Style In Cinema Research Articles

Achieving self-awareness through film screening “Twin Peaks” By D. Lynch as an example of mindfulness meditation

IntroductionTranscendental cinema, distinguished from slow cinema by Paul Schreader, draws on the philosophy of existentialism and depicts the complexity of the human psyche using psychoanalytic tools. We claim that through the use of special procedures, the projection of transcendental cinema essentially becomes a meditation session in the spirit of mindfulness, which has been proven to alleviate and cure more than just neuropsychiatric ailments.ObjectivesThe purpose of this work is to demonstrate the similarity between mindfulness philosophy and transcendental cinema. We believe that the assumptions of both currents are so similar that we can treat the film screening in the category of a meditation session. Thus, we arrive at a situation in which we not only watch the protagonist developing his own consciousness in accordance with the mindfulness philosophy (also following the path of psychoanalysis), but also we, as viewers, develop self-awareness.MethodsWe analyze D. Lynch’s Twin Peaks series in accordance with Paul Schrader’s understanding of ‘transcendental cinema’. In addition, we use the scientific achievements of classical psychoanalysts, analyzing the metaphysical world of the characters in accordance with this trend. Using J. Kabat Zinn’s scientific publications, we analyze cinema in terms of a meditation session.ResultsParticipation is crucial; in meditation and in the transcendental cinema. Mindfulness means focusing on the emotions and feelings experienced at a given moment, on what comes to us, what we experience. Transcendental cinema using specific formal and narrative tools (e.g. extended scenes, no cuts, etc.) forces us to actively participate. Transcendental cinema fulfills the tenets of mindfulness, and during the screening we undergo a meditation session. What’s more, this style in cinema allows an in-depth exploration of the psyche, it brings us closer to the metaphysical, emotional dimension of humanity what develops in us the ability to understand the psyche of others, as well as our own.ConclusionsWe claim that the similarity between the philosophy of mindfulness and transcendental cinema allows us to treat a film screening as a meditation session. Cinema enriches us not only with knowledge about disorders and the therapeutic process, but is in itself a supportive tool - screening can allow viewers to deepen their awareness and improve their health. What is more, David Lynch’s work brings us closer to exploring the human psyche and the individualization of inner experiences, while also showing us what influence transcendental meditation has on characters and what happens when they undergo a kind of therapy; in the spirit of psychoanalysis or mindfulness philosophy.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

Cinematic Style, Female Figure and Ideology in Lou Ye's Art Films

Lou Ye is a prominent Chinese film director. His films have a distinct aesthetic style known as postmodern which have a subtle ambiguity. Lou Ye has combined the elements of urban lifestyle, sexual relations, and social classes to create a unique style of cinema in his films. This research paper will analyze Lou Ye's artistic style and how it portrays the women image on screen as well as his cinematic concerns that violated the Chinese film censorship system.

Shaping film: A quantitative formal analysis of contemporary empathy-eliciting Hollywood cinema.

Previous research suggests that particular formal features of film, such as the use of close-ups, can affect the levels of empathy experienced by viewers. As empathy is a key aspect of audience’s filmic experience, creative decisions in editing and cinematography may be motivated by the filmmaker’s intention of eliciting empathy. The goal of this study is to investigate what film scenes intended to elicit empathy look like in terms of those visual formal features theoretically or empirically linked to viewer empathy, and if these features converge on something that might be dubbed an empathic style of cinema. Formal features included concern shot scale, face depiction, cut rate, camera perspective and angle, saturation, lighting, motion, and background clutter. Exploratory quantitative formal analyses of scenes sampled from contemporary popular empathy-eliciting Hollywood films (N = 100) revealed that such scenes are, at first glance, highly dissimilar in form. Further investigation through principal component analysis and correlational analysis, however, hints not so much at a singular empathic style of cinema as it does at certain general principles, namely the reduction of perceived distance through close-ups and face depiction, the balancing of arousing features with comprehensible levels of visual complexity, and the prioritization of coherence and reduced visual contrast to enable a smooth viewing experience.

