Film 2332 | Final
Rashomon Effect
the contradictory (but plausible) interpretations of the same incident by different people. Inspired by the Japanese film Rashomon(1950)
Characters
the people in the story, they take action and take some part in the conflict
Edwin S. Porter
Credited as one of the first filmmakers to use film to tell a story
Cultural Studies
Cultural studies attempts to understand specific societies by focusing on what those societies produce and how that reflects and reinforces societal norms, expectations, and outcomes. It is less interested in formal aspects of film and is more interested in the ways texts are embedded in a social matrix
What are the names of the three broad stages in the monomyth?
Departure, Initiation, Return
What was the first monster movie?
Edison Studio's Frankenstein(1910)
Third Act
The third and final act of the three-act structure also called the resolution. The conflicts are resolved between the characters after the climax has been reached. The protagonist discover's their true strength and potential and overcomes the antagonist. The growth of the protagonist ends here(for now)
German Expressionism
1919-1926(POST WWI ERA). film image became graphic art. depended heavily on mise en scene. play of light and dark that has actually been painted onto the set. Reject realism and naturalism in favor of more dramatic turns of futurism, modernism, and monumentalism. Suited the horror genre perfectly. As Nazi's rose in power many of these filmmakers immigrated to America.
The Samurai in Rashomon
: He died in the woods. His spirit is channeled through a medium who says that after the bandit raped his wife, he killed himself with her dagger, he then cursed his wife
What are the three dogmas of American Exceptionalism?
1. The US is inherently different from other nations 2. It is America's unique mission to transform the world 3. The combination of its history and mission makes it superior to all others
Tajomaru in Rashomon
:An infamous bandit who subdues the samurai, attacks his wife(Masako) raping her and then kills the samurai with his own sword. He admits to the authorities that he killed the samurai and forced himself on the wife but his story is very different
Returnq
The third and final phase of the monomyth, where the hero returns to the world he once knew, changed. They bring the reward they acquired back home and the now posses a power or wisdom in the ordinary world due to their travels.
Christopher Volger
A screenwriter who was intrigued by Campbell's monomyth and wrote The Writer's Jorneu, Mythic Structure for Writers in 1992. It was more detailed than the 3 Act Structure and had 12 stages rather than the 17 of Campbell. This also established some Archetypes such as the Hero, Mentor, Ally, and Trickster
Story
A sequence of events told in chronological order, can be fictional or nonfictional, and it usually follows cause and effect.
The relationship between Star Trek: The Wrath of Kahn(1982) and the book Moby Dick(1851) is under the umbrella of ______________
intertextuality
Sidekick
A foil to the protagonist. In fiction a foil is a character who contrasts from another character to highlight qualities for the other character. They are sometimes use to speak out exposition to build the plot.
The WoodCutter in Rashomon
A man who came upon a murder in the woods and loses faith in humanity and himself as he and the others fail to tell the truth about what happened
First turning point
A moment in a story (in a feature film frequently 20-30 minutes in) in which the dramatic goal of the story is established. The first turning point marks the end of Act I, and the beginning of Act II.
Union de Gueules Casées
Brotherhood of smashed mugs for disabled vets
Culture
The totality of socially transmitted behavior patterns, arts, beliefs, institutions, and all other products of human work and thought characteristic of a community or population
Intertextuality
The way in which a text's meaning is shaped by another text
Plot
The way in which elements of a story are organized.
Narrative
A story, or sequence of events told in a particular way, and can be factual or fictional.
How is Nightmare Before Christmas(1993) an example of independent settings and how the setting is formative?
Christmastown and Halloweentown are greatly contrasted one being cheery and bright with the other being gloomy and scary. The residents of these settings exemplify these themes. Additionally when Jack Skellington tries to usurp Santa, chaos ensues in both settings. Setting cannot be shifted without consequence in the story.
Paratextuality
Accessory images that surround a text. Movie posters, book covers, reviews, trailers, ads, toys. These things form impressions of a text before the audience sees it. They can be physical or they can be conceptual like word of mouth.
The Priest in Rashomon
Accompanies the woodcutter at the gate and is on the verge of losing faith in humanity, but when the woodcutter chooses to care for an abandoned infant, his faith is restored
Rashomon
Akira Kurosawa, 1950. This Film introduced Japanese film to the world, it deals with themes of the elusive truth, and unreliable narrators. The same instance of a murder is told through multiple competing perspectives creating a destabilized feeling in the audience.
The Daredevil and Captain America Comics
America did not join World War 2 UNTIL DECEMBER 1941 GET THIS THROUGH YOUR FAT HEAD, and it is the common notion that before this the widespread belief in America was to remain isolationist. These comics show a very different story with publications of anti-facist sentiment as early as January 1941, a whole year before.
Edison Studio's Frankenstein(1910)
Charles Ogle(Mosnter), Augustus Philips(Doctor). Well received by critics but commended for blasphemy due to the power to create life. It was hotly contested on that account because this was a time when evolution was being debated in the Scopes/Monkey Trials.
