Quiz #5 Flashcards
The documentary
a non-fiction film that presents real people and events
How is narration different in documentaries?
common use of voice-over and direct address
Documentaries are assumed to be factual even if
the filmmaker has an agenda
Documentaries are
informative, cultural, historical, biographical, rhetorical (persuasive), etc.
Features of Errol Morris’ Filmmaking
- investigative approach to everything
- always testing the limits of human knowledge and understanding
- an abiding belief that the truth is out their
- complex narratives
Highly stylized elements of Errol’s filmmaking
- cinematography –> framing, slow-motion, use of shallow focus, grainy image
- editing –> artful match cuts
- sound –> sophisticated relationship between sound and image
Tabloid
- Errol Morris, 2010
- about Joyce McKinney
Auteur
from French for “author”
The auteur is always the
director b/c at the end of the day its the director who makes the final decisions regarding casting, editing, cinematography, etc.
What did Francois Truffaut write?
his essay “Une Certaine Tendence du Cinema Francais” for Cahiers du Cinema in 1954
What did Francois Truffaut argue?
that the work of an auteur could be detected in Hollywood productions; director’s filmography illustrates the author’s “signature”m
Who did Francois Truffaut name as auteurs?
Hitchcock, John Ford, Welles, and Howard Hawks
Who are two other auteur critics?
Andrew Sarris and Peter Wollen
What did Andrew Sarris argue?
the the whole body of work marks an auteur, regardless of different cinematographers, stars, and screenwriters
What does Sarris say a director must have to be considered an auteur?
- a substantial body of work by which to judge
- a strong command of the medium and must make good movies
Examples of directors w/ distinct signatures but they lack a strong command of the medium
Micheal Bay and M. Night Shamalan
Examples of auteurs from class
Jane Campion, Wes Anderson, David Lynch, Steven Spielberg, Tim Burton, Terrence Malick
Arguments against auteur theory
- genesis of a film is too complicated to ascribe to a single person
- cinematographers, stars, producers, and screenwriters are as least as much auteurs if not more than directors
- many films bear the recognizable stamp of the studio system more than the director
- privileges contributions of white male directors and marginalizes women and artists of color
Spike Lee Bio
- Born Shelton Lee in Atlanta, GA but moved to Brooklyn, NY early on
- graduated from HBCU Morehouse College and attended Tisch School of the Arts for Grad School
Do The Right Thing
Spike Lee, 1989
Who is the cinematographer on most of Spike Lee’s films?
Ernest Dickerson
Do The Right Thing main characters
- Mookie (Spike Lee)
- Sal (Danny Aiello)
- Tina (Rosie Perez)
- Pino (John Turturro)
- Mister Senor Love Daddy (Samuel L. Jackson)
- Buggin Out (Giancarlo Esposito)
- Radio Raheem (Bill Nunn)
- Da Mayor (Ossie Davis)
- Mother Sister (Ruby Dee)
- Smiley (Roger Gueneveur Smith)
- Jade (Joie Lee)
Bamboozled
Spike Lee, 2000
Bamboozled main characters
- Pierre Delacroix
- Manray
- Womack
- Sloan Hopkins
- Thomas Dunwitty
