Hans Richter

Reading through the Cubists and Film section of chapter 4 in the film history text I decided to do some digging of my own. I found reading about implementing art into film very interesting and wanted to look up some of the work of a film maker mentioned in this section.

I chose Hans Richter mainly because he was the first name in the section. Can you blame me? Didn't think so. Well I'm glad I picked him because I came across two interesting films that he created. The first one I watched was Rhythm 21 which was mentioned in the book. I watched a short clip that I found on YouTube and what I watched I really cannot explain. It was a movie exploring different shapes and movements of these shapes with no sound or narration. It was pretty much just a video canvas for Hans's artwork but as much as it was weird it was actually really interesting. This was one of the first steps into animation and the next movie I screened of his was another step.

The next movie I screened of his was "Dreams Money Can Buy". Even though I was kind of lost with the plot you can get the gist of the movie out of its title. The part I liked the most about this movie was when three dimensional figurines were shot and meant to look like a "dream". I feel like this could have been a big step towards animation and it was actually really creepy the kind of shapes and figurines used in these scenes. I really enjoyed looking up Hans Richter and some of his work, so encourage you to go off the beaten path on Blackboard and look up a filmmaker that nobody has mentioned.

Oh, and check out Hans and his work on YouTube.

Please explain....

I have thought a lot about something I learned in the first chapter of the guide book we are reading for this film history class. I keep thinking about the point the author makes about how people can say that they understand a movie but when asked to explain it they hit a wall. The author then goes on to explain that people lack the ability to analyze the movie in detail.

This has forced me to really think and analyze the movies that I watch over and over again. Why do I watch them over and over again? Do I just enjoy the jokes? The action scenes? Or do I really get sucked in by plot so much that every time I watch it I notice something different. Ah yes! That's it! I have often found myself thinking "Hmm I did not notice that the first time I watched this". And now that I have noticed that about myself I am realizing that I analyze movies in detail while I watch it and I never even noticed I did that.

Think of yourself as a "viewer" and see if you notice yourself doing the same things. Now sit down and analyze your favorite movie. Every part that you like, the characters, violent scenes, crude jokes, emotional moments and you will realize that it can be really simple to analyze a movie in detail.

And now for something completely different....

Hello people of the blog,

I am new to this blogging thing so I figured I would start with a really easy post; and once I get going in this Film History class I will post more about what I am learning and interesting facts I pick up.

I'll start by giving my reasons to choosing this class and my love for the film world and all it has to offer. I did not expect this to be an easy class when I recently signed up but I was interested in learning about the history of film. And nope, I'm not lying!

I grew up watching movies and following certain actors, and just recently started a Blu Ray movie collection to go along with my love for movies (I know Blu Ray is high maintenance). I recently started to research and follow certain directors in attempt to broaden my horizons. In doing so I came across a really interesting director, Wes Anderson. His films are quirky and out of the ordinary but he really knows what he is doing and has proven to be very successful of late.

So, this is my start to my Film History blog and I hope that I can continue writing a blog after this class has ended. I have a lot of thoughts bouncing around my head each day so stay tuned.