ARTH 334 UMGC Se7en Film Directed by David Fincher Outline

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I picked topic B and selected movie Se7en,  David Fincher is a talented and influential director, and this is the film that first establishes his style.

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OUTLINE
I.
II.
Alfred Hitchcock: One of the Greatest Directors of All Time
1.
Known as “the Master of Suspense” Hitchcock is notably one of the most
influential and extensively studied filmmakers in the history of cinema.
2.
Alfred Hitchcock was also a brilliant technician who deftly blended sex, suspense
and humor while creating a number of motifs and devices – most famously the
MacGuffin – to advance his intricate plots in addition to being a talented director.
Life and Career
Life
1. Alfred Hitchcock was born in Leytonstone, England on August 13, 1899. He
was the youngest of three children born to William and Emma Jane
Hitchcock. Over the years some have tried to suggest Hitchcock’s
Catholicism as the source of the twisted themes he explored in his work. Film
critics have traced his recurring cinematic motifs of guilt and fear to his
Catholic sensibilities.
2. After attending a technical school at 15, Hitchcock spent the first years of his
career as a draftsman, advertising designer, and writer. An interest in
photography led to him working in London’s film industry, first as a title card
designer for silent movies and, just five years later, as a director.
Career
1. Hitchcock’s career began in the reign of Queen Victoria and ended in the
presidency of Jimmy Carter, moving from London to Hollywood, from a title
designer on silent movies to becoming one of the world’s most famous
directors. The first movie he directed was the silent Number 13 (1922); his last
was the much noisier Family Plot (1976).
2. During his career, he created over fifty feature films in a career that saw not
only the development of Hitchcock’s own distinctive directorial style, but also
landmark innovations in cinema. Hitchcock has been credited with pioneering
many camera and editing techniques for peers and aspiring directors to
emulate.
III.
Honors and Awards
Honors
1.
Hitchcock collected many professional accolades including two Golden
Globes, eight Laurel Awards, and five lifetime achievement awards. He was a
five-time Academy Award nominee for Best Director and in 1940, his film
Rebecca won the Oscar for Best Picture.
2.
Hitchcock was granted a knighthood by Queen Elizabeth in 1980, shortly
before his death. A knighthood is a title that is given to a man by a British
king or queen for his achievements or his service to his country.
Awards
1.
Academy Awards, USA. 1968. Winner. Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award.
1961. Nominee. Oscar. Best Director. Psycho (1960) Golden Globes, USA.
Primetime Emmy Awards. BAFTA Awards. Academy of Science Fiction,
Fantasy & Horror Films, USA.
2.
In 2008, four of his movies were named in American Film Institute’s Top 10
Mystery Films of all time: Dial M for Murder (No. 9), North by Northwest
(No. 7), Rear Window (No. 3) and Vertigo (No. 1).
Critical Opinions/Reviews
Opinions
1.
In 2012 when the film critics polled by Sight and Sound voted “Vertigo” the
greatest film of all time, kicking Orson Welles’s “Citizen Kane” from a top
spot it had enjoyed for decades.
2.
Wellesians bit their knuckles, and the rest of us scratched our heads.
“Vertigo” is not Hitchcock’s best, but rather, with its lush morbidity,
somnolent pace, poor box office and relative scarcity of jokes, the Hitchcock
film for those who most wish he were French. Flops make film critics feel
useful — they are the film-crit equivalent of the deserving poor. What else can
you do with a gleaming hit maker except overpraise his misses?
Reviews
1. Since his death in 1980, books have multiplied like gravestones, now
numbering in the hundreds, with his biographers falling into two camps. There
are those who side with Donald Spoto in “The Dark Side of Genius” (1983),
who had him pegged as a troubled man whose deepest creative energies were
coupled with fear, lust, sadism and a thoroughly unwholesome interest in his
actresses — a creep with a movie camera.
2. A man of “exaggeratedly delicate sensibilities,” according to John Houseman,
driven by fear, guilt and loathing of his own body, yet dainty to the point of
effeminacy in his gestures and attitudes, wielding his bulk with the grace of
Fatty Arbuckle. “Never ruffled, never gave any sign of being worried,
was always in control,” Karl Malden said of working with the director.
