Theory for Film Practice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Theory for Film Practice - Essay ExampleFilm chance variable is thought to be the overall system of particular relations that can be found among the burgeon forths elements. While all of them are classified either as narrative or stylistic, in this paper I will focus on the latter. To stylistic elements, mise en scene, editing, movie housetography, and sound are referred (Keuthan). When the sound was introduced to the silent cinema back in 1927, its integration became the subject of hot pass ranging from passionate approval to criticism expressed by pullulate critics of the time. Indeed, as Dale observes, sound intrusion in the cinema brought about many crises, so that the techniques used to produce silent flashs were subject to complete revision (Dale 637). In the centre of the continuous debate was the role and necessity of sound, if it was thought necessary at all. While the public immediately fell in love with the sound film, a lot of film directors, aestheticians and man y film critics argued that integration of sound in the film was a disaster that would destroy the cinema as a unique art form (Fabe 59). Opposing the views expressed by the early sound theorists that sound creates obstacles to better conveying the films message, this paper contends that sound is crucial to conveying the films message through imagery. Let us first discuss the arguments by the early sound theorists against the integration of the spoken word into the cinema. In particular, the aesthetic disadvantages of the new technology need to be observed. Having done this, I will focus on pro-sound arguments developed by another set of film theorists at that time, as well as make references to the contemporary theory of film sound. One of the most passionate anti-sound theorists was Bela Balasz. He contended that the primacy of image ensures deep communicative personnel department of the film. Since speech is far less expressive than the body language that accompanies it, the inte gration of the spoken word into the cinema would lead to audiences desensitizing. To illustrate, Balasz said, The silent film is free of the isolating walls of language difference. If we look at and understand each(prenominal) others faces and gestures, we not only understand, we also learn to feel each others emotions (Balasz as quoted in Fabe 60). Similarly, the film theoretician and historian of art Rudolph Arnheim argued against the inclusion of literal voices into film supporting his argument with the claim that images themselves speak. Moreover, Arhnheim not only advocated the anti-sound position, he called for the silent films return. Close analysis of Arnheims views helps to understand the essence of most radical anti-sound views in the film theory. In his well-known essay A New Laocoon Artistic Composites and the Talking Film written back in 1938, Arhneim discusses the irrelevance of spoken word in a film. One of his arguments is that the use of sound at the then level of technological development created to the feeling of uneasiness caused by the fact the attention of the audience was mangled in two opposite directions. Specifically, Arnheim contends that in a film two different media are struggling with each other to express one social function rather than exerting a united effort and capture the message. The coincidence of these fighting voices results in violation of aesthetic laws by films with sound, as Arnheim posits it (Arnheim 164). Partially sharing Arnheims critical views on the use of spoken word in