Illustrate the basic ways that movement is used within the genres of slapstick comedies, action films, dance movies, animation, and musicals

Question

Please provide the best answer for the statement.

Answer 1

2. Kinetics (the art of motion)
a. relating film genres to movement
i. a naturalistic actor like Bruce Willis uses only realistic movements
ii. pantomimists like Charles Chaplin tended to use motion more balletically, more symbolically
iii. even more stylized are the movements of performers in a musical
b. intrinsic meanings associated with various portions of the frame are closely related to the significance of certain kinds of movements
i. upward motion seems soaring and free because it conforms to the eye’s natural tendency to move upward over a composition
ii. movements in this direction often suggest aspiration, joy, power, and authority
iii. downward movements suggest opposite ideas: grief, death, insignificance, depression, weakness
c. psychological implications of movement
i. because the eye tends to read a picture from left to right, physical movement in this direction seems psychologically natural
ii. movement from right to left often seems inexplicably tense and uncomfortable
iii. movement toward or away from the camera is somewhat like a character moving toward or away from us
1. movement toward the audience is generally strong and assertive, suggesting confidence on the part of the moving character
2. movement away from the camera tends to decrease the intensity and the character seems to grow remote
d. lateral movement vs. depth on the screen
i. generally, if the character moves from right to left (or vice versa, he or she will seem determined and efficient
ii. lateral movements tend to emphasize speed and efficiency
iii. when a character moves in or out of the depth of a scene, the effect is often one of slowness
iv. when depth movement is photographed in an uninterrupted lengthy take, the audience tends to anticipate the conclusion of the movement
e. movement in relation to shots and angles
i. distance and angle from which movement is photographed determine much of its meaning
ii. the longer and higher the shot, the slower the movement tends to appear
iii. from close and low angles, movement seems more intense, speeded up
f. movement vs. stasis
i. movement in film is a subtle issue, for it’s necessarily dependent on the kind of shot used
ii. neither movement or stasis is more “intrinsically filmic” than the other
iii. epic and psychological movies use movement in different ways, with emphasis on different shots
1. epic movies usually depend on the longer shots for their effects
2. psychological films tend to use the closer shots
3. one stresses action, the other reaction
iv. two filmmakers can approach the same story and produce totally different results
1. Hamlet is a good example
2. Olivier vs. Zeffirelli
v. conveying emotions through kinetic symbolism
1. Sergei Eisenstein’s Old and New
2. Charles Vidor’s Ladies in Retirement
3. ecstasy and joy are often expressed by expansive motions
4. fear by a variety of tentative or trembling movements
5. eroticism can be conveyed through the use of undulating motions
vi. minimalist movement
1. Ozu and Bresson
2. experiments in restricted movement such as in Buried