Mrs. M. Borys Adapted from B. Smilanich & D. Way FILM UNIT

 Definition: A film is a form of art that enacts a story by sound and a sequence of images giving the illusion of continuous movement. It uses various techniques to convey meaning and narrative and to elicit a response from the viewer. FILM STUDY

 Motion picture films first came to exist in the late 1800s.  At first, the films recorded only the visual aspect of the action in black and white (a.k.a. silent films).  They came to be referred to as “movies” in reference to the fact that they were “moving pictures.”  An independent “soundtrack” consisting mostly of music and some sound effects was usually played with the film in the theatre. HISTORY

 The dialogue was communicated to the audience via “intertitles” where the words were displayed on the screen by themselves to be read by the audience.  By the late1920s, the technology to record sound with the visuals had been developed and people went to see these “talkies” in theatres.  Films were first recorded in colour in the 1930s, but it became much more common in the 1960s.  Historically, movies were filmed on celluloid film, usually at 24 frames per second.

 Scene  Shots  Proxemics  Takes (or shot duration)  Camera Angles  Camera Movements  Transitions/Cuts/Editing  Sound ELEMENTS AND TECHNIQUES OF FILM:

 Scene – what is in front of the camera  Mise en Scène  When applied to film, “mise en scène” refers to everything that appears in front of the camera and its arrangement.  This includes sets, props, actors, costumes, colour schemes and lighting.  It also includes the positioning and movement of actors on the set, which is called “blocking”.  This French term comes from the theatre and it literally means "put into the scene.” 1. SCENE

 Open Space  The frame is almost completely “empty,” except for the small figure of a person in the middle of the screen [‘empty’ meaning no other people and/or few objects/colours].  It emphasizes the person’s insignificance, smallness, isolation.

 Negative Space  An “unfilled” area of the frame, usually off-centre.  Creates suspense and tension in the viewer because viewer does not like things to be empty or unbalanced and expects it to be filled.

 Internal Framing (a.k.a. Reframing)  A person in the movie is framed within the actual frame of the shot.  E.g. a person framed by a doorway, or through a window. It emphasizes the entrapment or isolation of the person.

 Shot - a continuous strip of motion picture film, created of a series of frames, that runs for an uninterrupted period of time. 2. SHOT

 Proxemics - the apparent distance from the camera to the subject

 Long shot: typically shows the entire object or human figure and is usually intended to place it in some relation to its surroundings. Landscapes are an example of an extreme-long shot.

 Medium shot: a shot focusing on a character and his/her immediate surroundings. A person is usually shown from the knees up.

 Close-up: tightly frames a person or object. The most common close-ups are ones of actors' faces or significant objects. They may be used to show emotion or tension.

 Extreme close-up: focuses on a single facial feature, such as lips or eyes.

 Take or Shot Duration - the length of time that is spent on one continuous shot between cuts.  Lengthy: (Long): an uninterrupted shot in a film which lasts much longer than the conventional editing pace either of the film itself or of films in general, usually lasting several minutes.  Average: a shot in a film lasting the conventional editing pace either of the film itself or of films in general. Average Shot Length of US films released in 2007 was 2.5 seconds.shot

 Quick: a shot in a film shorter the conventional editing pace either of the film itself or of films in general.  Subliminal: a shot in a film too quick to be consciously perceived.

 Camera Angles – the camera’s angle of view relative to the subject being photographed.  NOTE: They are named for where the camera is, relative to the subject. 3. CAMERA ANGLES

 High Angle: camera “looks” down on a character, often shows vulnerability or weakness.

 Eye Level: “looks” at an eye-level angle to a character or object, giving a sense of equality between subject and audience.

 Low Angle: “looks” up at a character or object, often at knee height. Often used to give the figure a dominant and powerful presence; the audience is made to feel submissive.

 Angle of Destiny: Looking down from a very high angle, usually offset from a corner, giving a sense of omniscience. It usually indicates something important, life-altering, is about to happen.