III. Conclusion
Alfred Hitchcock. No introduction necessary really. One of the greatest directors
of 20th Century cinema, to this day he is still a huge influence to directors and
film students around the world; his films just as popular with audiences now as
back when Cary Grant was scrabbling across rooftops on the Riviera or running
away from malicious biplanes. Motel owners are still very much on the fence
about him however.
Annotated Bibliography
Alfred Hitchcock. (n.d.). This website provided information in regards to the early life and
legacy
of Alfred Hitchcock. This website provided early life information and details about his early
education. It provided essential data integral to research for my final research paper.
Alfred Hitchcock. (n.d.). This website provided information in regards to the various awards
Alfred Hitchcock was nominated.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Early Career. (2015, August 13). Retrieved from
This website provided information in regards to the early life and career of Alfred Hitchcock.
Alfred Hitchcock. (2016, May 24). This website provided information in regards to the various
Oscar nominations for various Alfred Hitchcock movies. As I stated in my proposal, Hitchcock
never won an Oscar, but this website provided details in regards to the many nominations.
Alfred Hitchcock: TV Guide. (n.d.). This website provided additional information pertaining to
Alfred Hitchcock’s biography. Although there were many sources that provided biographical
information pertaining to Hitchcock’s life and career, the TV Guide provided some unusual
information.
Mystery. (n.d.). This website provided information about Alfred Hitchcock’s films that ended up
in the top ten mystery films of all times. This was no small feat as there were many mystery
films eligible for this category. Once again, this proves why Hitchcock is one of the greatest
directors of all time.
The Man Who Knew His Faith: The Catholicism of Alfred Hitchcock. (n.d.). This website
provided a wealth of information in regards to Alfred Hitchcock’s Catholic faith and how it
impacted his filmmaking.
Final Project Part 2
Cinematic Analysis of Schindler’s List
Alphanumeric Outline
I.
Thesis Statement
Can films have greater impacts on its audience by relying on realisticness and authenticity over
specially effects?
II.
Film Introduction
A.
Film Summary
Schindler’s List (1993) is historical drama based on the novel Schindler’s Ark written by
Thomas Keneally. The film tells the emotional story of a German businessman and a
member of the Nazi party named Oskar Schindler savings more than one thousand
Jewish refugees during World War II.
B.
Film Director
This film is directed by Steven Spielberg, one of the Hollywood’s most celebrated film
directors – in terms of both commercial success and critical acclaims. Spielberg is
associated with many of the box-office blockbusters either as director, producer, or
writer, such as Jaws (1975), Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
(1982), and Jurassic Park (1993). Such thriller and adventure films made Spielberg a
household name.
Spielberg is also heavily involved in other types of film, drama films such as The Color
Purple (1985), Savings Private Ryan (1998) and Lincoln (2012).
Based on his success and contribution to the film industry, Spielberg was named as one
of the Time 100 in 2013. He also received multiple Academy Awards nominations and
won three times and in 1995, Spielberg received the AFI Life Achievement Award.
C.
Film Production
This film was produced by Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment and distributed by
Universal Pictures. The film had a budge of $22 million and was shot from March
through May 1993 in Poland.
D.
Film Success
The film was released in December 1993 in the U.S., grossed $96.1 million domestically
and $321.3 million worldwide.
In terms of awards and recognitions, this film received a total 12 Academy Awards
nominations, winning 7 major categories including: Best Picture, Best Director, Best
Cinematography, Best Film Editing and Best Music Original Score. In addition, the film
also won 3 Golden Globes Awards and 6 BAFTA awards.
E.
Film Reviews
Summary of review by film critics, one from the original release and one from recent
period.
III.
Film Analysis
A.
Cinematography Analysis
1.
Black-and-white cinematography
The most noticeable cinematography element in this film is the use of blackand-white films over color film, which in my opinion, makes this film a
masterpiece. The director and cinematographer’s decision of shooting this film
in black-and-white, as some critics have suggested, is to give the film a
documentary visual style. I think this serves two other purposes effectively: it
makes the historical context more relevant to modern film viewers; it also
heightened the sense of death and lifelessness that the film makers want to
express.
2.
Lighting
a)
Light on the main character
As Schindler walks into the club and sits down at the table, the light is
projected on his face, while the surroundings and other characters are
in the dark and seem blurry. This is very effective on illuminating and
establishing the protagonist.
