Exploring the Art of Cinema

The Mount Street Jesuit Centre is holding a one-day workshop on the Language of Film this autumn.  It will take place on Saturday, 2 October, between 10am and 4.30pm, and will be focusing on Pasolini's Gospel According to St Matthew.

'The workshop will be suitable for a general audience interested in becoming more informed about cinematography - no prior knowledge is assumed,' says facilitator, Peter Bridgeman, who is a graduate of the National Film and Television School and Chair of Films at Farm Street. 'We set out to answer questions about the art of cinema.  How does film draw us in and convince us? What techniques does the film-maker use to gain and direct our attention? How does camera technique affect what we see and how we react?'

The Farm Street Film Club was set up in 2007 and is now going into its fourth season. 'We will use films in the coming season to illustrate further the topics that are raised in this session about the art of cinematography,' says Peter.

In addition to seeing the entire Pasolini film, the participants in the workshop will be asked to consider a number of questions, including how faithful it is to the Gospel source, its use of imagery and Renaissance art, the effect of music and sound and the challenges or opportunities of working with non-professional actors in real locations (Neorealism).

The Gospel According to St Matthew (in Italian: Il Vangelo secondo Matteo) is a 1964 film directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini, who dedicated the film to Pope John XXIII.  The story goes that Pasolini was trapped in an enormous traffic jam in Florence due to a papal visit to the city.  In frustration, Pasolini checked into a hotel room where he picked up a copy of the New Testament from the bedside table, a common text in hotel rooms in Italy, and read through Matthew.  What he discovered in those pages so startled him that he determined to make a film using no text except the actual words from Matthew's gospel.

For more information about the workshop on 2 October, or to book a place, e-mail msjcbookings@gmail.com with your phone number or telephone 020 7495 1673.


 Mount Street Jesuit Centre