{"id":309,"date":"2025-06-09T15:52:49","date_gmt":"2025-06-09T15:52:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kayspage.com\/?p=309"},"modified":"2025-06-12T21:57:17","modified_gmt":"2025-06-12T21:57:17","slug":"how-to-read-a-movie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kayspage.com\/?p=309","title":{"rendered":"How to Read a Movie"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>We were assigned to read &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.rogerebert.com\/rogers-journal\/how-to-read-a-movie\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.rogerebert.com\/rogers-journal\/how-to-read-a-movie\">How to Read a Movie<\/a>&#8221; by Roger Ebert, where Ebert invites us to &#8220;read&#8221; movies as we would poetry or literature. He shares helpful methods, and explains why they&#8217;re effective:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Method: Treat films like sports coaches treat game footage<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>What: John West suggested using a stop-action projector to study film clips, just like football coaches analyze plays.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Why: This method allows viewers to pause a scene unexpectedly, examine it, interpret it, and discuss its impact with fresh eyes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Method: \u201cCinema Interruptus\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>What: Anyone can shout \u201cstop!\u201d and start a conversation about what\u2019s happening on screen.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Why: This promotes active engagement, turning passive watching into active analysis empowers viewers to understand films more deeply.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Method: A democratic, immersive learning experience<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>What: Ebert led sessions that regularly filled auditoriums with hundreds of engaged attendees.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Why: Collective interpretation allows rich discussion and diverse insights.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"960\" height=\"540\" src=\"https:\/\/kayspage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/image-5.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-313\" style=\"width:510px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/kayspage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/image-5.png 960w, https:\/\/kayspage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/image-5-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/kayspage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/image-5-768x432.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Robert Ebert<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>So, while keeping this information in mind, I watched two videos about filmmaking. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/vimeo.com\/48425421\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/vimeo.com\/48425421\">One-Point Perspective<\/a> &#8211; Kubrick <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>What: A powerful visual technique where the entire composition of a shot is aligned to a single vanishing point &#8211; usually in the center of the frame (ex: a door down the hallway)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Why: This creates a symmetrical and tunnel-like effect that draws the viewer\u2019s eyes inward and creates a sense of focus, intensity, or unease.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Famous example: <em><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Shining_(film)\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Shining_(film)\">The Shining<\/a><\/em>: Danny riding his tricycle through endless symmetrical hallways, until the twins appear.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"825\" height=\"413\" src=\"https:\/\/kayspage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/image-4.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-310\" style=\"width:517px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/kayspage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/image-4.png 825w, https:\/\/kayspage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/image-4-300x150.png 300w, https:\/\/kayspage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/image-4-768x384.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 825px) 100vw, 825px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/vimeo.com\/38828455\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/vimeo.com\/38828455\">Zooms<\/a> &#8211; <em>The Shining<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>What: Instead of moving the camera physically, Kubrick often uses slow zooms to observe from afar or creep in unnaturally.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Why: Kubrick uses zooms in <em>The Shining<\/em> to make the viewer feel like an outsider, observing something unnatural. He also uses it to build slow, inescapable tension.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Famous example: Jack stares off in the distance. The zoom makes it feel like you&#8217;re being pulled into his madness.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"540\" height=\"267\" src=\"https:\/\/kayspage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/tumblr_40b971f6137ad3bd761586e23e2c4874_a0ffa24a_540.gif\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-311\" style=\"width:534px;height:auto\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Whether it\u2019s Jack staring into nothing or a hallway that stretches endlessly into the dark, these visual choices aren\u2019t random\u2014they\u2019re psychological weapons. And once you start noticing them, it\u2019s hard to unsee just how much power a simple camera movement can hold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We were assigned to read &#8220;How to Read a Movie&#8221; by Roger Ebert, where Ebert invites us to &#8220;read&#8221; movies as we would poetry or literature. He shares helpful methods, and explains why they&#8217;re effective: Method: Treat films like sports coaches treat game footage Method: \u201cCinema Interruptus\u201d Method: A democratic, immersive learning experience So, while [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":312,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[3,27],"class_list":["post-309","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-summaries","tag-ds106","tag-videoassignments"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kayspage.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/309","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kayspage.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kayspage.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kayspage.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kayspage.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=309"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/kayspage.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/309\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":362,"href":"https:\/\/kayspage.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/309\/revisions\/362"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kayspage.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/312"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kayspage.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=309"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kayspage.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=309"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kayspage.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=309"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}