BERTOLINO genre paper: war

Benjamin Bertolino
Prof. Hammond
COM 241
15 March 2010
Genre Paper: War Films

The war film genre has a solid fan base that features many different stories, time periods, and contexts. War films are a subgenre of many different kinds of film, and are very adaptable, including comedy, drama, documentary, and biographical genres. The origin, development, conventions, and current status of war films are very rich with its own unique appeal. The emotional roller coaster of a time of war can be mixed with the political or painful realities of a country or the world at war. Whether the story is about the past, present, or future, the broad connection with fans of many different film genres highlights the success of the genre of war.

The origins of the war film genre stems from the early 1900’s. World War I was the topic of many films from the 1910’s to the 1930’s, including the films Shoulder Arms, All Quiet on the Western Front, and Doughboys. Some films displayed scenes of battle, as they aimed to show the frightening aspects of war. These kinds of films also showed the horrible nature of war, and some movies used the war genre to relay an angle of distress. War films focused on different aspects of military as well, from the navy, army, and marines, as well as the United States of America, European or Asian countries, or other parts of the world. The war film industry established different topics based on non-fiction events, but either documented a twist on real-life events or created a fictional film with a creative story.

The development of war films stems from multiple situations of military conflict. The adaptations of situations that could arise in a warfare environment, such as political conflict, economic status, power struggles between countries, or even prisoner of war troubles are all bases for different subcategories of the war genre. Silent films first began the war genre, as the aforementioned Shoulder Arms, from 1918, is widely regarded as one of the very first comedies about war in the history of film. This film, despite being one of Charles Chaplin’s shortest, devised a popular layout for other films to come. As the film industry progressed into productions with sound, more films based on WWI came about. Into the 1940’s and 1950’s, American films featured the patriotic aspect of war, and the light of national unity placed against the darkness of the enemy. Throughout further development of the war genre, each period of military history has provided an increase in war film production, with more films through the rest of the 1900’s and into the 2000’s. Into the 90’s, the genre entered a quiet period, until Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan injected life back into the war film industry in 1998. From then on, war films considered both the past and present, such as Pearl Harbor for World War II, or The Hurt Locker, based on modern warfare in Iraq.

Like any other genre, the war genre consists of many different conventions that define this category. First, one of the biggest conventions of war films is the relation to nonfiction, even in a fictional movie. This relation could be about the Civil War, WWII, or even the War in Iraq. Although some films are based on true stories, people, or situations, some of the most critically acclaimed films tell a fictional story, such as Full Metal Jacket. Next, a controversial convention of war films is the political and moral conflicts that take place among the characters, countries, and militaries. This may include the thrill and horror of killing another human being, the negotiation of a country’s president with terrorists, or pro- or anti-war views on the events in real life. These elements are used to invoke an emotional response or to raise awareness of a certain issue, theme or value. Another conventional element of war films, especially present in post-WWII films, is the patriotic sense of pride and unity in a nation. This is very common in American films. The convention of the anti-war film also exists, which consists of mostly opinionated documentaries with arguments against war and all the elements of war, battle and bloodshed, as well as the political aspects that send a country or countries to war.

Today, war films have developed a very comfortable niche in the film industry. The genre carries a wide fan base that supports many different genres, so that war comedies, war dramas, war documentaries, and other war subgenres, can thrive. There are many Hollywood-produced war films, and even some independent films, such as the 2009 Oscar winner for Best Picture and Best Director, The Hurt Locker, that are very successful and popular in the United States and the rest of the world today. Even though the Iraq War has been a common subject in war films since the start of the war in the 2000’s, historic wars, like WWII, have been adapted into current films as well, such as Quentin Tarantino’s unique war comedy Inglorious Basterds. Fans and students of each war subgenre and historical time period are coming back for more even today.

From war of the past to war of the present, this genre still has the ability to adapt to different stories, perspectives, and situations throughout the military and government in order to show an audience something new about the realities, hardships, and troubles of war. The origins, development, conventions, and current status of the war film genre show that throughout the history of film, war has been a subject given much thought. War is never something that a country wants to take part in, but without the conflict to send a country to war, some of the greatest films of all time may not have even been a thought.

