The Birth of a Nation Assignment

Tanner- When the bond fire scene is playing, they tinted it with a red looking color, does this represent the blood shed of the war? Then they crossfaded between the bond fire scene and the ball, which i believe represent the loss of life in war, but the glory the soldiers have in their victories. Next the scene with the bugle horns playing startles the people at the ball showing that the price of war is clearly seen by the soldiers and their families.

While watching “The Birth of a Nation”, Griffith’s use of effects and film style become prominent as the movie develops in concept and storyline. He uses cross cutting in several scenes to display the contrast between different characters. He shows two different scenes at the same time of the solders going off to war and then a shot of their families watching them depart. He also uses the angle of the camera on the white pillars to help show that the southerners are rooted in what they believe in and that the northerners can’t tell them what to do. Griffith does a good job of conveying the message of the nations history through the different character’s personal stories. The wider shots always display the nation as a whole through a crowd, while each individual carries out a specific aspect of the story, such as slavery. Some of the themes present in the film were the struggle between the north and south and the dominance of white over black. Griffith conveys this in the scene in the southerner’s house when there’s a white and a black puppy together. The white puppy gets pet by its owner while the black puppy is neglected and finally leaves the scene. Cinematically, he uses effects such as the iris shot to show the viewer specific elements in the scene that are important to portraying the theme. Both the masking and the iris shot are important to the silent film because they close off the scene and help the viewer focus on what is important. Since it is a silent film, it’s Griffith’s use of editing that makes the film worth remembering.

Griffith uses many different camera angles and shot types to create a useful setting and mood for the movie. His choices for these are very important because it is difficult to give these in a silent film. He uses a low camera angle focused on a tall, strong pillar to show the strength of the beliefs within the Southerners where the pillar seems to take over the shot. Southerners are not going to change their ways just to be included in the country which leads them to secession. This portrays part of the mood within the South to be stubborn and ignorant of the Northern beliefs. Later, when the war is about to start, Griffith uses a wide angle to show a large number of people dancing happily, ignoring the fact that the war is starting the next day. Once the trumpet starts to play Griffith uses cross cutting of scenes slowly becoming more and more dramatic.

Tanner, very perceptive about the tinting referring to bloodshed. Chloe, well-developed ideas about cross cutting and camera use. Ray, good examples of camera positions to emphasize power and authority. Keep up the good work, everyone!

Mitch- The most interesting part in this film thus far was when Griffith used the example of the white and black puppy, along with the cat. This scene represented the current time in the US. What this scene represents is the neglect shown towards the African Americans in our society because the black puppy is not treated as well as the white puppy. Also, the scene where the cat is on top of the white puppy shows how the north is imposing its will onto the south because the cat was seen in the north earlier and is now shown in the south on top of the white puppy. Thus, representing the north imposing its will on the south.

Griffith's uses cross cutting in a few scenes to demonstrate the different scenes and their situations. He also uses the mid shot to focus on the pillar instead of the actual discussion between the northern and southern families. Through each shot, we, the viewers see different characters and the close up allows for full view of emotions while the distance shot gives viewers the opportunity to view a persons full body reaction. The iris shot is like the close up in that it focuses on a certain location or individual. The incredible editing is what makes the film worth of the induction into the National Film Registry.

The symbolism of "The Birth Of a Nation" is immediately apparent as the black and white puppies are shown at the beginning of the film, they play along together as they appear to live in harmony with one another. A later shot shows the white puppy resting in a small bad, and after a short time a cat invades the puppy's bed, upsetting it, as the North did to the South in the Civil War. Another scene shows two brothers conversing with one another, one a northerner, and one a southerner. After the conversation a group of people, presumably family, begins to walk up the divided staircase, and the brother from the South begins to wander off to the opposite direction than the rest of the group. This represents in the years leading up to the civil war, several states had previously threatened to secede from the union, only to be pressured or forced into staying due to lack of numbers.

The Birth of a Nation was both one of the landmarks in the history of American cinema and a landmark in American racism. It has been characterized as a major stride for cinematic ideas and a sacrifice to the cause of racism. The film is considered highly controversial due to its interpretation of history. DW Griffith portrays African Americans as being impulsive and unintelligent, yet simultaneously portraying the Ku Klux Klan as being heroic. Studying this film is important because of its significance both culturally and historically. Despite its ideological controversy, the film pioneered the use of many camera techniques. Though all the techniques may not have been new, The Birth of a Nation was the first film that was able to incorporate them all into one great production. I would consider this a great film firstly because it was the first major film production that had a much longer time length than its contemporaries. Many of these techniques, such as the close up, are influential on film today.

