VMA 100 Exam 3
Compilation Documentary
A compilation documentary is a documentary that is created with purely stock and archival footage. There is no newly shot footage used in a compilation documentary.
Dumont
A few months after selling his first set, DuMont opened an experimental television station in New York City, W2XWV. Unlike CBS and NBC, which cut back on broadcasting during the war, DuMont continued full-scale experimental broadcasts throughout World War II. In 1944, W2XWV became WABD (after DuMont's initials), the third commercial television station in New York. In 1939, DuMont received authorization from the FCC to begin broadcasting experimentally from midnight to 9 a.m. Soon after his experimental Washington station signed on, DuMont began experimental coaxial cable hookups between his laboratories in Passaic, New Jersey, and his two stations. It is said that one of those broadcasts on the hookup carried the official announcement from Washington that the U.S. had dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan, on August 9, 1945. which some accounts claim was not only being seen on DuMont's two stations, but also on NBC's three-station network (WNBT New York, WPTZ Philadelphia and WRGB-TV Schenectady) and CBS's WCBW-TV New York. This was later considered to be the official beginning of the DuMont Network by both Thomas T. Goldsmith, the network's chief engineer and DuMont's best friend and DuMont himself. Regular network service began on August 15, 1946, on WABD and W3XWT. In 1947, W3XWT became WTTG, named after Goldsmith. The pair were joined in 1949 by WDTV in Pittsburgh. Although NBC was known to have station-to-station links as early as 1941, DuMont received its station licenses before NBC resumed its previous sporadic network broadcasts after the war. Despite no history of radio programming to draw on and perennial cash shortages, DuMont was an innovative and creative network. Without the radio revenues that supported mighty NBC and CBS, DuMont programmers had to rely on their wits and on connections on Broadway. The network also largely ignored the standard business model of 1950s television, in which one advertiser sponsored an entire show, enabling it to have complete control over its content. Instead, DuMont sold commercials to many different advertisers, freeing producers of its shows from the veto power held by sole sponsors. This eventually became the standard model for U.S. television. Some commercial time was sold regionally on a co-op basis, while other spots were sold network-wide. DuMont also holds another important place in American television history. WDTV's sign-on made it possible for stations in the Midwest to receive live network programming from stations on the East Coast, and vice versa.
Jean Muir
A film actress who was suspected of being a communist and was eventually blacklisted. Before being blacklisted she was a part of the Aldridge Family TV show.
"Pickup on South Street"
A film directed by Sam Fuller. It was an anti-communist film about a girl being chased by soviets in pursuit of a piece of micro-film. This film is generally characterized as film noir and a b film.
Italian Neo-Realism
A film movement that began in Italy during WWII and lasted until approximately 1952 depicting everyday realities using location shooting and amateur actors, in opposition to glossy studio formulas. Though not all of the above were always true of every Neo-realist film, most were at least partially true. These films were also edited according to the norms of classical Hollywood style. In it's conception of storytelling, the Neo-realist films broke fresher ground. Sometimes the films rely extensively on coincidences, as when, in the "Bicycle Thief", Ricci and Bruno happen to spot the thief near the house of the psychic that they have visited. There is also the tendency to use the film version of an ellipsis where the Neorealist film often skips over important causes for the events that we see. Many of these films also have unresolved endings, in "Rome: Open City" we see Francesco escape the Fascists, but the plot never returns to him and in "The Bicycle Thief" we see Ricci and Bruno walking off into a crowd with no bicycle and we are not told how the family will support themselves later.
"Casablanca" (1942)
A pro-war film set during WWII that focuses on a man torn between love and virtue. The main character must chose between his love for a woman and saving her Czech Resistance leader husband, by helping him escape in Vichy-Controlled Moroccan city of Casablanca so that he may continue his fight against the Nazi's. He ultimately chooses to help the woman and her husband our of the country. The film was shot in a very film noir manner and it's treating the characters as actual people with both good and bad sides is what makes it so revolutionary.
The Anti-Communist Film
A series of unpopular films that shed a negative light on communism. One of the more notable of these films was the Big Jim Mclain, a 1952 film starring John Wayne.
"The Texaco Star Theater"
A variety format comedy show sponsored by the Texaco gas company that originally broadcasted in May 1951. It was one of the first examples of American television broadcasting.
Television and Consumerism
Advertisements that were geared to the type of program being shown was a big connector between television and consumerism. For example, for daytime shows, household products were advertised as stay at home mothers were the ones watching television at that time. Products were also geared towards an intended audience.
