Université Populaire Du Cinema

As a collaboration between the University of Luxembourg, and the Cinémathèque (the local arthouse cinema), 7 lectures have been organised breaking down elements of cinema and going through cinema history. All the conferences are presented by cinema scholars, and feature a film at the end highlighting the specific topic. The posts feature the lectures attended, and a general overview. 

Lesson 0: The Construction of Cinema-Worlds

This was the first lesson and was presented by Dick Tomasovic, a professor at the University of Liège. In this lesson, he discussed the technological development of the camera, and its cinematic similarity to the eye. The lesson focused on the different perspectives achieved in cinema, and the different point of views the camera takes, impacting each scene. This was followed by basic composition rules (e.g. symmetry, rule of thirds...) and the importance of the mise-en-scene to convey detail and meaning. He then spoke of shadows and light, from their initial usage when developing the film camera, to their impact in modern storytelling. The lecture was then followed by the 1927 film, "The Three-Sided Mirror" by Jean Epstein, which focused on the perspectives of three different women's relationships with the same man, and the usage of mise-en-scene and angles to portray these differences. 

Possible Influences for my Film:

The detail of the mise-en-scene, and uses of angles such as the POV of the killer to create depth and meaning within my film. 

Lesson 1: The Construction of Rhythms

The second lesson and was presented by José Moure, a professor at the Sorbonne. In this lesson, he discussed the different rhythmic styles of films, and the ability to adapt a narrative using different rhythmic sequences. He spoke of the initial usage of adapting the time within a film (e.g. slo-mo, fast-forward...), and the impact it creates within the scene. He then spoke of the rhythm created externally, and the difference created through editing a montage, and finally of discontinuity and subjectivity created by the director, in order to portray or symbolise a certain meaning, and how time is subverted within the film. 

The lecture was then followed by the 1975 film, "Mirror" by Andrei Tarkovsky, which portrays the jumping and subjectivity of time between a man's childhood and his later life, highlighting symmetry, editing, and changes in mise-en-scene to achieve this.

Possible Influences for my Film:

The importance of editing and building up suspense, changing the timing of scenes and contrasting them to create unease within the viewer.