STRUCTURE OF A FILM Shot A single 'run' of the camera.. TYPES OF SHOT Extreme Long Shot [E.L.S] Shot taken from a great distance, almost always an exterior shot, shows much of locale
Trang 1HOW TO READ A FILM
Six Elements of Style
in Film Making: How Directors Tell a Story
By Blanqui Valledor
Trang 2Six Elements of Style Literature versus Film
Diction
Author’s Choice of Words
o Specific effect of word choice:
connotation and denotation
Overall Style
o Types and lengths of
sentences
o Types of words used
o Use of imagery/figurative
language
Cinematography
Shots
o Extreme Long Shot
o Long Shot
o Medium Long Shot
o Medium Shot
o Medium Close-up
o Close-up
o Extreme Close-up
Angles
o Low
o High
o Eye-level
o Worm’s Eye
o Dutch (Oblique/Canter)
o Bird’s Eye
Movement
o Pan
o Dolly (in/out)
o Tracking (side to side)
o Tilt
o Zoom is NOT a camera movement, but a lens movement
Imagery
The language that engages the
senses and evokes emotion
o Visual Imagery: what we can
see
o Auditory: what we can hear
o Tactile: what we can touch
o Olfactory: what we can smell
o Gustatory: what we can taste
o Kinesthetic: sense of
movement
o Organic: internal sense of
being
Imagery
Mise-en-scene
o Composition
o Lighting
o Special Effects
o Costume/Makeup
o Sets/Props
Sound
o Non-diegetic (outside the story)
Trang 3Tone
The attitude of the speaker toward
another character, a place, an idea or
a thing
o It is important to pay
attention not only to what the character or speaker does, but also to what he or she says
Tone
Cinematography
Mise-en-scene
Sound
o Diegetic (within story)
o Non-diegetic (outside story)
The tone taken by the movie’s narrator reflects the screenwriter’s and director’s psychological, emotional, and intellectual attitudes toward their story
Syntax
The order of words in a sentence;
the rhythm of the prose
o Prominence
o Position
o Pace
Editing
How the story is told; rhythm and pace
o Prominence
o Position
o Pace Point of View
First Person
Second Person
Third Person - Limited
Third Person – Omniscient
Objective
Point of View
person point of view of all aspects
of the movie’s action or characters
Restricted – a narration that reveals information to the audience only as a specific character learns of it
First person narration – voice of an actual character in the movie (i.e
Cher in Clueless (1995))
Voice-over narration – a person who is not a character (i.e
documentaries) Figurative Language
Language not meant to be taken
literally (metaphor)
Figurative Language
Symbolism
Cinematography
Mise-en-scene
Editing
Sound (non-diagetic)
Trang 4Six Elements of Style - Literature
Title of Work: Author: _
How does the author present? Evidence from the text? How does it develop the theme?
Diction
Imagery
Tone
Syntax
Point of View
Figurative Language
Trang 5Six Elements of Style – Movie
Title of Movie: Director: _ Theme:
How does the director present? Evidence from the movie? How does it develop the
theme?
Diction/Cinematography
Imagery
Tone
Syntax/Editing
Point of View
Figurative Language/Symbolism
Trang 6Basic Film Definitions
1 STRUCTURE OF A FILM
Shot
A single 'run' of the camera This is the basic unit from which a film is constructed The length (or duration) of a shot depends upon:
a its purpose ie establishing a place; to show action; to show reaction
b the pace (or tempo) of the sequence in which it occurs
Sequence
A group of shots depicting one action, or, which seems to belong with or depend upon each other (Say 3 to 18 shots)
Scene
A group of sequences, or, (for short scenes) a group of shots, which:
a depict an event in the story and
b occur in one place
A scene is generally a larger unit than a sequence (though) sometimes a group of shots can be classified as either)
2 TYPES OF SHOT
Extreme Long Shot [E.L.S]
Shot taken from a great distance, almost always an exterior shot, shows much of locale
Long Shot [L.S.]
A distance shot in which a setting, and not a character, is the emphasis This is generally used to establish the place in which action will occur, hence the term establishing shot Given its
function, a long shot is often used at the beginning of a scene or sequence, and may be
combined with a panning movement of the camera to show us a wider area
Mid Shot [M.S.]
A middle distance shot which focuses our attention on a particular subject With a mid shot the camera is close enough to pick up detail, though still far enough away to be able to follow the subject as he/she/it moves The mid shot, therefore, is commonly used to show action e.g as in
a fight scene
Close Up [C.U.]
A close shot of an object or person, the aim being to focus our attention on a particular detail Close ups of a person have a number of different functions:
Trang 7a in an establishing sequence a close up of someone suggests that he/she is a main character
b the first close up of a character (in a sequence of shots), establishes point of view e.g who is watching an event
c a close up is most commonly used to show the reaction of a character, i.e a reaction shot
Extreme Close Up [E.C.U.]