Akira Kurosawa
Akira Kurosawa began his directorial career during WWII but he quickly adapted to Occupation policy with the film "No Regrets for Our Youth" (1946) a political melodrama about militarist Japan's suppression of political change. Kurosawa followed with a string of social problem films focused on crime ("Stray Dog", 1949), government bureaucracy ("Ikiru"{To Live}, 1952), nuclear war (Record of a Living Being, aka "I Live in Fear", 1955), and corporate corruption ("The Bad Sleep Well", 1960). He also directed several historical films. However, his most famous film is probably "Rashomon". After that film Kurosawa's use of slow motion cinematography to portray violence eventually becomes a cliché.
Philip Loeb
An American stage, film, and television actor who was blacklisted under McCarthyism and committed suicide.
"The Lone Ranger"
An American western drama television series that ran from 1949 to 1957, starring Clayton Moore (John Hart from 1952 to 1954) with Jay Silverheels as Tonto. The live-action series initially featured Gerald Mohr as the episode narrator. Fred Foy served as both narrator and announcer of the radio series from 1948 to its finish and became announcer of the television version when story narration was dropped there. This was by far the highest-rated television program on the ABC network in the early 1950s and its first true "hit".[2]
Aware Inc.
An Anti-Communist organization, for a fee it would investigate the background of entertainers for signs of communist sympathy or affiliation.
Blacklisting
An illegal attempt to deny employment based on political beliefs and/or affiliations. Not a physical list, but in order to get off of it you had to give up names. entertainment professionals who were denied employment in the field because of their political beliefs or associations, real or suspected. Artists were barred from work on the basis of their alleged membership in or sympathy toward the American Communist Party, involvement in liberal or humanitarian political causes that enforces of the blacklist associated with communism, and/or refusal to assist investigation into Communist Party activities
Andre Bazin
Bazin was a major force in post-World War II film studies and criticism. The long-held standard and highly reductive view of Bazin's critical system, now being subjected to more sophisticated analysis by Bazin scholars worldwide, is that he argued for films that depicted what he saw as "objective reality" (such as documentaries and films of the Italian neorealism school) and directors who made themselves "invisible" (such as Howard Hawks). He advocated the use of deep focus (Orson Welles), wide shots (Jean Renoir) and the "shot-in-depth", and preferred what he referred to as "true continuity" through mise-en-scène over experiments in editing and visual effects. This placed him in opposition to film theory of the 1920s and 1930s, which emphasized how the cinema could manipulate reality. The concentration on objective reality, deep focus, and lack of montage are linked to Bazin's belief that the interpretation of a film or scene should be left to the spectator. He watched film as personally as he expected the director to undertake it. His personal friendships with many directors he wrote about also furthered his analysis of their work. He became a central figure not only in film critique, but in bringing about certain collaborators, as well. Bazin also preferred long takes to montage editing. He believed that less was more, and that narrative was key to great film. Bazin, who was influenced by personalism, believed that a film should represent a director's personal vision.
Combat Films
Combat films served two purposes. The first was to report on the war, the second was to build morale. That being said, the audience for combat films was the general public. Two of these combat films were "The Battle of Midway" by John Ford and "The Battle of San Pietro" by John Huston. "The Battle of Midway" offered a sanitize view of the war and was widely shown while the "Battle of San Pietro" was quite gruesome and was military censored until 1945.
Jean Renoir
Considered the most significant director of the 1930s French cinema. Although his filmmaking career went from the 1920s through the 1960s, his output during this one decade was a remarkable case of concentrated creativity. He made a wide variety of films, some in the Poetic Realist strain. His two most famous films, "The Grand Illusion" (1937) and "The Rules of the Game" (1939) have both been considered among some of the best films ever made. Renoir often employed large, intricate sets and extensive camera movement to convey the characters constant interactions. He also pioneered a technique that would become much more common than in the 1940s and after: the long take, in which the camera holds on a subject for an unusually long period of time.
Office of War Information
Created by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on June 13, 1942 by the executive order 9182. This office was the result of the American public not understanding why the US. was involved in WWII. President Roosevelt established the Office of War Information to meet both the demands for news and for less confusion as well as to resolve the American apathy towards the war. The creation of the Office of War Information was initially met with some controversy that all but disappeared after the attack on Pearl Harbor. There were two branches of the Office of War Information, the domestic branch and the international branch. The domestic branch produced films such as "This is Our Enemy", which dealt with Germany, Japan, and Italy; "Uncle Sam", which dealt with domestic themes; and "Hasten the Day", which was about the home front. The OWI established a connection with Hollywood and by July 1942 they realized that the best way to reach the American Audience was to present war films in conjunction with feature films. By 1943 every studio except Paramount allowed the OWI to read over their scripts.
"Rome: Open City"
Created in 1945 by Roberto Rossellini, this Neorealist film portrays German occupied Rome and the subsequent resistance as uniting Communists and Catholics with the populace. A very important moment in this film is the death of Pina. In a more narrative film, Pina's fiancé would have seen who killed her and would have spent the rest of the film seeking revenge. However, in this movie, Pina is killed by an anonymous soldier and the killer's identity is never revealed. Even more shocking is the fact that Pina was just made a good female character before her death and the film suggests that even good people may die pointlessly.
