10 films that can teach you everything you need to know about film

8/13/2019 10 Films That Can Teach You Everything You Need to Know About Film

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10 Films That Can Teach You

Everything You Need To Know AboutFilm-making

21 January 2014Features, Film Listsby David Biggins

Filmmaking isnt about just pointing a camera at talented actors. Its a collaborative mediumemploying the use of sound, music, lighting, cinematography, mise-en-scene, editing, specialeffects and screenwriting. Every now and then a filmmaker will use one of these filmmaking toolsin a style so deft and so innovative, that it inspires, delights and influences all filmmakers thatcome after it. While not all of these films are equally influential, they each clearly illustrate at leastone filmmaking practice that teaches us an invaluable lesson in how films are constructed.
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1. Citizen Kane (1941)

What it can teach you about: Camera Movement, Camera Angles, Focus, Editing.

While most people enjoy Citizen Kane, many are left scratching their heads as to why its oftenconsidered to be the greatest film ever made. The reason is because Orson Welles broke all ofthe rules by placing the camera at never-before-seen angles, and moving it in strange andexciting new ways. He also made great use of a deep focus technique that keeps bothforeground and background easily visible.

While the film may not have caused much of a stir in the nineteen-forties, its considered by many

to be a pioneer of now commonly accepted filmmaking techniques.

Scene to examine:A young Kane is seen throwing snowballs on a picturesque winters day.Instead of cutting to another scene, Wells lets the action continue by pulling the camera insideand through a cabin window to reveal the parents discussing the boys future. As the camerafollows the parents through the scene, Kane is always kept in the background; distant andunconsulted. Its simple, ergonomic, and (for the time) revolutionary.
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2. bout de souffle (1960)

Watch it can teach you about: Editing, Causality.

Ignoring conventional rules of editing, Jean-Luc Goddards bout de souffle disorientated andthrilled its viewers with a fresh, stylistic look by introducing abrupt jump cuts to every otherscene. Actors suddenly changed positions in their scenes and time seemed to fly forward in aninstant as a result. American filmmakers took note, and started making their own films lookquicker and edgier helping to usher in an American new wave of filmmaking that still definescontemporary cinema.

Scene to examine: While Michel gives Patricia a lift in a newly stolen car, Goddard snips away atthe passage of time by heavily editing the scene. Time seems to literally jump forward as carsand pedestrians vanish; however the conversation seems to still flow and make sense.
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3. Dark Star (1974)

What it can teach you about: How to work on a limited budget, Set design.

Sounding cheap and looking cheaper (the alien is literally a beach ball), theres still a lot that can

be learned from John Carpenters classic science-fiction film. The project started life as a studentfilm, but was ultimately upgraded to become Carpenters cinematic debut. Before Clerks, ElMariachi or The Blair Witch Project, Dark Star proved that Innovative camera angles and a wittyscript are all thats required to make a good movie.

Scene to examine:The elevator scene in Dark Star is both laugh-out-loud funny and remarkablyinventive. It might look like Dan OBannon (whod later go on to write Alien) is inches from fallingto his death, its actually just him lying on the floor with a piece of wood leaning against his feet(or hands, depending on his stage of peril). Carpenter then ramps up the tension by having theelevator nearly crush Bannon but its just a plastic board shot as a close up mixed with elevator

sound effects. Ridiculously simple, but surprisingly effective.

4. Blow Out (1981)
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What it can teach you about: Sound effects.

Blow Outs lack of financial success has almost erased Brian De Palmas thriller from the historybooks. Luckily, film aficionados continue to sing its praises (both narratively and technically).Blow Out delves into the filmmaking process itself, by following diegetic sound editor Jack Terri

(John Travolta) as he stumbles across a murder that he accidentally records while scouting forsound effects. While it might owe a lot to Michaelangeo Antonionis Blow-Up, it breaks newground with its innovation.

Scene to examine:The scene where Travolta records the all important blow out, has a hypnoticquality. For almost five minutes, De Palma asks his audience to sit back and listen to theirsurroundings.

Travolta stands in the darkness recording the wind rustle the trees at night-time. As he moves hismicrophone from a pair of bickering lovers, an odd chirping noise distracts him. The camera cuts

back a good hundred meters, leaving Travolta way in the distance and revealing that the loudchirping noise is coming from a tiny frog. The tiny frog jumps into the water, but sound of thewater lapping over its body seems giant in comparison. Then a truly puzzling metallic soundexcites and focuses Travolta; the noise isnt explained in the scene and its only when re-watching do you notice that De Palma hasnt only introduced a pivotal character in an unusualway hes also introduced a murder weapon.
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5. Goodfellas (1990)

What it can teach you about: How to use soundtracks to compliment the action.

Martin Scorsese not only makes films about music (The Last Waltz, No Direction Home), musichelps to make his films. Hes a real rock-and-roll director, whos able to combine music withcinematography in a way that enriches and empowers his moviemaking. The soundtrack for thisgangster classic is immense. With nearly fifty songs that are said to reflect (however remotely)on-screen characters emotional states.

Scene to examine:A great example of Scorseses rock and roll direction comes as we watchRobert De Neros Jimmy The Gent stare at Ray Liottas embattled Morrie. The camera slowlyzooms in on Jimmy while Creams psychedelic song Sunshine of Your Love harmoniously, startsplaying. It becomes clear that Jimmys thoughts have erratically bent towards murder when wehear the lyric Its getting near dawn, when lights close their tired eyes. Its a masterful mix ofpowerful acting, directing and a great song choice.
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10 Films That Can Teach YouEverything You Need To Know About

Film-making21 January 2014Features, Film Listsby David Biggins

6. The Godfather Part III (1990)

What it can teach you about: Lighting, Make-Up.

