unit 2. Chapt 1 & 2 - Understanding Cinema
Unit 2. Chapt 1 & 2 - Understanding Cinema
Q2] Essay on Sexism & violence In South Indian Cinema. [ Must be written
in ABP style format]
600 words
Q3] DO you think, Indian Bollywood movies, showcase reality? justify your
answer
ACTIVITY:-
Journal Entries:
Students can be assigned to write a journal entry, either in class or as
homework, responding to the events or episodes in the movie as it
progresses. The journal may or may not be focused on one topic; topics
can change each day.
Sample Assignment:
We are going to be watching the movie, “Remember the Titans,” for part
of the class period each day this week. As homework, every day after a
class in which we watch the film, I’d like you to write a short journal entry
about your reactions to the movie so far. [Describe the length of the entry
desired or the amount of time students should spend writing the entry.]
Q1] Film as a medium and an art as different from other arts and
Media?
- Cinema emerged as the premier story telling medium, incorporating
many qualities of other arts. Although we see many arts reflected in
Cinema, it still retains its individual, unique quality. This would be
the first step in Understanding Cinema as a narrative medium art.
Q4] why do we see the elements of the other arts being used in
Cinema
Cinema uses the story- telling techniques of literature
Cinema uses the same basic elements of line, Shapes and colors/ tones in
composing visuals like painting
Cinema uses the illusions of the three dimensional space and composes
figures in depth and offers multiple points of view.
Cinema uses Architecture and natural structures as settings.
Cinema uses music as a part of the story and dramatic structure.
Cinema uses actors and depends upon their performances.
Q5] How is cinema and literature related?
Cinema is also used in a response to poetry. For a long time, there has
existed an interrelationship and mutual influence between literature and
other forms of artistic expressions. This has resulted in painting and
music based on works of fiction, drama and poetry, as well as literary
works emulating pictorial styles and musical structures. The creative
exchange between literature and film was initiated in the last decade of
the 19th Century. Initially, film was most related to photography and
painting.
Literature shares with film the ability to employ the structures and
devices of narrative. Sequence of images on screen told a story and this
is equivalent to the sequence of words on page. The use of language in
film established firmly the connections to literature.
Films, just like in literature, present i) action ii) images iii) words
replicating life. Literary works also have a stylistic and thematic basis in a
realistic presentation of characters and incidents. Theatre, initially,
seemed nearest to film because of the common use of actors and sets.
Critics agree that films have a stronger affinity with fiction, especially with
the pronounced emphasis on narrative. However, whereas the primary
thrust of literature is linguistic, the thrust of film is imagistic/ visual and
immediate.
Film draws from the tradition of live theatre which includes techniques of
staging, lighting, movement and gestures. From the novel, film draws
from structure, characterization, theme and point of view.
For eg
No.1 is PINJAR, title means Skeleton and this movie was based on Amrita
Pritam's novel who is also an anti-socialist..
NO.2 OMKARA is Vishal Bharadwaj's take on Othello is set in rural UP,
where gun-toting gangsters fight with each other for turf control.
Bharadwaj's adaptation is very close to the original, differing only in little
plot details.
NO.3 SURAJ KA SATWAN GHODAN which means the seventh horse of the
sun,is another interesting film
NO.4 UTSAV is Girish Kannad's movie is based on an ancient Sanskrit play
called Mricchakatika. But, Kannad fills his movie with so many extras and
have them debate theory of aesthetics that this movie becomes a
succesful example of making your adaptation say what the original never
said
Q6] What are the similarities between cinema and Music.
Music is a performing art and therefore is time bound, i.e temporal
Music is an aural [auditory] art
Music uses sound and silence in different patterns combinations.
Music is one art can be transferred to cinema in its original form. A song
or a theme music composed for a film can and does become a part of the
film and yet retains its independent existence as a musical piece. Since
music can be used in its undiluted and most impacting manner, it has
formed sucha a brilliant associations with cinema. In India especially,
music has been strong factor in success of some films. For both aesthetic
and commercial reasons music has always been considered important
and essential in films in India.
The most common transition is the “cut.” This is simply one video clip
changing instantly to the next shot.
Cuts are the best way to keep the action or momentum moving along at a
good pace.
Straight cuts are not only simple, but they create smaller overall file sizes,
which are an advantage for web videos. (In other words, adding
transitions create larger video files, and on the Internet, smaller files are
desirable).
Variations include an iris wipe, a heart wipe, a clock wipe, and a star wipe,
in which the name approximates the geometric manner in which the
wiping motion occurs. Examples: an iris wipe is like an expanding or
contracting circle. A heart or star wipe is like an expanding or contracting
heart or star. And a clock wipe moves around in a circle.
Two key transitions are fade-up from black and fade to black. Fading in
from a single color, such as black, conveys a sense of “beginning.” And
nothing says “the end” like a fade to black. (Fades can be used with other
colors, too).