Ronald Reagan and the Neoconservatism era influence on Pop culture
Christian Rock and pop music became pop culture because of Reagans reintroduction of evangelical christianity into the spotlight. This also met the parodies of it became widespread(Ned flanders from the Simpsons)
What are the four types of Narrative?
Classical, Episodic, Serialized, Transmedia
Narratology
An area of academic inquiry that studies the structure of narrative and how those structures influence our perception of cultural artifacts.
Frank Castle(The Punisher), Dexter Morgan(Dexter), and Tony Soprano(The Sopranos) are all __________________
Anti heroes
In Narratology what is a text?
Anything that conveys meaning. It is different from a "work" which is just an object. When we prescribe meaning to a "work" it becomes a text.
False Protagonist
At first appears to be the protagonist but is removed early from the narrative.
Joseph Campbell
Author of "A Hero with a Thousand Faces". the initial groundwork for the idea of the monomyth. It is called the monomyth because the structure of it is present in numerous mythological stories from around the world.
What rank film was Invasion of the Body Snatchers?
B
Who was the first sidekick in Literature?
Enkidu
Transmedia Narrative
Episodes of a single story are told over multiple media platforms.
David Skal's The Monster Show
Examines the intersection between the monster movie genre and the politics of the 20th century
What Russian words are similar to story and plot?
Fabula(story) and syuzhet(plot)
T/F: Setting only encompasses the time and place of a story, the social milieu presented is part of the plot
False
T/F: Story and Plot are synonyms
False
Marion Crane from Psycho is an example of a __________
False Protagonist
T/F: Carl Laemmle Sr. pioneered Universal's Monster movie genre with films like Dracula and Frankenstein, later when he gave the Studio to his son, Jr. focused more on Slasher movies than typical monsters
False! Sr. was actually opposed to making the monster movies but he relinquished control of Unioversal in 1928. Dracula and Frankenstein were both Laemmle Jr.'s films and they did lay the groundwork for the Universal horror shows.
Red Nightmare (1962)
Funded by the Department of Defense and created by Warner Bros. Produced by friendly witness Jack L. Warner. THe film is US propaganda. Originally titled Freedom and You.
What is the difference between Intertextuality and Genre?
Genre has a kind of circular quality and looks at similarities between texts whereas Intertextuality can branch between genres and looks at interrelations between texts.
After backlash and heavy opposition after the release of I am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang, this state changed its judicial punishment system.
Georgia
classical narrative
Has a clear beginning middle and end with events that follow each other seemingly in a cause and effect style. This is the most common form of narrative and it is the one we are all most familiar with.
Who was the target Audience for Red Nightmare
Impressionable students to indoctrinate them against communism
What film have we talked about that displays American Exceptionalism?
Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark
What narratology term allows parodic humor to exist?
Intertextuality. Literally every family guy episode references some famous pop culture thing in a random snippet. If we didn't have an understanding about these subjects, the parodies and jokes would be lost on us.
Who narrated Red nightmare
Jack Webb from Dragnet
Protagonist
Main character in a narrative, experiences conflict from the antagonist, the character the audience most identifies
Something that Happens
Narrative Event
Which of the following Films had no real characters besides glimpses of Nazi officials and was about German Concentration Camps?
Night and Fog
supporting character
Not central to the story but play some part in the narrative larger than a one-off or a cameo. They can support the protagonist or the antagonist. Spin offs can arise: The Jeffersons(1971), Maude (1972) Better call Saul (2015).
Due to improved medicine, people were surviving more gruesome injuries. This phenomenon became prevalent in which world war?
One. THis world was much different than the one repulsed by edison's frankenstein.
What narratology term allows puns to exist?
Polysemy. The humor behind words having multiple meanings allows comedians to deliver their PUN-chlines. hahaha i'm so funny
Film represents an expression of _________ culture
Popular
What is the difference between popular culture and high culture?
Popular Culture is made for the public at large and does not include high culture which is produced for and consumed by the elite.
____________ __________(2 words) suggests a linkage between many discreet sources that all combine which gives the audience a more active role in text interpretation
Postmodern Concewpt
Lon Chaney played ____________ in the Hunchback of Norte Dame and ___________ in Phantom of the Opera. What are some similarities between these movies as well as the Unknown and Freaks and what do they say about the culture of the 20's?
Quasimodo, The Phantom. Both of these films are love story that revolves around a sympathetic disfigured "monster" falling in love with a girl they cannot have. Like the disabled vets of WWI they are limited by of their disfigurements.
Which Corporation bought Universal?
Standard Capital Corp. They made more family friendly movies and moved away from monster flicks. in the WW2 era, ppl saw enough monsters on the daily and wanted to laugh.
Antagonist
Stands in opposition to the protagonist. Antagonists are usually the villain of the story, but they are not always evil, and sometimes they are not even people but concepts or events.
Universal Monster Genre
Started with Dracula and Frankenstein and used German expressionism. Monsters are pitiful and scary af.
Initiation
THe second phase of the monomyth, where the hero enters the unknown world, and passes trials. They then reach their innermost cave, or central challenge that they overcome, collect the reward, and undergo a Transformation before returning to the normal world.
How did Rashomon use natural sunlight for the sets and why did they do it this way?