Deep Focus in "Citizen Kane"
Deep Focus refers to the technique of making everything in the frame of a shot in sharp focus. Deep focus allows equal importance to be placed on everything in the frame.
Luchino Visconti
Director of "Obsession" "The Postman Always Rings Twice", and "The Earth Trembles" among others. He transitioned from political themes of neorealism to psychological themes. He was also an original member of the neorealist group.
Film Industry Response to "Citizen Kane"
Due to Hearst condemning the film, as well as some general resentment in the film industry towards Welles, the movie "Citizen Kane" was not well received by the film industry. To the point where the head of Metro-Goldwin Mayers, Louis B. Mayer, acting on the behalf of the whole film industry, offered RKO pictures $805,000 to destroy all prints of the film and to burn the negative. George Schafer, the head of RKO, then sued the Hollywood studio system leaders and thus forced them to hold a few limited screenings of the movie in their theaters. Still the film's style, production, and message were highly criticized and the distribution was very limited.
Films in Vichy France
During the late 1940s, the Vichy government created the Comité d'Organisation de l'Industrie Cinématographique (COIC) to support and control the film industry. Producers had to go through an elaborate application process to get permission to make a film, and censorship under the Vichy regime was even harsher than that in the German controlled zone. In addition, the rightist government strove to eliminate Jews from the film industry.
Clearance
Former communists or sympathizers would name others to save themselves. others worked outside the US. Some worked under pseudonyms. only 1/10 of the victims could resume their careers.
Frank Capra
Frank Capra was born on May 18th, 1897. During WWII he produced the "Why We Fight" series. Capra had a very rags-to-riches life story that prompted historians to view him as the personification of the American dream.
French Poetic Realism
French Poetic Realism emerged in France in the 1930s. It depicts the marginalized society through a lens of disappointment, regret, and estrangement. This style of filmmaking exhibits a pessimistic view of society as the films tend to focus on downtrodden characters who experience a brief chance at love late in life but are disappointed again and end life in squalor or premature death. The major themes of poetic realism are bitterness, disappointment, disillusionment, and nostalgia. They can be seen as a social critique of lower-class conditions and a general part of the ominous atmosphere in France before WWII. The "Poetic' in Poetic Realism refers to the exaggeration and aestheticism of romance, and lower-class squalor that draws attention to uncomfortable truths about society. Rather than displaying realism in the form of a documentary, Poetic Realist filmmakers often filmed in studios and developed their own expressive forms of representation to "create new forms of visibility and new ways of thinking about the world".
Unfriendly vs. Friendly Witnesses
Friendly witnesses were those who were anti-communist and they were the ones who questioned the unfriendly witnesses (those who were supposedly communist).
John Henry Faulk
He took the blacklisters on in court and won. He made a lawsuit against Johnson and Aware Inc. and was accused of being a communist. After the accusation he sought compensation and was awarded $3.5 million in 1962 but passed away before the trials ended.
Roberto Rossellini
He was an Italian film director who directed "Rome: Open City" (1945) and "Paisan" in 1946. He was known for shooting on whatever he could find.
Laurence Johnson
He was an anti-communist grocery store owner who embarked on a one man letter writing campaign called the syracuse crusade which sent letters protesting television shows that featured potential communists.
Vittorio De Sica
He was the director of "The Bicycle Thief" (1948) and "Umberto D" (1952). Vittorio De Sica was the director that brought Italian neorealism to perfection.
Cesar Zavattini
He was the screenwriter for the movies "The Bicycle Thief" and "Umberto D". He is responsible for the theorization and promotion of Italian neorealism. His pieces used realist narrative conventions, contemporary social problems, was episodic, and had no resolution.
Vincent Hartnett
He was the writer of the "Red Channels" column and later founded Aware Inc.
The "Freeze" on Television Station Development
In 1948 there was a freeze on the granting of new television licenses. This was done under the impression that the freeze would allow time for people to hold hearings and study the issues and gain somewhat of a "master blueprint" for television. This was also done due to the sheer amount of television companies that were cropping up.
Hollywood Ten
In U.S. history, 10 motion-picture producers, directors, and screenwriters who appeared before the House Un-American Activities Committee in October 1947, refused to answer questions regarding their possible communist affiliations, and, after spending time in prison for contempt of Congress, were mostly blacklisted by the Hollywood studios. The group originally included the German writer Bertolt Brecht, but Brecht fled the country on the day following his inquest, and the remaining 10 were voted in contempt of Congress on Nov. 24, 1947. Convicted in federal court the following year, they were given sentences of six months to one year in prison. (While in prison, Dmytryk broke with the rest and agreed to cooperate, admitting being a communist and giving the names of 26 others.) With the exception of Dmytryk, the group was severely blacklisted by the film industry. Most were never again employed in Hollywood, but some did write scripts under pseudonyms. As "Robert Rich," Trumbo won an Academy Award Oscar for best screenplay for The Brave One (1956). The red blacklist disappeared by the early 1960s, and Trumbo and Lardner subsequently wrote screenplays under their own names.
