Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast Celluloid Dreams: The Psychology of Film

In this first episode, Matt & Mike provide their bios to familiarize the listening audience with their backgrounds in order to convey the perspective through which they analyze films. They also begin the process of listing their top 30 favorite films, to share why those films are important to them, and reveal why listeners should follow along as Matt & Mike explore the psychological elements that drive the narratives of the greatest films of all time.

For their second episode, Matt & Mike continue with their filmic "Rorschach Test" in describing the films that have meaning to them and the personal reasons why. Once they reach the end of this short series of episodes, the hope is that the audience will understand the psychological prism through which Mike & Matt view movies as they break down the elements of individual films in future episodes.

In particular, Matt shares his family connection to "The Right Stuff" due to his father's lifetime of military service and flight experience. Mike relates how Christopher Nolan keeps making films he wishes he had the chance to make, with "Interstellar" having particular personal meaning for its exploration of the boundary between the scientific and the spiritual that has fascinated Mike since he was in high school.

Other films discussed range from the political, such as the journalistic "All the President's Men" and wickedly satirical "Robocop," to the darkly thrilling, like "The Shining" and "Seven." And there's much more to come in future episodes...

SPOILER ALERT: Discussion of all time great films at times must include mention of a film's ending or key twists in the story, so be forewarned that all aspects of a film are fair game for discussion!

Delves into the art of cinematography, including such topics as the elegance of slow-motion, use of natural light, impact of color versus black & white, and role of framing and different aspect ratios. The conversation covers the evolution of film formats, strategies for utilizing point of view shots, lens choice and lighting, and the contribution of Steadicam on tracking shots.

Takeaways

• Cinematography is a complex aspect of filmmaking that directly affects the psychological impact of a film.
• Understanding the historical evolution of film formats provides insight into the development of cinematographic techniques.
• Cinematographic perspective, including the use of point of view shots and camera movement, plays a crucial role in creating a compelling cinematic experience.
• Choices of lenses, angles, lighting and filming speed can convey a skewed world view to alter the psychological landscape of a film.

Matt and Mike complete discussion of their 30 Film Favorites.

The final lists are as follows:

Matt's 30 Favorites:

2001: A Space Odyssey

Alien

Apocalypse Now

Blade Runner

Chinatown

The Dark Knight

The Empire Strikes Back

The French Connection

The Godfather

Goodfellas

Goldfinger

Heat

Inception

Jaws

King Kong (1933)

L.A. Confidential

Lawrence of Arabia

LOTR: The Fellowship of the Ring

The Nightmare Before Christmas

Psycho

Raiders of the Lost Ark

Road to Perdition

Robocop

The Right Stuff

Scarface

Seven

The Shawshank Redemption

Star Wars

Superman - The Movie

Videodrome

Mike's 30 Favorites:

Alien

The Godfather

Jaws

Blade Runner

The Terminator

All the President's Men

The Shining

Marathon Man

Memento

Goodfellas

Chinatown

Requiem for a Dream

Halloween

Raiders of the Lost Ark

M*A*S*H

Inception

Die Hard

Gladiator

Seven

Mulholland Dr.

Videodrome

The Tree of Life

Abre Los Ojos (Open Your Eyes)

Manhunter

Gravity

Interstellar

Citizen Kane

Carrie

Don't Look Now

A Nightmare on Elm St.

Matt's Honorable Mentions:

The Abyss

Aliens

American Graffiti

Back to the Future

Bride of Frankenstein

Casino Royale

Citizen Kane

Close Encounters of the Third Kind

Creature from the Black Lagoon

The Dead Zone

Dracula (1931)

The Exorcist

Fantasia

Frankenstein (1931)

Gladiator

The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly

The Godfather - Part 2

Halloween

Interstellar

Pan's Labyrinth

Pulp Fiction

Saving Private Ryan

Scarface (1983)

Schindler's List

Skyfall

The Spy Who Loved Me

The Terminator

Terminator 2: Judgment Day

Touch of Evil

Toy Story

Zodiac

Mike's Honorable Mentions:

