Casablanca Film Techniques

(106) insert shot: In Into the Wild(2007) an insert shot of the pages in the book about botany is used when Christopher McCandless is trying to see what plants are edible or not. The audience is able to see his anxiety trying to find

The characters in Casablanca all contribute to the political allegory, for example Rick is strong and isolated like America, Strasser is the typical Nazi general representing Germany, and Renault is compliant with the Germans like France. American Rick and European Louis look out for each other's interests throughout the film, just as America and Western Europe did once the United States entered the war. Renault had to obey and follow the Strasser?s demands until he had leverage and the knowledge that he could defeat or overcome

He starts off with a medium shot of the individual in the center of the screen; they start rapidly listing off racial slurs and stereotypes and the camera zooms in which emphasizes how violent it is. By the end of the rampage, the shot is an extreme close-up of the character’s face and you can feel the anger and hatred they have for that particular race. The climactic buildup at the end of the film was full of canted angles, shadowy lighting, dozens of fast shot/reverse shots that in full only lasted less than two minutes. The scene at the end of the movie, the hierarchy of confrontations and tensions between the characters, is a canted low angle shot of Radio Raheem and Buggin’ Out after they stormed into Sal’s Pizza Shop makes them appear more powerful and intimidating than Sal. All the shots of Sal are a counterclockwise tilt high angle, causing him to look inferior. The quick cuts back and forth between the two gives the film a sense of the tensions and anger. It is not until Sal rises up to the plate and smashes the radio, that he is being filmed at a leveled angle to show that he is not inferior anymore, but at the same

The muddled and messy sounds from the violinist escalated to a strong and beautiful melody, in sync with the tension built in the story. The effect of sound and tune on character emotion within the film complimented the drastic advance of excitement and tension throughout the dance from Harrison and his partner on stage. Not only was it the sound of the radio handicaps that affected the build of tension, but it was also a compilation of background noises which influenced the direction of the reader's attention at key moments throughout the film. During the brief cuts to Hazel Bergeron washing the dishes the sound created by the running water drowned out the news reporter and the entire clip of Harrison's display on stage. Hazel was oblivious to the situation presented, thus demonstrating her lack of awareness throughout the entire film.

The image is brighter and sharper in the film. The contrast of the film really affects the mood. Since the contrast is so bright the viewer is bound to stay focused and aware because everything is so catchy and noticeable. Also, the exposure changes throughout the film. At the very beginning the film starts in black and white and changed to color as the story progressed. The filmmaker uses a lot of Long Takes, each shot of Dorothy meeting someone new is pretty lengthy.

Even though the film is essentially a visual experience, the use of sound has become extremely important in modern film. The modern viewer hears a complicated soundtrack that is as meaningful as the image on the screen. Three elements comprise the film's soundtrack: the dialogue, the sound effects, and the musical score. The proper balance and mix of these elements produced the essential emphasis required, which created the desired effects. As explained by Joseph Boggs and Dennis Petrie,

In the 1942 film, Casablanca directed by Michael Curtiz, is a classic film noir. A film noir or black film, is characterized by the tone of dark elements, physically and psychologically, the element of crime, and the element of World War II and post-war disillusionment with influences of German expressionism. This film captivates the classic film noir characteristics thematically through Rick Blaine’s behavior, the characters and atmosphere, and the significance of the one setting used through the entire film as well as cinematically through the overall cinematic elements that establish scenery.

2. Describe three different camera shots the director uses in Casablanca. What effect does each of these shots have on the plot, mood, etc. of the film? Three different camera shots that they had in the movie was, high angle, birds eye and eye level. The effects that it gives can be explained i n numerous ways, such as the high angle to show what the existing environment around what they are talking about or filming, then there is the bird's eye view which shows more of the detail of what the cameraman is filming, and then there is the eye level that will pretty much be the basic idea of getting what important while filming a person or object.

Based on the novel by Melina Marcetta and directed by Kate Woods, the film “Looking for Alibrandi” highlights the importance of the personal search for identity and sense of belonging. The film explores the story of Josephine Alibrandi, who struggles to discover her true identity as she is unable to relate to her Italian heritage but also does not feel like she fits in with her Australian friends either. Coming from none – Australian background, it was impossible for me to not relate to her situation. One technique that Woods used to convey this theme is voice–over narration, as used at the beginning of the play, during the national Italian festival “The Tomato Day”: "You may think this is all quirky and cute but I actually find it really embarrassing".

Casablanca, as well as promoting American involvement and patriotism, was used as subtle propaganda for the American people. As previously stated, the absence of focus on the war let the characters and story take center-stage. Rather than the entire film be about war and the fight, it focuses on the individual strength, character, and leadership of a man. The film was about people rather

In contrast, Rick's lighting creates an exhausted image of the older night club owner. His key light casts shadows which emphasize wrinkles. This wearied picture of, complicates the relationship between Ilsa and Rick. Clearly Ilsa, who has wronged Rick, sympathizes and wants to reach out to him. However, her relationship with Lazlo precludes the possibility of Ilsa consummating her love for Rick. Thus, the lighting places a difference between Rick, a pathetic bachelor, and Ilsa, the innocent, angelic lady. The characters posses qualities that are both acceptable, however in this particular instance it's easy to believe that the audience still is glued to Rick and isn't fooled by the angelic portrayal of Ingrid Bergman's Ilsa.

Casablanca, the crowning achievement of director Michael Curtiz, which was released in 1942, is a film that had to work against the pressing concerns associated with World War II to stay relevant in both cinematic and general audiences. The writing, which was done by Julius J. Epstein, Philip G. Epstein, and Howard Koch, had to be inspirational yet uncontroversial. With actors like Humphrey Bogart as Rick Blaine, Ingrid Bergman as Ilsa Lund, Claude Rains as Captain Louis Renault, and Paul Henreid as the French revolutionary Victor Laszlo, Casablanca has a respectable cast. The movie initially appears to fit the film noir genre because of its smoky backdrops with muted colors,

“The most exciting moment is the moment when I add the sound… At this moment, I tremble.” (Akira Kurosawa) Sound is arguably the most important concept in cinema studies, being there ever since the beginnings. It can radically change the way a motion picture is looked at and it can render what the director may sometimes find hard to depict using only his camera. Looking upon silent cinema one discovers an era which wasn’t at all silent, but rich in sound of different forms, from the simple narration of the images shown on screen, accompanied by a piano, to the complex score later composed specifically for that film. An example of that complex score is shown in Sunrise, a film by F.W. Murnau, which lies at the border between silent cinema and sound cinema. Considered to be one of the first films with an actual score, Sunrise is a great example of the multitude of dimensions and effects sound can have.

In the film Casablanca they show various different aspects of American culture during the wartime forties. These things are cumulated in the films sole American, whose name is Rick. However this film not only shows the culture of Americans but also shows a look into what Americans viewed the war as. The values of people and what was considered obtuse for society are ever changing, and you can see this as plain as day within the movies and films of the time. Casablanca is an amazing example for this because it is special in the fact that it’s the only play written during the time that was never played but was instead turned straight into a movie. Now let’s take a more in-depth look into the movie and how it’s connected to the people who were meant to watch it.

“St.Vincent” is a great film full of a bunch of mysteries involving mostly Bill Murray who plays Vincent in the movie. He is a very unusual character and you really have to get deep into the picture of it to really understand all his problems and why he acts certain ways. It is a great movie that keeps the audience at the edge of their seat waiting for what will be the next scene to come up in this thrilling comedy film.