1) Their are clear differences in the camera works of "Arrival of a Train" which reflects a more realism style of shooting and "Damsel in Distress" which reflects more of a classicism style of shooting. In "Arrival of a rain" the camera is static in one position as it is in one spot as an ordinary train is passing by. This realism style of filming was very compelling in the time period of this film because it was the first step to actual film making. Yet in retrospect, we generally look at this film as boring, for the camera is static and it is a dragged on shot to commit to continuity of the action.
"Damsel in Distress" on the other hand, has a much different approach on film making than "Arrival of a Train". The shots within this film were much more diverse and, therefore, had much more coverage and composition. This focused on different objects or people at different times to reflect a relationship between two things in order to show cause and effect. In addition, the shots used contain much more close-ups than "Arrival of the Train" to capture more emotion and to draw the audience within the piece.
2) Their are glaring differences between the edits between these two films. In "Arrival of a Train", their is little to no editing done (or at least any noticeable editing). The shots in this film are elongated to its fullest extent in order to preserve the film's continuity. In addition, this realism editing style is used to portray real events that can relate to the audience as much possible; this is achieved through pure continuity and a central focus on one event.
Contrarily, "Damsel in Distress" uses full use of editing to convey their desired meaning. Following the classicism editing style, this film has very fast cutting to tie with the close ups on different people and objects. This allows them to take full advantage of a parallel action, and intensifies the film as well. This is exemplified near the beginning of the film where it begins with a close up on the train and the steam coming out of its top, and it then cuts to a women sitting down on the ground. This also conveys a relation between the two that will become more clear as the film progresses.
3) I would describe the the characteristics of "Arrival of a Train" as subtle, yet interesting. Considering the realistic style of this film, their is no true plot or narrative to it; thus, this simple idea becomes very subtle. It is interesting because, in hindsight, I see it as interesting, for my perception of music is quite different than this. I am more exposed to faster cutting and more complex storytelling.
I would describe "Damsel in Distress" as a very intense film. This is because the cutting of the shots are very quick, and the sounds and images are very uneasy. Along with that, the use of parallel actions makes the film even more intense, for the audience awaits what is going to happen in the end between the train and the women. In my perspective, this classic style of editing is much more compelling than realist editing.
No comments:
Post a Comment