Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Blog #3
Referring to Marilyn Fabe's essay, "The Beginnings of Film Narrative: D.W. Griffith's Birth of a Nation" describe three characteristics of early film, using at least two scenes from Edwin Porter's Jack and the Beanstalk (1902).
Using at least two scenes from D.W. Griffith's The Girl and Her Trust (1912) and Fabe's essay, describe how Griffith's use of the cross-cut and setting impacts the film's realism and storytelling capabilities.
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The techniques used in early film were different from those used today and weren’t always effective in storytelling. According to the article, one characteristic of early film is having long takes. This is best illustrated in “Jack and the Beanstalk” during the scene leading up to Jack stealing the giant’s golden harp, which is two minutes long. This was the longest take in the film. Another characteristic of early film is having unrealistic sets, with “blatantly artificial painted background details” (Fabe, 3). This was apparent throughout the film, but was worst when Jack was climbing the beanstalk and the background was only a sketch of the hills beneath him. In early films, the camera was also often in a fixed position, which was usually far away from the action. This, again, was used throughout the film, but did the film the biggest disservice at the beginning because it was hard to tell what was happening during the set-up of the story.
The setting in “The Girl and Her Trust” wasn’t just a painted backdrop, so it seemed more realistic. The use of the cross-cut also enhanced the storytelling. In the scene towards the beginning when the train is coming, the camera goes between the passengers getting off and the suspicious people scurrying to hide. This does a better job of setting up the story than a scene where the camera is in a fixed position would. Also, the cross-cut between the girl telegraphing for help, the people on the other line, and the tramps built suspense, which is necessary in good storytelling.
Originally starting off as plotless, demonstrative entertainment, early film began its transformation into the narrative, which has continually been improved upon. The 1902 film Jack and the Beanstalk presents numerous examples of the early film narrative. Every scene of the film resembles that of a stage play in front of us. The camera reveals to us everything in sight, our attention is not directed towards one thing, but all the actions taking place. The unconvincing, artificial set designs, as we are treated to the beautifully rendered waterfall in the opening scene, indicate that realistic visuals were not a primary concern in the early years of film, the purpose was simply entertainment. Another prime characteristic of this film is the extremely long, single shot takes. In each scene, the camera remains in its fixed position until the scene is over, and then we are treated with the same camera work in the following scene for a long duration. The longest single shot of Jack and the Beanstalk is the scene in which the main character hides from the ‘giant’, which lasted a marvelous two minutes.
The 1912 film The Girl and Her Trust has an impressive amount of detail and quality of editing for its time. The settings are fairly realistic and mostly believable, like in the Girls office, where a working clock, a calender, and sheets of paper are hanging on the walls in the background. The combination and timing of cuts makes the situations of the film all the more enveloping, as shown when the men are watching the woman through the barred window, switching from the interior of the office to the outside of the building, although each has been filmed in a completely different location, their reasons for doing so are made clear soon after.
Fabe discusses two characteristics of early films that I noticed immediately in "Jack and the Beanstalk"; The distance of the camera and the length of the takes. The very first scene of Jack is representational of this, the camera encompasses the entirety of the action for a very long period of time.
Fabe also discusses how viewers had to pick out the important details from a massive amount of visual objects. This is evident in Jack's confrontation with the giant. It is difficult to see just what you should be focusing on.
In "The Girl and Her Trust" some bandits are seen being mischievous outside a window, and a separate shot from within a room shows their heads, letting us know that these actions are occurring simultaneously. When the bandits outside break in, the girl telegraphs up some friends, cross-cuts show the friends receiving the message.
Cross-cutting in these scenes lets us see 2 parts of a story that are occurring together, a wonderful storytelling mechanism. It is much more realistic: There is never just one thing happening in reality at any given time, there are many occurrences, there is much depth. This editing technique allows the story to capture this depth.
Prior to the creation of Griffith’s cinematography, the early films has their common characteristics of: the unrealistic setting, the mono camera position, and the continuum of following the action of one group of characters.
