Key concepts
Theory’s
Audience: -consumption
-reception
Institution:– production and distribution
Representation
Secondary research
Internet
Good?
Quick
Easy to use
Accessible
Breadth
Site can be updated frequently so information is recent
Bad?
Accuracy debatable
So much information -> look at website quality and url (.gov .org .eu NOT .com or .co.uk)
Google -> advance search
è Booleans
Amazon to find books
· >Type in area,
· >get ISBN number for library
· >inter-loan the book
Primary research
Looking at:-
Audience Interpretation
Audience Response
Audience Consumption/viewing
Habits
Barb
Opinions Of the Audience:-
Why are they good :-
o Diverse
o Colourful
o Enlightening
o Original
Who to ask:-
Directors
French new wave lovers!
Critics
Everyday people
Using:-
Questionnaires
Sample?
Representative sample
Questions
Open - qualitative Data
Opinion based
Subjective
Closed – Quantitative Data
Authority
Objective
Massive sample needed to make representative [we have limited sample]
Likert scale [1 to 10 scale]
Focus groups
Interviews
Forums
Emails
Textual analysis
Representation:-
Gender
Class
Ethnicity
Religion
Aye
Minority groups
o Genre:-
o Forms
o Conventions
French new era “the nouvelle vague”
What was it?
When was it?
During the late 1950s and early 1960s
How was it different?
What affect has it had on other cultures?
What is different About a French new era film?
French new wave directors
Jean-lus godard, Francois Truffaut, eric rohmer, Jacques rivette, claude chadbrol, alain resnais, chrs marker and agnes varda.
Plan to look at one movie before, during and after the French new era and hope to see a definite/slight change in the way movies are produced and created thanks to the French new wave, see what effect the French new wave had on French cinema
List of movies
Before new wave
Douce (1943)
Le Silence de la mer (Masters of Cinema) [1949]
The Reckless Moment [1949]
La Grande Illusion - Special Edition [1937]
New wave films
Breathless (1960) [said to be most influential new wave film]
Claude Chabrol, "This Man Must Die" 1969
Claude de Givray, "Une Grosse Tete" 1961
Eric Rohmer, "Sign of Leo" 1959
Jean-Luc Godard, "Two or Three Things I Know About Her" 1966
After new wave
Mauvais sang (1986) [idea for movie given by Gary Widdowfield]
Belle ville randez vouz
Delicatessen
A very long engagement
Books
Will try and get a hold of these books... look in LRC and university libraries
French Cinema: A Student's Guide (Paperback) by Phil Powrie (Author), Keith Reader (Author)
Publisher: Hodder Arnold; Student edition (27 Dec 2002)
ISBN 10: 0340760044
ISBN 13: 978-0340760048
Books mentioned in http://www.wisc.edu :- (due to mention suggests good books to look into although website mentions about them having different views about the new wave era use to show different peoples interpretations of the era)
James Monaco's The New Wave,
Roy Armes's French Cinema, [no longer printed – check in university library and pubic]
Alan Williams's Republic of Images
Cahiers du cinéma's
A History of the French New Wave Cinema (Paperback) by Richard Neupert (Author)
(1 customer review)
· Paperback: 368 pages
· Publisher: University of Wisconsin Press (October 2002)
· Language: English
· ISBN-10: 0299181642
· ISBN-13: 978-0299181642
Introduction to film studies 4th edition
Edited by jill nelmes
The approachs o film
Edited by hallows and mark joncovich
Magazines
Media magazines, September 2004
Website
http://www.wisc.edu/wisconsinpress/Presskits/Neupertpresskit.html
www.amazon.co.uk [used to order and find films and books]
http://www.listology.com/content_show.cfm/content_id.18453/Movies [used to find names of French new wave films]
http://www.bfi.org.uk/filmtvinfo/publications/16+/pdf/auteur.pdf [ auteur theory]
http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/e/v/evs5022/Nouvelle_Vague.htm
Primary research
Forums
I am going to register to several forum websites to help with my primary research.
Good points
Goes out to a wide audience
Gathers opinions
Easy to use and monitor
If someone is looking at your post chances are they are a general interest into the topic you are researching so all opinions give will be valid.
Bad points
People might not necessarily reply to the post
Due to not knowing the people who are replying there is a chance that they may be lying about their true opinion
You get abuse of some people
You get banned for asking an opinon
http://www.ukfilmforum.co.uk/
(set up a forum on this website) – used a film forum as chances are the people who are registered with this forum will be into films so I will be more likely to get a good intellectual reply. Posted in other topics with the title French new wave post was deleted due to lack of reponse
Link of post:
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/vine/
not a film forum but has been said to be a good forum to use to get responses from for its popularity. Posted under General General Discussion under French new wave cinema – what do you think? Received some relevant replies that were helpful but had same problem as cinema blend only didn’t get band this time
Link of post:
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/vine/showthread.php?t=586808
http://www.cinemablend.com/forum/
another film forum. Posted under Cinema Blend Main under French new wave cinema –what do you think? I got banned from this website probably because I complained when I was critised and accused of getting others to do my work and not doing my homework for myself… nice people ey!
