Paper One Assignment for Film One (F1)

ARTH 334
James Jackson
February 7, 2015

“The Kid” debuted in 1921 written and directed by Charles Chaplin is great film about a poor man (played by Charles Chaplin) who runs into a situation that tests his morals and character. He finds an abandoned baby orphan on the street and not having the means to support another person he still decides to care for this child (played by Jackie Coogan) and teaches him what he knows about the world. This film perfectly presents a good balance of comedy and drama in a way that makes you sympathize with the main characters and route for their happiness of staying together.
Three specific items to concentrate on are its camerawork, editing, and sound. The camerawork (Cinetography) aided in the story telling of this film by using match on action, specifically different scene angles showing different views within same scene and adding continuation to the story. This type of scene change allowed for movement of the subject as it was occurring to various places and continue temporal continuity. I noticed however the camera was always still with limited left and right panning action only. Adding more movement to the camera through tracking shot could have possibly made the scene more fluid in motion avoiding the viewer from orienting themselves at every scene change. It would have been possible for Chaplin to add this technique as it was already available and featured in an Italian film in 1914.
Editing (montage) also embellished the story through a few techniques. Black fade-outs and fade-ins were specifically used to show a new scene with different locations and in occasion a different time. The use of this technique was effective as it was easily determined a different location or time was taking place next. Adding an Iris shot around the subject to concentrate on specific actions was also effective in having the audience see the desired activity. Intertitles were also added to help explain the story.
Sound (music) is also a key factor to this film as it controlled the audience’s response to the silent action of the film. Classical music was played in different speeds to reflect feeling of innocence, anger, worry, peacefulness, sacredness, excitement and love. Violins and flutes were particular in softer scenes opposed to drums and trumpets where they aided in more intense feelings like anger and fight. Diegetic sound was also used in the film to show continuity in the film during camera position changes.
I liked the movie because it had a good balance of comedy and drama. Due to the very distinct emotions between the two, it is a hard story to tell effectively without proper timing and a balance on the depth of emotion. Since it was successfully executed, the movie watcher feels as if it is taken on a rollercoaster ride of emotions ultimately feeling satisfaction with a happy ending. The performance and chemistry of the Kid and Chaplin had help the story by bringing realism, which helps the audience relate to their feelings.
It is hard to find anything I did not like about this film as it was very well thought through in story, characters and overall performance. If I had to nitpick I would mention something I would add that the dream sequence near the end of the film was probably not needed to tell the story. I see that it provided a change in scenery and took away from a monotonous story in scene locations but it did not fit entirely together, which is I assume was a chance Mr. Chaplin took when writing that sequence. In the end you are also left hanging wanting to know what kind of lifestyle the kid and Chaplin were actually going to live in with their new inherited wealth. Not being allowed to see behind the door gave a feeling the movie watcher that he was not allowed in their new life which took away from feeling happier for them. I feel more closure was needed as their new family structure brought on many new questions like; Would Chaplin and the mother get married to raise the kid? Would they just live together? Would Chaplin even be part of the reunited family?

My Criteria for Quality in Film
Characteristics of high-quality cinema include: 1. A good storyline. A story that confuses or is uninteresting will not create a sense urgency to see the film again or satisfy the audiences’ expectations. The characteristics of a good storyline include, an overall positive theme, like if you don’t give up you’ll be happy. A plot, which is the conflict in the film. Thought out characters one can relate with and an interesting setting. 2. Captivating music to help tell the story. Music can serve several purposes that are either important on the emotional side of the movie or help/enhance the storytelling. It is not only helpful but essential for any director to keep the music in mind when planning and shooting the movie. 3. Use film recording techniques effectively. Cinematographic techniques such as the choice of shot, and camera movement, can greatly influence the structure and meaning of a film. The use of different shot sizes can influence the meaning which an audience will interpret for example a zoom-in. 4. Use special and visual effects effectively. Good use of optical, mechanical, and visual effects can enhance the story telling of the movie adding a visual impossibility to the viewer. 5. Have a satisfying ending finishing the story or at least provide a resolution to the problem in the climax. A satisfying ending will create a memorable experience for the viewers and ultimately sum up if the film was good or not.