1. The Role Tone Plays in Film
A SIMPLE DISCUSSION FOR A NOT SO SIMPLE CONCEPT

2. WHAT IS TONE? Difficult to define
Related to mood and style, but there is more to it than that.
Best analogy? A film’s tone is essentially its “flavour”
How it makes us feel and how it achieves that effect on us.

3. 7 MAIN ELEMENTS THAT AFFECT TONE
Cinematography
Lighting
Editing
Writing
Performances (Acting)
Music
Colour Scheme

4. QUICK CASE STUDY
James Cameron avoided making tonal mistakes in “Titanic” by testing the film with sample audiences before releasing it. Specifically, there was a scene in which Lovejoy (Hockley’s valet) chases Jack and Rose with a gun. It is a protracted scene in which Lovejoy pursues the couple while the ship is sinking, firing shots at them in the First Class dining room while seawater swirls around them. A gun chase on the Titanic? It was tonally incongruous, and the test audiences made it abundantly clear. Cameron cut the whole scene.

5. “Mixing tones in a film is like putting ice cream on meat.”

6. TONALITY AND YOU AS A FILMMAKER
The tone of the film is its overall flavour
Controlling tone is one the most advanced skills a filmmaker can master
You must understand the tone of your movie before you start. You cannot begin pre-production without envision the tone first…as it will affect every decision you make
Having decided the tone..you must stick with it (tonal consistency)
Tonal consistency does not mean that you cannot have light moments in serious films (and vice versa).