Griffith uses his various camera styles to develop many relationships between characters. He uses crosscutting to show a family praying for their son, while also showing the men in battle. He shows a close up of the black slaves picking cotton in the field, while the white owners stand on the side. Classical, calm music is being played which contrasts the work that’s being done. Foreground and background is used to show contrast between the characters. Griffith shows history and human elements through the different battle scenes. He showed a long shot of the whole battle scene of the solders shooting canons. There are stereotypes that Griffith uses throughout his film that help develop the themes and history of the story. The black solders in uniform barging into the house and destroying everything sends the message that blacks will destroy anything when given a position of power. When the general puts to flag into the canon, this can be seen as a metaphor for hoping that the two sides can end their hostility and get along.

I am very pleased with the enthusiasm and involvement of everyone in the class. You are what make the class successful, and it should be a great semester! Your blog comments are among the best of all the classes that I have taught. Your writing reflects excellent idea development combined with specific examples. I look forward to reading more of them!

In the segment of film we watched yesterday, the unique elements of Griffith's film work was shown in the battle scenes that depicted the beginning of the civil war. Griffith added a personal element to the plot by showing on multiple occasions how families were split up and often ended up fighting one another in the Civil War. The scene in which a man prepares to finish off an enemy soldier, only to realize that it is in fact his cousin, and later parishes at his side represents how despite the differences seen by their leaders, individuals will still be more affected by their personal feelings. Griffith also utilized different colors, such as red, to depict the horror seen on the large battlefields.

The part that most interested me in the segment of the film we watched yesterday was the way Griffith used the red tint to show the blood shed during war. In the first segment we watched, he referenced that the red tint could possibly mean blood shed, however in this segment he clearly shows his intent for the red tint. The reason this is so intriguing is because Griffith developed the idea of red representing the shedding of blood. Today, all film makers now follow his lead and use red to represent the blood being shed in his/her film.

Griffith does a good job demonstrating the sadness in refugees, the families, and the soldiers during the war. He uses a blue tint to allude to their sadness in the beginning of the war but it seems like a few scenes later he has changed his view on the war showing iris shots on the battle scenes and just straight violence so is he reflecting on the sadness or just on the battles and violence? There also is a low angle shot of General Lee showing that people should respect him and that he is proud so has he forgot about the sadness?

Griffith does a wonderful job of encompassing the true feelings of the individuals during the war era. The emotions of the families and the soldiers are well displayed. The red tinting of the shots and scenes display the tension and emotions on the battlefield. Are the iris shots meant to allude to the intenseness of the situation? Griffith added many emotional scenes to add a touch of personal feeling and sentiment.

The film begins with a title saying something along the lines of: "Bringing Africans to America originated disunion." So, obviously, this is one of the main themes. Throughout the film, the black actors are never at the same level as a white one. They are either kneeling or sitting down beside them; occasionally, they even bow. Griffith is obviously trying to convey that blacks are not at the same level as whites. Also, during the first battle scene, the blacks are shown as barbaric creatures who, when placed in a powerful position, create chaos. They are never the central image of the screen until this moment. But I don't think that Griffith meant to illustrate that African Americans themselves are bad, but bringing them to America instigated war. War tears a country apart and puts families in extreme grief. If they never came, the Civil War would have never been fought. During the final battle scene that we watched, he uses cross-cutting to change from the actual battle to the main family praying. So, he's clearly trying to demonstrate how war damages more than the soldiers. He further proves how war tears families apart by showing cousins fighting on opposite sides. It isn't until the last moments of their lives that they realize that they allowed for a civil war to demolish their relationship. Griffith's chose the perfect musical score for the film, too. The music helped create the emotions that could not be spoken. Additionally, during the final battle scene, you see various shots where one or two people are the central image (foreground) of the shot with their fellow soldiers behind him (background). In the background, you see many sub-plots developing. Then, the shot changes to that of the entire battlefield. Griffith's is trying to show how in a war, groups are fighting for the rights of the individual, much like we discussed in American Studies.

As I am watching the film I am trying to view it as someone who is seeing these film tactics for the first time. In today's society people have become so familiar with the techniques that Griffith pioneered that they no longer are aware them. One of his key contributions was his pioneering use of cross-cutting to follow parallel lines of action. A naive audience might have been baffled by a film that showed first one group of characters, then another, then the first again. From Griffith's success in using this technique comes the chase scene and many other modern narrative approaches.