Film School Generation

The directors who took the reins of power in Hollywood to give them back the studios later are George Lucas, Martin Scorsese, Dennis Hopper and Steven Spielberg. George Lucas focused on producing science-fiction films like Star Wars that are very much appreciated by the people because of the effects used. 

On the other hand, directors also did violent films like Arthur Penn’s Bonnie and Clyde that is full of killing people. Because of the science-fiction and violent films, the film industry had changed and it affects how the people think and its consciousness of the world. 

The first batch of American directors differs from the old directors when it comes to the budget of the film. Old directors make movies that are highly appreciated even though they only have a low budget in producing the film. New directors make blockbuster movies but the budget really cost high.

The Studio System and the Star System

During the period 1930s to the late 1960s, the studio system primarily makes their films in their filmmaking lots and studios and the star system before emphasizes the actor’s image even though they also consider the acting and dancing lessons regimen. The studio system before are the distributors of the films they made but now in the present studio system, the exhibition and distribution are done by other companies.

 In the star system before, the actors had their morality clause in the contract they signed. Women should act like ladies and never go outside without make-up and stylish clothes. Men should also act like gentlemen. Now, in the present star system, the actors are more independent in what they want to do with their lives. 

However, the studio system in the present no longer used filmmaking lots. 

Compared to the Philippine studio and star system of the 1950s to early 1970s, the Philippine studio and star system are not that the same even though they also had the signing of contracts of the actors.

Contempt by Godard

Contempt is a film where French New Wave movement is also used. It is a story of Camille and Paul, a couple who are so in love with each other but in a glance, Camille had lost her love for him because he met another guy, Mr. Prokosche.

The story is a French New Wave because it has the jump cuts. French New Wave characteristics are involved in this movie. At first, I don’t understand what happened in the film because the editing is not continuous just like in a classic Hollywood style. Since the editing is not continuous, I have to understand through the frames and also through character’s dialogues.

An example of a scene is where Mr. Prokosche and Camille are in a car and went to his villa. It is not elaborated what happened in the villa while Camille’s husband is not around. At first, I had a guess that Camille was abused by Mr. Prokosche but in the end, they had a secret affair.

It is too bad for Paul because Camille’s love for him was already lost. And I hate the fact that Camille just went away with Mr. Prokosche. She just wrote a letter to say goodbye to Paul which I think is an act of cowardness.

In the end, Camille and Mr. Prokosche died in a car accident while having their trip. Too bad for them!

Summary: French New Wave Cinema

New Wave films are also known as La Nouvelle Vague. It is a diverse group of French fictional films made in the late 1950s and 1960s in reaction of the new filmmakers to the commercial scripted film products of French film industry.

This film style is characterized by a Cinema Verite. Cinema Verite is a type of style of documentary filmmaking developed in France during the early 1960s whose aim was to capture the events as they happened.

In French New Wave, the filmmakers have more freedom in experimenting in terms of shots, lighting and even editing. It is a style with the use of the jump cut, the hand-held camera, non-linear storytelling, and the use of portable and lighting system. Cameras follow the characters wherever they go.

The famous French New Wave directors are Francois Truffaut, Jean-Luc Godard, Claude Chabrol, Eric Rohmer and Jacques Rivette.

The innovative film movement would last until the mid-1960s and remain an important influence on later filmmaking.

Summary: French Impressionism

French Impressionism relies on the inner drama and the psyche. This movement i also based on the theory of photogenie where it is concerned with the quality that objects take on when they are photographed. This movement focused on framing instead of a long narrative storytelling.

Since before, there are no sounds in film, it is hard to understand what the story is in a French Impressionism movement. In the silent era of films, French Impressionism is the most used movement but when the sounds came in 1929, impressionism falls because the movies got expensive and filmmakers can't afford to do it.

The techniques in this movement is the use of superimposition of one image over another image. The use of blurred and distorted images is also present in this movement. Subliminal cuts are used and filmmakers really used editing and camera techniques to force viewers to watch and think for it.

This is also the movement where triple and double images in a frame began. The shortening of shots build tension in the story. In this movement, the camera would have to move to get the character's point of view.

Telephoto lenses and widescreen ratio are first used in this movement.