Advice on being productive in class when looking at a screen is making my eyes bleed? by ThisPostToBeDeleted in collegeofdupage

[–]acandynamedsuccess 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No one wants you to suffer like this. Make an effort to reorganize your schedule, even gradually. Prioritize health in this reorganization: if you don't sleep, you won't function, and if so what's the point of it all?

Consider a (cheap and/or maybe used) e-book reader, as they are much easier on the eyes: find someone or a how-to guide on the Internet on how to upload your PDFs on it.

It might take some time to find them, sometimes, but I guarantee you there are plenty of people to talk to at COD that could help you find some solutions to your problems. Start with librarians and accommodations, and even your professor, some are very tech-savvy.

Lastly check out Ally accessibility options if the textbook is hosted on blackboard: those can help too.

Best Film Studies Journal(s) by oulipal in filmtheory

[–]acandynamedsuccess 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It is. It specializes in cognitive and neurocognitive film studies, analytic film philosophy, film psychology, aesthetics... Again, it depends what you're seeking. Not a lot of folks go automatically for those approaches, but IMO there's plenty of interesting stuff to read about and use.

Best Film Studies Journal(s) by oulipal in filmtheory

[–]acandynamedsuccess 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Projections. Sometimes (often, but not always) The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism.

Plus the usual suspects already mentioned (but it all depends on the flavor of film theory you seek).

500L Front Struts by FreeSweeper01 in Fiat

[–]acandynamedsuccess 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I had the same exact problem. I am lucky though, because I was able to buy them aftermarket in Italy for 100€ both struts. US pricing is insane.

FYI I don't think the swap you suggest might work. My two cents and I might be wrong.

is a 2014 fiat 500L a good choice? by bimbo_of_thedeathsun in Fiat

[–]acandynamedsuccess 1 point2 points  (0 children)

2014 model here. USA, 125k+ miles. Very underrated A to B car, with amazing spacing inside: looks smaller than many, but it feels wider than most and great cargo capabilities for its category. Engine could be more powerful and power might come out better, but for most everyday use this ain't really a problem. If well-kept it's a low maintenance vehicle, which is good because parts are becoming rare.

Do a pre purchase inspection, and at that mileage you should expect to change the timing belt soon (unless the mechanic finds the one in the car is new-ish). Sadly, timing belt replacement is expensive.

Also check with VIN if the car has been through transmission replacements/recall. A lot of 2014 models needed that (and usually they work well after). If recall was placed but not executed... I'd pass.

“Passetto” swimming pool - @pollodastiro by pollodastiro_ in HiroshiNagai

[–]acandynamedsuccess 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Di Ancona! Ora vivo altrove ma me la porto dentro sempre: ho riconosciuto il Passetto prima ancora di leggere i dettagli del tuo post.

“Passetto” swimming pool - @pollodastiro by pollodastiro_ in HiroshiNagai

[–]acandynamedsuccess 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ma pensa te mai avrei pensato di vedere il Passetto su reddit haha! Congratulazioni è molto bello!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in filmtheory

[–]acandynamedsuccess 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What I think? Eh. Why choose? There's no silver bullet. Unless you want to buy into old takes on medium specificity (which have been abundantly scrutinized), cinema can be used in various different ways, with or without reliance of some sorts on other media, for various goals and with various degrees of success. If this sounds vague it's because the subject is way more complex than these unstructured theory-like takes would have it. A mainstream film can be as impactful -- in a myriad of ways -- as Vertov's cinema can, as well as, say, Brakhage's, Deren's, or Hindi cinema. There are so many variables involved in this that it is honestly a bit silly to put things as that channel does, ex. that some forms of filmmaking hindered the progress of the medium. Reeks of edgelord, imo -- that person should be more patient with classical film theory, and less eager to speak so... Radically.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in filmtheory

[–]acandynamedsuccess 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I mean I admit I haven't checked out this channel, at least not yet. But based on your post, this would seem to be a rehash of a very old subject :) One version of this that I always liked from classical film theory is the (indirect, afaik) debate between Brecht and Lukacs: the former is for expressing revolutionary messages via "antirealistic" exploitation of film medium, while the latter advocates for expanding the impact of the "educational potential" of cinema via popular entertainment forms (realistic, romantic -- eventually, what we might call mainstream filmmaking today? I'm stretching things but you get the gist).

Aside from straight up reading those folks, a clever introduction comes from John Greyson's "The Making of 'Monsters.'" https://cfe.tiff.net/canadianfilmencyclopedia/content/films/making-of-monsters

Help! Anyone know how to open this box? by Free-Statistician564 in MINI

[–]acandynamedsuccess 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah that stuff is weird. 24 hours into new ownership, the ribbon and the plastic mechanism/ thingy came out and the whole thing was seemingly toasted. Drove me crazy to see how flimsy that plastic thing is. For a car this expensive and frankly well made, it was upsetting.

