Difference between pages "JCM312/Godard and Contemporary Feminism (Discussion)" and "JCM412512/Analytical Exercise (Discussion)"

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{{Gallery
 
{{Gallery
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|title=''Vivre sa Vie'' ([http://www.tcf.ua.edu/Classes/Jbutler/T577/Godard_Criticism_Brecht.php additional illustrations])
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|title=''Ball of Fire'''s "Second Kiss" Scene: Mise-en-scene, Editing, Sound Perspective
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|width=300
 
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|lines=1
 
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|File:VivreSaVieqq00_33_10qq00001.jpg|alt1=Nana looks down.|Nana looks down.
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|File:BallOfFire001.jpg|alt1=''Ball of Fire'' screen shot.|First shot.
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|File:VivreSaVieqq00_33_12qq00002.jpg|alt2=Nana looks directly at the camera.|Nana looks directly at the camera.
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|File:BallOfFire003.jpg|alt2=''Ball of Fire'' screen shot.|
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|File:VsV081.jpg|alt3=The look of a prostitute.|The look of a prostitute.
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|File:BallOfFire004.jpg|alt3=''Ball of Fire'' screen shot.|
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|File:VsV071bOvalPortrait.JPG|alt4=Luigi and Poe's ''Complete Works''.|Luigi and Poe's ''Complete Works''.
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|File:BallOfFire006.jpg|alt4=''Ball of Fire'' screen shot.|Last shot begins.
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|File:BallOfFire028.jpg|alt5=''Ball of Fire'' screen shot.|Last shot ends.
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}}
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#''Briefly'' describe the mise-en-scene of the scene in which Sugarpuss kisses Bertram the ''second'' time (see illustrations above and [http://www.tcf.ua.edu/EO/DV/BallOfFire02big.php this online clip]).  How does mise-en-scene function in term of the narrative? That is, how does it help to build the characters and their relationship?  Be sure to discuss setting, costume, lighting, and the positioning of the actors. (15 points)
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#Based on [http://www.tcf.ua.edu/EO/DV/BallOfFire02big.php the "second kiss" scene] from question #1, draw a single diagram of the professors' work room from an overhead, "bird's eye" view.  Indicate the main camera and actor positions. Label the camera positions for shot "1," "2," etc.--similar to ''Television'''s 180-degree diagram, but do ''not'' include the side-view frames of the people (below). Be sure to account for all 14 shots. Does the editing adhere to the 180 degree system?  Explain.
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#Explain in your own words what the concept of "sound perspective" means. How would you describe the sound perspective in the "second kiss" scene? Judging from how it sounds, what conventional position of the microphone was used? Explain.
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#What is the central narrative enigma of ''Ball of Fire''? Comparing the film's beginning and ending, how is that enigma posed to the viewer and is it resolved or not at the end?
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#How do the story time and the screen time of ''Ball of Fire'' differ in order and duration?
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#Does ''Ball of Fire'' follow the narrative conventions of classical cinema—as the ''Television'' textbook explains it? Refer to  individual scenes to discuss this.
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#In one shot (below), Bertram speaks with Sugarpuss. Note: This shot is ''not'' from the scene of the second kiss, which is to be used in the mise-en-scene and editing questions. Discuss the cinematography (especially camera angle, framing and depth of field) of this shot in terms of how it supports the narrative.
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{{Gallery
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|title=Editing Diagram and Cinematography
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|width=300
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|lines=2
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|align=center
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|File:Fig09-05 180 Degree.jpg|alt1=180-Degree Diagram from ''Television''.|180-Degree Diagram from ''Television''.
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|File:BallOfFire035.jpg|alt2=''Ball of Fire'' screen shot.|Sugarpuss and Bertram's ''first'' encounter. Click image to enlarge.
 
}}
 
}}
  
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'''MacCabe & Mulvey'''
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== Bibliography ==
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#Jeremy G. Butler, ''Television: Critical Methods and Applications'' (New York: Routledge, 2012).
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#'''Whole class:''' MacCabe and Mulvey present a complicated argument about the film, ''Numero Deux'', contending that it is primarily about "the effects of capitalism on sexual relations and the oppression of the working class..." They also link "the oppression of capitalism and the alienation of sexuality."
 
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#*How does Godard represent the ''economics'' of prostitution in ''Vivre sa vie''? That is, how would you characterize the way that the ''economic'' activity of Nana and the other prostitutes is presented? Are they economically "''oppressed''"?
 
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#*How does Godard represent the ''sexuality'' of prostitution in ''Vivre sa vie''? That is, how would you characterize the way that the ''sexual'' activity of Nana and the other prostitutes is presented? Is it "''alienated''"?
 
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#**You may find it useful to compare Godard's prostitute with prostitutes from other films, such as ''Pretty Woman''.
 
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#MacCabe and Mulvey contend, "Female nakedness carries associations of the exploitation of women that almost no degree of formal subversion can displace."
 