Western on Television in the 1950s
In the 1950s the western was the dominant genre on television. Shows like "The Lone Ranger" were a staple of the time and when the 60s hit these shows were less child friendly and more adult friendly in tone.
Studio Television and Multiple Camera Production
In the early days most TV was recorded completely live in studio with no-post production whatsoever. Multiple cameras were set up with technicians switching between them when putting the show together for the viewers at home.
John Ford and WWII Propaganda
John Ford was the American director of "Stagecoach" and the director of "The Battle at Midway". During the war he made pro-war documentaries for the Navy department. He filmed many battles and attacks and was eventually wounded in the arm at midway.
John Huston
John Huston was the creator of "The Battle of San Pietro".
Leni Riefenstahl
Leni Riefenstahl was born on the 22nd of August, 1902. She was a German filmmaker who gained the attention of Hitler, as he believer that she epitomized the perfect German female. She made many German propaganda films including her most famous, "Triumph of the Will". Her work in the aforementioned film made her the first female filmmaker to gain international recognition.
Local vs. National Advertising In Radio and TV
Local advertising is geared towards products and services only afforded in one area. National advertising is geared towards products/services that are sold or offered in multiple locations.
Local vs. National Programming in Radio and TV
Local programming is usually made by a television station or independent television producer for broadcast only within the station's transmission area or television market. National programming is made by major networks who broadcast all over the country with the same programming.
Creative Guilds and Technical Unions
Many members of these guilds and unions were members of the communist party and were relatively young. They were also often writers.
The Army-McCarthy Hearings
McCarthy was investigated for ethical reasons. He was accused of using his power and influence to receive special treatment. This ended the McCarthy period of blacklisting.
Television Program Syndication
Means a television program being shown on a different television network than the one that first showed the program. A syndicated program can also be a program that was not made for a television network. These types of programs are made and then sold to many different television stations to be shown. There are different types of syndication: First run syndication: First run syndicated programs are programs that are shown for the first time as a syndicated programs. These programs were not made to be shown by a network. Programs that are made in one country and then are shown in other countries are often first run syndicated program. Off network syndication: Off network syndicated programs are programs that were first shown on a television network. Later, that network sold the program to other networks or stations so that they can also show it. These programs are also called re-runs. Public broadcasting syndication: PBS makes only some of its programs. Much of the things it shows are bought from people who make syndicated programs. These shows are public broadcasting syndicated shows.
Non-Linear Narrative in Films Noir
Most non-linear narrative storytelling techniques utilize the concept of flashbacks used to tell the story in sections of detail.
Film Noir: Narrative and Visual conventions
Most of the film noirs of the classic period were similarly low- and modestly budgeted features without major stars—B movies either literally or in spirit. In this production context, writers, directors, cinematographers, and other craftsmen were relatively free from typical big-picture constraints. There was more visual experimentation than in Hollywood filmmaking as a whole: the Expressionism now closely associated with noir and the semidocumentary style that later emerged represent two very different tendencies. Narrative structures sometimes involved convoluted flashbacks uncommon in non-noir commercial productions. In terms of content, enforcement of the Production Code ensured that no film character could literally get away with murder or be seen sharing a bed with anyone but a spouse; within those bounds, however, many films now identified as noir feature plot elements and dialogue that were very risqué for the time. In terms of visual conventions, film noir almost always used low-key lighting and was shot in black and white along with having severe camera angles, wide angle lens, and the use of oblique lens.
Voice-Over Narration
Narration that is heard over a scene but is not synchronized with any character that is on the screen.
Newspapers and Their Relationship With the Radio/TV Station Development
Newspapers were originally a source of income for the development of both radio and tv station development.
Single Company Sponsorship vs. Multiple Sponsors
Originally television shows would operate under single company sponsorship, which means that only one company would sponsor the entire show. During this time household products were the most common sponsors (soap operas get that name because they were initially sponsored by soap companies). Later it would be decided that it was better and more profitable to have each show sponsored by more than one company. This is also known as having multiple sponsors.
Orson Welles and the Hollywood Studio System
Orson Welles was introduced into Hollywood when he was signed into RKO after his "War of the Worlds" broadcast. He encountered issues with the Hollywood studio system with his film "Citizen Kane" due to the involvement and disapproval of the newspaper mogul, William Randolph Hearst.
Louella Parsons
Parson's was a popular film critic and the person who informed William Randolph Hearst about the similarities between himself and the main character of "Citizen Kane". She is known for her part in the initial failure of "Citizen Kane" at the box office.
