IPP Workshop Series: Reading, Understanding and Analyzing Hollywood (Melanie Kreitler)

“There is nothing in the world more powerful than a good story.”

Tyrion Lannister, Game of Thrones (8.6)

Hollywood has come to be known as the dream factory for a reason: it offers audiences a multitude of stories, in which we readily partake. Entering a cinema, everyone has a different background, a different way of understanding and relating to what is happening on the screen. Yet, when exiting the cinema hall, everybody could follow along and participate in the same experience. Why is that? How is Hollywood able to offer such powerful narratives? During the time of classical Hollywood cinema, a set of conventions was established for the audiovisual style of narrative on the big screen. While there have been significant changes in the fields of production and consumption of film since then, what remains is a conventional style that most contemporary productions still employ to narrate and stage ‘good stories’ that ensure the similar viewing experiences for all cinemagoers. From the significance of camera angles and lighting to mise-en-scène and cuts, this workshop addresses the technical and stylistic devices that Hollywood-style films employ. This practical session takes apart film’s conventional style of storytelling and offers the tools for understanding why Hollywood’s stories have remained so powerful over time.

The workshop is designed as a practical course in film analysis, which is open for all who are interested in this topic regardless of their academic level and will proceed in two phases. The first is dedicated to the language of film: filming techniques and stylistic devices will be introduced to the participants of the workshop. Using a number of different examples, the workshop aims to establish a firm understanding of the choices directors make in filming a movie in order to elicit certain responses in the audience and facilitate understanding of the plot. The second phase is for the participants to test their new knowledge in film analysis. Depending on the number of attendees, about three movie samples will be analyzed in small groups. The samples will highlight different aspects of film and editing.

If you are interested, please register via ipp@ggk.uni-giessen.de