Afraid to Live, Afraid to Die: Sources of Anxiety in She Dies Tomorrow

She Dies Tomorrow () examines anxieties concerning gender roles for women and the depersonalizing effect of modern capitalism. Imagining a world where each character becomes certain they will die tomorrow, the film confronts purposefully and inadvertently hidden anxieties through science fiction and horror aesthetics, utilizing transcendental cinema styles. Through the lens of Susan Sontag, the film can be seen as a plea for personal connection amid anxiety, with an emphasis on science fiction and horror tropes that lead the viewer to question the sources of anxiety for the characters.

Transcendental cinema and psychiatry. The case of Blue Velvet by David Lynch

IntroductionTerm ‘transcendental cinema’ was first used by Paul Schrader in the context of slow cinema, characterized by long shots, austere camerawork and acting devoid of self-consciousness. This style expresses a spiritual state and comes closer to metaphysic dimension. All these features bring transcendental style closer to philosophy of mindfulness characterized by the practice of purposely bringing one’s attention to experiences occurring in the present moment without judgment, a skill one develops through meditation or other training.ObjectivesThe purpose of this project is to demonstrate the connection between transcendental style in cinema and mindfulness. Moreover, we would like to present the cinema as a tool approaching meditation and mindfulness. Particularly, we will use the example of David’s Lynch movie Blue Velvet.MethodsIn our research we use the approach proposed by Paul Schrader and David Lynch to analyze the principles of mindfulness and transcendental cinema in Blue Velvet.ResultsThere are a number of presenting positive impact of mindfulness and meditation on mental and physical health of patient not only with neurological or psychological problems. Transcendental cinema is a representation of mindfulness as it teaches paying attention to single stimulus and staying in one thought. Particularly, the combination of meditation music, slow sequences as well as contemplation of human mind and emotional reactions displayed in Blue Velvet is perfect example of transcendental cinema.ConclusionsWe think that transcendental cinema should be treated as a technique of mindfulness used to understand psychological state of health and disease.DisclosureNo significant relationships.

Hamilton: An American Musical by Lin Manuel-Miranda

Reviewed by: Hamilton: An American Musical by Lin Manuel-Miranda Patricia Herrera HAMILTON: AN AMERICAN MUSICAL. Book, music, and lyrics by Lin Manuel-Miranda. Directed by Thomas Kail. Richard Rodgers Theatre, New York City. Disney Plus, streaming, July 4, 2020. Since its off-Broadway debut at the New York Public Theater in early 2015, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical Hamilton has become a theatrical phenomenon of historic proportions, achieving staggering levels of critical and commercial success. I have had the great fortune of seeing Hamilton onstage a couple of times and have enjoyed this artistic masterpiece, but as I have written before, that pleasure comes with some caution and trepidation. By detaching from the narrative of slavery and disavowing Black bodies and their experiences, Hamilton brings the white body back to life, glossing over the racial terror saturating American history. While Disney’s early release of Hamilton is certainly beneficial in terms of accessibility, these shortcomings are far more pronounced. In the wake of 2020’s racial injustice protests and the coronavirus lockdowns, when gasps of grief and rage grew even louder, the show’s closing image of Eliza’s gasp took on a whole new meaning. Wrestling between pleasure and urgency, the craft of theatre remains as a source of “revolution and revelation” (as the Schuyler sisters desire). Under the direction of Thomas Kail, who also directed the stage version, the film is a firsthand look at the actual stage production at the Richard Rodgers Theatre. Rather than emulating the form and style of cinema, the film is an immersive live-captured version of a Broadway musical. Televiewers come close to experiencing what it feels like to be on the stage as a performer or in the theatre as an audience member from the comfort of their homes. While the film indeed offers a great approximation of theatre, the cinematic form, as is true for most live-recordings, can’t replace the liveness nor capture the give-and-take between actors and audience. What remains is a valuable historical document preserving the original cast on film and underscoring the collaboration of the creative team. Shot in three days in June of 2016, when the cast was performing the show to sold-out audiences on a nearly daily basis, Kail captures both the scope and intimacy of Hamilton. He employed nine cameras, some placed in the audience, others overhead, and another set in the rear of the stage. The wide shots allow for a fuller theatrical experience. The spare, evocative set design of David Korins and stunning choreography of Andy Blankenbuehler stand out as central elements of the musical. The large two-story wooden scaffold with coils of nautical ropes and pulleys hanging in front of the brick wall underscores America being built from its foundation and how Hamilton and other immigrants came by ship. The film accentuates even more the physicality of the ensemble. Actors move above the stage, descend onto the platform, and stand on a turn-table-floor, offering the musical more expressive complexity to the subtext. Alex Lacamoire’s score, blending the rhythms of hip-hop, rock, and Golden Age Broadway, heightens the audio experience. The film beautifully captures theatre-making at its best, particularly in the final duel scene. The scratchy-rewinding-of-time along with the countdown punctuates Hamilton’s death. Ariana DeBose theatrically heightens this moment when she grabs the invisible bullet that will kill the title character in mid-air and the ensemble freezes in a series of tableaux. As the turntable-floor rotates ever so slightly, the ensemble reenacts flashes of Hamilton’s life in slow-motion. The camera shifts from wide shots to close-ups capturing those moments sometimes not visible to the naked eye. Sitting in the far-off theatre seat, I missed the intensity of the spittle flying from King George III (Jonathan Groff). Now seeing his uptight posture up close against his spittle filled that moment with so much more humor. The wide shots and close up also helps capture the emotional intensity of the conclusion. Towards the end, Eliza speaking [End Page 83] Click for larger view View full resolution Lin-Manuel Miranda is Alexander Hamilton...

