NOTES ON THE

APPROACHES
TO TEACHING FILM
Jenny Marie Ballera
Zinnia Jane Fabre
Donna Mae Torres
BSED III-A
WHAT IS A FILM?
Film involves a chemical process.
The medium is coated with light-
sensitive emulsion . Light is modulated
through the lens; the image is focused
on the film and a latent image is stored .
Through a series of chemical
processing, the image is produced .
 It is usually shown in movie
theaters and is projected on a
larger screen.
Film viewing is more focused; it
happens in a darkened
environment.
 ELEMENTS OF FILM
HISTORICAL /STYLISTIC APPROACH

PHILIPPINE CINEMA
1. LIGHT
This is the materia of film
and is is major element of this
medium. Without this, there
is no film.
KINDS OF LIGHTING:
Low-key
- the scene is dark, in general with a
dark background and only selected areas
of the subject are lighted.
 Medium-key
 High-key
- the background is relatively light and
lighting is diffused, non-selective
2. IMAGE
One of its characteristics is
the shot size. References
include human subject-full-shot,
medium shot, close-up, big
close-up, extreme close up, long
shot, extreme long shot.
VIEW OF THE CAMERA:

 Wide angle of view

- covers the subject and its setting
 Narrow angle view
- covers a closer view of the subject
* The camera position or angle also influences
greatly the way we perceive a subject – high
angle, low angle, eye-level angle.
3. MOVEMENT
It comes from various
sources – subject movement,
camera movement, optical
movement, camera speed,
optical effects, computer
manipulation and editing.
4. SOUND
It is an element that is not
given much attention. Its
elements include ambient
effects or sound effects, music,
and dialogue.
5. FIGURE/ACTOR
This is instrumental in
creating meaning in the film. In
popular cinema, this is a key
attraction.
ELEMENTS OF FILM
HISTORICAL /STYLISTIC
APPROACH
PHILIPPINE CINEMA
It covers various styles and
major developments in history:
Classic Hollywood style
German Expressionism
French impressionism
Italian neorealism
French New Wave
Cinema verite or direct cinema
Various Asian cinemas
 HOLLYWOOD CINEMA
(The most dominant form)
Classic Hollywood style
This style is characterized by
continuity editing and the shot/reverse
shot pattern of visualization.
Ex: D.W Griffith’s Broken Blossoms
 HOLLYWOOD CINEMA

Eisentein’s montage
This style is characterized by
creating effect and meaning through
collision.
 HOLLYWOOD CINEMA

Orson Welles’s style

This style opposes the montage. It
is characterized by the deep focus
photography and the long take.
Ex: Citizen Kane
GERMAN EXRESSIONISM
Ex: Fritz Lang’s Metropolis

ITALIAN NEOREALISM
Ex:Vittorio de Sica’s Bicycle Thief
 ELEMENTS OF FILM
HISTORICAL /STYLISTIC APPROACH

PHILIPPINE CINEMA
 PRIME MOVERS
OF PHILIPPINE CINEMA
Jose Nepomucemo
Vicente Salumbides
Julian Manansala
 PRE-WAR FILMS
SARSWELA MOVIES
 Giliw Ko (My Dear, 1938)
by Carlos Vander Talosa
 Tunay na Ina (True Mother, 1939) &
 Pakiusap (Lover’s Plea, 1940)
by Octavio Silos
SARSWELA MOVIES
The characters are stereotypical
of the indigenized zarzuela:
The lovers in the three movies
The authoritative father and the clown in
the person of the maid in Giliw Ko
The domineering aunt and the driver in
Tunay na Ina
The haughty rich aunt and the gardener in
Pakiusap
SARSWELA MOVIES
Musical numbers
 Giliw Ko: “Giliw Ko” and “Tunay
na Tunay”
 Tunay na Ina: “Buhat”
Pakiusap: the plaintive kundiman
“Pakiusap”
STUDIO YEARS OF PHIL CINEMA
Individual Filmmakers (as in Hollywood):
 Lamberto Avellana: Anak Dalita
 Gerardo de Leon: Sawa sa Lumang
Simboryo
 Manue Conde: Genghis Khan
 Gregorio Fernandez: Malvarosa
 Manuel Silos: Biyaya ng Lupa
Second-generation filmmakers:
- produced the memorable films of
the studio years that are now part of the
canon of the Philippine cinema
- Stars and producers realized that
star value was the key to making box-
office hits; but star system did not
necessarily improved the cinema
Second-generation filmmakers:
- their experience showed that
film with artistic ambition had to
continually compete with the more
popular films.
Second half of the 1960s:
- The industry succumbed to the
sexual revolution that was raging in
Europe and US.
- The audience of Phil movies
also increased tremendously
Third-generation filmmakers:
- characterized by a growing
interest in the art of the cinema
- also the period of social
awareness and student activism
Third-generation filmmakers:
- The early 70’s saw the entry of new
filmmakers, led by Lino Brocka and Ishmael
Bernal
- New batch of first-time directors,
screenwriters, cinematographers, editors,
production designers, and music scorers
broke into the industry
Emerging generation of
filmmakers:
 Chito Roño
 Joel Lamangan
 Jose Javier Reyes
 Carlos Siguion Reyna
 Olive Lamasan
 Rory Quintos