Early+film+notes+and+Jobs+Notes+1

Early Film Changes to Sound


 * 1900 – Georges Melies – L’Homme Orchestre (The Orchestra Man)
 * very, very early special effects
 * 1902 – A Trip to the Moon – Melies
 * a single story line of the travelers
 * 1903 – Great Train Robbery
 * parallel story lines
 * good guys and bad guys
 * different than a stage play
 * camera still didn’t move once it was set up
 * Cameras soon became mobile
 * on dolly tracks
 * or lifting in the air
 * When sound came to film
 * cameras became stationary again
 * to avoid the sounds the camera made
 * 1927 – The Jazz Singer – first sound film
 * almost silent, but has songs
 * star Al Jolson became world famous
 * Jolson is in blackface while he sings
 * Musicals – American art form
 * book (words) and songs are totally integrated
 * old saying: when the emotion becomes too strong, you sing; when it’s too strong for song, you dance
 * Sound brought problems for actors
 * if they looked good, did they also sound good?
 * In musicals a “triple threat” is an actor who can act, sing, and dance well.
 * 1927 (stage) – Showboat – the first musical that integrated score (music) with the book (words)
 * Comedy – literature designed to amuse us
 * Traditionally ends with a wedding because that doesn’t leave any loose ends. Tying the knot.
 * Foley artists: people who make sounds to add to film to make the story more convincing
 * The Lumiere Brothers of France were some of the earliest film makers.
 * No one knew what to do with movies. Some of the earliest showed people leaving places of work. Then the movie would be shown at a theater where those people would pay to see themselves on a film!
 * Watch the Lumiere Bros. on leaving the factory.
 * While everyone knew it was necessary to find a way to make money with this new technology, people also started playing with special effects as soon as movies were invented!
 * Watch George Melies film on L’Homme Orchestre
 * Watch George Melies film on L’Homme Orchestre


 * Do humans always do whatever we __can__?
 * If we can record something in some way, do we feel driven to do it?
 * If we can imagine something beyond our reality, are we driven to find a way to create it?
 * We find a new way to tell an old story.
 * We find special effects that let us tell new stories!

– Lead – the most important actor in a production. – Bit – a small, unimportant role; usually lasting only one scene. – Cameo - A bit part played by a famous actor who would ordinarily not take such a small part. – Extra - A person who appears in a movie where a non-specific, non-speaking character is required, usually as part of a crowd or in the background of a [|scene].
 * Actor – the person portraying a role in a story in the movie.
 * Costume supervisor - in charge of [|costume]s, usually preparing them for use and making sure they are faithful to the designs; also consults with the director.
 * Make-up - The decorations placed directly on the skin or hair of an [|actor] for cosmetic or artistic effect. Practitioners are called artists or supervisors.
 * Set decorator - A person who has total charge of decorating the [|set] with all furnishings, drapery, interior plants, and anything seen on indoor or outdoor [|set]s.


 * Musical director – responsible for the musical aspects of a production, typically the conductor. Beyond the expected musical expertise, must be able to work collaboratively with the show's director, cast and orchestra.
 * Choreographer - a person who composes the sequence of steps and moves for a performance of dance.