The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is your Hub



IB Film 1: W24.1Film Research TechniquesYou will be spending time learning the different modes of discussing film and how the fan, the critic, and the academic all have different approaches to coming to terms with the same film-going experience.Eventually, you will have to be comfortable in all these modes yourself, especially for the two external assessment components of IB Film - Textual Analysis and Comparative Study (IS).Both of these assessments will call for you to do research.Luckily, you have a tool film scholars in the past did not have available to them - the Internet.However, researching film is not as easy as just calling up your favorite search engine, like Google, and typing in the name of the film.To get to the really worthwhile analysis of film theory and history, you must do a bit of digging.There are excellent places to begin searching.We will?trace a path through what is out there in the Internet world of film analysis, and hopefully, by the end, you should have a solid sense of where to go looking when you start a search of your own.Start With a Film You AdmireIt is, of course, possible to use anything as a launching point for an investigation - a point brought up in a lecture, something someone said in class, something you saw on the special features of a movie.However, if you are stuck, you can always just start with a film you really like, even if you do not completely know why you like it.In fact, a great thing about researching a film you like is the knowledge when you are done researching you will know it a whole lot better, and your admiration for it will go from instinctive pleasure (the casual audience) to conscious appreciation (the critic and academic).One of the more compelling films of recent years, and one you have probably seen or heard about (do not worry if you have not) is Christopher Nolan's?Inception?(2010).After seeing the film, I am reminded of Nolan's other great films like?The Dark Knight?(2008) and?Memento?(2000).I remember really liking?Memento, talking about it for weeks with friends, discussing it, debating it.When it came out on DVD, I bought it and watched it over and over.? I am looking at it right now on my shelf.I know there is plenty of stuff in there to build an TA around. It is a film I admire deeply. I start there.Brainstorming TimeCompare your list to mineI make a list of all the aspects of the film I like or even simply notice, with no censorship or judgment at this point.If you have seen the film, see how your list compares to mine:Black and white cinematographyFilm Noir genre conventionsVoice-over narrationFlashback structureReversed time structure (starts at end and goes backwards)Portrayal of mental disorderUse of tattoosUse of mirrorsTwo actors who are both also in?The MatrixAmazing performance by Guy PearceImportance of memory, fake memory, planted memory, like in InceptionObsession with revenge, like in?The Dark KnightFine line between good and evil, like in?The Dark KnightOkay, that is enough to go on. There is plenty of material with which to begin the journey.I also need to keep a couple very important things in mind before I open an Internet browser and start looking around.Film Theory or Film HistoryI have to explore a topic cinematicallyQuestions that explore the story of a film or a film's themes (like the last three bullet points on my list) are not usually going to work, unless I explore how those themes are explored in Film language.If the points you are making could just as easily be said about a novel, or a short story, then it is usually best to steer clear of them.This does not mean my last three points get crossed off the list, but I do need to tread carefully.The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is your HubWhatever you do, do not begin your search by reaching for a search engine, such as Google.Google will give you all kinds of useless hits, often about celebrity gossip.What you need is a site that is a dedicated repository of all kinds of factual information about films.This is where the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) comes in.Time to visit the IMDbIMDb should form the center of your research hubIt will not have everything you need, but it will have most of the important production facts and will, furthermore, collate and hyperlink to many of the articles and reviews that have been written about the film.I want to do a little searching on?Memento, just to see what I can find out about the making of this film.How to use IMDbAs each question pops up, use IMDb to see if you can find the answer yourselfThe purpose here is to show you how extensive this database actually is.Type?Memento?in the search box and select the one from 2000, which should be the first and most prominent hit.I see right away I can watch the trailer, which I decide to do, just to see if anything pops out at me.One of the aspects that jumps out at me is the use of the labels - sadist, faker, hustler, ally, victim, friend - which draws attention to the problems of identity and the consequences of short-term memory loss, which are themes in the film.I add those to my list as possible avenues of research exploration.I scroll down a bit and note I can see the cast, whose names are all linked to their entry on the database.I can also see the 'full cast and crew'?and all their respective links as well.I click on that button just for fun.What is nice about this link is if I wanted to find the name of the set decorator, I could.IMDb GlossaryWhat is her name? Find it.Not only that, but