Styles Of Films And How To Make A Successful Film

While at RKO, Val Lewton proved that small budgeted films, such as Cat People and I Walked with a Zombie, could be box office successes.This was ideal for RKO since the country was still involved in WW2.As a writer, Lewton's characters challenged the conventions of horror by walking into their fear instead of away from it.This character flaw would be the basis of the drama for decades to come.What is the source for this—you have to credit others.

Unlike Cat People, I Walked with a Zombie was located primarily outside with the climax occurring on a beach.The natural lighting paired well with the fair skin of the white actors but aggressively juxtaposed the complexation of the Haitian characters, further suggesting their presence and culture to be unnatural and barbaric.Cat People's suspense was the result of tight editing and diegetic sounds.Source?We never see the panther in the pool but the echoing of its roar while we see shots of the pool's reflection on the ceiling all but convinces us that Alice is in real danger.

The Hitchhiker's style is a frame within a frame.The men are driving through the deserts of California and Mexico.We see the isolated landscape though much of the dialogue takes place within the car.Lupino's positioning of the camera in the car, at times even next to the killer, forces the audience to be not just part of the scene but part of the crime.Source?While the hostages attempt to sleep in the desert, extreme close-ups of the killer's sleeping face reveal a dilemma: one of his eyelids can't completely shut.If we can't tell if he's awake, how can our protagonists?This is definitely from somewhere else.

The essential style of film noir is non-linear plot in an urban setting, centered around characters who inevitably victims of their own fate.High and low contrast and angles visually separate the good from evil while jazzy scores and authentic sounds of either the city or suburbs, establish the plot as modern and relatable.Characters, such as The fall guy and femme fatale, are usually two dimensional and easy to place making the resolution predictable. Source ?

The essential difference between French New Wave and Italian Neorealism is the manipulation of time and space ( in Mast, and Powerpoint.Incorrect Italian Neorealism often shot in linear documentary style with non-actors.French New Wave often used blatant editing to play with construction of the narrative and the reality of the characters.Both movements critiqued the human experience and existentialism in the aftermath of a world war. Source?

Stromboli breaks a fundamental neorealist rule of having nonfactors by having its leading lady be an established Hollywood icon, Ingrid Bergman.Source?Rossellini's features footage of a real evacuation of the town after Mt.Stromboli erupts.De Sica also keeps the camera rolling as Romans attempt to return to the mundane as seen through shots of public transportation during rush hour.The Bicycle Thief plays with the concept of time; majority of the film takes places in the span of a day.The hunt for the thief becomes depressing as we follow each lead with the father and son into one disappointing end after another.

Jean Cocteau is important for his surreal attempts at marrying art and nature in his films Source?.His films reflect his ability of master storytelling over various art forms such as painting, playwriting, writing, and film making.His adaptions of Orpheus and Beauty of the Beast argued film could thrive outside the limitations of stage and text. Source? 0 pts

One of my favorite scenes from Cocteau's Beauty and the Beast is when Belle's father first arrives to the Beast's castle.As he walks though the pitch black atrium (source?) , his path is illuminated with each step by levitating candelabras.The candelabras are held up by human arms that would extend.I immediately thought of the Michael Jackson video for "Beat It" when titles light up with each of steps.This concept is commonly used in motion censored lights.

The tableaux in Vivre Sa Vie are told in chronological order but with scenes that could stand alone as shorts though when weaved together, gives a painful yet honest look into the short life of Nana.Godard challenges the conventions of framing and sound that Hollywood upholds.Nana is shown talking to her husband with both of their backs to the camera.Voice overs allow us to hear what's being said though without seeing the movement of their lips, we can't confidently believe the dialogue is being spoken at that moment.Voiceover is used again in a montage of Nana's journey into sex work though time is again manipulated; the voiceover is of Nana asking Raoul, her potential pimp, asking questions about sex work while scenes of her already engaging in sex work is played.