Link of post:
http://www.cinemablend.com/forum/showthread.php?p=394973#post394973
http://forums.gentoo.org/
.org suggesting professional website. Posted under Multimedia under French new wave - what do you think? Was deleted due to lack of response!
Link of post:
http://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-t-596381.html
Same password and username used for all making it easier for me to remember
username: HLGriffiths
Password: 01642popice
Same Question used for all forums:
“I’m doing a critical research study for my A level media examination, into the French new wave era which was a movement in the late 50's to early 60's which was said to have changed the production of film making forever.
If you know anything about the French new wave, please reply to this post with answers to the following questions to help me with my primary research.
1) What/why do you think the French new era was so influential even today?
2) Do you believe in the auteur Theory? (the idea that a director leaves a signature of himself within the film) If so can you tell me any examples of films where you see this present?
If you have any other information that you think would help me with my study i would be very grateful to receive it!
Thanks for taking the time to read this.
Helen Griffiths”
Good replies:
“I strongly suggest that you go to this site:http://elusivelucidity.blogspot.com/The guy who runs it is more than qualified to answer your questions. You can e-mail him directly or you search his site. Just tell him Irvin referred you to him.” – replied to the blog from the address given and I am now awaiting reply I wrote this:
“Hello, my name is Helen Griffiths I recently got told that I should talk to you about French new wave films I was referred to you by Irvin, would you be willing to give your opinions to me about your ideas on the French new wave and the auteur theory. Id like to state now that I'm not asking you to do my homework for me as I have been given a lot of abuse on forum websites due to people not understanding what I am trying to achieve, I just want your views on it so I can put it into my primary research under the opinions of others... would you please reply to me by email so I could keep an account of it.
My email is 4530@stocktonsfc.ac.uk
Thank you so very much for taking the time to read this and I hope to hear from you soon
This is what I posted on the forums to give you a basic idea of what opinions I would like from you
"Copy and pasted what I wrote in forums"
Thanks again
Helen Griffiths
“In short, FNW brought to the table new camera and editing techniques, and a move away from studios and indoor sets.Of course there's such thing as an auteur. Pick any major director and you'll see quirks and flavours. Michael Mann makes gritty neo-noirs set in California, Tarantino makes postmodern loveletters to exploitation cinema, and Sidney Lumet makes films about the process of media and law.”
“The move away from studios and indoor sets should actually be attributed to Italian Neo-Realism of the late 40's and early 50's, again pre-dating the New Wave. Far more important is the way French New Wave directors played with the rules of movie shooting and editing, especially Godard did this. He also always make sure you're aware of watching a movie.”
“First of all, I wouldn't say French New Wave is all that influental today. For the most part, it's techniques have just become a part of filmmaking techniques. Sure, you'll occasionally hear a filmmaker like Wes Anderson, Noah Baumbach, or even Quentin Tarantino talking about how films from the period have influenced them. But for the most part, it's just the style.1) What/why do you think the French new era was so influential even today?Today, you would have to look a little deeper into this. Most filmmakers are not influenced by French New Wave films directly. But certian aspects and techniques did work their way into independent cinema, and eventally became mainstream. As with any camera technique, most aren't exactly sure where and when it came from, they just know it as a technique. The jump cuts, the unsmooth tracking shot, the breaking of the 180 and 40 degree rules, have all become techniques used in certian style films, mainly to try and achieve a gritty realism. Probably the biggest influence though, is the way lightweight cameras and equipment were used to shoot on location.To be honest though, I just think New Wave was influential because it came at the right time. The American Studio system was about to go through a large change. When they gave their new directors freedom, many of them used aspects of this new style, and it caught on.It's easy to forget that one aspect is not completely original sometimes though. If you look at the influences of French New Wave, you'll find many intresting things, but that's another story,2) Do you believe in the auteur Theory? (the idea that a director leaves a signature of himself within the film) If so can you tell me any examples of films where you see this present?While I believe no one person makes a film, I do feel that one person heavily involved in every aspect, makes a better film. It's very notable in the films of Kurosawa, Hitchcock, and Kubrick, where there is a certian synchronization to every aspect.”
Emails.
