Movies What kind of movies do you like? What makes a movie good? What makes it bad?

November 1st, 2009 Warm-up Discuss warm-up Stand By Me - Vocabulary List #1 Introduction to movie techniques Look at screenplays and first scene of Stand By Me Discuss homework Charades (movie shot)

Genres of Film Comedy Romance Drama Romantic Comedy Action Thriller Horror Comedy Gangster Crime Science Fiction Musicals Animation Westerns War/Epic

Movies Movies not only entertain us, they also teach us something about ourselves and the world around us. Like many novels that we read in class, movies also make a statement about humanity that we can relate to our daily lives.

Comparing literature to movies Take a second and think of the ways that movies and books are similar and how they are different.

Analyzing movies Analyzing movies is very similar to analyzing books. The main difference is that instead of focusing how an author uses literary devices to create meaning or make a thematic statement, we will look at what the director does in order to create meaning.

Camera Shots Camera Angles Camera Movement

Camera Shots Extreme long shot or establishing shot Long shot Full shot Medium shot Close-up Extreme close-up

Extreme Long Shot or Establishing Shot Contains a lot of landscape and helps establish the location and the atmosphere of that part of the film.

Long Shot Shot that still contains a good amount of landscape or background. The characters/figures are recognizable.

Full shot Does not contain as much landscape or background, but it does contain the whole height of any figure in the frame Two-shot: two figures in the frame. Three-shot: three figures in the frame.

Medium Shot Less background and the figures are only seen from the waist up.

Close-up Contains almost no background, but focuses on the whole of an object or person’s face

Extreme close-up Focuses on an aspect of an object in great detail.

Camera Angles Overshot or overhead shot High angle shot Eye level shot Low angle shot Undershot

Overshot or overhead shot Camera is directly above or overhead the object or scene and the shot is taken with the camera facing down –Street scene look like a map –City look like a maze or ants –Objects and figures look small –Object and figures look vulnerable

High Angle Shot Taken when the camera is above and looking down on the scene or object, but not directly overhead. Makes figure look small Lacking in power/significance Vulnerable

Eye level shot Occurs when the camera is level with the object or figure. Most like normal eye-view of the scene and tends to suggest a “real-life” effect.

Low Angle Shot Taken when the camera is below or looking up at the object/figure Makes object look large and powerful Suggests that figure is dominant

Undershot Taken when the camera is directly beneath the object or figure. Extreme power/danger

Camera Movement Zoom Dolly/tracking Pan Tilt Crab Hand-held Boom

Zoom The shot is taken with a zoom lens. It’s when the lens moves, but the camera stays place.

Pan Occurs when the camera pivots from left to right, right to left, or up and down. It can either move from object to object of follow a figure/object. While panning, the camera must always move slowly so that the shot stays in focus.

Dolly/Tracking Camera is mounted on a wheeled platform and pushed on wheels as the shot is taken. Used to include the viewer in the movement of the subject.

Tilt The camera stays still, but it moves up or down. Usually mounted. It usually creates a sense of imbalance, tension. It is used if something unexpected is going to happen

Crab The camera moves right or left.

Point of View Camera taking the view of one of the characters.

Hand-held A hand-held camera can produce a jerky, bouncy, unsteady image which may create a sense of immediacy or chaos. Its use is a form of subjective treatment.