if I were not sure what a set decorator does I can click on that link, and the glossary will tell me.All those funky names in the credits you have always wondered about - key grip? best boy? - are all there.Plot synopsis? Check.Note the synopsis was written by?Scion013.?This means IMDb is not just a database of facts, but is also a Wiki, a resource created with input from other contributing users. Keep that in mind as you consider the validity of some entries.I can see the movie's tagline.Genre and RatingsFind the movie's taglineI can see what genres it belongs to, and I can click on them if I do not know what the genre label refers to.I make a note to myself that I might be able to do something with the crime or thriller genres.I can see the film's rating, and if I click the?See all Certifications?button, I can see what ratings it earned in other countries.It was an R-rated film in the United States, but 12-year-olds in Portugal and Japan could have seen it.I make a note about the possibility of a cultural ratings system investigation. Who knows? Maybe I will go that way.I can see where the movie was shot.I can find out how much it made on its opening weekend.I can see what kind of cameras were used on this production.Public and Professional ReviewsSee if you can track down all that info; it is all right there?You get the idea.If you need straight facts about a film, this is the place to go.I scroll a little further down and see user reviews.I am wary of these. Most of these are written by amateurs and therefore, are not very quotable.I need professional reviewers and scholars.So, I scroll all the way down to where it says,?Explore More About Memento.?I find the link that reads,?External Reviews.?That is the list I want.Professional ReviewsPreviously, you have been exploring the difference between a casual viewer, a fan, a critic, and an academic. You want to bring that discussion to bear right here.You should also remember it is best to choose a professional review (written by someone who does this for a living) as opposed to a review someone just posted up on the internet somewhere.2 Thumbs Up?from Roger Ebert carry more weight than the thumbs of your neighbor down the street.Of course, this does not mean any professional reviewer is automatically correct.Just as you may have learned in IB Theory of Knowledge, any expression of preference will carry some degree of subjectivity, more so perhaps in the arts than in other academic disciplines.You could, and should, consider what a reviewer writes in light of common truth tests.The ReviewerDoes the reviewer's opinion?correspond?with what I think and feel about the film?Do their comments correspond with the film I watched, or do they?seem to be reacting to something else or have a?personal axe to grind?Does their interpretation cohere with their other reviews or is this one an anomaly for some reason?Does their review have pragmatic value?Can I make use of the review meaningfully to enhance my viewing of this and future films, or is what they write?largely irrelevant to the aesthetic experience of watching films?A critical thinker should always be questioningThe list of reviews that pops up from IMDb gives me a wealth of choices?I can read reviews from around the world. I decide I am going to read every single one and you should, too.Okay, I was just seeing if you were paying attention.What I generally do is open every link and scan it really quickly. If it is a short one, I do not even bother.This will simply be a seven-stars-out-of-10 type of review and will not have anything substantive in it.If it is a longer one, I read the first few paragraphs. If it seems like the author is making some interesting points, I will stick around and read the rest.Using those criteria, I decide to read the reviews by Roger Ebert, James Berardinelli, and Rita Kempley.I also make sure to jot down the web address, or URL, of both reviews, so I can cite them later based on their actual locations on the web, not simply as a link from IMDb.Ebert's ReviewGo ahead and read both reviews if you likeYou should at least click on the link, just so you get a sense of moving from the list on IMDb to an external link and back again.That is the idea behind IMDb being your research hub.From the Ebert review, two ideas strike me as potentially worth exploring.Ebert notes there is another movie, Pinter's?Betrayal?(1983)?that has a reverse time sequence but used for other effects.That could be a possible path to explore.Ebert also concludes that?Memento?lacks a typical thriller payoff, which is also interesting.Maybe I can find other thrillers that do the same.Berardinelli's ?ReviewHe is a pro who does not write for a newspaperYou will notice Berardinelli is an internet reviewer, a blogger, which seems to break the earlier rule, but look at how many reviews he has written, how extensive they are, and how astute his observations are.I note his comment about how the audience has to accustom itself to the reverse structure and how the director assists the process by including several forward-moving 'buffer scenes'.?I also note he links to?The Sixth Sense?(1999) in terms of how an audience has to 'rewind'?the entire film mentally, once they arrive at the ending, in order to make sense of it all.Both are intriguing possibilities. I note them down and move on.Kempley's ReviewComparison with Akira KurosawaKempley makes the comparison to Akira Kurosawa's?Rashomon?