Philo Farnsworth vs. Vladimir Zworkin
Philo Farnsworth and Vladimir Zworkin were both competing to be the first to invent the television. Farnsworth was and independent inventor whilst Zworkin worked for RCA. While Farnsworth was first in developing the working television, RCA hit him with a lawsuit in an attempt to say that Zworkin was the first to develop the television and thus should get the patent for it. However, RCA lost the lawsuit.
Popular Front Filmmaking
Popular Front was an alliance of left-wing movements, including the French Communist Party (PCF), the French Section of the Workers' International (SFIO) and the Radical and Socialist Party, during the interwar period. La Vie eat a nous was used in the Popular Front's election campaign. Cast and crew donated labor. Shot in two weeks. It's a propaganda film of the communist party of France, showing how the comrades help the proletarian people against the capitalists. It also features propagandistic speeches of leading members of the party. Le Marseillaise is a historical epic depicting the events of the French Revolution. SHown from the eyes of individual people, citizens of Marseille, counts in German exile and King Louis XVI, showing their own small problems
"Umberto D"
Produced in 1952, this was a traditional Italian Neorealist film. It is the closest film to true neorealism in terms of its mise-en-scene, lengthiness, and its attempt to portray reality. This film was also directed by Vittorio De Sica.
"Red Channels"
Published by American Business Consultants. It named names of individuals who were "involved" with the communist party. Helped spawn the Blacklist. publication of Red Channels in 1950 it was the report of communist influence in radio and television.
Packaging Firms
Putting a star and a project together in one deal. The producer puts together the script and the talent.
Socialist Realism in Russian Films
Socialist Realism in Russian cinema attempted to force all of the writers and filmmakers to serve the communist parties goal in their work. This movement also centralized the Soviet film industry under one company, Souyuzkino. The head of this company, Boris Shumyatsky, reported directly to Stalin. Shumyatsky preferred entertaining and easily comprehensible films and thus, under his lead, the avant-garde film movement died out. During this time (1930-1945) Artists were forced to accept Socialist Realism as the only correct style. Filmmakers also could not hope to keep a low profile under Stalin's regime as he was a fan of cinema. There were for main genre's of Socialist Realism: Civil War Films, films about how the revolutionary communist party was a good change for the people; Biographical Films, which were films about leaders of the revolution and about the old Russian czars that Stalin felt a connection to; Tales of Everyday Heroes, these were stories of "typical" heroic ordinary people; and Socialist Musicals, which were musical comedies.
Citizen Kane's Modernist Tendencies
Some of the more modern techniques used in creating "Citizen Kane" were deep focus, low angle shots, non-linear narrative structure, use of montage to collapse time and space, and several visual effects in order to cheaply shoot things like crowd scenes and large interior spaces. Low Angle shots refers to shots that are done at a low angle to allow the ceilings behind the characters. These type of shots allow the audience to get an imposing view of the person in the shot and were considered innovative because prior to "Citizen Kane" much of the films were shot on stages not in actual locations."Citizen Kane" was also innovative in its use of multiple narrators to illustrate Kane's life in the form of flashbacks as well as the use of various special effects that made cheap shots look like expensive ones (ie larger looking crowds).
What business argument did the ad agencies, sponsors, and networks give in support of "clearance" procedures for radio and television programs?
Some people had to name others to be cleared. some had to publish articles in a mass-circulation magazine explaining how they had been duped by the party and describing its evils. Some took some kind of overtly anti-communist actions such as opposing the anti-blacklist factions within the talent unions or circulating petitions. the film industry required more than three hundred people to clear themselves by writing letters, which then had to be approved by the former American Legion national commander and anti-communist professionals.
Live "Television Theater"/Anthology Drama Series ... and Sponsors' Response to Them
Sponsors were unhappy with the emphasis on social problems that was specific to live TV, the primary sponsors were household products.
Sponsors
Started out with single sponsorship of broadcast shows. Single sponsors owned partnership of the show. Eventually became too expensive and required multiple sponsors to own television shows. Sponsors would advertise their products during breaks, known as commercial breaks today.
American Business Consultants
Sullivan and others turned to this group to check on performers backgrounds before they hired them.
Networks
Television networks and their sponsors no longer hired anyone whose name was in the book or anyone who seemed controversial.
The B Film
The 1950s mark a significant change in the definition of the B movie. The transformation of the film industry due to court rulings that brought an end to many long-standing distribution practices as well as the challenge of television led to major changes in U.S. cinema at the exhibition level. These shifts signaled the eventual demise of the double feature that had defined much of the American moviegoing experience during Hollywood's Golden Age of the 1930s and 1940s. Even as the traditional bottom-of-the-bill second feature slowly disappeared, the term B movie was applied more broadly to the sort of inexpensive genre films that came out during the era, such as those produced to meet the demands of the burgeoning drive-in theater market.