Fabe summarizes that in most early films The unrealistic setting is often recognized as the blatantly artificial painted background details, and this is proved in the first three settings in Jack and the Beanstalk: the farm yard and the full moon night are clearly artificial. In terms of the mono camera position according to Fabe’s essay, the camera stayed back and shows all of the action in long or full shots. It is not hard to notice that in Jack and the Beanstalk, all scenes are long and full shots and there is no close-up shot involved. Besides, Fabe points out that the way of presenting narrative is follow the actions of a set in an interrupted linear chronology in early films, which can be explained in Jack and the Beanstalk, the plot is interpreted by the changing of setting.
Griffith’s use of cross-cut has incredible influences on the theory of narrative film’s realism. As presented in first sequence in The Girl and Her Trust, the young man worker and the girl are initially presented in the same setting and following the plot the man leaves to another place. The film thus starts presenting two spaces one next to another, which suggests they happen in the same times. The intercross of one set to the other creates the narrative excitement.
On the other hand, the realistic elements in choice of setting in The Girl and Her Trust which enhances can be seen in the indoor setting. The swinging clock indicates the set is not a painted background but an authentic space, and swinging books placing next to the window, which the movement indicates a certain status of the setting and thus enhance the story’s atmosphere.
Edwin Porter’s Jack and the Beanstalk illustrates many attributes of early film. One specific shot that demonstrates these elements is the scene when Jack is laying on the bed, the egg hatches, and then disappears. This demonstrates how the camera usually stays static, from a fairly long distance away from the subjects. The scene also illustrates the common effect of stopping the shot, changing it, and starting up again without actually moving the camera. This is a method often used to create illusion.
The scene in which Jack begins to climb the beanstalk displays another trait of past film. His mother is very exaggerated with her emotions. This method was used as compensation for the lack of sound. Drama and passion were increased a lot.
The crosscut setting was used in The Girl and Her Trust to show that more than one scene are occurring simultaneously. A good example from the film is when a guy is hiding in the grass, and it cuts back to the girl inside. It helps demonstrate realism because it acknowledges that situations aren’t as one-dimensional as usually portrayed. It helps with storytelling capabilities by letting the viewer know what is going on, even before the actress in the story knows. Another example of a cross-cut is when the tramps are in the house, the girl is dialing the police, and the scene at the station. The scene cuts make it very apparent that these events are happening in unison.
-Heidi Sherwood
Jack and the Beanstalk demonstrate a lot of characteristics seen in early film making. First of which is seen in every scene is the distance from the camera from the action. There is no way to see the actors faces, or anything close to them. The camera is in a fixed position shooting a long-shot of the scene and not moving. Another characteristic of early film making was the mise-en-scene which mean the choice of set and props , etc. In this case early filmmaking used a lot of painted backdrops. This can be seen in the first scene where Jack is going to climb the beanstalk. The back round is clearly a fake painted backdrop which is common in early film. Another element of early film making that can be seen is in the scene where the giant is talking to the girl. Early film doesn't have a lot of editing cuts. The scene plays through with no cuts to other characters or any other things happing at the same time.
In The other film "The Girl and Her Trust" we see Griffith's use of setting and cross-cut to add to the realism of the film. Instead of using a painted backdrop like that of "Jack and the Beanstalk," Griffith uses actual location, which add to the realism because they are real. Such as when the outside of the Telegram station is shown, they show real places which make the film seem more real. Griffith's use of Cross-cutting also adds to the realism. Such as the scene where the tramps are sneaking up to the telegram building. The scene cuts between the girl and the tramps raising the audience's anxiety because it shows that something is about to see something happen to the girl. It also adds to the realism because it shows that things are happing at the same time and not just in one order.