This happens again in the scene which Schindler tries to convince Stern
to find potential business partners, even though they’re in the same
room and sit across the desk from each other, Schindler’s close-up is
much brighter than the rest of the room.
The film also used colorization on limited objects, such as the little girl’s
red coat and the yellow candle flame during the Sabbath at Schindler’s
factory. Both are significant symbolism – red coat signifies the love,
passion, and blood; yellow candle flame signifies life, hope, and brighter
future.
b)
3.
Contrast
The director also uses high contrast shots to signify the threatening and
uncertain path the prisoners face: for example, when the train arrives at
Auschwitz at night, everything in the shot appears to be dark and
gloomy, except for the fire and smoke coming out of the chimney,
which indicates their horrifying destiny.
Camera movement
a)
Pan shot
After Schindler sits down at the table, a pan shot is used with medium
and close-up shots focus on his eyes. This reveals the character’s
unspoken intention – observing the surroundings, seeking a target, and
calculating his next move – while Schindler himself tries to hide it. I
think the restaurant scene is very significant, as it ultimately reveals the
nature of the protagonist – an opportunist.
4.
Camera angle
a)
Close-up
Used at the beginning when the refugees arrive at the station and
announce their name, while their names are being typed out. I think this
technique connects the names and faces of the refugees for the
audience and helps to establish and emphasize the identities of the
victims.
This technique is repeated toward to the end when Schindler pays off
Goeth and names of the people who Schindler saves are called from the
list.
B.
Editing Analysis
1.
Dissolve
At the opening scene, the director uses multiple dissolve transitions: the shot of
family that gathered at the table dissolves into an empty table; three more
shots that focus on the candle quickly dissolve, with zoomed in camera angle
with each dissolve. This does not only express the passage of time, but perhaps
also symbolizes the six million lives that were lost.
2.
Montage
Also, in the restaurant scene, montage is used to reveal Schindler’s
opportunistic nature and intention. As he surveys the room, shots cut between
Schindler’s eyes, the female photographer, and the Nazi officers – the director
essentially reveals Schindler’s plan to gain publicity.
3.
Cross cutting
The director uses cross cutting for a scene which shows a Jewish family is forced
to give up their home and Schindler moves into the same home simultaneously.
This signifies what is about to happen to the Jewish community – their lives will
be turned up-side-down, and their properties are to be given to the German. It
is effective to show how helpless the Jews must had felt as they face
uncertainty.
C.
Special Camera Technique
1.
Handheld camera shots without stabilizer
Multiple scenes have destabilized handheld camera shots, for example, the Nazi
troops marching down the street; the Jews walking towards the ghetto; Stern
recruits workers for the ghetto. Overall, by shooting certain scenes with
destabilized shots, it creates the sense of chaos and volatility and brings the
audience closer to the event as if they were there.
D.
Sound and Music Element
1.
Piano element
When the Nazi troops go into the ghetto and start killing people who were
hiding, the scene cuts to a Nazi officer playing piano. This sound element
effectively enhances the chaotic nature and fast pace of the killing.
2.
Main score
The collaboration between Steven Spielberg and John Williams continues with
this film. The main score comes on at the end of the film as Schindler sets to
flee, the main score reflects the emotional state from different characters:
Schindler’s feeling of failure as he blames himself for not able to save more
people; the workers feeling relieved that war and their nightmares are finally
over, at the same time, their gratitude for Schindler; for the audience, feeling
sorry for what the prisons and refugees endured and the horrific crime against
humanity.
IV.
Conclusion
Spielberg incorporates several cinematic techniques to showcase the brutality and cruelty of
WW2 and the genocide against the European Jews by the Nazis. Without any special effects, the
heart-wrenching story captures the audience’s attention by using documentary like camera
work and shooting techniques. It is evident that filmmakers can resonate with viewers’ emotion
without extravagant special visual effects, all that is required is realistic cinematography with a
good story that reflects our humanity, such as what Schindler’s List conveys – all human life is
sacred.
Works Cited
Brokaw, Tom. “The 2013 Time 100.” Time, 18 Apr. 2013, time100.time.com/2013/04/18/time100/slide/steven-spielberg/. Accessed 13 June 2020.