The Signal Corps
The Signal Corps was an American military branch that was responsible for military communications, as well as army media production. Documentaries and propaganda was done with the Signal Corps and Hollywood talent during WWII.
Telefilm ... Role of "I Love Lucy" and "Disneyland" ... Role of the Major Film Studios
The filmed programming of "I Love Lucy" and of "Disneyland" were hugely successful in comparison to any other live broadcasting. The studios made a large profit off of re-runs and distribution for these shows.
Sam Fuller
The man who was considered to be the "king" of B filmmaking. He directed classic film noir pieces such as "Pickup on South Street". Most of his films were low budget, yet tackled controversial issues.
William Randolph Hearst
The newspaper mogul on whom the main character of the movie "Citizen Kane" was based. Hearst never saw the movie but when he was informed of the similarities between himself and Kane, by Louella Parsons, he banned RKO ads from all of his newspapers and magazines. He later lifted the general ban but kept it in place for ads concerning "Citizen Kane". Hearst also got the majority of the Hollywood Studio System to back him, to the point where many movie houses refused to show the film until sued by RKO. Many attribute Hearst as the main reason for the initial failure of "Citizen Kane" at the box office.
Realist Conventions of Some Post-War American Films
The realist conventions of some post-war American films were to have location filming in urban settings, natural lighting, a voice over narrator, and non-professional extras.
Narrative Conventions of Italian Neo-Realism
The topic of these films involve the idea of what it is like to live among the poor and the lower working class. The focus is on a simple social order of survival in rural, everyday life. Performances are mostly constructed from scenes of people performing fairly mundane and quotidian activities, devoid of the self-consciousness that amateur acting usually entails. Neorealist films often feature children in major roles, though their characters are frequently more observational than participatory. Open City established several of the principles of neorealism, depicting clearly the struggle of normal Italian people to live from day to day under the extraordinary difficulties of the German occupation of Rome, consciously doing what they can to resist the occupation. The children play a key role in this, and their presence at the end of the film is indicative of their role in neorealism as a whole: as observers of the difficulties of today who hold the key to the future. Vittorio De Sica's 1948 film The Bicycle Thief is also representative of the genre, with non-professional actors, and a story that details the hardships of working-class life after the war.
Visual Conventions of Italian neo-realism
These are generally filmed with nonprofessional actors. Although, in a number of cases, well known actors were cast in leading roles, playing strongly against their normal character types in front of a background populated by local people rather than extras brought in for the film. They are also shot almost exclusively on location, mostly in run-down cities as well as rural areas due to its forming during the post-war era.
Training Films
These films were used in the place of instructors to train the soldiers, thus their primary audience was the soldiers.
Financial Basis for Television Station/Network Development
These television station/network developments were funded by AM station revenues (because they were so profitable). RCA, ABC, and CBS would also fund these developments. Also sponsors would by advertising time by "owning" shows. Newspaper ownership was another method of gaining finances for these developments.
Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger
These two men formed the small but important production firm called the Archers. Generally, Pressburger would create the original story (for all their films from 1940-1946 and The Red Shoes) and write the first draft of the script. They would then pass the script back and forth a few times - they could never work on it together in the same room. For the actual dialogue, Pressburger would know what he wanted the characters to say but Powell would often supply some of the actual words. They would both act as producers, perhaps Pressburger slightly more so than Powell, since he could soothe the feathers ruffled by Powell's forthright manner. They became their own producers mainly to stop anyone else interfering, since they had a considerable degree of freedom, especially under Rank, to make just about any film they wanted. The direction was nearly all done by Powell, but even so The Archers generally worked as a team, with the cast and crew often making suggestions. Pressburger was always on hand, usually on the studio floor, to make sure that these late changes fitted seamlessly into the story. Once the filming was finished, Powell would usually go off for a walk in the hills of Scotland to clear his head, but Pressburger was often closely involved in the editing, especially in the way the music was used. Pressburger was a musician himself and had played the violin in an orchestra in Hungary. When the film was finally ready and Powell was back from the Highlands, it would usually be Powell that would be the front man in any promotional work, such as interviews for the trade papers or fan magazines. Because collaborative efforts such as Powell's and Pressburger's were, and continue to be, unusual in the film industry, and because of the influence of the auteur theory, which elevates the director as a film's primary creator, Pressburger has sometimes been dismissed as "Michael Powell's scriptwriter", but Powell himself was the first to say, in many interviews, that he couldn't have done most of what he did without Pressburger.
Orientation Films
These were films made for the soldiers. There were four types of orientation films: "Know Your Enemy", which was a series of films against Germany and Japan; "Know Your Allies" which consisted of films that familiarized the people with Russia, England, ect.; "Army-Navy Screen Magazine", a series about the army and the navy that ran around 60 minutes long; and the "Why We Fight" series, which was a series designed for recruits but then shown to the general public.
