FILM APPRECIATION

Analyzing Film

 Composition: The arrangement of all the elements within the screen image
to achieve a balance of light, mass, shadow, color, and movement.
 Camera Work: This includes the details on where the camera is situated and
whether it moves or not.
 Editing: The mixing of shots into a holistic movie
 Lighting: The amount, intensity, color, and direction of the lights.
 Sound: The sound effects and musical score of a film.

Composition

 Scene : The basic thematic unit of a film. Definition: one of the subdivisions
of a film which presents continuous action in one setting.
 Mise-en-Scene: In film, the term is used to describe the arrangement of
elements within the frame of a single shot.
 Shot : The basic visual unit of a film is the shot.
: Shots are usually described in terms of camera distance with respect
to an object within the shot.

SHOTS

 CLOSE-UP

In a close-up, the subject is framed by the camera, filling the screen. This connotes
intimacy.

 MEDIUM CLOSE-UP

A medium close-up shows one or two characters framing the shoulders or chest
and head.

 MEDIUM SHOT

Medium shots frame a character from the waist, hips or knees up. The camera is
sufficiently distanced from the body for the character to be seen in relation to his
or her surroundings.

 MEDIUM LONG SHOT

Half way between a long and a medium shot. If it frames a character, the whole
body will be in view in the middle ground of the shot.

 LONG SHOT

In long shots, the subject or characters are at some distance from the camera.
They are seen in full in their surrounding environment.

 EXTREME LONG SHOT

Extreme long shots show the subject or characters very much in the background of
the shot. The surroundings have as much if not more importance, especially if the
shot is in high-angle.

 SHOT/COUNTER SHOT

Also known as a reverse angle shot, it is most commonly used for dialogue. It
consists of two alternating shots, generally in medium close-up, framing the two
speakers.

Camera Work

The shot angle is the direction and height from which the camera takes the scene.

Types of Shots (Camera Work)

 Dolly Shot: A shot taken while the camera is in motion.

 Establishing Shot: A shot showing the location of the scene or the
arrangement of the characters. Often the opening shot of a sequence. (ex.
Any Star Wars film, as the ship places down on the planet, or characters
enter a new cantina)
 Panning Shot: A shot in which the camera remains in place but moves
horizontally on its axis so that the subject is constantly re-framed.
 Reverse-Angle Shot: A shot taken by a camera positioned opposite from
where the previous shot was taken.
 Subjective Shot: A shot that represents the point of view of a character.
Often a reverse angle shot, preceded by a shot of the character as he or she
glances off-screen. (ex. The Crow, when director wants us to relate to the
character)

CUTTING RATE

› Frequent cuts may be used as deliberate interruptions to shock, surprise, or

emphasize.
› May create an exciting, lyrical or staccato effect in the viewer.

Lighting

 Soft and harsh lighting. Soft and harsh lighting can manipulate a viewer's
attitude towards a setting or a character. The way light is used can make
objects, people and environments look beautiful or ugly, soft or harsh,
artificial or real. Light may be used expressively or realistically.
 Backlighting: Lighting which comes from directly behind the subject,
placing it in silhouette.
 Colors: Many directors use colored lighting in order to affect the mood
more viscerally (ex. The Crow in the flashback scenes.)

SOUND EFFECTS AND MUSIC

Sound Effects: Any sound from any source other than synchronized dialogue,
narration, or music. Dubbed-in effects can add to the illusion of reality.

The Score: Music composed for the film. This music helps establish the pace of
the accompanying scene. The rhythm of the music often dictates the rhythm of the
cuts, and the emotional coloring of the music reinforces the mood of the scene.
Conventionally, background music accelerates for a chase sequence, becomes
louder to underscore a dramatically important action. Through repetition, it can
also link shots.

FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE

 Symbolism—the placement of people or objects on the screen can create

symbols that are greater than those people/objects.
 Allusion—this same placement can “remind” a watcher of something in
history or literature, making the objects work on two different levels.
 Motif—directors may work in an object several times in order to drive home
a theme which they are trying to convey (reflections in Matrix b/c all of
“reality” is a reflection.)

ANALYZING FILMS

LITERARY ASPECTS OF FILM

 plot
 characters
 setting
 themes
 point of view
 recurring images
 symbols

DRAMATIC ASPECTS OF FILM

 actors portraying characters through dialogue, costumes, and makeup

 sets and/or locations
 directors who leave personal stamp on final product

CINEMATIC ASPECTS OF FILM

 Elements unique to film

 Requires some knowledge of technical terms

Examples of Technical Terms

 Close Up (CU)

A shot of one face or object that fills the screen completely.

Gives importance to object

Allows us to see the emotion of a particular character

 High Angle (h/a)

Angles are defined by where the camera is placed

Camera looks down on what is being photographed

Takes away power of the subject of shot

 Long Shot (LS)

A relative term

A shot taken from a sufficient distance to show a landscape, a building, or a large

crowd