Indeed, what the cinema of attractions left out was the use of narration. But eventually cinema was being used to tell a story. Because the attractions were short and straight to the point only a few methods were ever used for the sake of filming. Jack and The Beanstalk shows almost all of the issues/methods the age of early cinema reduntently used. From the very first shot to the last everything is filmed as if it were a play. The first scene goes on as if it were an outline of a story, never fully introducing the characters, and it is filmed in long-shot giving room for the sets and design instead of showing the characters and their emotions. The characters are just part of the set it looks. Overall the images are chronological and never jump to one off-screen moment to show a character thinking or something (again, characters don't really mean much)and one more thing most early films (Most of which were fiction) did was splicing sloppily together different scenes to create the illusion of magic which is best shown where Jack goes up the beanstalk and a fairy shows him a castle and disappears. Overall the splicing of appear-reappearing could've been better but also the editing from scene to scene is bad merely fading away each time. (Griffith would later advance cinema into what is generally considered editing).
Now we get to Griffith's "The Girl and Her Trust" which already we are to believe we are to believe we are in a telegraph station when they put up a box saying "Grace the telegraph operator is admired by all". The scene cuts to what doesn't look like a shot in a theater because there is no long shot. The camera instead focuses more on the girl and the people who come into the office. The idea of people casually coming in and proper editing makes us believe the setting, and the time. Also there is a device known as cross-cutting which is available to us in this movie. A good example of what cross-cutting is is when a man kisses the girl she freaks and tells the man to leave. The man, obviously has a thing for the girl is crushed at the thought of her rejection to him. But while this is happening we cut to an alternate scene which is taking place at the exact same time where the girl in the end secretly enjoyed the kiss. This is great storytelling and better developes the characters we watch.
Andrew Megow
Through the entire film of Jack and the Beanstalk, extremely long shots are used. This is a commonality in early films and multiple takes are not used until Griffith’s Birth of a Nation. These shots are presented theatrically, where the audience is looking at a stage and the viewpoint does not move. “the most common type of shot was the long shot, in which the human figure fills only a small portion of the lower quadrant of the frame, much as the human figure appears in the proscenium of stage dramas,” (Fabe 2). The camera is positioned at a certain distance and does not move in for close-ups. This is prevalent when Jack goes up to the top of the beanstalk. It would have been good to see a close-up of Jack’s expression as he sees the giant, but in this early film close-ups are non-existent. In the beginning of Jack and the Beanstalk, Jack encounters the fairy woman. He uses very emotive hand movements and overacts his emotions when she disappears. Overacting is common in early films and does not change until further in film history.
The cross-cut technique is used heavily in The Girl and Her Trust. In the scene where the robbers are assessing the situation inside the building, the movie cross-cuts between the robbers and the inside of the building. This creates suspense in that the audience knows the robbers are coming, but the other characters do not. The setting of The Girl and Her Trust is very realistic. The inside of the building looks very real and all of the objects within it seem real. In one scene there is a clock and it can be seen actually moving. This makes the audience become more emotionally involved with the film and creates a sense of realism.
-Charlie Ripple
The main aspect that held true for early silent cinema was, quite frankly, they weren't that good. I mean this in the sense that they didn't hold up in terms of narrative. A lot of early cinema was just a bunch of images cut together in a somewhat orderly fashion. Take in to account Jack in the Beanstalk. What was with the woman in the beginning? Was she a witch? An angel? What was taken from the village? There really isn't a clear answer, or any real emotional connection with the characters. Another aspect of silent film was long takes. At the time, movies weren't shot in any specific way. They were just filmed so they could get it on camera, and be done with it. The scene in which Jack prepares to steal the golden harp is an especially long take, nearly a fifth of the entire film itself. Silent films also were told in strict chronological order; no flashbacks, no meanwhiles, no anything. Just go from point A to point B, and get 'em to pay a nickel to see it.
The setting in Griffith's The Girl and Her Trust is really what helps make the movie seem more believable. As told in Fabe's essay, Griffith specifically wanted three dimensional, realistic props. Nothing was to be painted, nearly everything you would see would be a set or an actual location. Also, the crosscut helped make the film more suspenseful. When the tramps are trying to break into the office, and the Girl is trying to telegram for help (try reading that without smiling), it makes it seem more tense. You see the girl, trying to get help. You see the tramps, not giving up. You wonder what happens next. For a movie made in 1912, that's good film making.