Apontamentos sobre realismo imersivo: imagem e som em Gravidade

Atraves da analise das estrategias estilisticas de composicao de imagem e som do longa-metragem Gravidade (2013), o artigo tem como objetivo analisar a nocao de imersao diegetica como uma modalidade de realismo na producao audiovisual contemporânea. Considerando ser a imersao diegetica uma caracteristica importante de estilo do cinema contemporâneo, discutiremos se a nocao de realismo pode ser atribuida a projetos audiovisuais que associam o conceito ao uso de tecnologias tridimensionais. Palavras-chave: Realismo. Imersao. 3D. Sound design . Alfonso Cuaron.

Окремі аспекти теоретичної кінознавчої спадщини Василя Цвіркунова

The focus of the research is some aspects of the cinema theory by Vasily Tsvirkunov. It’s stated in his books «Problems of Style in Cinema» and «Traditions and Innovation in Soviet Cinematography (Experience of Methodological Research)» and also in some his articles. The problems of tradition and innovation, methodological issues of cinematography, themes of style and author’s individuality in cinema are particular importance in V. Tsvirkunov’s cinema theory

Cat Food in Camelot: Animal Hoarding, Reality Media, and Grey Gardens

GREY GARDENS (1975) records the daily life of Edith Bouvier Beale and her daughter Edie, two formerly wealthy socialites long fallen from prominence, surrounded by the squalor of their once elegant mansion in East Hampton, Long Island. The film shows the two women, who are the aunt and cousin of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, sunbathing, sorting through family pictures, eating ice cream in bed, and performing song and dance numbers, even as their house crumbles around them and cats walk, scratch, eat, and sleep on every surface. Directors Albert and David Maysles, who had achieved success with their previous documentaries, including Salesman (1968) and Gimme Shelter (1970), were at once praised for their innovative filmmaking and criticized for their exploitation of two vulnerable women (Arnold; Canby; Goodman).Although the film has remained a cult favorite and has been celebrated as a significant example of the direct cinema style that the Maysles brothers were in the process of establishing, it has recently enjoyed newfound popularity. In 2005 Lillian Greenfield-Sanders released Ghosts of Grey Gardens (2005), a documentary about the making of the film and its influence on various artists. A musical titled Grey Gardens, with book by Doug Wright, music by Scott Frankel, and lyrics by Michael Korie, premiered off-Broadway in 2006 and moved on to a successful Broadway run. An HBO film, written and directed by Michael Sucsy and starring Jessica Lange and Drew Barrymore, was released in 2009. Lois Wright, the Beales' neighbor at the time the film was made, released a book in 2007 titled My Life at Grey Gardens: 13 Months and Beyond. In 2006, David Maysles contributed to the renewed cultural interest in the Beales by releasing outtakes from the original film under the title The Beales of Gray Gardens (released on DVD in 2001 by Criterion along with the original documentary as part of a two-disc set). One would expect that in an era of reality television and YouTube, the direct cinema footage of the 1970s would seem quaint or tame. We now have plenty of fallen celebrities to choose from, and gossip about the Bouviers is at least a generation out of date.This article argues that the recent upswing in the film's popularity derives from its uniquely powerful illustration of the relationship between celebrity and abjection, which is also a preoccupation of reality television. The film investigates how the cinematic idealization of the body is intimately linked to its vulnerability to dirt, illness, and age. Current popular culture often addresses the bodily distortions underlying media celebrity. The various cosmetic technologies through