Warner Bros was the first studio to accept sound as an element in film production. The studio released "The Jazz Singer" in 1927, which marked the first commercially succesful sound film.
Silent films were still the majority of features released in both 1927 and 1928. But in the next years the sound cinema became mejority. It was a Revolution. We have watched "Singer in the Rain" to understand this revolution. It changed the film technique (microphones, sound and image syinchronized, etc.) and the acting techniques (natural and good voice, diction teachers, etc.)
By 1912, major American Film Companies had set up production near or in Los Angeles. Los Angeles became the film industry. Director David Wark Griffith was the first to make a film in Hollywood ( 17-minute short film In Old California. Griffith is very important for the cinema because he invented the cinematographic language. How can I tell a story with images?
Charles Chaplin was a famous actor amb director in this time. His films typically follow Charlot's efforts to survive in a hostile world. The character lives in poverty and is frequently treated badly, but remains kind and upbeat, defying his social position, he strives to be seen as a gentleman. In music class we have wacthed The Kid
Another filmmakers in Silent Cinema from Hollywood were Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd. We have watched differents films of these directors and they are pretty funny
Africa-American people need to express themselves through the music. They are a very musical culture. From African roots they conserved a powerful rhythm, meanwhile they learned from the Western culture the traditional harmony. In music class we will study different examples of African-American music: work songs, gospel, blues, ragtime and jazz.
WORK SONGS
The work songs were the songs that the African-American slaves sang in their jobs.
Golspel
African-American people are also very religious people. In their churches they sing spirituals or gospel songs. In these songs they express their joy to believe in God.
Blues is a word that means sadness, nostalgia or melancholy. In African-American music, a blues is a sad, nostalgic and melancholic song. These songs are profanes, not religious, and they talk about life and problem of African-American people.
Ragtime is a music piece for piano solo. It is a characterised by his particular rhythm (a "rag" rhythm). Ragtime music was played by African-American pianist called "entertainers". They played this music in cafes, bars, restaurant and also in cinemas. In the movies without sound.
In music class, we are studying African-American music. We will listen work songs, spirituals, blues, ragtime and jazz. To understand them we have to know the terrible history of African-American people.
From 1500 to 1800 a lot of African people were kidnapped and forced to be slaves. African slaves were sold in American countries like Cuba, Jamaica, Brazil, and United States.
Slaves were obligated to work in the worst hobs, mainly in the cotton and sugar fields. They were treated like animals, how if they were not human beings. African slaves had to forget their names, their religions and their culture.
During the 19 century, slavery was forbidden in American countries. In United States, Abraham Lincoln was the president that freed the slaves. From then, African-American are free.
But they did not have the same rights, and suffered episodes of racism. It was necessary the fight of more people, like Malcolm X or Martin Luther King, to realise the civil equality
Avant-gardewants to show and represent the life in the modern world (technology, speed, social movements, etc.) There are two different types of avant-garde art:
-Abstract paint: The central trait of abstract is that it does not portray realistic images.
- Surrealistic paint: The central trait of surrealistic art is that it wants to represent the dreams logic.
Cinema also was influeced by avant-garde art. We have abstract and surrealistic movies. In comparision with painting, cinema offers us the movement.
George Méliès was a famous illusionist and magician that worked in Paris. When he discovered the cinemotograph, he thought that the new means had many posibilities as a show.
Méliès used the cinemotograph to make magic tricks:
Mèliés also filmed fantastic stories, with sers, actors and actresses, scripts, make up and wardrobe. He imagined fantastic plots, like a trip to the moon:
Finally, he configured a new show conception with the cinematograph. Films had to be watched in a movie theatre with music in live. A pianist or an orchestra played accompaniment music with the images.
For all these reasons,George Méliès is one of the greatest filmmakers in history.