(1950) in terms of shifting realities and the self-serving nature of memory.Now, that is a useful idea.I have a great link to a film from another country.I am sure to highlight this note, so that I can attribute the idea properly to Kempley when the time comes. I am on a roll.I could repeat this process indefinitely with other reviews, of course, but this is enough to illustrate the method.Now, I know I have to take the next step and examine film scholarship, longer articles written by film academics.Film JournalsI have reached the end of where the IMDB?can be helpful, but I appreciate how far it has taken me.It does not, however, offer me any useful links to film journals, so I have to search elsewhere.Here is where it would be appropriate to call up a search engine and search for 'film journals'.Established Film Magazines and JournalsSearch for 'film journal'I see right away that I get some great links to the online versions of established film magazines and journals.These are peer-reviewed (one academic verifying the validity of claims made by another) and edited (another layer of oversight), which helps to ensure the accuracy of the information and the value of the opinions presented.I scroll down to the one for 'Senses of Cinema',?not necessarily because it is the best one, but because its 'Links'?button is one of the most extensive.This site now becomes my new hub.Patience and PerseveranceNew search terms and researchSearching academic journals is often a tedious affair, so I know I will have to be patient and go down plenty of blind alleys before I find something worthwhile.I often find I have to apply more specific search terms in order to locate relevant articles.Many journals do not have a search function at all, so I have to look at back issues by hand.Interesting ConnectionsThe goal is to browse for possibilitiesOn the?Senses of Cinema?site, a quick search with the keyword?Memento?leads me to a book review of a scholarly dissertation, written by Allan Cameron, about modular narratives.I know I will not be able to read the whole book, but I read the analysis of the book to see if interesting connections emerge.I see the author draws a parallel to Tom Tykwer's film,?Run Lola Run?(1998)?which also has a fractured, loss-of-memory-of-the-previous-incident structure, and that is all I need.I think I may have another link besides?Rashomon?now.I read the rest of the article and, the juices are flowing.Journals from around the WorldAs long as you can read the language, or have a good translationI click on the?Links?button on the?Senses of Cinema?site and scroll down to the section labeled?Magazine / Journal.?Look at all the choices!There is?Cahiers du Cinema?(remember that one?).I note there are many journals from around the world, and I try to keep in mind that it would be a good idea to research sources from other countries, as long as I can read the language.You can also go to the website for the International Federation of Film Archives (FIAF), which provides another very comprehensive list of international film journal databases.Reflection on AnalysisFinding parallels and similaritiesWhen I search for Nolan's film on the site for?The Film Journal, an interesting article comes up, on Gaspar Noé's?Irreversible?(2003)?which also has a reverse-order sequence.The article also mentions Jane Campion's Australian tele-feature?Two Friends?(1986).I read the article, jotting down key ideas, and make a note to myself to watch?Memento?again, in light of the analysis of Noé's film from this article.As usual, I log the site's URL and the author's name, so I could, in the future, cite him pare and ContrastDelve into the unfamiliarThe mention of Campion's film arouses my interest, so I decide to research a bit, since this is an unfamiliar film to me.After a bit of hunting, I discover something interesting.Campion's film,?Two Friends, uses the the exact same storytelling device?Memento?does, in that it starts at the end, then jumps back a month in time, and plays forward for a bit, until it makes the next jump backwards.The major difference is Nolan's film uses the device to withhold key information from the audience, which one might expect in a psychological thriller, but Campion's film does so in order to evoke a feeling of nostalgia for a simpler time when a friendship between two girls was not so estranged as it is in the present day.I make a note to myself to watch this film in the near future, as it could provide a striking contrast in my documentary script.This can go on for quite a bit of time, with the limits only being my patience and endurance.It is a bit of a treasure hunt, no doubt about that, but it is very rewarding when I unearth those few precious gems.These are, furthermore, vital in terms of lending credibility, validity, and weight to my own analysis.Assessment AdviceIt is worth noting that the bulk of your Textual Analysis will consist of your own insights, comments, and analyses of the films under consideration.The research simply adds the extra dimension of a more scholarly approach.Citing your sources not only properly attributes ideas to their respective sources, but also strengthens the impression that what you are saying and writing fits nicely within a larger body of international film scholarship.What else can I do?I could watch all the special features on the DVD of the film.Some of them allow viewers to turn on a director's or cast commentary while watching. Who better to provide insight on a film than the creators of it?I could go to the actual site dedicated to the film and see if there is anything useful there. Or perhaps Christopher Nolan himself has a site, which might yield some additional fruit. ................
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