which the body can be transformed are both exposed and celebrated in reality makeover shows such as Extreme Makeover, What Not to Wear, and The Swan. Gamedocs such as Fear Factor and Jackass establish an equation between celebrity and bodily violation or soiling, and self-improvement shows such as The Biggest Loser equate success with arduous and humiliating public exposure. Crime shows such as Cops present relatively little physical violence but plenty of sweat-soaked shirts and unshaven faces, as do work-focused reality shows such as Deadliest Catch and Dirty Jobs. Docusoaps such as The Real World and Jersey Shore give viewers access to many, if not all, of the bodily functions of their participants. The conflation between celebrity and abjection is most explicitly apparent in A&E's Hoarders and TLC's Hoarding: Buried Alive, which combine the scientific documentary and the renovation show, following psychologists and social workers into homes piled high with garbage, ruined possessions, and rotten food.Derek Kompare identifies as the operative mode of reality television, in which participants appear exhausted, enraged, careless, undressed, asleep, inebriated and sick (106). With the arguable exception of enraged and depressed, all of these forms of ignominy involve physical weakness made visible, and the celebrity that participants achieve in reality shows is intimately linked to the display of this physical weakness. …

Alternative Entrances: Phillip Noyce and Sydney’s Counterculture

[Extract] Phillip Noyce is one of Australia's most prominent film makers - a successful feature film director with both iconic Australian narratives and many a Hollywood blockbuster under his belt. Still, his beginnings were quite humble and far from his role today when he grew up in the midst of the counterculture of the late sixties. Millions of young people his age joined the various 'movements' of the day after experiences that changed their lives-mostly music but also drugs or fashion. The counterculture was a turbulent time in Sydney artistic circles as elsewhere. Everything looked possible, you simply had to "Do It!" - and Noyce did. He dived head-on into these times and with a voracious appetite for its many aspects-film, theatre, rallies, music, art and politics in general. In fact he often was the driving force behind such activities.

El sello del estilo visual de Dick Pope y Mike Leigh: análisis de su obra cinematográfica

Visual style as part of cinema style reveals the necessity of considering what other cinema creators –like cinematographers– provide to a film. For though, visual style of Dick Pope and Mike Leigh films is analyzed. Firstly, theoretical basis that define stylometry, visual style and quantifiable photographic variables that are part of it, are established. Later on, with a methodology that combines a qualitative and a quantitative approach, an analysis is conducted.

Central do Brasil e o Melodrama

The "Cinema Novo", leaded by Glauber Rocha, constructed a cinema style called "hunger aesthetics". Tuned with national matters, it chose a criticai and controversial perspective, despised the melodrama and gave rise to creativity in a privatíon environment. The film "Central do Brasil" establishes a dialogue with Cinema Novo,revisits its motifs, and comes closer to melodrama. Theresult is the emergence of a new language and a new view for old themes.

Music, sound and filmmakers: sonic style in cinema

Music, sound and filmmakers: sonic style in cinema

Soviet Expansionism: Fédor Ozep's Transnational Cinema

La carrière du cinéaste émigré Fédor Ozep illustre la façon par laquelle l'esthétique cinématographique transnationale est souvent marginalisé par les discours qui théorisent les cinémas nationaux.

Err, New Boundaries for Fiction?! ER's 'Live' Episode

Err, New Boundaries for Fiction?! ER's 'Live' Episode

Don't leave a mess, call Triple S!

