Films Research Articles

“Education as the Art of Making Oneself at Home in the World with and Through Others”: The Call to Bildung in Meister Eckhart and the Film Of Gods and Men

This paper explores the mystical structure of education as Bildung in medieval theologian and Dominican friar Meister Eckhart’s work and the 2010 French film Of Gods and Men (Des Hommes et Des Dieux). I start this paper with a short introductory sketch of the Bildung tradition, in order to situate my discussion of Eckhart within the more well-known humanist tradition. Here, I claim that Bildung (as we understand it today through the classic Bildung philosophers) points back to its theological heritage and horizon of meaning, when it is claimed as the general tekhnê (art, craft) of making oneself at home in the world with and through others. In my first step, I then explore the intellectual heritage of this mystical structure of Bildung. Drawing on a range of Meister Eckhart’s writings (esp. his German sermons), I elaborate three features pivotal to his concept of Bildung (as image-ing) of the imago Dei (image of God) in the human soul/action: (1) divine grace, (2) human cultivation and (3) the harmonisation of both in (what I shall call) ‘careful gestures'. In my concluding second step, I illustrate this mystical structure of Eckhartian Bildung—with a particular focus on the emergence of careful gestures—through the motion picture Des Hommes et Des Dieux.

Nollywood Movie Sequences Summarization Dataset for Machine Learning Applications

Summarization in recent times has become one of the most exploited areas of natural language processing tasks, due to significant increase in data volume, which is more than terabytes and petabytes. In this article, we present a custom dataset for Nollywood movie sequences, an extensive collection of 13 Nollywood movies representing various genres, including drama, comedy and action. This custom dataset was impendent into pre-train benchmark dataset TVSum following the same file format, frame size and others in order to suit our purpose. Fast Forward Moving Picture Expert Group (FFMPEG) was used for video encoding during pre-processing and final skimming. The proposed framework is effective for creating movie summaries with a high user satisfaction rate and having reasonably low computing requirements.

Studio Restructuring Without the Paramount Decree: Japanese Film Industry and Oligopoly after the 1960s

The Hollywood motion picture industry has been the epitome of our understanding and explanation of the rise and fall of the studio system. However, this study spotlights the Japanese studio system, which was solidly maintained until the late 1960s. Carefully tracing the process through which the major studios outsourced the production sector, this study examines state regulation against monopoly as a crucial factor explaining the reorganisation of the Japanese film industry after studio restructuring. Because anti-monopoly policies such as the Paramount Decree did not exist in Japan, the studios moved toward maintaining affiliate theatres despite reorganisation in the 1960s and 1970s. As a result, independent producers who did not possess their own distribution networks branched into three major categories: theatrical, low budget adult films; social films meant for independent exhibition, and blockbusters supported by external finance. The shifts in the production sector paradoxically highlight the decisive influence of distribution in the film industry. In essence, this study endeavors to present an alternative analytical approach, using Japan as a case study, for comprehending the rise and fall of the studio system and its restructuring.

Multiple Personalities of Pulp Fiction 's Musical Soundtrack: Liner Notes to a 30th Anniversary

Abstract: Pulp Fiction: Music from the Motion Picture was released in 1994 in coordination with the film Pulp Fiction (1994). Across the film's soundtrack album, variously considered an auteur mixtape, a compilation score, and its own rich text, music formulates a cast of characters alongside those more recognizable from the film's story. Critical analysis reveals multiple and multiply associative and disassociative personalities that afford innovative approaches to the role of the soundtrack and sound-plus-visual imagery in Pulp Fiction .

Monomyths, Moving Trains and Motion Pictures

Monomyths, Moving Trains and Motion Pictures

The Development of Interactive Cinematic Film Production Systems, and its Impact on the Design of Motion Pictures

The Development of Interactive Cinematic Film Production Systems, and its Impact on the Design of Motion Pictures

Employing (Artificial Intelligence) Techniques in the Aesthetic Construction of Cinematic Tricks in the Cinematic Film

Cinema is a unique art based on innovation and scientific inventions in addition to the talent and genius of directors, and directors such as Edison, the inventor of the motion picture, the Le Maire brothers, the pioneers of the cinema projector, the Frenchman of genius imagination and visual creativity, Georges Mila and Gervath, the creator of magazines. Editing, photography, directing and innovations such as motion pictures, sound entry to the cinema, color film tape, wide lenses, 3D imaging, films that used scientific techniques, such as the Star Wars series of director Lucas, the Jurassic Park series of Spielberg films, and computer technologies developed by James Cameron are all They are considered as basic pillars of a world full of excitement and suspense called cinema, and cinema is still to this day making rapid and interesting transitions in the world of entertainment because it attracts the latest scientific innovations in the field of motion picture, and among the modern and important innovations, the use of artificial intelligence techniques in the manufacture of cinematic trick scenes Whether by making movie scenes backgrounds, digital characters, or controlling lighting and a camera, to be either a must Let's talk about movie workers or a key element to help movie workers.

