Film Studies

 Early US Cinema History: Edison's' camera -  - his films were made in a dedicated studio - the Black Mariah Once the films were made they were viewed from his kinetoscope - film is on a loop instead and played repeatedly as person looks in. Edison was famous for inventing the phonograph - first record player, that was mass produced. Kinetoscopes were standalone devices with no sound - used in Kinetoscope parlors that quickly spread throughout the United States and Europe in 1894 right to 1895. These films are not cinema films, not projected, they were consumed in parlors with individuals moving from one kinetoscope to the next. Edison Kinetoscope films, 1894-1899: The Kiss -  early Edison film, $7.50 in todays money that would be $250. First time anyone had filmed a Kiss let alone shown it to the public. Publicity - Widow Jones stage play. Recording of parts of well known stage plays were seen a lot.  Considered by some, especially religious spectators at the time...

 Introduction: Released in 1989 Written and Directed by Spike Lee, who also plays the main character Cinematographer - Ernest Dickinson About racism, rather than a racist film Main stream US cinema does have a strong racist tendency DTRT demonstrates how a film with a strong anti-racist agenda can itself be caught up in racism and also the questionable representation in the instance of female characters Although the film is 30 years old, we can relate it back to the modern day, the film focuses on social problems. Such as Racist police, state sanctioned violence murder. The film ends with a roll call of victims of police brutality, with the recent events of the murder of George Floyd and the way this has galvanized the Black Lives Matter movement, goes to show that the films message has not been addressed.  THE IDEA OF NATIONAL CINEMA: Superhero Films - One of the only true American film genres The problem of the national, how we talk about cinema belonging to a state. Nationa...

Agnes Varda: La Pointe Courte (1954) - First Film Made film in every decade for 60 years Hands on filmmaking - she's not delegating her work to others, she has a vision, active in her filmmaking. Jacque Demy - Contempory of Varda and her husband, father of her children.  He made very musical/colorful film. Had quite a fairytale element  Closely aligned to Varda's filmmaking. After he died she made films related to this - what it's like to be an older widow. Huge collection of films; some fiction some documentary. Interested in women, women's place in society, the way in which women's stories are seen. The Gleaners and I (empathizes on I) she sees herself as one of them - her filmmaking is quite renovating, she takes bits and pieces, uses them in new ones.  Visages Villages / Faces Places (2017) : First time Varda has collaborated with someone Co-Directed by Agnes Varda and photographer JR JR - Wrinkles of The City (Links to Faces Places) Urban City of Havana. It...