In Jack and the Beanstalk it clearly reflects Mise-en-scene by using actors who look like theater actors, because of their clothing and their make up. They do not look like realistic people you would actually see from day to day, like in films like Bicycle Thieves. Because it is a fictional story Porter was able to focus on narrative story telling, which is another technique often used in early film according to Fabe in her essay. The editing in the film is not as smooth as The Girl and Her Trust. But instead of roughly cutting long scenes together Porter uses fades to make the change in scenes smoother.
The cross-cutting used in D.W. Griffith's The Girl and Her Trust, made the film's scenes come together with out pause or rough transitions, making it a smoother narrative for the audience. It also builds suspense as it increases because the audience of early film could see what was going to happen but the characters could not. Which is still used in many films today. The backdrop for this scene is also more realistic than the Porter film because it is messy and even though it is clearly a film set and not a real location, it does look less staged than Jack and the Beanstalk and its almost on stage feel.
-Marco Cannestra
TA: Brent
Film has come a long way since it began. It has evolved from something that told a story to something that actually makes you the viewer feel like you’re part of. Some of the early techniques of film making can be found in "Jack and the Beanstalk". One example is of the long shot which can be seen when Jack is trading his cow for a sack of magical beans. By doing the long shot you only get one point of view. Unlike today where you get many different points of view all in one scene. A second technique that can be seen in this film is over dramatizing. This was done in the scene where Jack comes home and tells his mother that he traded their cow for a sack of magical beans. This was done because it could help convey the message of the movie better. A final characteristic of early film is that they never did a close up. It would have been great to see Jack's mothers face when she first found out about the beans. Now days we do this so that we can better understand the characters thoughts and emotions.
From a realistic point of view, "The Girl and her Trust", was done very well. In all of the scenes you can tell that the background is the real world, not just a painted set. You really get a feeling of this in the scene when the man is walking away from the station and you can see the hillside behind him. Another feature that helps make the film more realistic is the cross cuts that are done in this film. For instance when the tramps are making a get away with the lady and the trust, you can see the train leave its resting area to come to the rescue. This technique helps because it is showing us things as they happen, and not telling us that only one thing happens at a time.
The essay describes the three basic ways that D.W. Griffith changed narrative film. The term mise-en-scene is used to describe how the director has options on how a picture looks, what and who is in it, and the way the actors present themselves. This can be clearly seen in the use of three-dimensional props that is shown in Jack in the Beanstalk, when Jack hides in a pot on the screen. The pot is an actual prop rather than drawn on a backdrop. Also he started the use of framing images in such a way to be more imaginative, such as using long shots or close ups. Through the different types of images Griffith was able to emphasize drama and emotion in ways that using a still long shot couldn’t. The last basic way Griffith influenced narrative with his camera was through smooth editing. His way of making sure shots would not take the viewers minds from watching, kept the images clean, and audiences involved. This can be seen clearly when the fairy, makes an appearance and disappears. The shot is not choppy, and therefore keeps the viewer intrigued and doesn’t make them notice that the picture seems distorted.
The cross cut technique used by Griffith is made to develop suspense in such a way that it shows action of many characters rather than in a linear pattern of one storyline. This type of plot separation is very common in today’s Hollywood features because audiences are ready for the complexity of storyline that past audiences couldn’t handle. Two scenes that show this in The Girl and Her Trust are very easy to recognize. First when the girl is scared that the Tramps are going to break in the room, she uses morse code to alert someone. The camera then goes from her panicking, to the Tramps plotting and then to the man receiving the note. Through the showing of the man getting the code, we wonder how the Tramps progress is going on breaking into the room to steal the key, which hereby increases suspense more than showing them the entire time on screen. The other chase scene in the short is the train chasing the cart on the tracks. By showing the progress of the cart ahead of the train, and then cutting back to showing the train’s progress, the element of the chase creates more excitement for the view. We are no longer just sitting back watching the scene, but instead watching and cheering for the train to catch up to the cart and bring justice to the Tramps.