Fostering a Public Appreciation of Film Music in the U.S.A.

The American periodical Film Music Notes spurred a critical consideration of film music and of building public appreciation of the arts during its run from 1941 to 1958. This history of its first decade starts with the connections and efforts of a group of Hollywood women on behalf of the National Federation of Music Clubs, to their founding of the National Film Music Council, to the final stage in editor turnover from the founding editors. It contributes to histories of professionalization of artistic and cultural study through its analysis of how the editors experimented with structuring content in a way to encourage the public to appreciate film music. This was influenced by changing relations between Film Music Notes and Hollywood studios, the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America, and educational organizations. This context explains how prominent composers and critics came to contribute to the periodical and the larger debates that were shaping their writings.

Main consumer choice drivers for fi lm products in the Russian market

Film distribution market is a highly competitive one, which only emphasizes the need to optimize costs for the production and promotion of domestic films while increasing box office potential. The purpose of this research is to identify the primary choice drivers for movies in the movie theater in current market conditions as a required prerequisite for effective promotion. The results of a content analysis of open data tracker Cinema Viewer in 2021 allow us to identify several drivers defining the choice of moviegoers. They can be divided into two main categories: content elements and promotional elements. Among content elements, the most important are film's genre, plot, and cast. The most important promotional element is the trailer. Furthermore, two findings stand out among the results of this study, which require detailed research in the further works on the subject, as they can significantly influence the promotional strategies for film products in the Russian market. Firstly, the study showed that information itself, rather than its source, is more important for the viewer, which means that further optimization of marketing budgets is possible by reducing spending on most expensive platforms (primarily TV). Secondly, recommendations play just as important a role in the choice of film as advertising, which also makes it possible to optimize the marketing budget through social media marketing.

An Analysis of the Kurmanjan Datka Movie in the Context of Historical and Ideological Film Criticism

Kurmanjan Datka Queen of the Mountains (2014) is a Kyrgyz historical drama film directed by Sadyk Sher-Niyaz tells the story of Kurmanjan Datka from Kyrgyz history. In this article, how the mentioned motion picture is discussed in Central Asian, Russian, Turkish and Western digital media is analyzed comparatively in the context of historical and ideological film criticism. It is tried to be understood how each country interprets the film in their own media, how they look at the history of Kyrgyzstan and its ideological discourse. In the research, critical discourse analysis method was used and conceptual and thematic classifications were made. At the end of the research, while more history and politics were discussed in the Central Asian media, the Russian and Turkish digital media did not show enough attention to the historical flow, while the Western digital media discussed the film in a multifaceted way in the context of economy-political, identity, gender and aesthetics. Another remarkable difference was that some of the Kyrgyz or Kazakh critics (especially statesmen, historians or artists) criticized the film on the economic-political axis. The in-depth and multidimensional criticisms of the film developed by the eastern critics were found in the Western media or Western journalists gave place to these views in their own digital media.

Raskolnikov as a Transformed Character: Aki Kaurismäki's Adaptation of “Crime and Punishment” (1983)

How do motion pictures transpose the characters from a well-established literary work into a cinematic narrative, replete with their own narrative potential? Can the resulting film be regarded as an entirely new creation? To explore these questions, we have selected Aki Kaurismäki's 1983 cinematic adaptation of Fyodor Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment. The primary objective of this study is to ascertain whether the characters from a literary work undergo a transformation into new personas, enriched by the narrative possibilities inherent to cinema. Kaurismäki's adaptation of Crime and Punishment transposed the narrative to a more contemporary era and streamlined the cast of characters, with the film director imparting his distinctive touch to their transformation. In Kaurismäki's rendition of Crime and Punishment, a metafictional dimension emerges, blurring the boundaries of narrative levels. The film's characters comport themselves as if intimately acquainted with the original novel's story and characters. While maintaining fidelity to the foundational narrative, a novel artistic creation takes shape, wherein the characters exhibit a profound awareness of their origins within the original literary work.

Intricateness of Adaptation of Literature to Film in Today’s Crisscrossed World

This paper investigates the realities of literature adaptation to film in today’s world of literary criticism. People enjoy motion pictures and compare them with its original textual Literature. By focusing on literary criticism theories, this article explains modern to postmodern aesthetic points, especially in the era of definitions in romanticism, reflectionism and its auto, empiricism until pragmatism, and the age of language beyond communication. Through those former points, the adaptation of Literature to film brings in a wider point: the world itself. The adaptation is shown to broaden concepts and interpretations among writers, directors, and also audiences. Every aspect is so active to interpret in today's crisscrossed world that meanings vary from critical and evaluation perspectives. The adaptation is not about merely fixed definitions or even market orientations but open meanings on dialogues among realities. Any measurement from Literature or film is never enough to compare adaptation to its original form since it is located between individualities and societies. In conclusion, the adaptation of Literature should indicate that dominations must be minimized by maximizing hospitality of differences.