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#*'''All Groups:''' What do they mean by "formal subversion"? They focus on Godard's ''British Sounds'' and the scene of a woman walking up/down stairs ([https://tcf.ua.edu/Classes/Jbutler/T340/BritishSounds.php see frame grabs]). How does this scene supposedly illustrate this "subversion." Is sexuality "demystified," as MacCabe and Mulvey discuss?
 
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#*Consider the instances of "female nakedness" there are in ''Vivre sa vie'' — especially the one of the nude woman looking at the camera ([https://tcf.ua.edu/Classes/Jbutler/T577/Godard_Criticism_Brecht.php#vivre see frame grabs]). Is there formal subversion occurring there?
 
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#**'''All Groups:''' Do you think it is possible to use a naked female body in a film in such a way that it is not exploitative? Explain, and provide an example (either from a film or hypothetical).
 
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'''Godard, Brecht & Wollen'''
 
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#'''All Groups:''' Describe at least three ways in which ''Vivre sa Vie'' incorporates Brechtian and/or counter-cinema techniques. What impact do these techniques have? What argument would Godard make for using them in a film such as ''Vivre sa Vie''? In other words, what's the point?
 
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#*Start with the image of Nana looking at the camera.
 
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#'''All Groups:''' Does ''Vivre sa Vie'' seem more "Brechtian" or more counter cinema than ''Breathless''? Why or why not? What do you imagine a ''fully'' counter-cinema film would look and sound like? As a group, plan your own counter-cinema film and be prepared to explain it to the class.
 
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#'''All Groups:''' Toward the end of the film, Luigi "reads" Poe's "Oval Portrait"; but the voice we hear is Godard's. What parallels are there between Poe's story and Godard's film?
 
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#*And what's with the French subtitles in that scene (see screen shot)?
 
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'''Bibliography'''
 
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#Brecht, Bertolt. "The Modern Theatre is the Epic Theatre." In ''Brecht on Theatre'', pp. 33-42. Edited and translated by John Willett. New York: Hill and Wang, 1964.
 
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#MacCabe, Colin and Mulvey, Laura. "Images of Woman, Images of Sexuality, in ''Godard: Images, Sounds, Politics'', 79-101. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University, 1980.
 
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#Wollen, Peter. "Godard and Counter Cinema: VENT D'EST." In ''Readings and Writings: Semiotic Counter-Strategies''. London: Verso, 1982.
 
  
 
==External links==
 
==External links==
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*[https://tcf.ua.edu/Classes/Jbutler/T340/BritishSounds.php ''British Sounds'' illustrations]
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#[http://www.tcf.ua.edu/Classes/Jbutler/T440/AnalExIllustrations.htm Analytical Exercise examples]
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*[http://www.tcf.ua.edu/Classes/Jbutler/T577/Godard_Criticism_Brecht.php Godard and Brecht: Godard's Criticism, ''Vivre sa Vie'' & ''Breathless'']
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#*[http://www.tcf.ua.edu/EO/DV/BallOfFire02big.php Sugarpuss and Bertram's second kiss (video clip).]
  
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[[Category:JCM312 Discussion]]
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[[Category:TCF440/540 Discussion]]

Revision as of 21:59, 12 February 2014

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  1. Briefly describe the mise-en-scene of the scene in which Sugarpuss kisses Bertram the second time (see illustrations above and this online clip). How does mise-en-scene function in term of the narrative? That is, how does it help to build the characters and their relationship? Be sure to discuss setting, costume, lighting, and the positioning of the actors. (15 points)
  2. Based on the "second kiss" scene from question #1, draw a single diagram of the professors' work room from an overhead, "bird's eye" view. Indicate the main camera and actor positions. Label the camera positions for shot "1," "2," etc.--similar to Television's 180-degree diagram, but do not include the side-view frames of the people (below). Be sure to account for all 14 shots. Does the editing adhere to the 180 degree system? Explain.
  3. Explain in your own words what the concept of "sound perspective" means. How would you describe the sound perspective in the "second kiss" scene? Judging from how it sounds, what conventional position of the microphone was used? Explain.
  4. What is the central narrative enigma of Ball of Fire? Comparing the film's beginning and ending, how is that enigma posed to the viewer and is it resolved or not at the end?
  5. How do the story time and the screen time of Ball of Fire differ in order and duration?
  6. Does Ball of Fire follow the narrative conventions of classical cinema—as the Television textbook explains it? Refer to individual scenes to discuss this.
  7. In one shot (below), Bertram speaks with Sugarpuss. Note: This shot is not from the scene of the second kiss, which is to be used in the mise-en-scene and editing questions. Discuss the cinematography (especially camera angle, framing and depth of field) of this shot in terms of how it supports the narrative.

Template:Gallery

Bibliography

  1. Jeremy G. Butler, Television: Critical Methods and Applications (New York: Routledge, 2012).

External links

  1. Analytical Exercise examples
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