Paper #5 - Artistic Movements

For those of you who are having difficulty picking a subject or determining how to select a film that reflects an artistic movement, here is an alternative. Your grade will not be affected if you choose this option.

I am going to show a film by David Lynch on Monday and Wednesday that will reflect many of the vales and conventions found in Surrealism. Your essay, should you decide to take this route, will cover some background on the artistic movement of Surrealism, its history and philosophy, and then summarize how Lynch's film fits into this category. The purpose of this exercise is to show how methods of thought and style from one field of creative visual endeavor can take root and influence another area.

If you have already picked a topic, please share it with me before or after Monday's class, either in person or by email. The paper is due Wednesday, April 7th. Let me know if you need to schedule a one-on-one time with me. I am at your disposal. I will hand out all previous papers on Monday.

romantic comedies

Melissa Lebor
Professor Hammond

Genre paper- Romantic comedy

Romantic comedies are part of a larger category called comedies. Comedies are light-hearted dramas, crafted to amuse, entertain, and provoke enjoyment. The comedy genre humorously exaggerates the situation, the language, action, and characters. Comedies observe the deficiencies, foibles, and frustrations of life, providing merriment and a momentary escape from day-to-day life. They usually have happy endings, although the humor may have a serious or pessimistic side.
Comedy is one of the original four genres of literature as defined by the philosopher Aristotle in his work called Poetics. According to Aristotle ancient comedy originated with the komos, a curious and improbable spectacle in which a company of festive males apparently sang, danced, and cavorted rollickingly around the image of a large phallus. All comedies begin with a low, typically with an "ugly" guy who can't do anything right. By the end of the story or play, the "ugly" guy has won the "pretty" girl, or whatever it was he was aiming for at the beginning. Comedies also have elements of the supernatural, typically magic and for the ancient Greeks the gods. Comedy includes the unrealistic in order to portray the realistic.
The basic plot of a romantic comedy is that two protagonists, usually a man and a woman, meet, part ways due to an argument or other obstacle, then ultimately reunite. Some comedy films, such as Knocked Up, combine themes of romantic comedies and stoner comedies, creating a subgenre that appeals to both men and women. These types of films usually use sexual content and this brings the two characters together.
An example of a convention in romantic comedy would be the movie “knocked up”. This movie makes fun of a serious subject by putting a funny twist to it. The main character is having a baby but at the same time continues as nothing has happened. Today romantic comedies are extremely hot. They are being made left right and center and I don’t see that changing any time soon as the demand for them is so high.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lS2BpORASX0

Film Noir - Recommended Viewing

Here is a brief list of great films noir in no particular order. Let me know if you watch any of these.

The Killing

The Killers (1946)

Criss-Cross

Detour (1945)

The Asphalt Jungle

Murder, My Sweet

Gun Crazy (1950)

The Set-Up

Double Indemnity

On Dangerous Ground

Out of the Past

The Big Sleep

The Big Combo

The Big Heat

They Live by Night

Touch of Evil

The Maltese Falcon

Blood on the Moon (western)

The Seventh Victim (horror)

Kiss Me Deadly

Superhero/Comic Book Genre

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJL9aVp_1jE

Jillian Ramirez - Comedy Genre

Jillian Ramirez

March 4, 2010

COM 232 Tom Hammond

MWF 10 A.M.

Comedy Genre

Comedy films have been around for ages and have always been a popular genre. They are designed to make audiences laugh, entertain, and rouse enjoyment. The comedy genre amusingly exaggerates the language, the situation, action, and characters. Comedies observe the idiosyncrasy and frustrations of life, providing happiness and a momentary escape from day-to-day life. Most have happy endings, although the humor may have a serious or pessimistic side.

The origins of early comedy films were silent and relied on the actor’s talent, timing, and bodily movements to get amusement out of the viewers. As technology evolved, so did comedy. Comedy films first started to appear during the early 1900s when movies were erupting in the public eye. Lovetoknow.com says, “In fact, the very first film to be copyrighted in the United States, the five-second-long Fred Ott's Sneeze, is often described as a comedy. Because of limited technology, early films were silent and thus focused on visual humor, especially the slapstick style made popular by Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd and Buster Keaton.”¹ Early movie producers applied slapstick to put across their message to the audiences, using exaggerated movements and comic humiliating actions to raise laughter.