Walt Disney’s Business Model

Disney is a well-known worldwide entertainment company with a wide range of investments, including entertainment and motion picture production. The SWOT analysis framework is utilized in this article to examine Disney’s advantages, disadvantages, opportunities, and threats to clarify the elements that have contributed to the company’s success. Disney’s resilience in the face of a changing business is seen in its strong alliances, significant cash flow, and wide range of products and services. However, its dependence on flagship properties and vulnerability to outside influences present difficulties. By utilizing Disney’s connections and experience, there are several potentials to grow into the internet streaming market with Disney Plus. However, threats like increased competition and economic instability still exist. Analyzing Disney’s development and strategic decisions highlights the company’s lasting impact on the entertainment industry and exemplifies a revolutionary business strategy with broad implications.

Impact of Audio Data Compression on Feature Extraction for Vocal Biomarker Detection: Validation Study.

Vocal biomarkers, derived from acoustic analysis of vocal characteristics, offer noninvasive avenues for medical screening, diagnostics, and monitoring. Previous research demonstrated the feasibility of predicting type 2 diabetes mellitus through acoustic analysis of smartphone-recorded speech. Building upon this work, this study explores the impact of audio data compression on acoustic vocal biomarker development, which is critical for broader applicability in health care. The objective of this research is to analyze how common audio compression algorithms (MP3, M4A, and WMA) applied by 3 different conversion tools at 2 bitrates affect features crucial for vocal biomarker detection. The impact of audio data compression on acoustic vocal biomarker development was investigated using uncompressed voice samples converted into MP3, M4A, and WMA formats at 2 bitrates (320 and 128 kbps) with MediaHuman (MH) Audio Converter, WonderShare (WS) UniConverter, and Fast Forward Moving Picture Experts Group (FFmpeg). The data set comprised recordings from 505 participants, totaling 17,298 audio files, collected using a smartphone. Participants recorded a fixed English sentence up to 6 times daily for up to 14 days. Feature extraction, including pitch, jitter, intensity, and Mel-frequency cepstral coefficients (MFCCs), was conducted using Python and Parselmouth. The Wilcoxon signed rank test and the Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons were used for statistical analysis. In this study, 36,970 audio files were initially recorded from 505 participants, with 17,298 recordings meeting the fixed sentence criteria after screening. Differences between the audio conversion software, MH, WS, and FFmpeg, were notable, impacting compression outcomes such as constant or variable bitrates. Analysis encompassed diverse data compression formats and a wide array of voice features and MFCCs. Wilcoxon signed rank tests yielded P values, with those below the Bonferroni-corrected significance level indicating significant alterations due to compression. The results indicated feature-specific impacts of compression across formats and bitrates. MH-converted files exhibited greater resilience compared to WS-converted files. Bitrate also influenced feature stability, with 38 cases affected uniquely by a single bitrate. Notably, voice features showed greater stability than MFCCs across conversion methods. Compression effects were found to be feature specific, with MH and FFmpeg showing greater resilience. Some features were consistently affected, emphasizing the importance of understanding feature resilience for diagnostic applications. Considering the implementation of vocal biomarkers in health care, finding features that remain consistent through compression for data storage or transmission purposes is valuable. Focused on specific features and formats, future research could broaden the scope to include diverse features, real-time compression algorithms, and various recording methods. This study enhances our understanding of audio compression's influence on voice features and MFCCs, providing insights for developing applications across fields. The research underscores the significance of feature stability in working with compressed audio data, laying a foundation for informed voice data use in evolving technological landscapes.

Cultural affinity and international trade in motion pictures: Empirical evidence using categorised internet search activity

It is well established that cultural affinity between countries affects international trade patterns. To date, most research on this topic has only considered cultural affinity between a pair of countries as a single measure that is static over time. In this paper, we introduce a novel bi-directional and time-varying measure of cultural affinity and examine its relevance to sectoral trade with an application to the motion picture industry. Using Google Trends search topics related to countries, and specific to the ‘Arts and Entertainment’ category, we construct a measure of ‘relative search interest’ (RSI) as a proxy for cultural affinity. We incorporate this proxy into a structural gravity model of motion picture trade and find that a one percent increase in RSI is associated with a 0.2–0.4 percent increase in box office revenue flow. Our analysis suggests that RSI in other categories can provide useful insights in other industries.