Live Anthology Drama/Television Theater
These were live televised drama performances that were done over television. Most of the stories were either message stories or social dramas that were written by writers such as Rod Sterling and Reginald Rose. Some of the more famous programs were television playhouse, US Steel Hour, Motorola playhouse, and Playhouse 90.
Television Networks
These were networks derived from radio networks. CBS and ABC were among the first television networks along with Dumont Broadcasting Co. by the early 50s there was regular programming on this output.
The American Legion Posts
These were posts made the the American Legion, a conservative war veteran's group, that were instrumental in pressuring the entertainment industry to exclude those of political sympathies that they disagreed with.
The "Why We Fight" Series
These were seven films created by Frank Capra that were designed for recruits but eventually shown to the public. They were a compilation of archival footage (NOT freshly shot footage). The first of the series was "A Prelude to War" (1942) in which the narrative structure of the film was very much like that of a Hollywood film.
Rashomon
This 1950 film takes was greeted in the west as both an exotic and modernist film. This film also utilized flashback construction in a more daring way than had any European film of the period. The story takes place in twelfth-century Kyoto as three men shelter themselves from rain in a ruined temple by the Rashomon gate. There they discuss a recent crime in which a local bandit has stabbed a samurai to death and raped his wife. In a series of flashbacks those involved in the crime give their testimony of what happened. However, each person's account is vastly different from each others and the priest despairs that humans will ever tell the truth. The woodcutter abruptly reveals that he had witnessed the crimes and relates a fourth, contradictory version. The films inability to answer the question of what really happened, even through flashbacks, made a significant contribution to the emerging tradition of art cinema.
"The Battle of Midway"
This film had a largely sanitized view of the war. Not only was it in color, it was actually in technicolor. There was music and anthems for the war forces and the voiceovers were personalized. There are four "voices" that are presented to the audience during this piece: The "voice of God" who gave information, the voice of John Malone who has no informational value but personalized the characters that we see on film, the voice of Henry Fonda who did a little of both, and the voice of Jane Gargo who was strictly personalizing the people and things we saw on the screen. In this piece, and others like it, the world was frequently portrayed as smaller than it actually was.
"The Battle of San Pietro"
This film was made during the WWII, but was under military censorship until 1945. It was censored due to the fact that it did NOT sanitize the war. The piece has a very matter of fact narrator, if not slightly ironic, and classical music that was reminiscent of dirge-like funeral music. Another important characteristic of this film is that it was shot on black and white film stock which, up until 20-30 years ago, conveyed realism.
Mise-en-scene Style
This is a style of cinematographic shooting that means that everything in the frame of a shot is of importance to the viewer of the scene.
Talking Heads
This is a term used to describe shots of people talking, from the chest/shoulder up, about various subjects. This is usually a visual convention for non Cinema Verté films.
Situation Comedy
This is a type of comedy series that features a recurring cast and set as well as several narrative scenes; each episode establishes a situation, complicates it, develops increasing confusion among its characters, and then resolves its complications. (ex. "I Love Lucy")
"The Bicycle Thief"
This is an Italian Neorealist film from 1948, by Vittorio De Sica's, that depicts a man searching Italy for his stolen bicycle upon which he makes his livelihood. Following the precepts of neorealism, De Sica shot only on location (that is, no studio sets) and cast only untrained nonactors. (Lamberto Maggiorani, for example, was a factory worker.) That some actors' roles paralleled their lives off screen added realism to the film.[7] De Sica cast Maggiorani when he had brought his young son to an audition for the film. He later cast the 8-year-old Enzo Staiola when he noticed the young boy watching the film's production on a street while helping his father sell flowers.
Variety Show
This is similar to a burlesque show as it consists of a series of unrelated singing, dancing, and comedy numbers.
"Triumph of the Will"
This was a 1935 film released in the same year made by Leni Riefenstahl. It chronicles the 1934 Nazi party congress in Nuremberg. This film is a great example of propaganda film of the times. The techniques used by Riefenstahl such as movie cameras, aerial photography, and the use of long focus lens to create a distorted perspective, as well as the revolutionary approach to the use of music and cinematography has earned "Triumph of the Will" recognition as one of the greatest films of all time. Upon its release in Germany, the film was an instant success Other countries were not so thrilled.
House Committee on Unamerican Activities (HUAC)
This was a conservative committee that accused people of being communists and blacklisted them.
The French "Tradition of Quality"
This was a film category that developed during the period of German occupation in France. It consisted of heavy-handed, overly symbolic, and often comical or melodramatic films.
"Counterattack"
This was a newsletter issued by the the American Business Consultants. Which included who was suspicious of being a communist.
The Waldorf Statement
This was a press released statement made by the heads of Hollywood that endorsed the blacklisting of anyone thought to be communist. It also stated that Hollywood would not knowingly hire anyone who was on the blacklist or thought to be a communist.