Time is an American news magazine published weekly since 1923. Its website contains its annual
list of the 100 most influential people in the world. This brief article of Steven Spielberg’s
biography is written by Tom Brokaw, an American journalist who was the Anchor and managing
editor for NBC Nightly News for over 20 years. This source is credible and highlights Spielberg’s
achievement and influence.
Bullock, Paul. “Schindler’s List and Documenting History Through a Movie Camera.” Medium,
21 May 2017, medium.com/from-director-steven-spielberg/schindlers-list-and-documentinghistory-through-a-movie-camera-d891780d290e. Accessed 21 June 2020.
Medium is an online publishing platform owned by A Medium Corporation and launched in
2012. It features both professional and amateur writers on its blog host. This article is written by
Paul Bullock, who is the Editor of From Director Steven Spielberg. This source analyzes
Spielberg’s cinematic techniques from various films and is a credible source.
Clark, Travis. “All 30 Steven Spielberg Movies, Ranked by How Much Money They Made at the US Box
Office.” Business Insider, 27 Mar. 2018, www.businessinsider.com/all-steven-spielberg-moviesranked-by-box-office-gross-2018-3#17-schindlers-list-1993-14. Accessed 13 June 2020.
Business Insider is an American financial and business news website founded in 2007, owned by
German publishing house Axel Springer since 2015. This article ranks the films directed by
Spielberg by US box office and is a credible source.
Di Mattia, Joanna. “‘Schindler’s List’: One of the Most Visually Powerful War Films Ever Made.” SBS
Movies, Special Broadcasting Service, 6 Apr. 2017,
www.sbs.com.au/movies/article/2017/03/31/schindlers-list-one-most-visually-powerful-war-
films-ever-made. Accessed 14 June 2020.
Special Broadcasting Service is the Australian public broadcasting corporation owned by the
Australian government. Its service ranges from radio, online and television. This article is written
by Australian based film critic Joanna Di Mattia and analyzes the symbols and images used by
Spielberg in Schindler’s List. This is a credible source.
Gottlieb, Akiva. “Commentary: Why ‘Schindler’s List’ Remains Brilliant and Troubling 25 Years After Its
Release.” Los Angeles Times, 5 Dec. 2018, www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mnschindlers-list-25-20181205-story.html. Accessed 21 June 2020.
The Los Angeles Times is a California based daily newspaper publication found in 1881. It has the
fifth largest circulation among US newspapers. This commentary on the Schindler’s List was
published in December 2018, 25 years after the film’s original release.
IMDb. “Schindler’s List (1993).” IMDb, 15 Dec. 1993, www.imdb.com/title/tt0108052/. Accessed
13 June 2020.
IMDb, also known as Internet Movie Database, is an online database that contains information
related to films and television programs. The site was purchased by Amazon in 1998 and has
approximately 6.5 million titles and 10.4 million personalities in its database. This article
provides cast and production information on Schindler’s List and is a credible source.
—. “Steven Spielberg.” IMDb, www.imdb.com/name/nm0000229/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm. Accessed
13 June 2020.
IMDb, also known as Internet Movie Database, is an online database that contains information
related to films and television programs. The site was purchased by Amazon in 1998 and has
approximately 6.5 million titles and 10.4 million personalities in its database. This article
provides Steven Spielberg’s biography and career highlights and is a credible source.
Mark, Mary E. “Shades of black and white FILM / If cinematographers are our 20th-century painters,
black-and-white cinematographers are our Impressionist masters – or so say a small but growing
coterie of directors, who are turning away from the slick appeal of colour.” Globe & Mail,
[Toronto, Canada], 12 Apr. 1994, p. D2, https://link-galecom.ezproxy.umgc.edu/apps/doc/A163770272/WHIC?u=umd_umuc&sid=WHIC&xid=a9ab5b77..
Accessed 14 June 2020.
The Globe and Mail is a Canadian newspaper originally found in 1844 and one of the most
circulated newspaper publications in Canada. Mary Ellen Mark is an American photojournalist.
Originally published in 1994, this newspaper article discusses the growing trend of black and
white films at that time and is a credible source.
Maron, Jeremy. “Affective Historiography: Schindler’s List, Melodrama and Historical Representation.”