With the development of sound in movies, comedy films were able to take their humor in new directions. Scriptwriters started to incorporate jokes and apply complex situations that brought comedy to a whole new level. The Marx brothers were one of the first revolutionaries in the talking comedy film world, and their brand of fast-talking humor is still unique today. One of the first new styles that emerged with talking films was the screwball comedy, illustrated brilliantly by the Three Stooges. Screwball comedies were short and featured over-the-top physical humor more common in cartoons. The article, The History of comedy, says, “While actors like Keaton and Chaplin still performed their slapstick routines they could also incorporate dialogue and sound effects to their movies. Comedy acts like the Marx Brothers and the Three Stooges also got the chance to take their act to the big screen, creating many comedy movies that are still popular – and often imitated – even today.”²

The 1950s was really when the comedy movie genre became big. Even though it was enormously popular during the silent era, these films were really nothing more than recorded stage acts of the style audiences could expect to see in any cabaret theater. In the 50s and 60s, along with the growing threat of television, Hollywood started to produce character driven comedies with more mature themes. “Many films even went so far as to lampoon serious subjects, such as in Dr. Strangelove’s take on Cold War paranoia,” says in the article, The History of Comedy.

Since then, the comedy genre has left no subject alone. From subjects ranging to homosexuality, suicide, racism, gross-out comedies involving disgusting college frat boys and food fights, comedy has frequently been used as a means to bring sensitive subject matter to the masses. Although, some people have looked at this sort of filmmaking with shock and scorn, incredible comedy films have demonstrate to be box office gold.

The development of the comedy genre has branched off into many different ranges and sub-genres like:

Comedy of manners - A satire on the lifestyles of the social class.

Dark comedy - Based on taboo subjects such as murder or war.

Fish out of water - The main character finds himself in a strange environment, such as gender-swapping roles or a rural chap in the big city.

Gross-out films - Another popular style of comedy film in recent years, these movies focus on toilet humor and are often aimed at younger audiences.

Parodies and spoofs - One of the most common types of comedies, these films satirize other genres or classic films with sarcasm and mockery.

Romantic comedy - A comedy centered around a developing relationship.

Screwball comedy - Most popular in the early days of films, screwball comedies are the most difficult sub-genre to define. They usually involve wacky, almost unbelievable situations and include lots of physical humor.⁴

As well as the above sub-genres, comedy is often incorporate with other types of film to produce sci-fi comedies, action comedies, and many others.

A convention in the comedy genre would be making fun of other genres. For example, the movie Knocked Up is making fun of love or drama movies by putting a twist on something serious, like having a baby, to make it funnier. The convention is using another genre’s convention to make something comical out of it. Another example would be a movie like Crocodile Dundee, an action movie but with a twist of comedy.

The current status of the comedy genre is booming! Films like The Hangover, Borat, Super Bad, Juno, and Pineapple Express, just to name a few, were extremely popular in the last couple years. I believe people like to watch movies that make them laugh in these tough economic times. It gives them a couple hours to escape and not have to think about reality.

In conclusion, the comedy genre has been around even before the movies. People like to laugh and escape for a little bit. I doubt there is one person who has not seen a genre or a sub-genre of comedy. My clip is from the movie Knocked Up and represent a romantic comedy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7VXM0AgI0I

My Second clip is from the movie Animal House, it represent a gross-out comedy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u48PvBTl3u8

Work Cited:

¹ Beggerow, John. "History of Comedy Films." Movie Reviews | Online Movie Downloads and More... Love to Know Movies, 13 Dec. 2009. Web. 16 Mar. 2010. .

² "Just for Laughs: The History of Comedy." Elite Movie Downloads. Web. 17 Mar. 2010. p>.

³ "Just for Laughs: The History of Comedy." Elite Movie Downloads. Web. 17 Mar. 2010. p>.