Engineering Biodegradable Sodium Alginate Films with Dragon Fruit Peel Powder and MgO Nanoparticles

This study investigated the effect of the addition of dragon fruit peel powder (DFP) and MgO nanoparticles on sodium alginate (SA) films. The control film (S1 film), DFP-enriched (S2 film), MgO nanoparticles-enhanced (S3 film), and a film combining both MgO nanoparticles and DFP (S4 film) were evaluated. The tensile strength increased by 252.43, 290.27, and 645.13% for the S2, S3 and S4 films, respectively. These enhancements were accompanied by a marked improvement in the UV-blocking property, thermal stability, antioxidant activity,2,2′-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) radical scavenging activity, opacity and thickness. The water vapor permeability and transparency were decreased to 3.45 × 10−10 g−1 Pa−1 S−1 and 1.82% for the S4 film. An environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM) study revealed a notable increase in surface roughness with the incorporation of DFP. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis indicated that the MgO nanoparticles possessed a crystallographic structure that was compatible with the SA film matrix, with the S4 films exhibiting the highest crystallinity index (28.92%). The overall migration study showed that all SA films complied with the overall migration limit of 60 mg/kg of simulant for fatty food simulants. The biodegradability test revealed complete degradation of the S1, S3, and S4 films before 20 days while the S2 film exhibited a substantial mass loss of 84.99% within the same 20-day timeframe.

100 Years of the American Public Health Association's Public Health Education and Health Promotion Section: Celebrating the Past, Forging the Future.

The American Public Health Association's Public Health Education and Health Promotion (APHA PHEHP) Section celebrates its 100th anniversary by reflecting on its humble beginnings and early contributions to the field of health education. This article highlights the often-unsung history of our field and its fledgling beginnings, which is important to scholars and students alike. First codified as the Health Education and Publicity Section in the early 1920s, we trace the history and challenges of using new modes of publicity such as motion pictures and innovative exhibits to help curb the spread of infectious diseases (e.g., tuberculosis, venereal disease). Evart G. Routzahn, credited as the Section's father, worked tirelessly to increase the Section's visibility (renamed the Health Education Section in 1927 and the Public Health Education and Health Promotion Section in 1990) and in advancing the professionalization of health education during a time when there were no formal professional preparation programs in health education. Over the years, the Section has played significant roles in strengthening the practice of health education and communication; advancing APHA's overall leadership, infrastructure, and governance; and contributing to the unified voice and advocacy for the health education profession and health equity. We conclude by describing contemporary initiatives that reflect the continued spirit and vibrancy of the Section in setting the stage for the next 100 years.

Oxyfl uorinated polyethylene terephthalate for liquid storage containers

The effectiveness of surface modification of polyethylene terephthalate with a mixture of fluorine and oxygen to reduce the permeability to water and aqueous ethanol solutions has been studied. We obtained a decrease in the permeability coefficient of the modified fi lm for water and ethanol solutions, the degree of decrease in the permeability coefficient depends on the chemical composition of the liquid. Oxyfluorination leads to the production of a modified fi lm with an increased liquid diffusion coefficient compared to the original fi lm, which is associated with the formation of local defects which is confirmed by micrographs made with of an atomic force microscope and by measuring the surface roughness of the original and modified films.

From "Bee's Knees" to "Lit": The Evolution of Positive Slang

This paper investigates the advancement of positive slang, following its journey from notorious expressions like "Bee's Knees" to modern terms such as "lit." Examining etymological instruments and semantic shifts, it looks at how words like "cool," "wiped out," and "rad" changed from their unique settings to speak to endorsement and inspiration. Also, it analyzes the quick spread of slang within the advanced age, highlighting the impact of social media applications like Twitter and TikTok in reshaping etymological patterns. The paper grandstands the flexibility of dialect, viewed through semantic changes in expressions from famous motion pictures, emphasizing the energetic advancement of positive slang affected by social shifts and advanced headways.

Digital technology and Nollywood film industry

Film also known as the 7th Art is a medium for education, information and entertainment which has over the years undergone a series of technological innovations. This paper examines the evolution of cinema from the ‘silent era’ to the ‘new age era’ characterized by a trajectory of innovations and improvements due to technological developments. The paper adapts the Diffusion of Innovations Theory (DIT) propounded by Everett Rogers in 1962 to assess the extent to which innovations in digital technology have altered the old traditional film production landscape. The paper seeks, among others, to determine and highlight the significant areas technology has impacted on the development of motion pictures globally with particular emphasis on the Nigerian film industry popularly known as Nollywood. Our major point of interest is on the roles, impacts, challenges and prospects of digital technology in the areas of production, distribution, marketing and exhibition of films. By using the assumptions of DIT which seeks to explain how, why, and at what rate new ideas and technology spread. The paper further reviews relevant literature and some empirical results from scholars to justify its claims. We are able to establish in our findings that digital technology is the driving force of film development which has contributed enormously to world cinema. Furthermore, the rapid development and emergence of Nollywood film industry as the second largest producer of films in the world next to Bollywood of India is attributable to the emergence of digital technology.