Rashomon had shots directly in the sunlight. Using mirrors to make the sunlight look as though it has traveled through the branches to hit the actors. It was originally thought that the sun's rays directly on the lens would burn the film.
Who was the film I am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang(1932) based off?
Robert Elliot Burns
Although Narratology has weak roots in Poetics(c. 335 BCE) by Aristotle it was expanded on heavily by the __________________
Russian Formalist School of Literary Criticism
serialized narrative
Serialized Narrative structure has action that continues from episode to episode linearly. It is most common in TV shows than movies.
Lon Chaney played Blizzard, a parapalegic gangster in which film?
The Penalty(1920) he wasn't actually parapalegic he just bound his legs together. Ouchie.
Serialized Narratives became popular through:
The Penny Press in Victorian-era england with writers like Charles Dickens and Anthony Trollope. Movie studios followed this example by ending 15-20 minute shorts reels with a suspenseful cliffhanger.
Who were the central characters in Rashomon?
The WoodCutter, The Priest, Tajomaru(The bandit), Masako(The Wife), The Samurai
Throughout the Rashomon the sun is hidden behind the trees, what could this symbolize in terms of the film's themes?
The sun could be considered a metaphor for the truth, and throughout the rainstorm and in the forest where the sun is hidden behind the dense canopy its murky hidden, or hard to grasp.
departure
The initial phase of the monomyth where the hero lives in an ordinary world and receives a call to adventure, after an initial refusal of the call, they are provided with aid by a mentor who encourages them to enter the unknown
First Act
The initial stage of the three act structure, also called the Setup. This act introduces the characters, defines relationships, and establishes the world they live in. Something happens to the protagonist which causes them to take action, which in turn causes a second more dramatic action(The First Turning Point) that changes their life forever. If a MacGuffin is \present it is also introduced
What does Protagoniste mean in greek?
The player of the first part
John Watson(Sherlock Holmes), Robin(Batman Detective Comics), and Tonto(The Lone Ranger) are all examples of ____________
The sidekick
Masako in Rashomon
The wife, she was traveling with her husband the samurai when Tajomaru(The bandit) ambushed them. In her story, she fainted after her husband looked at her with such hatred and upon awakening, he dagger was in her husband's heart. She then failed to a commit suicide.
Second Act
Then second stage of the Three-Act Structure, also called the Confrontation or Rising Action. The protagonist attempts to right a wrong or solve the problem presented in Act I but they lack the skill possessed by the mentor in order to finish it. This act is the longest of the three.
episodic narrative
There is a new story, each with a separated unrelated conflict, although the characters repeat and are seen often. The majority of the MCu is episodic but Avengers Infinity War and Endgame are serialized.
What do Emperor Palpatine(Star Wars), General Zod(Man of Steel), and the storm(Grapes of Wrath) all have in common?
They are the antagonist of their stories
What are the two most prominent narrative structures?
Three-Act and the Hero's Journey/Monomyth
Ziaddin Sardar's explanation of Cultural Studies
To examine cultural experiences and relate them to power
The Matric is an example of a ___________ Narrative
Transmedia. They made 3 feature films, animated shorts, comic books, and video games which all told the same story. The Star Wars Universe, and FNAF are all examples that have been more developed in our lifetimes.
T/F: "I fed my dog" by itself is not a narrative event, but when combined with "I woke up early so I fed my dog, and when he was done I took him on a walk" it becomes a narrative event
True
T/F: Due to Intertextuality, it can be harder to watch and be critical of famous texts without our expectation of the film to be different. Like when you had to Read Romeo and Juliet, you must've been like let's see what its all about. Or when you were watching Casablanca you must've been like "I've heard the name of this movie for so damn long."
True
T/F: Invasion of the body snatchers was based off a book called Body Snatchers
True
T/F: Popular Culture changes over time and so products of that time give us a glimpse into that culture's society, values, and beliefs
True
T/F: Three Act structure is the easiest for TV to use because they can split their 30 minute shows into 3 Acts
True
How many times did Robert Elliot Burns escape prison?
Twice
Fritz Lang
Used techniques of German expressionism to make the Film Noir genre.
How can context change the message of a text?
Well ya know societies and cultures are different. A sign outside a church that says "God Hates Fags" is considered hateful in present day US. But an advertisement that says "Have a Fag" from early 1900's england, refers to cigarettes. Regardless, probably don't use slurs?
In Game of Thrones, the difference in setting helps the _________ _________.
World Building
Anti Hero
a central character in a story, movie, or drama who lacks conventional heroic attributes. And is motivated by darker impulses or they do the right thing for the wrong reasons.
MacGuffin
an object, event, or character in a film or story that serves to set and keep the plot in motion despite usually lacking intrinsic importance In StarWars it is the death Star plans, in Casa Blanca it is the papers to get out of the country.
Polysemy
having many possible meanings or interpretations
What does antagonistes mean in greek
opponent, competitor, enemy, etc.
Rick Blaine(Casa Blanca), Indiana Jones(Raiders of the Lost Ark), and Dorothy(Wizards of Oz) are all the ____________ of the their respective stories
protagonist