"The Amos `N' Andy Show"
This was a sitcom set in a stereotypically dysfunctional black community. It was very popular in the United States from the 1920s through the 1950s on both the radio and television. Stories mostly centered on The Kingfish's schemes to get rich, often by duping his brothers in the Mystic Knights of the Sea Lodge. Andy was particularly dupable. Amos mostly narrated. a American radio and television sitcom set in Manhattan's historic black community of Harlem, which was popular from the 1920s through the 1950s. The original radio show was created, written and voiced by two white actors, Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll, who played a number of different characters, including the titular Amos Jones (Gosdon) and Andrew Hogg Brown (Correll).
Kinescope
This was a technique used to preserve and re-watch television broadcasts before videotape recordings of shows were made. This technique basically involved a recording of a television program made by filming the picture from a video monitor at 16 mm or 35 mm movie camera mounted in front of a video monitor, and synchronized to the monitor's scanning rate. Kinescopes were the only practical way to preserve live television broadcasts prior to the introduction of videotape.
"The Rifleman"
This was a western television show that ran from 1958 to 1963 that starred Chuck Conners as a wandering, gun savvy, cowboy who is accompanied by his son.
"The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet"
This was an American domestic comedy about an actual family that aired on ABC from October 3, 1952 to March 26, 1966. After a long run on the radio, the show was brought to television where it continued its success running on both radio and TV for a couple of years before fully transitioning onto television.
"War of the Worlds" Broadcast
This was an episode of the American Drama Anthology series, "The Mercury Theater on Air". It was preformed as a Halloween episode of the series on October 30, 1938. The first 2/3rds of the 62 minute broadcast were presented as a series of news bulletins, which suggested to many viewers that an actual alien invasion was taking place. Adding to the problem was the fact that the show ran without commercial breaks further suggesting that the invasion was real. Though the show did have a disclaimer in the beginning, many people tuned in late and thus did not hear it. Panic ensued. People in the Northeastern US. and Canada fled their homes and some people called CBS news. Within one month of the broadcast there were 12,500 articles published by newspapers about the broadcast and its impact. This broadcast led to Welles fame and signing with RKO.
The Mercury Theater
This was an independent repertory theater company founded in 1937 by Orson Welles and producer John Houseman. After a series of acclaimed stage productions, The Mercury Theater progressed into it's most popular incarnation, "The Mercury Theater on Air". This radio series is the one that produced the "War of the Worlds"broadcast. The Mercury Theater on Air produced live radio dramas in the years 1938-1940 and again briefly in 1946. The Mercury Theater disbanded after Welles was fired from RKO.
Satyajit Ray
Throughout the postwar era, European and Anglo-American film culture took the Bengali director Satyajit Ray as the preeminent Indian filmmaker. He made almost thirty feature films and triumphed in other media as well. Most of Ray's film work runs counter to the commercial Indian cinema. His artistic roots lie in the Bengali renaissance of the nineteenth century, associated with the Tagore family. He founded the Calcutta Film Society in 1947, which brought European and American films to India. His cinematic influences crystallized in the late 1940s. He criticized contemporary Indian cinema for its exaggerated spectacle and inattention to reality. To Ray, the central purpose of filmmaking is "the revelation of the truth of human behavior".
Nationalization of the German Film Industry During WWII
To subdue film to the goals of propaganda , the Nazi Party subordinated the entire film industry and administration under Joseph Goebbels' Ministry of Propaganda, and gradually nationalized film production and distribution. A film bank was established to provide low-interest loans for the production of politically welcome films.
Advertising Agencies
Wanted those accused of communism to be dropped from the television shows in which they were starred.
Citizen Kane's Innovative Use of Sound
Welles expanded on the potential of sound as a creator of moods and emotions. He also pioneered a new aural technique, known as "lightening-mix" in which montage sequences were connected through a series of related sounds or phrases. In offering a continuous soundtrack, Welles was able to join, what would be extremely rough, cuts together into a smooth narrative. Welles also carried over techniques from radio that were not yet popular in films. Using a number of voices each saying a sentence or sometimes merely a fragment of a sentence and then splicing the dialogue together in quick succession, the result gave the impression that the whole town was talking, and what the whole town was talking about. Another thing that Orson Welles was notorious for was overlapping dialogue because he felt that doing so was more realistic than the traditional theatre practice of actors not stepping on each others' sentences. He also pioneered the technique of putting the audio ahead of the visual in a scene transition (known as a J-cut). Ie. as a scene closed the audio for the next scene would start before the visuals did.
First Amendment vs. Fifth Amendment
When accused of communist activity the Hollywood ten decided to plead the first amendment (the right to free speech) instead of the 5th amendment (the right to not incriminate oneself). The other one plead the 5th.