Theres not many things that the third Godfather film does better than its two predecessorshowever, it manages to successfully age its central character without drawing too much attentionto the make up. When done wrong, bad make-up can kill an audiences sense of disbelief in a film(think of Guy Pearces unintentionally hilarious portrayal of an old man in Prometheus).

Scene to examine:The scene where Kaye confronts Michael, shows Al Pachinos mafia Donlook worn and and old. Pachinos hair is dyed white, and subtle make-up has been used to addbags under his eyes and to add emphasis to the lines on his face.

What really makes Michaels age stand out however, is the use of lighting; it adds shadows thatare ever present around his eyes and adds further definition to his facial lines. After Kaye haschewed Michael out, he retreats to the darkness. The shadows swallow his features, as histhoughts slip further into darkness and despair. The only part of him that remains well let are hishands; symbolizing the control that hes still able to wield.
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7. The Matrix (1999)

What it can teach you about: Lighting, Colour, Camera Lenses.

Its often the action sequences and eye-popping special effects that people talk about after

seeing The Matrix. Yet, even the most basic of dialogue sequences have nuances that offer hintsand inferences that subconsciously help the viewer to stay orientated during the complexnarrative.

Scene to examine:While standing on the bridge of the Nebuchadnezzar, Morpheus asks NeoYou wanted to know what the Matrix is? In the background we can see a blue glow emittingfrom the computer screens and this light creeps through into each shot even when the screensarent visible. All of the characters who surround Neo are shot using a long-lens which lift thecharacters from the background.

After Neo is plugged into the matrix, the colour scheme changes. Gone is the vibrant blue, andits now replaced with a mundane green (similar to the matrix code) thats visible both inMorpheuss tie and Neos t-shirt. Using a normal camera lens, the characters also look slightlysofter in terms of focus, subtly inferring that they have just become slightly less real than theydbeen a moment before.
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8. Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

What it can teach you about: Lighting, Camera Angles, Editing.

Considered a modern classic, The Fellowship of the Ring used a smorgasbord of filmmakingtechniques to create Middle-Earth. In order to get tiny Hobbits interacting with normal sized menthey used: forced perspective (where an actor stands way in the background to appear smallerthan they are), giant sets, short body-doubles, a smattering of CGI, as well asking some actors to

walk along using stilts. It is however, in employment of artful lighting and cinematography whereThe Lord of the Rings really stands out from most fantasy blockbusters.

Scene to examine:When Bilbo agonizes over leaving his magical ring for Frodo, the camerasposition actually makes the ring a character in the scene. Using both shot-reverse-shotpositioning (where the camera is placed from either a characters point of view or just behind thecharacter), the rings power over Bilbo becomes all the more obvious.

The light on Bilbos face, half illuminated and half in darkness, illustrates the conflict that hesfacing while hes thinking about the ring; hes in two minds, one dark and one light. The scene

ends with the ring gazing directly at Gandalf with a point-of-view shot that helps to imply the ringssentience.
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9. Adaptation (2002)

What it can teach you about: Screenwriting.

While struggling to adapt the non-fiction book The Orchid Thief into an interesting screenplay,Charlie Kaufman out-bonkersed himself by writing himself into the screenplay. So, instead of astory about finding and cloning a rare plant we have a story about Kaufman attempting to adapta story about finding a cloning a rare plant.

While its consistently a head-scratcher, Adaptation lays out all of the conundrums thatscreenwriters face while at the same time champions (sort of) the Hollywood conventions ofconflict and crisis that seem compulsory for writing a watchable story.

Scene to examine:When Charlie desperately tries to think of a character arc for a flower, we geta highly exaggerated version of what most screenwriters must go through at least once in theirlife. He desperately considers starting his film with Darwin explaining the journey of evolutionbefore having a momentary epiphany: start right before life begins on the planet.

The hopelessness of the scene should be an explanation of why some screenplays will neverwork, yet the fact that the film was made (and that youre watching it) means that the meta-narrative works as a testament to how original thinking can still prevail to make remarkable (andwatchable) stories.
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10. The Master (2012)

What it can teach you: Why filming on film is still so worthwhile.

Theres an intense debate currently raging in the movie community over how filmmakers shouldtechnology to create the most immersive experience possible for cinemagoers. The answer fromHollywood is almost emphatic: use 3D. Recently, Peter Jackson has tried to push the mediumeven further with The Hobbit films by recording in 48 frames-per-second. The use of higher framerates is a trend thats set to increase with James Camerons Avatar sequels having been widelytipped to use this technique.

With this technology -turmoil in mind, its doubly refreshing that Paul Thomas Anderson chose toshoot on 65mm film. Outside of IMAX, the use of 65mm has been dormant in western cinemasince Kenneth Brannaghs Hamlet in 1996. The result? A hypnotic, jaw-dropping aesthetic thatdelivered a picture clarity of a cinematic quality that hasnt been seen on screen since the sixties.
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Scene to examine:Its hard to choose because it all looks great. When Joaquin Phoenixs

troubled Freddie is asked to Pick a point in the vast American desert, he speeds off on amotorcycle into the vast (but beautiful) wasteland. The scene juxtaposes the noise of the bikewith the silence of Philip Seymour Hoffmans masterful stare.

The result? Youre immersed in both the watched, and the watcher; thought and void. As loud asthe bike may be, when we look at him from his masters point of view hes just a pinprick on theenormous cinematic horizon la Lawrence of Arabia.

Author Bio: David Biggins is a film graduate and marketeer from England. Hes been published

on the BBC website, and used to present a film radio show in Norfolk. Before joining Taste of

Cinema he was a film critic for Reel Whis

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10 films that can teach you everything you need to know about film

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