⁴ Beggerow, John. "History of Comedy Films." Movie Reviews | Online Movie Downloads and More... Love to Know Movies, 13 Dec. 2009. Web. 16 Mar. 2010. .

Romantic Comedies

Genre Paper – Romantic Comedies
Visual Literacy
Dina Coloma
March 17, 2010

According to Wikipedia, romantic comedies “are movies with light-hearted, humorous plotlines, centered on romantic ideals such as a true love able to surmount most obstacles.” Romantic comedies have elements from comedy films as well as romantic films.
The history of romantic comedies has a very early history with the ancient Greeks, as their comedies have included “sexual or social elements.” Shakespeare had some romantic comedy plays including “Much Ado About Nothing” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” His comedies still have influences on today’s comedies. There was a decline in romantic comedies during World War II; after the “screwball cycle” was over in the early 1940’s, a new type of romantic comedies came out that “focused not on getting the central couple together but on how they get along with each other.” (David R. Shumway). In the 1950s and 1960s romantic comedies hit a low point, and the genre had “virtually disappeared from Hollywood.” This all changed starting in 1977 when Woody Allen made a movie called Annie Hall. This movie uses techniques like flashbacks, voice-over narration and other effects that make the movie funny.
Modern romantic comedy films have similar basic plots, a man and woman “meet, part ways due to an argument or other obstacle, then ultimately reunite.” (Wikipedia). The parting ways is often because one person thinks they don’t actually like the other person romantically, or that one is already committed to someone else. In the film though, there are clues that leave it clear that the man and women do in fact like each other and would make a nice couple. They need time alone to figure out what they are actually feeling. Eventually either or both of them figure out that they are meant to be. There is then usually the “grand gesture” where “after one of the two makes some spectacular effort to find the other person and declare their love… or due to an astonishing coincidental encounter, the two meet again.” Romantic comedies tend to have a happy ending, even if the couple doesn’t get married. There are obviously variations to this, for example if one of the main characters meets a new character and falls in love.
Udhaya Kulandaivelu seems to have a problem with these modern day romantic comedies. He says, “a good story, chemistry between the characters, funny and romantic actors of these are essential, but those alone do not make a good romantic comedy.” He offers three big suggestions to current filmmakers on how to improve romantic comedies. First of all he thinks that the problem the man and woman have to overcome has to be big, so the audience can feel the tension between them. Kulandaivelu’s next argument is that the “supporting cast must be endearing, well rounded, and give a solid foil for the leads.” This makes the audience root for the leads. His final suggestion is that the person that wants to prevent the couple from getting together cannot be a “monster or a pushover,” because that would mean the decision to get back together or not would be too easy too make.
An example of my favorite movie of all time is a romantic comedy. In Legally Blonde, Elle and Warner are together at first as a perfect couple. Warner then breaks up with Elle because she is not serious enough for him. Elle then goes to Harvard to follow Warner, but ends up meeting Emmett. This follows a variation of the basic plot of the romantic comedy.
The link I have shows the last few minutes of the classic movie, which shows Warner trying to get back with Elle, but Elle realizes she doesn’t want Warner anymore, and fast-forward two years, Warner asks Elle to marry him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNyfdUHSUhg

BIBLIOGRAPHY

"Romantic Comedy Film." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia.
Web. 14 Mar. 2010. comedy_film>.

Shumway, David. "Decline and Reinvention - Romantic Comedy."
Film Reference. Web. 14 Mar. 2010. reference.com/encyclopedia/Romantic-Comedy-Yugoslavia/Romantic-Comedy-DECLINE-AND-REINVENTION.html>.

Kulandaivelu, Udhaya. "Romantic Comedies—A Dying Genre:
How to Keep Romance Alive On Screen." Filmmaking 101. Web. 14 Mar. 2010. article.cfm/romantic_comediesa_dying_genre>.

Film Genre

Leigh Cardi

Visual Literacy

Tom Hammond

15 March 2010

Film Genre: War

Each war that has taken place in the world is seen as iconic by its associated region. For as long as weapons have been invented, there has been conflict between groups, areas, and countries. From the time that a war begins and ends, all information and occurrences that take place are documented and written in history books for students and the general public to read. But, not everyone enjoys learning or being entertained through reading a book. The invention of the war genre successfully shines a light on wars that have occurred and have entertained people since the early 1900s. Through this analysis of war films origin, development, conventions, and current status will be discussed.

