It's hard to know where to start when trying to capture, in a few sentences, the enormous contribution that David made to my life, and those of my peers—such was its depth and extent. So I will begin at the beginning, or at least what was the beginning for me. Just after finishing up my undergrad degree in English at the University of Liverpool in 1984, I was looking to throw myself into the world of film. I'd taken a single film course, for which we'd been assigned the first edition of Film Art . These people seem to know a thing or two about film , I thought, so I guess I'll apply to their program, even if it is in this strange place called Wisconsin . I sent a handwritten note of inquiry to David, along with formal applications to Madison, NYU, and USC. David wrote back—and remember, this is the mid-1980s, when even a short reply required rather more effort than a few clicks on a computer keyboard—with a characteristically warm and encouraging response. (Meanwhile, from the East Coast and the West Coast: silence.)
Abstract The concept of contingent universality was introduced by David Bordwell in “Convention, Construction, and Cinematic Vision,” in response to generalized cultural constructionism. It was a valuable alternative to the dominant theoretical ideas of the time, especially that of arbitrariness (applied to film due to a misguided analogy with Saussurean “signifiers”). The present article begins by sketching Bordwell's account of contingent universality and briefly noting some of its benefits. It goes on to outline some of the problems raised by the concept of a contingent, cinematic universal and how these might be resolved, concentrating on the case he explores—shot/reverse shot—and drawing examples from Med Hondo's Soleil Ô .
Abstract Building on David Bordwell's praise of Ken Kwapis as a “director of consequence” and his formalist approach to studying directing, this article examines Kwapis's TV work to demonstrate how network television directors can achieve artistic distinction through conventional work. Drawing on interviews, his personal papers, and close episode analysis, this study shows how Kwapis's philosophy that “emotional content is where directorial authority lies” helped him create meaningful variations within standardized commercial frameworks. Using the two episodes of Freaks and Geeks (1999–2000) Kwapis directed as a case study, the article contributes to television studies’ understanding of directorial agency while expanding scholarly approaches to studying television authorship beyond “quality TV” and showrunner-centered analyses.
Abstract Contrary to common opinion within film scholarship, viewers experience inconspicuous mobile long takes as no more engaging, immersive, or continuous than scenes with cuts. Their primary aesthetic benefits, if any, lie in the transitions between different arrangements of camera positions and mise-en-scène elements. We should think of the mobile long take as a type of transition device with some distinct aesthetic benefits: Whereas cuts typically toggle between discrete stagings, long takes with camera and character movement enable spectators to observe one staging rearrange into another. Touch of Evil 's second long take has none of the self-conscious virtuosity of the film's famous opening shot, yet it was as carefully choreographed and difficult to stage. Analyzing the shot helps us determine whether inconspicuous mobile long takes add aesthetic benefits to a film. Such shots may offer no benefit, but, if they do, it's primarily in the transitions—when, right before our eyes, objects rearrange into multifarious, visually interesting, unpredictable, organic-seeming, and narratively meaningful movements of the camera and mise-en-scène.
Abstract David Bordwell's work has been widely received as primarily focusing on cognitive aspects in film aesthetics and its experience by spectators. Indeed, he specifically emphasized cognitive inferences in narrative films, even explicitly excluding affective aspects from his approach. But at the same time, he put forward a multi-level understanding of film aesthetics and spectatorship and followed a holistic understanding to filmic spectatorship that could not be reduced to “higher cognition.” The article will revisit Bordwell's concept of narrative cues to reflect on its implications and potentials for embodied and affective approaches to film aesthetics. It will be discussed whether and how stylistic devices can channel “explicit meanings” on an embodied and affective level, also beyond culturally and cognitively grounded meanings.