The Dark Knight

The Lion King

The Godfather - Part 2

Casablanca

All About Eve

On the Waterfront

Heat

Black Narcissus

Persona

The Big Lebowski

Sex, Lies, & Videotape

Pi

The Fog

Tootsie

Wall Street

The Virgin Suicides

Up

Sunrise

Dangerous Liaisons

Dressed to Kill

Dune - Part 2

Blazing Saddles

8 1/2

Apocalypse Now

Aliens

La La Land

Amelie

Witness

The Insider

In a Lonely Place

Matt & Mike resume their discussion of their favorite films, this time focusing on stories touching upon the criminal underworld or the world of intrigue. The list of films this time out is as follows:

Chinatown

LA Confidential

The French Connection

Die Hard

Goldfinger

Marathon Man

Heat

Manhunter

Goodfellas

Scarface

Road to Perdition

The Shawshank Redemption

Requiem for a Dream

SPOILER ALERT: Again, all elements of a film are fair game for discussion, so if you haven't seen all of these films and you don't want to know the ending, skip past that film and listen to the next entry.

Matt & Mike discuss first person story elements that place the audience into the mindscape of either a protagonist or a group of characters within a narrative.

Topics include the following:

• Indications of a standard first person narrative structure include use of narration and/or point of view shots.
• However, in many instances, a third person limited perspective that shows only the environment the protagonist sees throughout a story is the format for conveying a specific character's perspective.
• Voiceover can take the form of either a character relaying information directly to the audience through narration or in the form of a flow of consciousness voiceover within the character's mind.
• Some films use voiceover by multiple characters to either convey competing views of the characters ("Casino") or a collective consciousness of the characters ('The Thin Red Line").
• Some meta films that address the filmmaking process work as first person narratives by personifying the filmmaker within the film with either minimal voiceover exposition ("8 1/2") or explicit narration detailing the creative process ("Adaptation").
• Some unreliable first person narrative structures, such as "Rashomon," are designed to convey the subjective nature of reality, while others convey the warping of reality by mental illness.
• Dream sequences can be used to reveal the inner world of the protagonist visually, or otherwise serve as internal catalysts for actions they take.
• Hallucinations can be used in storytelling to either project the warped perspective a character experiences or reveal aspects of a greater reality not normally perceived by the character.
• Flashbacks are typically used to convey how a character subjectively experienced events that happened in the past, but also can be used to convey how a listener perceives a version of events conveyed to them by that character.
• Flashforwards raise the issue of whether the future is predetermined or if there is free will to change what has been prophesized.
• Ultimately, all of these narrative devices enable filmmakers to address subjective reality and emotional truth, which is at the heart of storytelling.

Matt & Mike explore sources of inspiration for films, as well as the various narrative structures through which those storylines are conveyed.

Even though plot details may differ between narratives, universal themes are often explored through storylines that long predate the existence of film. Additionally, other sources of inspiration can influence various aspects of a film, including its visual expression of ideas and tone. Examples of sources of inspiration include the following:

• Oral storytelling history
• Religious and mythological stories
• Stage Plays - both classic and modern
• Short Stories & Novels - both classic and modern
• Graphic Novels & Comic Books
• Videogames
• Artwork & Music
• Radio, newsreels & newspapers
• Other Films - both foreign & domestic
• The Entertainment Industry itself
• Actual Life Events and Non-Fiction materials based upon such events
• The Collective Unconscious (assuming Carl Jung is correct)

Some examples of Themes explored in film and its source material include the following:

• Good vs Evil
• Coming of Age
• Search for Identity
• Death & Rebirth

Archetypal characters depicted in films and its source materials include the following:

• Hero
• Shadow
• Mentor
• Trickster
• Shapeshifter
• Herald

Narrative structures for storytelling discussed within this video include the following:

• Linear - including backward linear
• Nonlinear / Fractured
• Circular - including repeating time loop, time paradox, and thematic circular structures.
• Bookends
• Mythical Hero storylines that include a call to adventure

Further exploration of narrative structures and devices to be continued over the next few episodes...

