Formalist Approach

Answers.com is a website to answer various questions that you could have about anything. This website on answers.com talks about the the formalist approach and how a viewer would analyze a movie according to the technical elements in a movie like color and editing. Answers.com goes into the different theories of Formalism and the different approaches of Formalism.

Transcendental Style in Film: Ozu, Bresson, Dreyer

In Paul Schrader's book, Transcendental Style in Film: Ozu, Bresson, Dreyer, he discusses the different styles of these film directors. One style that I found interesting was the topic of camerawork. Schrader goes on to argue that "Any possible shot...conveys a certain attitude towards a character." The article goes on to add about the way that each director edits their films. For example, Schrader claims that "Like Ozu, Bresson prefers the regular, unostentatious cut." This article explains how different directors have different techniques of portraying a film. Also, it is a good refence for examples of formilism.

Saving Private Ryan

There are many great movies that I could choose to work with this semester; however, I am choosing to work with Saving Privater Ryan. Saving Private Ryan is an ingenious film by Steven Spielberg. Spielberg, who has worked on such films as Jurassic Park, Memoirs of a Geisha, and Back to the Future, has added an element of first-person perspective to classic war genre films. Saving Private Ryan stayed true to the typical ideology of war-genre movies, but with the interesting cameras angles and perspectives, Spielberg was able to capture the soldiers views and thoughts as well as place the audience into the 'shoes', per se, of the soldiers. It is a great movie, and I suggest that everyone watch it if they already haven't.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120815/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bIFH7c9yQM