One of the most notable early films was made in 1918 and entitled “Shoulder Arms” by Charles Chaplin. Although it is considered a comedy about war, it set the bar for war films of the future. After World War I, the brutality and futility was emphasized in films like “The Big Parade” and “What Price War?”. As time went on, and sound developed, war movies highlighted the new technology and fading love for aerial combat in “Wings” and “Hell’s Angels”. As time went on, films that concentrated on World War II were being produced. These films were designed to give the enemies demonic qualities and celebrate American unity. As time rolled into the 1950s, war films became very patriotic. The war was used as background information to set the scene of a drama or an adventure story. Movies in this time period also churned out a number of films that focused on the stresses and psychological effects of combat. Among these films were also motion pictures that were made from war novels. The success of these war films was largely dependent on staying faithful to the plot of the novel. They were also extremely popular because they depicted every aspect of the service involved in the war. During the time period after Vietnam, no films were allowed to be made concerning the great battle until 1970. The films reflecting on the conflict in Vietnam tended to show a more gruesome and realistic side. In the 1990s and 2000s films such as “Saving Private Ryan” and “Pearl Harbor” ushered in the revival of World War II films. As another decade passed, there have been films made that have shined a spotlight on the war in Iraq. For example, the movie that was just given the Academy Award for motion picture of the year, “The Hurt Locker”, followed the lives of a team that dissembles terrorist bombs in Baghdad. As films developed over time, conventions started to develop as well.

Conventions are naturally exposed as a genre continues to grow. One theme that seemed to be prominent in many war films is the need for mobilization. More specifically, this genre depicts American people coming together with a common purpose in order to support their country. Through this, another convention that developed is unity. This is shown by illustrating the support by each country of its soldiers, and each military service coming together to fight for the security of their homeland. Another form in which unity is displayed is on a smaller scale. By including a scene of a family becoming closer, or bonding, through a simple emotion such as sadness or the happiness of being reunited, unity is being represented. Not only was the positive side of unity shown, but the negative side as well. For example, many motion pictures contain content of people uniting in order to protest the war. If it were not for these continual conventions throughout war films, the genre would have become unsuccessful, but that it simply not the case.

The current status of this genre is alive and well. As afore mentioned, the most recent war movie, “The Hurt Locker”, was successful in winning the title of Motion Picture of the Year. Other recently popular films include “300” (2007), “Blood Diamond” (2006), and “Brothers” (2009). Because of the continuing battle in Iraq, there is still an interest of war in the minds of Americans. As a result of this interest, there is a large success in the war genre today.

Throughout the course of history it is easy to determine that as long as there is conflict, there is potential for a war film. This is apparent through the growth and popularity of the genre since its start in the early 1900s. Each war has given a number of directors and producers a chance to prove themselves in their field. After each movie was made, the conventions of the need for mobilization and unity were developed. These conventions set the bar for the war films of today that have gone on to win awards. In conclusion, the success of the war genre has almost never lulled, and most likely never will.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AT3D2PJ0igc&feature=related

Thriller Genre Paper

Mary Kate Gowl

Visual Literacy

Professor Hammond

3/10/10

Thriller Films

On a stormy night a girl sits alone in her house. Lights flickering, a suspicious noise comes from the basement (because its always the basement). She grabs a flashlight and ventures wearily into the darkness to investigate (queue suspenseful music). The lights continue to flicker as she descends the creaky basement stairs. She sees a figure. It is her high school sweetheart, strapped to a bomb with only five minutes left on the timer. The room goes completely dark and the only thing you hear is the ticking of the timer.

