TCF112/Classical Hollywood Cinema

The Arrival of Sound

• The Jazz Singer (1927)
  • Al Jolson
• A backwards step for film art
  • Studio productions (no location work)
  • Fewer close-ups
  • Little or no camera movement
  • Dialogue heavy
  • No post-production mixing
    • 3 stages of production
      1. Pre-production
      2. "Production"
      3. Post-Production

Narrative structure

• Production Code (1934)
• Conventional narrative structure
  • One or two protagonists
  • Desire catylizes story
  • Antagonist
  • Cause-effect chain
    • A causes B (effect)
    • B causes C (effect)
    • C causes D
  • Closure

Visual Style

• Three-Point Lighting
  • Key, Fill and Back Lights
• The Continuity Editing System ("invisible" editing)
  • The 180 Degree Rule
    • Axis of action
    • Screen direction
  • Shot-counter shot
  • Match cuts
    • Match-on-action
    • Eyeline match