It is often said that narrative film was strongly influenced by theater, for the obvious similarities between the two as visual storytelling medium. However, the influences of theater are much more obvious in the early forms of narrative cinema. For example, in Edwin Porter’s Jack and the Beanstalk, the whole film is made as a theatrical production that was filmed incidentally. The stationary camera perspective is a direct relation to a theatrical audiences stuck-in-their-seats view. The length of the shots in Beanstalk is another obvious correlation to the length of a theatrical scene, all the action takes place in one viewing, such as the scene in the giant’s house. The pacing in this scene may have made sense theatrically, but in the faster medium of film, it drags on incessantly. Another “trait” of early film that is directly descendant from theater is the lack of realism in the props and scenery. The waterfall in the first scene comes to mind as a specific occurrence. I don’t know if these films were shot on a theatrical stage, but it seems highly likely from the way they were shot.
In contrast, The Girl and Her Trust, by D.W. Griffith, is an example of the power of compelling editing to tell a story convincingly. To begin, this film was shot (or at least seems to be) on location, the trains and tracks are pretty darn convincing. This aspect alone elevates the realism of the story beyond that of the theater, and more adeptly harnesses the inherent gift of film and mechanical reproduction: the ability to move an exotic or dangerous locale to a few feet in front of an audience. Secondly, the use of the crosscut is both vital to the story and influential in pulling the audience along and, more importantly, keeping our attention. The scene in which the girl, and the tramps “fight” at the door, would have been physically impossible to show simultaneously without the use of temporal continuity through the cross cut. Not to mention of course the communique across the wires.
Zach Erdmann
In earlier films the ideal scene would contain, “blatantly, artificial painted background details…”(Fabe, p.3) just like in Porter’s Jack and the beanstalk . However the backgrounds would appear stiff and fake and seem more like a set for a theater not so much film. In the scene where Jack climbs up the beanstalk the only thing that is in actual motion is Jack and the bean stalk everything else was still, no real evidence of reality. Another thing about earlier films, this one in particular, is that the filmmaker doesn’t supply a setting, the spectator has to continue watching and gather up their own interpretation of one. This film is also a perfect example of scenes that are presented in chronological order and because of that we only know what the characters know. We see Jack climb the stalk, talk to the fairy, and then enter the giant’s house. Once Jack enters the giant’s house and talks to his wife we only become aware of the giants presence when his wife begins to panic.
In D.W. Griffiths "The Girl and her Trust" we see a more advanced strategy of film. D.W’s cross cut helps the transition of scenes flow smoothly making it almost impossible to point out. For example when we first see the “tramps” we see one of them in a close up then we see the good guy with the express package. However you don’t really realize the transition because of Griffith’s technique. Also we are more aware of what’s going on because we’re provided with a setting which is the telegraph station. So the spectator becomes a bit more familiar with the film because it takes place in a more realistic setting.
Venise Watson
Early in film, there were varying things that directors used for storytelling and to increase the drama in a piece. In the article, the writer talks about the facets of the early film techniques. In Jack and The Beanstalk, these techniques are shown. The use of really bland artwork for scenery (note the hilariously simply drawn backgrounds in most scenes). In the film, the backgrounds are artificial and extravagant. Also, early in film, the use of camera that was stuck in one place was extremely common. This takes away from the piece, because it keeps the viewer emotionally disconnected from the scene, not to mention from the plot (I know the story, but it wasn't clear what was happening).
In "The Girl and Her Trust" the setting surpassed that of Jack and The Beanstalk. It wasn't a painted backdrop, it was real scenery, which enhanced the viewing experience. Cross-cutting also enhanced the experience, because the scenes between the girl and the love interest were much more interesting when it switched back and forth. Also, with the tramps trying to get into the room, cross-cut helped build suspense. Also, when she was sending for help, the cross-cut between her and the others also built suspense. Also, in the beginning when it showed the train right after they talked, it helped build up the story even more, which made it ten times better than Jack and the Beanstalk.