If the thriller genre is to be defined strictly, it is genuinely a film that relentlessly pursues a single-minded goal - to provide thrills and keep the audience cliff hanging at the 'edge of their seats' as the plot builds towards a climax. The tension usually arises when the main character is placed in a menacing situation or mystery, or an escape or dangerous mission from which escape seems impossible. Life itself is threatened, usually because the principal character is unsuspecting or unknowingly involved in a dangerous or potentially deadly situation. Plots of thrillers involve characters that come into conflict with each other or with outside forces - the menace is sometimes abstract or shadowy.

Thriller films are known to promote intense excitement, suspense, a high level of anticipation, ultra-heightened expectation, uncertainty, anxiety, nerve-wracking tension and of course resourceful heroes who must thwart the plans of more-powerful and better-equipped villains. Filmmakers have been combining these elements for almost as long as cinema itself.

The thriller genre did not fully emerge until the early part of the twentieth century but has relevant roots reaching back to the eighteenth century. Three literary antecedents are especially important: the Gothic novel, beginning with Horace Walpole's The Castle of Otranto (1765), whose horrific tales involved the reader in a new way, with an increased emphasis on suspense and sensation; the Victorian sensation novel, introduced by Wilkie Collins's The Woman in White (1860), which adapted the sensational and impressive effects of Gothic fiction to a more contemporary, familiar context; and the early detective story, pioneered by Edgar Allan Poe (creator of C. Auguste Dupin, 1841) and Arthur Conan Doyle (creator of Sherlock Holmes, 1887), whose adventures breathed an air of significant mystery into the modern world. The origins of the thriller genre can also be related to the rise of urban-industrial society in the nineteenth century, which created a new mass audience, along with new popular entertainment forms to serve that audience. One of the most important was the melodramatic theater, which placed a premium on action and visual spectacle, including suspenseful, last-minute rescues of heroes and heroines tied to railroad tracks, menaced by buzz saws, and dangled from steep cliffs.

In 1926 we were introduced to English film maker/director/legend Alfred Hitchcock. He helped shape the modern-day thriller genre, beginning with his early silent film The Lodger. Hitchcock is considered the acknowledged auteur master of the thriller or suspense genre, manipulating his audience's fears and desires, and taking viewers into a state of association with the representation of reality facing the character. He would often interweave a taboo or sexually-related theme into his films, and place an innocent victim into a strange, life-threatening or terrorizing situation, in a case of mistaken identity, misidentification or wrongful accusation (North by Northwest). He has either directed, produced, or wrote fifty-three thriller films in his career. Hitchcock was the king of the thriller movie; no one has ever been able to pull off the type of success he found as a director.

In recent years, when thrillers have been increasingly influenced by horror or psychological-horror exposure in pop culture, an ominous or monstrous element has become common to heighten tension. The monster could be anything, even an inferior physical force made superior only by their intellect (the Saw movies), a supernatural entity (The Amityville Horror), serial killers (Psycho), or even microbes or chemical agents (28 Days Later).

Since this genre provides many types of thrills there are many different sub-genres, fifteen to be exact. The most common sub-genre is the action thriller. An action thriller often features a race against the clock, lots of violence, and an antagonist. These films usually contain large amounts of guns, explosions, and large elaborate set pieces for the action to take place. These films often have elements of mystery films and crime films but these elements take a backseat to action. Notable examples are the James Bond films, The Transporter and the Jason Bourne novels and films. Another common sub-genre is the crime thriller. This particular sub-genre is a hybrid type of both crime films and thrillers that offers a suspenseful account of a successful or failed crime. These films often focus on the criminals rather than a policeman. Central topics of these films include murders, robberies, chases, shootouts, and double-crosses are central ingredients. Some examples include Seven and Reservoir Dogs.

Three hundred years later the thriller genre is still thriving and evolving. The most recent successful thriller is Martin Scorsese’ Shutter Island. The movie was released February 19, 2010 and grossed $40.2 million in that weekend. Even though the way movies are portrayed has changed, from the monotone hues of the violent shower scene in Psycho to the sex-slave kidnappings and hand-to-hand combat in Taken, the thrill and scare behind them has not. Many viewers are enticed by the thriller genre because it pulls them into a world that scares them to death. It’s a reality they can become a part of without actually being kidnapped, involved in a bank robbery, or staying at the Bates Motel. Even though the thriller genre dominates today, many films do not live up to expectations, which may suggest that the thriller must get back to basics, Psycho style, if it is to prosper. French filmmaker Jean Luc Godard once said that all you needed to make a film was a girl and a gun. I’m pretty sure he was thinking of a thriller.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOdPnIQYBq4

