Comenius Reading Film Analysis Reading a Film The

Comenius Reading Film Analysis

Reading a Film • The dual nature of film: – Narrative content: • novel • short story – Visual & Aural content: • Painting / photography • Theatre / drama • Symphony / opera

Reading a Film • The Visual & Aural – A unique combination – How films convey the narrative – Less abstract than writing – Must also be "read"

Reading a Film • The Narrative – Films can be compared to written texts. – Contain many narrative elements: • • • Plot / story Characters Setting Point of view Themes / Message

Reading a Film • Film Related to other arts – The novel - expansive scope of narrative – Theatre - visual & aural in real time – Music - evocative like a film's sound picture – Architecture (environmental art) - requires 3 -D spaces

Film Visual • Mise-en-scene – Construction of the scene • How it is done • Meaning of objects • Purpose of the arrangement

Mise-en-scene

Film Visual • Symbolism • Signs / connotations / codes – Cowboy • "merely" a cowboy – ranch hand with specific job • Symbol for: – Masculinity – America – Historical era

Signs / connotations / codes

Signs / connotations / codes

Signs / connotations / codes

Iconography • Objects we EXPECT to see on screen in a certain genre – guns in a thriller – saloon in a western – pretty girls in horror flicks

Iconography

Film Visual • Lighting – create atmosphere and mood – light and shade can suggest codes of meaning (e. g. in a horror film) – strong light is harsh, soft light romantic – spotlight picks someone out – full face = trust and honesty – shadows = fear and lack of trust

Lighting

Low-key lighting • High contrast • Dramatic • Dangerous

High-key lighting • Evenly shaded • Lit background • Non-threatening • Fun

Film Visual • Camera angle – Width • Wide • Normal • Telephoto – Elevation • • High to Bird's-eye view: Eye level Low to Worm's-eye view Canted

Camera angle

Film Visual • Camera and Lens Movement – Left / Right: pan, crab or track – In / Out: zoom or track – Up / Down: tilt or ped – Role – Wild Film (speedy, blurred movement) – Handheld (for closeness, intimacy)

Film Visual • Shot • Editing - the cutting and joining of lengths of film that makes the narrative flow.

Shot • Single take • Size (close-up, long shot, panoramic) • Subjective point-of-view-shot (through the eyes of a character in the movie). • Eye-line shot (that makes YOU feel like you are part of the movie, seeing things from your angle).

Shot Size • Long shot • Medium shot • Close up

Editing • Jump-cut = a dramatic cut that breaks the time continuity/ jumps in time or space • Cross-cut = a cut that follow parallel action in two or more separate scenes at the same time • Follow-cut = follows an action to its consequence • Fade (sometimes into black) • Split screen • Collage/matte

Visual (special) effects • Used to create realism and meaning example: – Space craft in Star Wars – Animated monkey in King Kong

Frame Rate • • • Film speed Time laps fast motion slow motion freeze frame

Film Sound • • • wind-noise screeching cars background music footsteps music for mood etc. narrative (musicals)

Film Sound • Actual sound • Commentary sound

Actual Sound • Voices of characters • Sounds made by objects in the story: coffee cup, foot steps • Music from: instruments, record players, radios, tape players in the scene • Basic sound effects: dog barking, car passing as it is in the scene

Actual Sound

Commentary Sound • • • Narrator's commentary Voice of God Sound effect which is added for dramatic effect Mood music Film Score

Commentary Sound

Genre - type of narrative • • • western detective story musical comedy thriller sci-fi drama action horror

Genre

Analyses • The point of analysis is to figure out: – THEMES: What we should think about – MESSAGES: What we should understand

Further Reading: Monaco, James. How to Read a Film, The Art, Technology, Language, History and Theory of Film and Media. Oxford University Press Inc, USA. 1981. ISBN 0195028066