"A strange thing has happened -- while all the other arts were born naked, this, the youngest, has been born fully-clothed. It can say everything before it has anything to say. It is as if the savage tribe, instead of finding two bars of iron to play with, had found scattering the seashore fiddles, flutes, saxophones, trumpets, grand pianos by Erard and Bechstein, and had begun with incredible energy, but without knowing a note of music, to hammer and thump upon them all at the same time." --- quotation from The Cinema by Virginia Woolf (novelist and essayist)
Virginia Woolf describes cinema as being "fully-clothed" able to "say everything before it has anything to say". To what extent did this optimistic view of cinema in its early development become reality in the 20th century. Based on your understanding of cinema, defend or refute Woolf's assertion by referring the various periods in 20th century cinema. Be sure to give concrete examples of films referenced by your peers on their wikipages or films you watched to support your position.”
Task
Your task is to create a Wikipage that teaches your classmates about a period in cinema history and enables them to respond to the critical question. The eras to be examined as defined by David Bordwell and Kristin Thompson in Film Art: An Introduction are:
W. D. Griffith
Early Cinema (1893-1903)
Development of the Classical Hollywood (1908-1927)
French Impressionism and Surrealism (1918-1930)
German Expressionism (1918-1926)
Soviet Montage (1924-1930)
Classical Hollywood Cinema after the Coming of Sound (1926-1950)
Italian Neorealism (1942-1951)
The French New Wave (1959-1964)
New Hollywood and Independent Filming (1970s-1980s)
Hong Kong (1980s-1990s)
A digital copy of the chapter is attached here for reference purposes. You may also want to start with the links listed below.
1. Research your assigned period in cinema history. Read the material provided and the list of links below and make notes as required.
2. Using your research, create a Wikipage that summarizes and teaches your classmates about the period in cinema history assigned to you. Your Wikipage should include the following:
a summary of the key movements, elements and approaches used in the period;
prominent contributors and examples from the period; and
three sample film clips from the period (embed each as a widget) --- the clips must be accompanied by an analysis (use analysis template - see Additional Information below).
3. After you post your information, review the Wikispaces posted by your classmates.
4. Create a podcast that answers the critical question. To answer the question, use the information from your classmates, draw on your own experience of watching films, and any additional research you feel needed to fully respond to the question in the format of a podcast. Your podcast should:
answer the critical question;
use information and examples from the Wikipages your group created;
incorporate your own personal experiences with cinema;
be logically organized;
convey your ideas clearly (think about your audience and purpose);
utilize the medium (recorded podcast) to your advantage; and
be approximately 5 to 10 minutes in length.
Cinema History Links
You can watch a good overview of cinema history below called A Concise History of the Origins of Cinema found on Youtube.
Podcasts can be created and shared on the Internet in a variety of ways. Essentially, you need to record your voice ad then share the recording with others over the Internet. You may record and share your podcast how you wish, but I suggest you trying using the Adobe Voice app. You may use the app on the school iPads or you own mobile device (free on Apple and Android). Please share your finished podcast whether on your Wikispaces page. Using Adobe Voice with an iPad, you will need to save the project to the Photos App.
You can visit the Adobe Voice page for more information. Alternatively, you may wish to watch the tutorial here explaining the features of Adobe Voice.
Cinema in the 20th Century
"A strange thing has happened -- while all the other arts were born naked, this, the youngest, has been born fully-clothed. It can say everything before it has anything to say. It is as if the savage tribe, instead of finding two bars of iron to play with, had found scattering the seashore fiddles, flutes, saxophones, trumpets, grand pianos by Erard and Bechstein, and had begun with incredible energy, but without knowing a note of music, to hammer and thump upon them all at the same time." --- quotation from The Cinema by Virginia Woolf (novelist and essayist)
Critical Question
Virginia Woolf describes cinema as being "fully-clothed" able to "say everything before it has anything to say". To what extent did this optimistic view of cinema in its early development become reality in the 20th century. Based on your understanding of cinema, defend or refute Woolf's assertion by referring the various periods in 20th century cinema. Be sure to give concrete examples of films referenced by your peers on their wikipages or films you watched to support your position.”
Task
Your task is to create a Wikipage that teaches your classmates about a period in cinema history and enables them to respond to the critical question. The eras to be examined as defined by David Bordwell and Kristin Thompson in Film Art: An Introduction are:
A digital copy of the chapter is attached here for reference purposes. You may also want to start with the links listed below.
Steps
1. Research your assigned period in cinema history. Read the material provided and the list of links below and make notes as required.
2. Using your research, create a Wikipage that summarizes and teaches your classmates about the period in cinema history assigned to you. Your Wikipage should include the following:
3. After you post your information, review the Wikispaces posted by your classmates.
4. Create a podcast that answers the critical question. To answer the question, use the information from your classmates, draw on your own experience of watching films, and any additional research you feel needed to fully respond to the question in the format of a podcast. Your podcast should:
Cinema History Links
You can watch a good overview of cinema history below called A Concise History of the Origins of Cinema found on Youtube.
The History of The Discovery of Cinematography - extensive introduction to moving pictures
Filmsite - history of fim by the decade
Cinema History - Professor Yahnke's personal history of cinema through the decades
The Film History Index - resources on international History of Cinema
Yale Film Studies - excellent introduction to film studies language
Additional Information
Evaluation rubrics (see attached)
Clip Analysis (see attached)
Podcast - Adobe Voice Instructions
Podcasts can be created and shared on the Internet in a variety of ways. Essentially, you need to record your voice ad then share the recording with others over the Internet. You may record and share your podcast how you wish, but I suggest you trying using the Adobe Voice app. You may use the app on the school iPads or you own mobile device (free on Apple and Android). Please share your finished podcast whether on your Wikispaces page. Using Adobe Voice with an iPad, you will need to save the project to the Photos App.
You can visit the Adobe Voice page for more information. Alternatively, you may wish to watch the tutorial here explaining the features of Adobe Voice.
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