Shofar: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Jewish Studies, vol. 27, no. 4, Summer 2009, pp. 66-94,
EBSCOhost.
search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsglr&AN=edsgcl.206478239&site=edslive&scope=site.
Shofar is a peer-reviewed academic journal published by Purdue University Press and is the
official journal of the Midwest and Western Jewish Studies Associations. The author Jeremy
Maron is a researcher-curator at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. This paper explores
how melodrama operates as a specific mode of historical representation in Schindler’s List.
Tabraiz, Anas. “The holocaust as film and literature in Schindler’s List.” Creative Forum, vol. 21,
no. 1, Jan. 2008, p. 159, EBSCOhost.
search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsglr&AN=edsgcl.258600228&site=edslive&scope=site.
Creative Forum is a peer-reviewed journal publication focuses on contemporary literature and
language. Anas Tabraiz is an Assistant Professor at Delhi University. This paper analyzes the
Schindler’s List from a literary perspective and is a credible source.
12:15
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Description of Project
(a) You should select a director who was active (directed more than 3 movies) during the time
period of 1950 – 2000. In your term paper, give me the basic details of the director’s life and
career. Identify some of the director’s most important films. What honors and awards did the
director receive? Provide a sampling of critical opinion about the director’s work (i.e. film
reviews or articles). View at least two films by your director and comment on them (one of
them can be a film you would have watch previously for the class). Do not summarize any.
plots. Write about how this director used the following in these films: Editing (montage), Sound
and Music, Cinematography, Special Camera Work (steady cam, hand held, optical effects),
Special Effects (this can include stunt work).
(b) Select one film of feature length made during the time period of 1970 – 2000. You are not
to use a film already used by you, the instructor or the course content. In your term paper, you
should present information about the making of the movie, about its success at the box office,
about awards it was nominated for and/or received. Also present a sampling of the critical
reaction to the film, from both the time of its release and later. Finally, you should watch the
film and react to it. Do not summarize the plot. Assume that I’ve already seen the film. In
addition, write about how this director used the following in these films: Editing (montage),
Sound and Music, Cinematography, Special Camera Work (steady cam, hand held, optical
effects), Special Effects (this can include stunt work).
(c) This option is more of a research option that the other two. You are to take a topic or item
with in an element of film making and write a short research paper on its development. For
example, if you want to write about camera development, take a more focused part of that
broader topic such as the steady cam and use that as your subject. You do not need to get too
technical in your paper. Some broader topics include: Camera Development, Projection and
Viewing in Theaters, Film, Special Effects, Director Training, Actor Training, and Editing.
PROJECT STAGES
I. Approval of Topic
You must get the instructor’s approval of your term-paper subject beforehand and no two
students will be permitted to research and write about the same subject. First come, first
served, so it is suggested that you decide what you would like to write about and submit it to
the proper Assignment (in person or by email) as soon as possible. This is due no later than
the end of week three. (NOTE) If you turn in a term paper without getting the instructor’s
approval of the subject, the instructor reserves the right to reject it as unacceptable.
Your proposal must include the following for maximum points.
1. Provide a title for your proposed project
2. Clearly state which option you are choosing and the subject within that option
3. How you propose to research your topic (no specific resources required at this stage)
4. A one page summary of all of your ideas and justification for choosing this topic. This is a
research and personal reflection paper, if you choose a Director or movie or element of film that
means something to you, it can make for a more interesting and informed paper.
II. Outline and Resources
You must turn in an outline and a list of resources for your project no later than the end of week
five.
a.
Use either an Alphanumeric Outline, a Decimal Outline, or a sentence hierarchical outline.
b. The list of resources you expect to use includes website, books and films. This should be in
the form of an Annotated Bibliography.
III. Final Paper
The final paper, with its bibliography, is to be turned in before the end of week eight. The
coversheet, bibliography, and any graphs or images, or appendix does not count toward paper
length. The body of the paper should have a one inch margin on all four sides, be doubled-
space, and use a standard font style (such as Times New Roman, Courier, or Ariel) and font size
(11 or 12).

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Morgan Freeman

detective William Somerset

directed by David Fincher

Scene Development

narrative of two homicide investigators

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