AHSS*1070 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Un Chien Andalou, Run Lola Run, Kim Novak
Chapter 2: Critical Reading and Film Analysis
Two critical ideas for analyzing films:
1. Viewer expectations play a role in the creation of meaning
2. Filmmakers organize details in very specific ways to convey meaning, present ideas + elicit
emotion
Understanding Audience Expectations
-Viewers expect narrative fiction films to be organized in a particular way:
1. Cause and effect storytelling
2. Characters whose motivations are clear
3. Conclusions that resolve conflicts
-Film types that defy expectations, to the delight of some viewers and the frustration of others:
1. some narrative fiction
2. documentaries
3. Avant-garde
-Viewers expect certain genres will present specific kinds of characters and plots and conform to
a predictable visual design
-Viewers may be pleased at genre variations, depending upon how they are achieved
-Stars are actors and celebrities who have achieved the status of brand name products
-Viewers expect film stars to perform certain kinds of roles that may derive from their previous
performances and from publicity about their private lives
Expectations about Directors
-Film directors may be recognized as having distinctive personalities, like film actors
Viewers may expect a film made by a recognized director to contain certain elements (drama,
comedy, violence) or other attributes (strange plot twists)
The Orchestration of Detail
-Motif: a detail of any kind (visual, sound, narrative) that takes on significance through repetition
-Parallel: the use of a visual sound or narrative device that asks viewers to compare two
characters, objects, locations, or events
-Un Chien Andalou as a “parallel”
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Two critical ideas for analyzing films: viewer expectations play a role in the creation of meaning, filmmakers organize details in very specific ways to convey meaning, present ideas + elicit emotion. Viewers expect narrative fiction films to be organized in a particular way: cause and effect storytelling, characters whose motivations are clear, conclusions that resolve conflicts. Film types that defy expectations, to the delight of some viewers and the frustration of others: some narrative fiction, documentaries, avant-garde. Viewers expect certain genres will present specific kinds of characters and plots and conform to a predictable visual design. Viewers may be pleased at genre variations, depending upon how they are achieved. Stars are actors and celebrities who have achieved the status of brand name products. Viewers expect film stars to perform certain kinds of roles that may derive from their previous performances and from publicity about their private lives. Film directors may be recognized as having distinctive personalities, like film actors.
