History Flashcards

1
Q

What is the ‘‘Phenakistoscope’’?

A

A spinning disc of figures that gives the illusion of movement when the viewer looks through a slot in the stationary disc

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2
Q

Who invented the ‘‘Phenakistoscope’’ and when?

A

Joseph Plateu and Simon Stampfer, 1882

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3
Q

What was Edwin. S. Porter Famous for?

A

Created ‘‘intercutting’’ that was first seen in ‘‘The Great Robbery’’

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4
Q

When was ‘‘The Great Robbery’’ released?

A

1903

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5
Q

Which was one of the first film companies to become ‘‘vertically integrated’’?

A

Pathe

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6
Q

What does ‘‘vertically integrated’’ mean?

A

Controlling production, distribution and exhibition of a film

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7
Q

Who was Louis Feuilade?

A

One of silent cinemas most important artists until the 1920’s

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8
Q

What is the ‘‘French Impressionism’’ film-style?

A

Focused on pictoral beauty and intense psychological exploration

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9
Q

When was the French Impressionism popular?

A

1905-1930

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10
Q

When was the German Impressionism popular?

A

1920-1927

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11
Q

What is the ‘‘German Impressionism’’ film-style?

A

Expressed raw, extreme emotions, loud expressing of lines, staring eyes and choreographed movements

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12
Q

What did ‘‘Controlling through ligitation’’ mean?

A

The Edison company tried to force competition out of business by suing them for patent infrigement

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13
Q

When did ‘‘Controlling through ligitation’’ happen?

A

1907-1908

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14
Q

What was the ‘‘Motion Picture Patents Company’’ a result of?

A

AM and B and the Edison Company coming together after a long time of fighting

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15
Q

What did the ‘‘Motion Picture Patents Company’’ do?

A

Controlled production, distribution and exhibition

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16
Q

Who were the ‘‘independents’’?

A

The producers, distributors and exhibitors who were not willin to pay fees to the MPPC

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17
Q

What was the film ‘‘The Jazz Singer’’ famous for?

A

It was the first film that used synchronized sound

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18
Q

When was ‘‘The Jazz Singer’’ released?

A

1927

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19
Q

What were some of the problems with ‘‘sound-on’’ film at the beginning?

A

Sensetive microphones that were hard to move, difficult to move tracks, scenes often had to be shot by multiple cameras in soundproof booths

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20
Q

How did France contribute to the international adaptation of sound?

A

They created a program of sound shots and a feature with post-dubbed songs

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21
Q

How did Great Britain contribute to the international adaptation of sound?

A

They added vandeville acts and prologues

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22
Q

How did Japan contribute to the international adaptation of sound?

A

Through ‘‘talkies’’ (katsuben) who were sitting in the theatre near the screen, explaining action and vocally portraying the characters

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23
Q

What is ‘‘intercutting’’?

A

Films moving back and forward between scenes

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24
Q

What is ‘‘Analytical Editing’’?

A

Editing breaks down a single space into separate framings, cutting closer to the action. Long shots show the entire space while close shots enlarge small objects and facial expressions

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25
Q

What is ‘‘Contiguity Editing’’?

A

When characters move out of a space at the end of a shot and reappear in the next room in the next shot

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26
Q

What is ‘‘Eyeline Match’’?

A

When a character looks off-screen and we know from the cameras position in the second shot that we are seeing what the character sees

27
Q

What is ‘‘The Star System’’

A

'’The Star System’’ started when producers started signing actors for longer contracts so they would appear in more movies. This way movies started getting recognized through the name of the actors instead of just the brand name of a film

28
Q

What was the ‘‘Nickelodeon boom’’?

A

A rapid multiplication of theatres that were usually in small stores, with one projector and that cost a ‘‘nickel’’ to enter. Movies became less novelty and more regular entertainment. This because they were cheap, non seasonal and opened for a bigger audience.

29
Q

Who was the ‘‘Nickelodeon boom’’ a beginning for?

A

Warner Brothers - Carl Laemmle and Louis B. Mayer

30
Q

What does MPPDA stand for?

A

Motion Picture Producers and Distribution of America

31
Q

What did MPPDA do?