Works Cited

http://www.filmreference.com/encyclopedia/Romantic-Comedy-Yugoslavia/Thrillers-ORIGINS-OF-THE-MOVIE-THRILLER.html

http://www.artandpopularculture.com/Thriller_(genre)

http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/series/Suspense.php

http://www.filmsite.org/thrillerfilms.html

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000033/filmogenre

http://www.ucaecho.net/stories/index.php?id=752

http://www.timeout.com/film/features/show-feature/2970/

Genre Paper

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkqzFUhGPJg

Sarah McConnell
COM 232; Visual Literacy
Paper#4 – Genre: Animated Film

From childhood through adulthood, Walt Disney’s animated films have been a regular part of American cinematography. These films have brought us countless hours of laughter, tears, and even nightmares, but still animated films continue to be a box-office hit for all ages. From Steamboat Willie to the academy award winner UP, Disney’s animated full-feature length films have taken the world by storm in terms of entertainment, technology, and visual stimulation. Although some say that animation is not a film genre but merely a film technique, I disagree because the definition of genre is a class or category of artistic endeavor having a particular form, content, technique, or likeness. Disney’s animated films have changed and adapted with technology, full story lines, and overall creative value throughout the history of film allowing him to become the most infamous animator of all time.

Animated films much like other films genres had its origins begin with comic strips. In 1906, newspaper cartoonist J. Stuart Blackton developed the first animated film, Humorous Phases of Funny Faces, by using the single frame method, projected at 20 frames per second. In the film, the line drawings of two faces were animated on a blackboard, smiling and winking, and the cigar-smoking man blew smoke in the lady's face. Comic-strip animator and sketch artist Winsor McCay was the first to establish the technical method of animating graphics, suing characters from his comic strips using between 4,000 and 10,000 hand drawn frames. McCay created the interactive “illusion of walking” in 1914, the earliest example of combined 'live action' and animation, and the first interactive animated cartoon considering it to be the first successful, fully animated cartoon.

In 1922, Walt Disney made himself known for his own animation studio in Kansas City with short cartoons called Newman Laugh-O-Grams, such as Little Red Riding Hood and the Four Musicians of Bremen. The first Mickey Mouse cartoon, Plane Crazy, was released in which Mickey, while impressing Minnie, imitated aviator Charles Lindbergh. Disney challenged himself and experimented with groundbreaking series of animations with musical accompaniment called Silly Symphonies - a series of 75 shorts that lasted 10 years, and won a total of seven Academy Awards. Disney went one step further in 1937 with the first, full-length animated film Snow White, which took four years to make and cost $1.5 million dollars. It was 1938's top moneymaker at $8 million. This was the beginning of Disney’s golden road through the years with Pinocchio, Fantasia, Cinderella, Peter Pan and many more. Walt Disney achieved a milestone in the 1954 awards ceremony - as the individual with the most Oscar wins (4) in a single year.

As technology changed and advanced, so did Disney’s production methods. In the 1960s, he began to use pixillation, the frame by frame animation of live subjects or objects and human beings by filming them incrementally in various fixed poses. In 1964, Disney made Mary Poppins, semi-animated kids musical with both live-action and animated characters. But technology did not stop and neither did Disney. In 1995, Pixar Studios and Disney (with their first collaboration), created the first completely computer-generated animated feature film Toy Story. The visuals were entirely generated from computers, creating a realistic 3-D world with lighting, shading, and textures, that included real toys in supporting roles. It scored three Oscar nominations: Best Original Score, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Original Song, and at the box-office totaled $362 million (worldwide). In 2009, Disney and Pixar made Up, the first film presented in Disney Digital 3-D. Up was nominated for five Academy Awards with two wins: Best Animated Feature Film (win), Best Original Score (win), Best Picture, Best Sound Editing, Best Original Screenplay, clearly showing the advancement of animated film.