The techniques used in early film are ones not the most effective ways to tell a story. Such techniques being the focus of the story always takes place in a single frame, cutting to create a appearing and disappearing effect, and no sound at all. In "Jack and the Beanstalk" the essence of each shot is captured in a single frame. The shot is captured and then the next part of the story is in a completely different frame. Such as the scene when "Jack comes down from the beanstalk and the whole scene is shot in that frame. It is very theater-esk where you can't get up and close with a single character and because of that the actors have to use very large gestures to get the idea across to the audience because of the lack of sound. The lack of sound is apparent because they aren't as interesting, the films, as much when you are trying to tell a story. Sound adds emotion to it and dialogue eventually. Then the cutting that is used is obvious because it is very immature film making. Every person that works with a video camera for the first time does this. It had to happen obviously but also very ignorant to the fact of it's capabilities that aren't available yet.
The background and setting creates a very realistic view of the "imaginary" world. It's no longer a theater as the background it looks as if it's shot on location somewhere outside of a studio. Whether or not it was is not know by me. The cuts also create a real view of the framed world by adding more layers to the story. When we get the shot of the bad guys and then the unknowing sweet girl we feel a sense of worry or concern for this woman and we become more involved in the story and that is why these techniques are so effective.
Eric Robert Adolphson
Brian Shea-
Three characteristics of early film found throughout Edwin Porter's "Jack and the Beanstalk" include camera "magic" tricks, a more theatrical set with overly theatrical actors and actresses, and a stationary camera shot. Along with the absence of any sound track. These camera trick's are very simple and only attract a very infantile audience (as was the case in film's infancy). Current audiences are desensitized to even the most realistic CGI has to offer. I am not surprised to find that the majority of these camera tricks are used less frequently in a day when audiences expect the most out of their movie going experience.
As for D.W. Griffith's "The Girl and Her Trust", Griffith often used shot association throughout in order to create a story line for the film that the audience could more easily related to. An objective lens if you will, that follows characters and events no matter where they may be. The setting while still not the most convincing is slightly less theatrical in Griffith's film, however Porter's film was meant to be slighly more fantastic.
Early narrative film failed to tell and good story in several ways, as Marylyn Fabe points out in her essay, The Beginnings of Film Narrative. As found in Edwin Porter's Jack and the Beanstalk we look through the eyes of a lifeless camera set at a secured position maintaining a long shot that should only be used to establish the scene for the viewer and occasionally be used again to remind the viewer of the established scenery. The mise en scene is not only hurt by the drab long shot, but also the the lack of creativity and laziness of not using three dimensional props in the background, but instead relying on painted backdrops. Third, with the use editing that would be an understatement to refer to as minimal, every scene is simply piled one on top of the other chronologically it is not possible to show that action may be occurring in more than one place at the same time.
DW Griffith's film were more convincing, because, for one, he used three dimension props on set, as well as shooting on location. He also used a moving camera, including what was probably a camera mounted in a vehicle to follow the action of a moving train in The Girl and Her Trust. Griffith also made use of what today film makers would would consider simple and standard editing techniques to allow the audience to view the action up close and with smooth transition. In one scene we find the lead actress struggle with invading tramps. With the use cross cutting we see her struggling to keep her invaders from knocking down the door, then move smoothly to a shot of the tramps trying to break down the door, and back again to the woman on her side of the door. Later on we find the tramps trying to escape with the woman held hostage. Again, Griffith uses editing to smoothly move the scene to the would be heros moving in on a locomotive, and back again until the two converge and we receive the happy ending an audience typically accepts.
To many today these techniques seem simplistic and obvious, but in the early twentieth century when narrative film was in its infancy, DW Griffith's use of such editing could be described as nothing short of revolutionary.
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