Cinematic Expression
Haim Callev 

The book presents basic expressive practices and narrative conventions established in the first centenary of cinema. It is based on close analysis of films, classical and modern.
   The 'Story Board', which usually serves as a film production pre-planning tool, has been adapted as a research instrument. Schemes of shot drawings have been specially designed to enable a close scrutiny of narrative and cinematic problems.
   Timing, screen directions, graphical arrangments, symmetrical repetitions, styles of camera motion and editing rhythms have been analysed in terms of the value they add to thematic articulation. The potentialities of the film medium to utilize space and time as expressive elements have been examined.
 


Patterns of Cinematic Expression and theoretical conclusions about their narrative functioning are presented in the book through sequences from the following films:

Altman. The Player Lean. Bridge on River Kwai
Annaud. Name of the Rose Losey. Mr. Klein
Antonioni. The Passenger Malle. Fatal Attraction 
Bergman. Persona Nichols. The Graduate
Bergman. The Seventh Seal Reisz. The French L.'s Woman
Bertolucci. The Last Emperor  Renoir. Rules of the Game
Bunuel. Viridiana Renoir. The Marseillaise 
Eisenstein. B. S. Potemkin Taviani. Padre Padrone
Forman. Hair Thomas. Thirty-nine Steps
Hitchcock. The Birds Truffaut. 400 Blows 
Hitchcock. Psycho Varda. Vagabonde
Hitchcock. Rear Window  Vignie. Return of Martin Guerre
Hitchcock. Rope Von Sternberg. Blue Angel
Kieslowski. D.L. of Veronique Wells. Citizen Kane
Kieslowski. Three Colors: Red Wier. Green Card
Kurosawa. Ikiru  Wier. The Witness
Kurosawa. Ran Wise. The Sound of Music 
Kurosawa. Rashomon Zinnemann. High Noon

 

The book is based on research conducted for over a decade at Tel Aviv University in the courses Film Analysis, Elements of Cinematic Expression and Cinematic Syntax. Hundred of student papers including seminar papers - based on close film analysis using editing equipment - have been written according to these principles. The conclusions have been discussed in frontal class sessions and in tutorials. Film production exercises have been carried out to verify the conclusions about the effectivness of Patterns of Cinematic Expression.

The book has been published in Hebrew.
An English version is forthcoming.
See Hebrew Version

For more information Email:
optimus@kolnoa.net

Link to Cinematic Expression Film Theory Website

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