A shot of a small object or part of a face that fills the screen used for emphasize
3 CAMERA MOVEMENTS
Pan
Movement from side to side from a stationary position
Tilt
Movement up or down from a stationary position
Tracking
The camera is not stationary but moves to follow a moving object or person The camera is mounted on a moving device such as a rail platform, a dolly or a vehicle
Dolly
Movement outwards away from a subject Note: The speed of a camera movement (from very fast to very slow) can dramatically alter its effect
4 MOVING FROM ONE SHOT TO ANOTHER
Cut
The ending of a shot If the cut is a jerky movement, which seems a little inconsistent with the next shot it is called a jump cut
Fade In or Out
The image appears or disappears gradually It brightens to full strength over a full second, or darkens to fade out The fade is often used as a division between scenes
Dissolve
One image fades in while another fades out so that for a few seconds the two are
superimposed
5 CAMERA ANGLES
In filming a shot a decision is made about the angle at which the camera is to be directed at a subject High and Low angles may be used to influence our impression of a particular character
Trang 8A character filmed from a low angle (camera placed low) will seem strong, powerful, tall, proud, etc whereas if a high angle (camera place high) is used the subject will appear weak,
insignificant, vulnerable, small etc Our impression of a structure or object can be manipulated
in a similar way
A distorted angle (oblique/dutch) may be used to make a scene more frightening, or to make
the viewer feel anxious, or queasy (especially if fast or jerky camera movement is also used)
6 EDITING
This is the process of assembling and splicing together the various shots which comprise a film Underlying the process is a technique which can be called pairing, i.e a story is built up by alternating one set of shots with another
There are common instances of pairing:
c A conversation or confrontation between two characters The shots alternate from one
to the other, angles may be used to suggest inferiority or superiority
d Shots of a character are alternated with shots of what he/she sees The first shot of the character is the P.O.V (It establishes point of view i.e who is looking)
e Cross-cutting A sequence of shots in which the alternation is between two different locations (e.g A burglar creeping into a house in which an unsuspecting victim lies sleeping) The sequence builds to a climax and ends with the two things coming together
The Editing Speed (or tempo) of a particular sequence is also an important consideration Fast editing involves fast cutting ie The shots are 1 to 2 seconds long Fast editing generates
excitement and anticipation as for example in a chase sequence Slow editing (i.e Shots are 3 to
10 seconds long), has the opposite effect, calming and relaxing the viewer Accordingly slow editing is a characteristic of love scenes
7 OTHER TERMS
Soft Focus
A slightly blurred shot to make the subject seem more attractive, romantic, nostalgic or
dreamlike
Hand Held Camera
The tripod and dolly are deliberately abandoned in favor of this method when a director wants
to create a sense of anxiety or confusion, exploiting the unsteady movement of the camera A hand held shot in which a character is approached from behind usually suggests that someone is being followed and is about to be 'pounced upon'
Montage
The editing together of a large number of shots with no intention to create a continuous reality A
Trang 9montage is often used to compress time (a number of facts are established in one sequence) Films may begin with a montage which establishes a particular time and place With the absence of a visual
relationship between them, the montage shots are linked through a unified sound - either a voiceover or
a piece of music
ONLINE RESOURCES
Pre-production
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5UWnXZa92Oc&feature=relmfu
Outline and Treatment
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5dOY5xZAcU&feature=relmfu
Scriptwriting
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JcJNul9y4k&feature=relmfu
Storyboards
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWPjjoOFIu8&feature=relmfu
How to Format Scripts
http://www.scriptfrenzy.org/howtoformatascreenplay
Lighting Basics
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6e8NJZBiS2s&list=PL1FB0ADA8CF1A10C4&index=9&feature=plpp_v ideo
Editing Transitions
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQIWywngiLI&feature=relmfu
Sound
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujdhCw5u9Yg&feature=relmfu
Trang 10Slide 1
SIX ELEMENTS OF STYLE IN FILM MAKING
HOW DIRECTORS TELL STORIES
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Slide 2
1 DICTION = CINEMATOGRAPHY
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Slide 3
CINEMATOGRAPHY - SHOTS
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Trang 11Slide 4
CINEMATOGRAPHY - ANGLES
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Slide 5
CINEMATOGRAPHY - MOVEMENT
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Slide 6
ACTIVITY – IDENTIFY THE SHOT AND ANGLE
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Trang 12Slide 7
2 IMAGERY = IMAGERY
Mise-en-Scene
Sound (non-diagetic)
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Slide 8
MISE-EN-SCENE
Overall feeling of a movie
The sum of everything the audience sees, hears, and experiences while viewing it.
Influences our mood
Décor, lighting, smells, and sounds
All movies have Mise-en-Scene
Strong Mise-en-Scene: viewer experiences the aura of the place and time.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
Slide 9
EXAMPLES OF MISE-EN-SCENE
Composition
Lighting
Special Effects
Costume/Makeup
Sets/Props
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Trang 13Slide 10
SETTING, DÉCOR, AND PROPERTIES
Bertolucci’s The Last Emperor (1987)
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Slide 11
WHAT DO YOU SEE? HOW DOES IT MAKE YOU FEEL?
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Slide 12
SOUND
Diegetic (within story)
Non-diegetic (outside story)
Affects in Film
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
Trang 14Slide 13
3 TONE = TONE
Cinematography
Mise-en-scene
Sound
Diegetic
Non-diegetic
The tone taken by the movie’s narrator reflects the screenwriter’s and director’s psychological, emotional, and intellectual attitudes toward their story.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
Slide 14
TONE
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
Slide 15
4 SYNTAX = EDITING
How the story is told; rhythm and pace.
Prominence
Position
Pacing
_ _ _ _ _ _ _