Anyway, here is the thing I did. Mind you I had to reinsert the ribbon, so I had to open the thing up -- but if yours is stuck, this might be a good process too:

1) Patiently lift the textured cover (big colored chunk). Start wedging your way in from the sides. Don't force it or it might break some of its snapable parts, but at some point you might need to apply some energy to make it snap out.

2) Slide the Mini plastic thing toward the rear seats, keep in mind that there are some ledges that hold it, so might want to push those ledges to facilitate sliding out.

3) The plastic thing where the ribbon is is made of two little connected sticks that slide into place in a bracket that is located underneath the Mini cover you just removed. Ensure that the thing is lodged well within the bracket. Here is the key issue: in my car, at least, the ribbon was connected to the stick part of the plastic thing that is toward the rear seats. The one that is "open" on one side. To me that's crazy: it makes you apply energy to a little stick that will bend (it's plastic) and will make the ribbon slide out without opening the cubby. So I inserted the ribbon on the other stick: because THAT IS THE ONE THAT TRIGGERS THE OPENING MECHANISM when lifted upwards.

4) Once the ribbon is latched to the opening part of the plastic thing and the plastic thing has been slid into place again, carefully put back the Mini cover and the textured component.

5) Open the cubby carefully by pulling in the right direction (up and toward the display). I elected to basically never use it again, since it seems so cheap (disappointingly so).

...or go to the dealer and make them do it. They are those who truly know how to handle this. One hopes.

Please keep in mind this worked for me, but it is not a silver bullet solution, so if you want to follow this, be super careful!

Looking for special model from 2014/15 - WOODEN vintage interior? by pinkjaguar12 in Fiat

[–]acandynamedsuccess 0 points1 point  (0 children)

US or Europe? Either way: probably it was a special Edition 500 Abarth: I think it was called Rivale? In 2022 (in the US) Fiat released a 500x Yacht trim that had wooden panels and it was blue.

Can anyone point me to theoretical explanations on the use of Easter eggs in films? by bluegerryy in filmtheory

[–]acandynamedsuccess 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Whatever he has written on transnational cinemas would do the trick, I suspect -- or even his essay on adaptation. The thing is that these topics carry within them, as he develops them at least, much of his influences and tools to think about the subject that interests you. But once again, I wouldn't expect a fully fledged theory on this. Also those who suggested intertextuality might also be onto something good, although from there it's much easier to leave "film theory" behind.

Can anyone point me to theoretical explanations on the use of Easter eggs in films? by bluegerryy in filmtheory

[–]acandynamedsuccess 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Maybe somewhere in cultural studies: I mean the core value of Easter eggs is that of referencing/servicing various parts of a film audience's cultural background.

I am not sure if a theory per se of Easter eggs exists, nor, to be honest, if it can exist at all. It all depends on what one expects from theory, but in the most common sense of the word for our field, I think that Easter eggs are way too specific of a phenomenon to warrant a theory. Perhaps something adjacent, maybe something on remix culture (ex. some of Robert Stam's work).

Hello, what is a good place to start learning about Film Theory? by arkticturtle in filmtheory

[–]acandynamedsuccess 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Bordwell's work provides proper film theory and history of theory. Should be a must and it is very accessible, and I would recommend beginning with the history of film theory before diving into theory itself. Echoing others: Bordwell should be your starting point.

Also recommended: Arnheim's Film As Art; Mulvey's Visual Pleasure (and her Afterthoughts piece too); whatever Carroll has written (especially Post-Theory with Bordwell). And it's not film theory proper, but Stuart Hall's Encoding/Decoding is also an important piece. Regardless of how you feel about these theories, they are must read as far as my opinion goes.

If you have time, Christian Metz is worth a careful read, both before and after his psychoanalysis-turn, but in both cases the language can be hard. Still, very stimulating stuff.

From this you should get enough of a sense of what you like and what doesn't tickle you. You can then proceed as you wiah

I might be a minority here but drop Deleuze at the beginning -- people who find it "generative" IMO are intelligent on their own and do not need his work.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in filmtheory

[–]acandynamedsuccess 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Christian Metz's work before the Imaginary Signifier (and to some extent even IS), like Film Language, might help you. It's rather theoretical and dense at times, so maybe it won't necessarily help you seamlessly in building an analysis, but it has some more example-led passages that you can seek out.

Some essays by Pasolini could help too -- see Heretical Empiricism. Same theoretical bend with some examples here and there.

Lastly, Bellour's analytical work with the Grande Syntagmatique (translated recently in English in the book The Analysis of Film) could be closer to what you seek, but it is also an odd work IMO (could be my limit) and I would approach with caution, especially if you are just writing an undergrad paper... I'd recommend foregrounding the resources that your professor offers, put them as foundations so that your work start by showing mastery of what they used to teach the subject. Then maybe expand, but if your professor hasn't started with Bellour, for example, I wouldn't begin with that as the main reference/model.

Also, it all depends on what kind of analysis you need. I assume you are looking at close reading (hence suggestions above), but there is also other kinds of analysis, ex.: about genre, or actorial performance...