Film notebook

1.  Saddest Music prompt

a.  Some musicals address topics that are at odds with the cheerful and celebratory undertones inherent in musicals. The Sound of Music is set against the background of an Austria under the threat of invading Nazis. Chicago is about a murder trial and the intersection of criminality and celebrity. A more recent musical, Silence!, is centered around the fictional Hannibal Lecter. Using any musical you’ve seen, discuss a significant theme addressed in the film and how the director reconciles theme (or topic) with the conventions of the musical – a combination of song, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. How does the introduction of song and dance shape or affect the theme or topic explored? To what extent is the musical an ideal medium for the story being told?

b.  What story, real or factual, would you like to see as a musical? How would the conventions of the musical add to the story? What thematic ideas would be featured in this musical, and how would song and dance be an appropriate avenue for exploring these ideas?

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2.  Questions over The Usual Suspects (d: Joseph Mankewicz) and Sleuth (d: Brian Singer)

a.  How does point of view in each film shape the viewer’s perception of events? What is the effect of this choice?

b.  Revisit characteristics of film noir. Briefly identify these characteristics within each film.

c.  Answer one of the following:

i.  Why so much emphasis about class in Sleuth? What commentary is being made in this regard? Use examples from the film.

ii. How aware were you of each development in Sleuth? What clues were hidden or made apparent?

iii.  How are games portrayed in the film? Theatre?

3.  Prompt over film noir and chiaroscuro screenshots. Write about how the lighting in any selected screenshot has a specific effect or impact.

4.  Which of the films had the best twist? Discuss how one cinematic choice – editing, characterization, point of view, dialogue, etc. –contributed to this twist.

5.  Take notes over Cuts and Transitions 101. Find a few examples from Whiplash.