This extract is from “Uncle Eddie, Inc” in “The Undertaking—Life Studies from the Dismal Trade,” a collection of essays by Thomas Lynch which will be published by Jonathan Cape in April. Lynch, the author of two books of poems, most recently “Grimalkin and Other Poems,” operates a funeral home in Milford, Michigan. Uncle Eddie needed an 800 number. His sideline in the suicide cleanup trade was going gangbusters. He needed a separate phone line, a logo, a slogan, and magnetic business cards. I was touched that he would come to me, his much older brother, for advice. “Whadaya think about 1–800-SUICIDE? Too morbid? Too direct? Or 1–800-Triple S? You know. For Specialised Sanitation Services?” In his heart of hearts he had hopes that Triple S—for Specialised Sanitation Services—would become as widely recognised as Triple A had for Automobile Association of America, or WWW had for the Worldwide Web, or Triple X had for a style of cinema that Uncle Eddie said excited his passion for First Amendment Rights. Though perhaps his services were a little too specialised—known only to local and state law enforcement agencies and county medical examiners and funeral homes and needed only by the families and landlords of the messy dead. Indoor suicides, homicides, household accidents, or natural deaths undetected in a timely fashion—these were the exceptional cases that often required the Specialised Sanitation Services that Uncle Eddie and his staff at Triple S—his wife, his golfing buddy, and his golfing buddy's wife—stood ever ready to provide for reasonable fees, most often covered by homeowners' insurance. “Maybe you should just play whatever numbers come up Ed.” I counselled. “Maybe ask for something that ends in zeros.” At this Uncle Eddie's visage changed—adopting the distant and bedazzled gape of the ancient Mayan perplexed by the delicate mysteries of …

Collaborative Filmmaking: An Open Space for Making Meaning, A Moral Ground for Ethnographic Film

I will discuss here the collaborative space between image maker and media subject, the space where I believe good documentary filmmaking happens. All documentary exists as a record of the relationship between filmmaker and subject. When I speak about collaboration here, I speak about the ground of that relationship. I am not discussing traditional collaboration between co-filmmakers, as between David and Judith MacDougall or Tim Asch, Patsy Asch and Linda Connor, nor am I speaking about media, often indigenous media, where co-subjects are the full makers. I am speaking about the most common form of documentary where maker and subject are different—different in cultural background or gender, social power, economics, language, filmmaking knowledge, etc. With little regard for differing levels of control, the term collaboration has long served as a politically acceptable catch-all description of most joint efforts. In documentary the term is tossed around to mean anything from the subject as informant to the sharing of differing skills to the subject introducing the crew into a community to the subject as co-producer. The type of lateral collaboration I'm proposing creates an open space for dialogue: a space for filmmakers to learn to pose the questions they do not originally know to ask, a place where film subjects select the fragments of their reality they deem significant to document, and a moral place where subjects and image makers can mediate their own representation. I will briefly describe the community collaborative filmmaking that my colleague Leonard Kamerling and I developed over the past twenty-three years at the Alaska Native Heritage Film Center (ANHFC), University of Alaska, working with Inupiaq and Yup'ik Eskimo communities Our collaborative approach has served us well as ethnographic filmmakers, and I also believe it has served the indigenous communities well in creating film documents they value and cherishWe first present our methods, our previous work and our goals to village residents and tribal leaders. If they grant us formal permission to make a film with them, we move into the village for two to four months. Every individual can refuse to be filmed at any time. Community members select who and what events will be filmed, and decide what will not be filmedThey make all translations and review edited versions of the films. Often we use a double or triple blind translation process to insure accuracy. Kamerling and I serve as co-directors, photographer, sound recordist and editor. We do claim authorship. We make aesthetic, technical, contextual and structural choices which we feel make the film accessible to western ethnographic and documentary audiences—limiting the running time (20-90 minutes), subtitling in English, identifying the environment, explicating identitiesWe also very consciously mediate the editing for the village audience—including all clans, images of deceased elders, special jokes, etc. We follow a verite/direct cinema style using western narrative dramatic devices such as pacing, formalist composition and elliptical editingWe try to maintain the temporal integrity of interviews, stories, and action sequences, and we show edited scenes to residents to make sure we haven't sacrificed vital elements or stylistic tonalities to the demands of compressing timeMost residents prefer longer versions of the material