In this episode, Matt & Mike revisit filmmaking elements addressed in prior episodes of the film school to discuss the following:

• Techniques used when filming the performance of actors.
• Editing techniques for dialogue scenes.
• Establishing character through action.
• How dialogue styles and rhythms either elevate or ground the execution of a film.

Primary takeaways are as follows:

• Distance, framing and motion of cinematography can be used to balance between establishing geography and highlighting key emotional moments that a filmmaker seeks to accentuate.
• The most important aspect of editing character interaction is to capture the emotion of a scene, with other key aspects being maintaining essential elements of the plot and not disorienting the audience with a bad cut.
• Elevated dialogue creates a more poetic version of reality, while naturalistic dialogue grounds a film in a less stylized manner to resemble the real world.
• Voiceover narration can at times be straightforward to bring to light additional plot details or provide insight into a character's inner world. However, narration can also be unreliable to make the audience believe something other than what actually transpired in the story.

Matt & Mike return to discuss the elements that "set the stage" for performance, which make up the Mise-en-Scene of the film. Aspects which comprise Mise-en-Scene include the following:

1) Locations - whether it be a soundstage or a natural location.

2) Costumes - past, present, or future all require authenticity.

3) Props - what are the props that either make the film feel lived in or define character.

4) Makeup - especially that which fully transforms the actor into the character he or she assumes.

5) Visual effects - to either enhance the setting or character transformation, including motion capture.

Once the setting is established for the actor, the primary aspect required to bring the scene to life is performance. A few aspects regarding performance explored in the episode include the following:

1) Casting - whether to typecast or cast against type.

2) Exterior vs interior acting - stagecraft to play to the back row in comparison to the Method taught by Lee Strasberg or the Adler technique attributed to Stella Adler.

3) Non-professional actors - under certain circumstances, is it better for a person to simply be who they are before the camera?

4) What is the future for AI characters in film?

Hosts Matt & Mike continue their journey through the process of filmmaking from a psychological perspective, along with special guest, Nick, a podcaster in his own right, who happens to also be Mike's nephew.

The reason for Nick's inclusion in this particular episode is his musical background as an experienced drummer, as well as his knowledge of film and film scores.

The first portion of the episode concerns the impact on film by the addition of synchronized sound, as well as how sound is mixed to add psychological resonance to a film. The second portion dives into film scoring and use of needle drops to promote associations to particular songs.

Some of the composers and their important works discussed in this episode include masters like John Williams, Jerry Goldsmith, John Barry, James Horner, Hans Zimmer, Wendy Carlos, Tangerine Dream and Angelo Badalamenti.

Hosts Matt & Mike continue their journey through the process of filmmaking through a psychological perspective.

This episode delves into the art of editing, including discussion of the various types of montage, parallel editing, surrealism and the psychological impact of extended continuous shots.

Examples illustrating each aspect of editing include discussion of landmark montage set pieces from Battleship Potemkin and Citizen Kane to The Untouchables and Inception; the power of parallel editing in such masterpieces as The Godfather, Magnolia and Requiem for a Dream; and jaw dropping, seemingly continuous shots as seen in such films as Alfred Hitchcock's Rope, Children of Men and Sinners. Surreal cinema from Maya Deren's Meshes of the Afternoon to David Lynch's Mulholland Drive are also discussed.

Takeaways:

* The art of picture editing is to juxtapose images in such a manner as to either create seamless action for storytelling purposes or convey complex ideas that go beyond the surface level plot of a film.
* Montage is the art of using picture editing to make the assembled pieces have value that is greater than the sum of the individual parts, either intellectually or emotionally.
* Montage strategy can either be as objective as following the number of frames between each cut or as subjective as determining how one image juxtaposed against another should create an emotional reaction in the viewer.
* Surrealism is the juxtaposition of seemingly unrelated elements that when combined create a kind of dream logic that may not be rationally explainable as much as felt emotionally.