I emailed the man who I was advised to by Irvine and received the following reply:-
“Helen,Here are some brief answers to your questions. Bestof luck on your project."1) What/why do you think the French new era was soinfluential even today?"The criticism as well as the films of the New Wavefilmmakers was based on a politics of authorship;these film-authors inspired other authors onindividual levels which can be speculated andsometimes traced out in studies (e.g., Tarantinociting [early] Godard as an influence). Things likeportable cameras & equipment, as well as the generalrise of art cinema in mainstream and urban theaters(which itself had to do censorship laws) also hadsomething to do with the influence of the French NewWave, but those factors are not limited to thatparticular movement--rather a whole range offilmmaking practices in the 1950s/60s."2) Do you believe in the auteur Theory? (the ideathat a director leaves a signature of himself withinthe film) If so can you tell me any examples of filmswhere you see this present?"There is really no such thing as "the auteur theory,"that's just a poorly applied label that Andrew Sarrisgave it (or popularized). Some directors are primaryor significant authors of their films, which wasuncontroversial when talking about D.W. Griffith, JeanRenoir, or most of the famous German or Soviet silentfilmmakers. What made the New Wave critics' politiquedes auteurs controversial was that they argued thatcertain directors were great artists & authors oftheir work when it wasn't *already* obvious, andsocially agreed-upon, that they were (cf. Hitchcock,Hawks, Nick Ray). An example of this at work would bethe Howard Hawks ethos which posits the group ofrootless professionals (mostly men but almost alwayscomplicated by the presence of strong women) as theideal or fundamental social unit--this appears incountless films of his, ONLY ANGELS HAVE WINGS,HATARI!, the Westerns, BALL OF FIRE, HIS GIRL FRIDAY,RED LINE 7000, etc.A few sources worth checking into areTHE FRENCH NEW WAVE: AN ARTISTIC SCHOOL (Michel Marie,1997)A HISTORY OF THE FRENCH NEW WAVE CINEMA (RichardNeupert, 2002)Jean Douchet's book on the New Wave--Zach (Elusive Lucidity)”
Focus group- set up a group where I will pay a snap pit of a french new wave film and then a later film and see if anyone can notice any similarities or influenced aspects in the later film, I will go about doing this by getting a group of people into a classroom selected at random.
Good points:
Chance for people to see direct effects
Could ask anyone but can be selective at the same time
Direct so not waiting for Reponses
Bad points:
People may conform to the views of others around
People may not have the basic background knowledge needed to respond
First focus group results:- movies watched:- Breathless and Amilie watch about 15 minutes of each!
Similarites:- jump shots (more clean cut in amilie), both had characters talk to the camera directly, both had a narrator
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Information collected;
What was it?
When was it?
During the late 1950s and early 1960s
How was it different?
What affect has it had on other cultures?
What is different About a French new era film?
French new wave directors
Jean-lus godard, Francois Truffaut, eric rohmer, Jacques rivette, claude chadbrol, alain resnais, chrs marker and agnes varda.
Key factors of new wave film given by Michel Marie in book introduction to film
studies
director writes the script
improvisation is allowed within shots and scenes places are created within the film for this
natural décor and locations used over studio sets
minimal people are used for crew
direct sound recorded at the moment of scene rather then post synchronisation (recorded after film is shot)
non professional actors used if professional actors are used they will be new faces directed in a free and loose fashion.
Factors added due to low budget at start of new wave by the critics turned film makers who didn’t know much about film production they improvised with what they could.
· Jump cuts: a non-naturalistic edit, usually a section of a continuous shot that is removed unexpectedly, illogically
· Shooting on location
· Natural lighting
· Improvised dialogue and plotting
· Direct sound recording
· Long takes
French new wave films described as intensely personal and idiosyncratic films
auteur (author) theory = The idea that the movie should wear a stamp of the author, American directors also picked up on this idea such as Alfred Hitchcock.
Key people:
André Bazin (fr) – co-founder of the Cahiers du cinéma, a renowned and influential film critic
Alexandre Astruc (fr) – film critic and director
François Truffaut (fr) – one of the founders of the french new wave, he was screenwriter, director, producer or actor in over twenty-five films.
Andew sarris (us) - wrote an essay called “Notes on the Auteur Theory in 1962” then published a book called “The American Cinema: Directors and Directions, 1929-1968” this is now said to be the unoffical bible of the auteur thory
Jean-Luc Godard (fr) – french film maker and auteurist critic
Claude Chabrol (fr)- “ “
Éric Rohmer (fr) – Flim director and screen writer
Key elements of theory
films should reflect a director's personal vision - Bazin
caméra-stylo or "camera-pen" and the idea that directors should wield their cameras like writers use their pens and that they need not be hindered by traditional storytelling - Astruc
proposed an ideal to strive for: the director should use the commercial apparatus the way a writer uses a pen and, through the mise en scène, imprint his or her vision on the work (conversely, the role of the screenwriter was minimized in their eyes). - Truffaut and the members of the Cahiers
all good directors (and many bad ones) have such a distinctive style or consistent theme that their influence is unmistakable in the body of their work – Truffaut
a director must accomplish technical competence in his or her technique, personal style in terms of how the movie looks and feels, and interior meaning - sarris
Countries influenced by auteur theory
the uk in the 1960
the us, an essay wrote by Andrew Sarris established the name auteur theory (a half French half English name)
