Film Analysis Worksheet Eight PDF

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Week 8 Homework Assignment...

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**Please answer in complete sentences. Two to five sentences should suffice for each question, but short or underdeveloped answers may be penalized. Upload in Modules on Canvas.**

WORKSHEET EIGHT: SUMMARY: STYLE AND FILM FORM PART ONE: THE READING What issues can limit filmmakers’ choices? Many issues can limit filmmakers’ choices – from technology used (digital or film), tastes, fashion trends, stylistic norms, what their studio allows, the budget of a film, and the type of shot used based on what they are trying to film. This is why some directors are known as “auteurs” – they create their own film style and seem to transcend these limits to create masterful films. What four questions should we ask when analyzing style in film? 1. 2. 3. 4.

What What What What

is film’s overall form? are the main techniques being used? patterns are formed by the techniques? functions do the techniques and patterns fulfill?

How is the narration in Citizen Kane restricted and objective? The narration in Citizen Kane is very restricted in that it is solely based on what the public and the people in his life say about him. During flashback scenes, there is no narration and we are forced to analyze his character objectively. The cinematography also limits the narration in that there are rarely any close-up or POV shots. This forces the audience to develop their own opinions about Kane and his story and adds an element of mystery. How do filmmakers like Orson Welles create parallels in their films? What techniques or strategies do they use? Filmmakers like Orson Welles create parallels in their films with their use of repeating symbols and motifs, and using similar shots in different settings, such as Xanadu, the office, and the library in Citizen Kane. The snow globe and the word “rosebud” as well as the sounds repeated in the film create parallels within Kane’s life. Repeated use of these filmmaking methods creates a style in which they become known for.

WORKSHEET EIGHT: SUMMARY: STYLE AND FILM FORM PART TWO: THE SCREENING

**Please answer in complete sentences. Two to five sentences should suffice for each question, but short or underdeveloped answers may be penalized. Upload in Modules on Canvas.**

How much time is covered in the film? Discuss the plot duration versus the story duration here. The plot duration of this film is from the moment of Kane’s death to the end of his investigation. However, the story duration spans over his entire life, from the scene of his childhood through all the flashbacks during the journalist’s interviews. The movie is about half flashbacks, which emphasizes the importance of the story duration – we get to see Kane through many different perspectives and time periods. The film is known for its montage sequences. Select one and discuss the information conveyed to the audience via the sequence. The breakfast montage sequence in Citizen Kane shows the progression of his marriage with his first wife, Emily. In the first part of the montage, the couple is very happy and seems to be in the honeymoon phase. We see them grow older each time, Kane growing a mustache, and more bitter towards each other. After a few scenes of arguments, the last scene shows the couple reading competing newspapers and barely speaking. This was a creative way to portray the slow failure of Kane and Emily’s marriage, the beginning of Kane’s downfall. Why do you think Welles decides to tell Kane’s story through the people that knew him? How is it different from the way cinema traditionally develops character? I think Welles decides to tell Kane’s story through the people that knew him to emphasize the character as an enigma and a powerful man. Welles does this to provide various perspectives that occur throughout different points in time (for example Leland’s perspective before and after Kane’s death) to show Kane’s impact on each character and how his death may have changed their perceptions of him. It also pieces together the mystery of Kane’s death slowly and keeps the audience interested. This is different from traditional cinema, which would instead have more insight inside of Kane’s thoughts and motivations and would portray him chronologically. What is “Rosebud,” and why do you think it is Kane’s final word? Rosebud is Kane’s last word before he passes away and drops the snow globe he is holding. While the characters never achieve to solve this mystery, the word is revealed on a sled that appeared in one of Kane’s childhood memories. Therefore, the word represents his last moments of childhood innocence and happiness before he gets taken by his new guardian, Mr. Thatcher, before a life of loneliness as a rich young New Yorker. These are perhaps his last words because he wishes to go back to that time of joyful and peaceful youth....