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Rodney · 10-06-2004, 04:42 PM

You should see a lot of the old ones that influenced the top filmmakers of the last 20 years.

Kurosawa, definitely. He influenced the American western (Seven Samurai) science fiction (Hidden Fortress, as Mr. Skillman says), and Rashomon. Rashoman's gimmick of multiple viewpoints of the same story has been used again and again by modern filmmakers.

Look at Orson Welles -- there are a lot of great techniques there to absorb. Citizen Kane, the Stranger, Lady from Shanghai, and last but not least Touch of Evil (I'd bet Quentin Tarantino has seen that one 100 times). TOE starts with an unbroken five-minute long boom shot that travels across half a city; I won't spoil it for you with details. As a film production major, you shouldn't miss it.

Take a good look at classic film noir, both for ideas with camera angles, lighting, storytelling devices, and more. For a start: The Third Man, Out of the Past (Jacques Tourneur), the Big Heat (Fritz Lang), Laura (Preminger) Phantom Lady (Siodmak -- Germans were really _good_ at film noir), The Killers, and more.

That's it for now. But if you don't see at least a couple of Marx Brothers' movies, your education isn't complete. If you're in college, check out Horse Feathers; Duck Soup is probably one of the most cynical comedies ever made by vaudeville comedians; and, well, A Night at the Opera I just love.

10-06-2004, 04:42 PM	#6 (permalink)
Rodney Observant Ruminant Location: Rich Wannabe Hippie Town	You should see a lot of the old ones that influenced the top filmmakers of the last 20 years. Kurosawa, definitely. He influenced the American western (Seven Samurai) science fiction (Hidden Fortress, as Mr. Skillman says), and Rashomon. Rashoman's gimmick of multiple viewpoints of the same story has been used again and again by modern filmmakers. Look at Orson Welles -- there are a lot of great techniques there to absorb. Citizen Kane, the Stranger, Lady from Shanghai, and last but not least Touch of Evil (I'd bet Quentin Tarantino has seen that one 100 times). TOE starts with an unbroken five-minute long boom shot that travels across half a city; I won't spoil it for you with details. As a film production major, you shouldn't miss it. Take a good look at classic film noir, both for ideas with camera angles, lighting, storytelling devices, and more. For a start: The Third Man, Out of the Past (Jacques Tourneur), the Big Heat (Fritz Lang), Laura (Preminger) Phantom Lady (Siodmak -- Germans were really _good_ at film noir), The Killers, and more. That's it for now. But if you don't see at least a couple of Marx Brothers' movies, your education isn't complete. If you're in college, check out Horse Feathers; Duck Soup is probably one of the most cynical comedies ever made by vaudeville comedians; and, well, A Night at the Opera I just love. Last edited by Rodney; 10-06-2004 at 04:46 PM..