 Canted Angle: The camera is tilted to show the scene at an angle. Often used to portray the psychological uneasiness or tension (i.e. horror and science fiction).

 Freeze Frame: one shot is printed in a single frame several times, in order to make an interesting illusion of a still photograph. Usually used at the end of a scene for dramatic effect, often to suggest a lack of closure.

 Camera movement - refers both to the direction the camera is moving and to the method of movement. 4. CAMERA MOVEMENT

 Pan  Movement of the camera from side to side (horizontal movement) to follow the action in a scene.  If your head were a camera, the movement would be similar to you shaking your head “no.”  The word pan is a contraction of the word panoramic.  Pan shots are often used to establish the setting for the audience.

 Tilt  The camera swivels upward or downward on a stationary support (vertical movement).  If your head were a camera, the movement would be similar to you nodding “yes,” up and down.  It may be a way that the director makes a statement about high or low objects. I.e. how a mountain climber feels overwhelmed by the peak in front of her.

 Dolly or Track  The camera is mounted on a cart or some other wheeled platform so that it can move on rails.  It can move alongside the subject, and keep pace with it, forward, backward, or around the subject.  The camera can also dolly or track in towards the subject or away from the subject.  Unlike panning or tilting, the camera itself physically moves.

 Zoom (in or out)  Through the use of a special lens (named, not surprisingly, a zoom lens), the camera can appear to move towards or away from a subject quite quickly.  The sense of movement is usually more rapid with a zoom than with a dolly in or out.  NOTE that the camera does NOT move, merely the lens.

 The “Push In”  The camera, either slowly or swiftly, tracks up to the subject’s face.  It is usually used to build tension leading to a sudden realization.

 The Spiral Shot  The camera “circles” around an individual or a group of people (sometimes around a table).  It may be a quick spiraling motion to suggest disorientation or panic, or a slow circular motion to suggest relaxation or to encourage close listening.

 Pull back (reveal)  The camera moves back allowing new elements to be seen.

 Point of view shot  The viewer sees the scene from the perspective of one of the characters.  This is usually used to connect the viewer emotionally to the character.

 Transitions/Cuts/Editing - Editing is the job of assembling all the shots and the scenes of film together to tell a cohesive story. 5. TRANSITIONS/CUTS/EDITING

 Cut  An instantaneous change from one shot to another.

 Dissolve  A visual effect created by the gradual disappearance of one shot while another shot gradually appears and comes into clear focus.  For a brief time the images blend in superimposition (exposure of more than one image on the same film strip), which may be used for symbolic effect.  Dissolves are used to suggest a change of setting or a longer lapse of time than in a cut, so they are often used to begin or end flashbacks.

 Match Dissolve  The same as a dissolve, except that a shape maintains its image throughout both shots. It emphasizes a connection between those two things.

 Jump cut  The middle section of a continuous shot is removed, and the beginning and end of the shot are then joined together.  The technique breaks continuity in space and time and produces a startling or disorienting effect.  Any moving objects in the shot will appear to jump to a new position.

 Fade in/ Fade out:  A transition where the image appears from (in) or fades to (out) a black or white screen.  The fade out/in is usually used to indicate the passage of time or a change of location in narrative.

 Swish Pan (a.k.a. Flash Pan or Zip Pan or Whip Pan)  A horizontal camera movement where the speed of the camera is so fast that only blurred images are recorded.  Often used to connect events in different places that are actually connected.

 Wipe  A transition between shots in which a line passes across the screen, eliminating the first shot as it goes and replacing it with the next one. E.g. a simple edge, an expanding circle or the turning of a page.  The images do NOT blend, as in a dissolve.

 Split Screen  When the screen is split into two or more screens. It is usually used to show action in different places occurring simultaneously.

 Diegetic sound  Sound that has a source in the world of the story, such as dialogue spoken by characters, sounds made by objects, or music coming from a source grounded in the narrative. 6. SOUND

 Nondiegetic sound  Sound coming from a source outside the world of the story, usually part of the score or soundtrack (includes voiceovers).

FIN.