The article studies the work of the Honored Artist of the Russian Federation V.V. Arkhipov, which spans across various aspects of artistic activity — from film production design to easel paintings and graphic series. The author analyses the design features of sketches for films, set in different historical periods from the era of Ancient Rus' to the present day. Attention is drawn to the artist's ability to not only reproduce the attributes of a particular period, but also to feel the spirit of the time that shapes the events of the characters' lives, as well as to find the appropriate media that most accurately convey the artistic image and atmosphere of each dramatic text. The traditions of Russian fine art determine the artistic images of central Russian nature in V.V. Arkhipov’s landscapes, the interpretation of Russian epic and fairy-tale plots in his easel works, as well as the witty distinctive characters in his graphic series, which suggests the continuity of the Russian art school.

The article analyses three films: “Optimistic Tragedy” (1963) by Samson Samsonov, “The First Russians” (1967) by Evgeny Schiffers and Alexander Ivanov, and “Intervention” (1968) by Gennady Poloka. This combination is based not only on the special “picturesqueness” of the films and a certain type of eccentricity but also on an ample use of the conventional theatrical space that paradoxically leads to the reinterpretation of the very concept of the Civil War on the Soviet screen in the 1960s.

The article examines the scientific film “Physiology and Pathology of Higher Nervous Activity” about the theory of Academician I. P. Pavlov. Based on archival documents first introduced into scientific discourse, the process of the film's creation is reconstructed, revealing fundamental contradictions in the attitudes of its participants. In the 1930s, which was a transitional period for Soviet scientific cinema, what both the Committee for Cinematography and the scientific advisers expected from a scientific film was, first and foremost, a stark presentation of documentary material addressing a narrow professional audience. The filmmakers, on the other hand, drawing on their experience in feature films, sought to influence the viewer through artistic means, and appealed to the widest possible audience. The article demonstrates that this clashing of values led to the creation of a hybrid product typical for the scientific cinema of the 1930s.

The article deals with the visualization of eccentric acting techniques in Russian cinema as exemplified by the film ‘‘Balzaminov’s Marriage’’ (directed by K. Voinov, 1964). The purpose of the study is to analyze the essential acting methods when creating comic characters. In the course of the work, the main techniques of acting have been identified, the difference in applying them for the creation of male and female images has been found; the dominant means of expression have been defined, including the author's innovative ways of visualizing characteristic images.

The article examines the refraction of Hoffmann's poetics in cinema by the example of D. Lynch's TV series “Twin Peaks”. It is argued that the Hoffmann tradition, which has found steady development in world literature, with the advent of cinema as an art form finds continuation in the film industry. Based on the methodology of the Hoffmann complex, the article highlights the features of Hoffmann poetics in D. Lynch's series and their role in revealing the postmodern concept of inevitable evil (the increase of entropy and chaos in modern society through modern media). The results of the study prove the presence of the Hoffmann intertext and its transformation in D. Lynch's TV series “Twin Peaks”.

The article attempts at outlining an array of research methods and approaches that can be successfully used in film studies. A brief description of each method is presented and the ways of their application in film studies are indicated. The author argues that a film scholar can employ both general research methods and those specific to art criticism.

The article considers the specifics of building the composition of an artwork in terms of its integral structure. It states that any composition comprises a number of individual elements or ‘composites’, combined into a triple entity comprising two figurative elements and a nonfigurative link between them, which sometimes leads to a different sequence of image perception. As a result, the meaning of the whole structure can be perceived differently so that in some cases an integral meaning happens to be greater than the sum of all the meanings that make up the structure of the composition. Thus, the perception of artistic imagery is a temporal process where the same image can be understood differently depending on the sequence of perception.

The article investigates the connection between the use of multichannel sound formats and the development of film theory: in particular, the ability of surround sound to “immerse” the viewer in the narrative universe, evoking proprioceptive sensations with sound which gives a new impetus to the theory of “embodiment” developing in the paradigm of phenomenological aesthetics. New sound films not only put the viewer into a new acoustic environment, but also create parallel universes represented by sound and identified by the viewer as “material”, capable of not only causing a reaction, but also “finalizing” the image in the minds of viewers. Technological innovations in sound recording and sound reproduction due to the introduction of multichannel systems have led to the transformation of auditory perception and the emergence of an entirely new type of acoustic space. With film sound becoming more multi-layered and omnidirectional, the auditory component has been elaborated with synthesized textures as a result of sound design. The aesthetic potential and expressiveness of the “format” sound has broken a new ground in the progress of virtual reality in film and affected the viewer’s artistic perception of the latest works of screen art as well as the development of new theoretical ideas.

The article investigates the psychological impact of American cinema, taking into account some common features. Special attention is paid to the most characteristic attribute of American films, i. e. the use of “a loner-versus-the system” collision. The relationship between this conflict and the peculiarities of American religion and liberalist traditions is analyzed, as well as its connection with the correlation between good and evil, and, accordingly, the nature of its influence on the viewer’s moral codes.

The process of creating a film product means that the members of the film crew are in constant close interaction with each other. A favorable psychological climate within such a group has a positive effect on the overall productivity and creative atmosphere. Thus, the relevance of studying intra-group relations in a film crew is determined by the need for competent selection of specialists for a working team, with consideration to their psychological features. The proposed pilot study opens up prospects for the introduction of socio-psychological methods in film production. From a practical point of view, this can promote group cohesion and improve intra-group relations, while from a theoretical one, it provides unique opportunities for studying the specifics of relationships in creative teams.