A

Help avoid censorship from the outside and improved public relations after a series of Hollywood scandals

32
Q

Who belonged to the ‘‘BIG FIVE’’?

A

Paramount, Loew’s/MGM, 20th Century Fox, Warner Bros and RKO

33
Q

Who belonged to the ‘‘SMALL THREE’’?

A

Universal, Colombia and United Artists

34
Q

What was the ‘‘Paramount Decision’’?

A

A ban on ‘‘block booking - Producers could no longer rely on a few strong movies to carry the rest. Theatres started focusing on fewer but more expensive films. Small studios could compete better.

35
Q

What is a ‘‘screwball’’ comedy?

A

Where the romantic couple at the centre of the story are eccentrics, often portrayed through slapstick. Usually set among wealthy people who can afford to act oddly despite hardships of depression

36
Q

Which was the first big horror film and when was it released?

A

Dracula, 1931

37
Q

What did the Depression create a new focus on?

A

It created a new focus on social programs that were far away from the escapism often associalted with this era

38
Q

Give an example of a ‘‘social problem’’ film

A

Our Daily Bread

39
Q

What was the core of gangster films?

A

They were centered on ruthless criminals rise to power

40
Q

Give an example of an important gangster film

A

'’Underworld’’

41
Q

What was typical for ‘‘film noir’’?

A

Cynical, voilent narratives. Noir meaning ‘‘black’’ or ‘‘dark’’

42
Q

Give an example of an important ‘‘film noir’’ film

A

'’Strangers on the Third Floor’’

43
Q

What was typical for ‘‘Nouvelle Vague’’ (New Wave) films?

A

It was largerly responsible for the romantic image of a young director fighting to make personal films that defy the industry

44
Q

Mention three important directors for the ‘‘Nouvelle Vague’’ era

A

Chabrol, Truffaut and Godard

45
Q

What happened during the 1950’s and 60’s in regards to Italian film?

A

Italian film fared way better than French, higher ticket prices offset the decline in attendance. American films decreased and Italian films gained a large share of domestic revenues.

46
Q

What spurred the production of ‘‘Spaghetti Westerns’’?

A

The ‘‘Dollars’’ triology

47
Q

What caused the financial crisis that Hollywood faced in the late 1960’s?

A

Movie attendance was dropping, studios were releasing fewer films and many of them were low-budget pickups of foregin production

48
Q

How did Hollywood return?

A

Colored films for TV and broadcast became the demand and Hollywood committed itself to color production

49
Q

What were the ‘‘Movie Brats’’?

A

As the older generation retired, a new generation took place. A ‘‘New Hollywood’’ with new diverse directors rose.

50
Q

What was Dogme 95?

A

A filmmaking movement that started in 1995 in an attempt to take back power for the director as an artist instead of to the studio

51
Q

Mention something about ‘‘The Artsy Indies’’

A

The films rejected everything that Hollywood stood for

52
Q

Mention something about ‘‘Off-Hollywood Indies’’

A

Used recongnizable genres and sometimes bigger stars

53
Q

Mention something about ‘‘Retro-Hollywood Independents’’

A

Focused on special effects, stars, melodramas and romances, action pictures and comedies

54
Q

Mention something about ‘‘DYI Indies’’

A

Had a lack of budget and unprofessional look

55
Q

What did Thomas Edison invent?

A

Phonograph, lightbulb, kinetograph and kinetoscope.

56
Q

What were ‘‘Black Maria’s’’?

A

Small studios built by Thomas Edison

57
Q

What did the Lumiere Brothers invent?

A

A projection system that helped make cinema a commersially viable enterprise internationally

58
Q

Who was Georges Meiles?

A

A performing magician who obtanied a camera who he studied and created his own camera from it

59
Q

Who was Charlie Chaplin?

A

Became an international star with Keystone and was notable for his comically inappropriate use of objects

60
Q

Who was Margaret J. Winkler Mintz?

A

Most succesfull independent distributor of the animation era

61
Q

Who was Walt Disney?

A

An american entrepreneur, animator, voice actor and film producer

62
Q

Who was Orson Welles?

A

Directed the movie ‘‘Citizen Kane’’ (1941)

63
Q

Who was Alfred Hitchckock?

A

Directed the first American film Rebecca (1940)