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Realism-Classicalism-Formalism

Formalism-is usually a director’s medium, with authorial intrusion manipulation of narrative, and stylized visuals
-most common formalistic works- musicals, sci-fi, and fantasy
-Heavy use of symbolism
-Formalists are often referred to as expressionist-they are concerned with spiritual and psychological

Intro to Movies-Lesson 3
Realism-Classicalsim-Formalism
-no absolutes

Formalism: Avant-garde cinema
Formalism: Foreground style, technique
Disclosure:
-ideas and themes determine the structure rather than the characters

Film examples: Raging Bull- boxing scenes that use slow motion and staccato editing, crane shots, and sound effects
Dick Tracy- use of surreal colours


Classical Cinema
-exposition
-story based
-protaganist
-rising action
-climax
-closure

Emphasis on:
-dramatic unity
-defined P.O.V-who is telling the story?
-plausible motivation
-coherence of its constituent parts

Classical Tradition:
-linear plot structure
-protagonist on a journey, quest, search
-protagonist/antagonist conflicts


Realism
Realism is a broad term
Romantic realism, magic realism, naturalistic realism, gritty realism, minimalist realism, etc.

Tradition of Realist Narratives:
-Randomness, “un-manipulated”, “slice of life”
-rejection of artifice
-structure is determined by a set period of time or pre-determined event- a wedding, a day in the life, a funeral, a summer vacation, a journey
-no defined beginning, middle and end
-conflict is unclear and so is the resolution

Reference: pg 42

Antagonist
They must be intelligent, a mental power. They cannot have a consciousness. They don’t worry about the consequences of their actions. They have the capacity for self deception. Their mind works very fast- because they are not trying to sort out the right or wrong. They are just concerned with will it work or not?

The antagonist in a thriller cannot be bought off. In a crime story you can pay a price. You can only stop them by giving them your life. What evil wants is to reverse nature. The natural thing to do is to beg for your death.

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