Terms
What is a Story?
The narrative; what the film is about
What does Commercial Filmmaking do for filmmakers?
Allows for filmmakers to make bolder creative projects/decisions because of the increased income; creates new ways/precedents for how films ally themselves with other media
What is Jianghu?
Space outside the state; usually in times of corruption or social breakdown
What is Modernism (in art)?
Traditional art forms and narrative techniques are insufficient to capture the modern experience; formal experimentation is needed
What is Higson's definition of Nat. Cinema?
Used prescriptively rather than descriptively, citing what ought to be national cinema, rather than describing the true experience of popular audiences; production over audience reception
What is Historiography?
What is Wuxia?
Martial arts films created outside of mainland China
What is a Pan?
A camera movement where a fixed camera pivots horizontally left or right
What is Modernity?
Preoccupation with the new and with progress
What is Speaking Bitterness?
Used when referring to the past in a negative way; primarily in terms of past regimes
What is Mise-en-scene?
Everything put in front of the camera; shots, props, actors, etc.
What is Low-Key Lighting?
Shots with deep shadows and high contrast
What is a Tracking shot?
When the camera physically moves through space alongside, behind, or in front of a moving subject
What is the Logic of the Wound?
Describes how emotional and psychological trauma operates by overriding present-day logic, trapping a person in past reactions until it is consciously integrated and healed; a disruption of a supposedly eternal pre-existing nation demanding diagnosis and remedy
What is Culture Brokering?
Leveraging culture for the market; When one moves between high society and low society and is able to create art which is commodified but demonstrates a greater understanding of culture
What is Typage?
Casting non-professional actors based on their physical appearance, natural features, or social background to represent a specific social class
What is a Tilt?
A camera movement where a fixed camera pivots vertically up or down
What is a Plot?
How the film arranges the story
What is a Big Shot?
An entrepreneur able to move and capitalize on low and high culture
What is Deep Space?
A shot with depth; background, middle ground, foreground
What is a Continuity System?
"Classic Hollywood" editing style