Terms 10_29
PLEASE LEARN THESE BEFORE 11/5
Terms (Some Film Styles discussed so far)
 Camp
 Kitsch
 Melodrama
 Meta (Self-Referential)
 Parody
 Homage
 Pathos
 Bathos
Genres and Art Movements
 Surrealism
 Realism
 Melodrama
 Horror
Modes of effective communication
 Identification
 Alienation
Camp
 Sontag claimed that “the essence of Camp
is its love of the unnatural: of artifice and
exaggeration…” (3).
 The word "camp" may come from the
French term se camper (to flaunt)—in this
case the flaunting of one's homosexuality.
Camp style can be traced back to at least
the early eighteenth century and the rise of
homosexual subcultures within western
European cities. Camp was thus a way of
performing a hitherto unseen identity;
early camp style celebrated a certain degree
of gender-bending, wit, and aestheticism.
 an aesthetic sensibility wherein something
is appealing because of its bad taste and
ironic value.
Kitsch
 art, objects, or design
considered to be in poor taste
because of excessive garishness
or sentimentality, but
sometimes appreciated in an
ironic or knowing way.
"the lava lamp is an example of
sixties kitsch”
 considered to be in poor taste
but appreciated in an ironic or
knowing way."the front room is
stuffed with kitsch
knickknacks, little glass and gilt
ornaments"
Post-Modernism
 Postmodernism as a style is
described as a renewed
appreciation for popular
culture that often remixes other
art works and pop culture in
order to create something new.
Camp and irony often arrive
hand-in-hand with the
postmodern style.
 Postmodern films may play
like a collage of tropes and
stereotypes, and may mix
different forms of media (such
as animated sequences) and
could integrate an element of
melodrama played as camp.
Meta or Self Referential
 Self-reference occurs
in natural or formal
languages when a
sentence, idea or
formula refers to itself.
The reference may be
expressed either directly
or indirectly
The Treachery of Images 1928–1929
René Magritte
Melodrama
 Camp
 Identification
 Alienation
 As a form of identification it appeals to emotions
 As a form of alienation it can be used ironically
 Why alienate a viewer purposely?
Brecht 1928
 Three Penny Opera
 a play should not cause the spectator to identify emotionally with
the characters or action before him or her, but should instead
provoke rational self-reflection
 His style gave a critical view of the action on the stage.
 Brecht thought that the experience of a climactic catharsis of
emotion left an audience complacent.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QCfvBA760s
 The Threepenny Opera had already been produced 130 times
worldwide by 1933, before the rise of the Nazis forced Weill to flee
to Paris in March of that year.
Parody
 is an imitative work created to comment
on and trivialize another work
Homage
 an allusion or imitation by one artist to another.
 (Clueless is also loosely based on Jane Austen’s novel Emma)
Pathos
 Persuading by
appealing to the
viewer’s emotions.
Film language choice
affects the audience's
emotional response,
and emotional appeal
 can effectively be used
to communicate
ideology—or used
persuasively
Bathos
 is an abrupt transition in
style from the exalted to
the commonplace,
producing a ludicrous
effect. While often
unintended, bathos may
be used deliberately to
produce a humorous effect
 descent from the sublime
to the ridiculous.
Surrealism
 The Surrealists saw in film a
medium which nullified reality's
boundaries.
 Surrealism is a cultural
movement and artistic style that
was founded in 1924 by André
Breton.
 Surrealist style uses visual
imagery from the subconscious
mind to create art without the
intention of logical
comprehensibility.
Realism
 Cinematic realism is neither a genre nor a movement, and it




has neither rigid formal criteria nor specific subject matter.
realism has been an extremely useful concept for asking
questions about the nature of cinematographic images
Classical Hollywood Cinema (all forms are realism in a way)—
The invisible edit
Deep focus, naturalism, and the Classical Hollywood style are
all things that Bazin wrote about as a response to montage
Cassavetes style is somewhat singular (his own genre) I’ll call
it heightened Realism
Italian Neo-realism (is a movement/genre)
 Filmed on location
 Set amongst poor and working class
 Uses non-professional actors
 Post-World War II Italy where conditions were very
bad (poverty, oppression, injustice and desperation)
 Films that fit into this genre are: Bicycle Thieves
(Vittorio De Sica, 1948), Killer of Sheep (American
version), and Wendy and Lucy
 Another term for this genre is Social Realism
Melodrama
 characterized by a plot to appeal to the heightened
emotions of the audience. Often, film studies
criticism used the term 'melodrama' pejoratively to
connote an unrealistic, pathos-filled, campy tale of
romance or domestic situations with stereotypical
characters (often including a central female
character) that would directly appeal to feminine
audiences.
 The sub-genre is typically looked down upon by
critics and elitists.
Transgressive
 Aesthetically: overtly rebels against rules and
conventions. Pushes boundaries in an extreme way
 Taboo (topics and actions that are strongly
prohibited by culture)
 Campy, shocking, gross
Subvert
 To upset or overthrow (there is a
connotation of secrecy)
 Aesthetically subversive: Taking
a genre and turning it upside
down by aesthetic choices
 David Lynch took a soap opera
and made something very
strange and unique (subverted
the form)
 Sirk pushed melodrama to the
limit
 Tarantino uses shocking violence
in a humorous way (bathos)