Film analysis (W. Faulstich)

1. Basic model 1.1. What ? plot 1.2. Who ? characters 1.3. How ? camera, editing sound/music, light/colours 1.4. Why ? message

2. Plot analysis story: the facts in chronological order  plot: how is the story told, causal connections (E.M. Forster) sometimes frame story narrated time  narration time  time leaps: flashbacks, flash-forwards  summary: events are summed up  stretching of certain events

Classical five-acts-structure (Aristotle) :  exposition: basic situation is presented  complication: a problem arises  crisis (peripetie): turning point  retarding elements: slowing down the solution  solution: - happy ending in comedies - catastrophy in tragedies

3. Character analysis a) Questions to be considered: main character  minor character protagonist ‡ hero pairing of characters (e.g. Laurel + Hardy) constellation of characters, e.g. husband-wife, boss-employee, teacher-pupil... roles in certain film genres, e.g. Cowboy, Indian, romantic lover, cruel father... stars and their types, e.g. S. Stallone = Rambo

b) Different kinds of characterization: auto-characterization by the character: implicit: clothes, facial expressions, gestures, way of talking, behaviour explicit: what a character says about himself explicit characterization by other characters implicit characterization by the narrator/director: field sizes, point of view, camera angles, lighting, music...

c) Different kinds of characters: one-dimensional / flat / static characters: only one/few characteristics are shown, no development multidimensional / round / dynamic characters: the character is shown as a complicated, sometimes even contradictory human being with qualities and faults, the character learns and changes