Movie Review Basics Please Paraphrase Elements of Drama

Movie Review Basics Please Paraphrase

Elements of Drama

Literary � 5 main parts of plot: � Exposition – introduction to setting, characters, and often a hint to the conflict � Rising action – introduction to and development of the conflict � Climax – the main turning point in the story � Falling action – attempt to resolve the conflict � Conclusion – resolution of or change to the conflict � Subplot – a secondary or auxiliary plot in a film � Setting – time and place

Literary cont. �Protagonist – The leading character, hero, or heroine of a drama or other literary work �Antagonist – the person who is opposed to, struggles against or competes with the leading protagonist �The conflict between the two does not always indicate a true “good vs. evil” theme

Literary cont. � Devices of fiction: � Motif – a recurring subject, theme, idea, etc. � Symbol – an object, person, idea, etc. used in film to stand for or suggest something else � Foreshadowing – to show, indicate or suggest in advance � Flashback/forward – a scene in the movie set in a time earlier than/future to the main story � Foil – a person or thing that makes another seem better by contrast � Opposition – antagonism or hostility � Irony – Events that seem deliberately contrary to what one expects, which usually makes the plot particularly amusing or dissatisfying to the viewer

Technical � All technical aspects are utilized to suggest a location, time period, economic situation and/or physical setting (castle, doctors office, school, the Great Depression etc. ) �Sets – where a movie is filmed – Not all movie sets are located in a studio; often, films are shot on location, which can still be described as the “set” of the scene �Costumes

Technical �Sound � Diegetic sound – the sound (be it music, dialogue, or sound effects) emanates from a source in the movie environment – can include characters talking, the sound of traffic or of a footstep, music from a radio, and any other sound that could logically be heard by a character � Nondiegetic – sound that cannot logically be a part of the movie environment –can be the music we hear while the title is rolling or the music that appears seemingly out of nowhere to heighten a romantic scene

Technical �Lighting � Low-key lighting – a lot of shadows with sharp contrasts between light and dark – Mysteries and suspense thrillers are also often shot in low-key light indicating that things are hidden, or that something unexpected can happen at any time � High-key lighting – characterized by brightness, openness, and light – Romantic comedies, musicals, and important scenes in family dramas, are shot with this lighting: characters’ motives are not hidden, nor are there likely to be many scares or sudden surprises – Individual lighting on a particular character can affect how we feel about that character.

Technical �Lighting � Side lighting – where one side of the actor’s face is darker than the other – can hint at a character’s secrets or that the character is somehow torn between opposing forces � Front lighting – when a character is brightly lit, without any shadows appearing anywhere – Heroes and heroines are usually shot this way to show pureness and honesty

Technical Cont. �Props: � Set props – stationary items on the stage (sofas, chairs, tables) � Hand props – carried by the actors to enhance their character (swords, handbags, feather dusters) �Make-up: �Includes fake hair and hair styles

Performance � Vocal expression: � Diction (correct words/enunciation) � Articulation (pronunciation/dialect) � Volume � Nonverbal expression: � Facial expressions � Body alignment � Gestures and basic movement

Other elements of cinematic art

Shot framing �Close-up – see only the actor’s head from about the neck up; can be used to emphasize important objects and details �Medium shot – actor seen from the waist up – good mix of emotions and details can be caught – most scenes filmed this way �Long shot – see the actor’s entire body; objects in this type of framing would appear to be seen from some distance

Camera angles �Low-angle – director positions the camera below a subject, looking up – making the subject look larger and more powerful than it normally would �High-angle – director places the camera above an object, looking down on it – making a character look smaller than normal; emphasizes a character’s weakness or powerlessness �Eye-level – audience sees an object straight on – very neutral concerning emotion and power – most shots used in movies are eye-level because it is the normal way that we see each other in real life

Camera movement �Pan – when a stationary camera’s head moves left to right (or right to left), staying on the horizontal axis �Tilt – stationary camera’s head moves up and down on the vertical axis �Zoom – focus of a stationary camera changes within a shot �Dolly shot – refers to any time the camera itself moves, either on tracks, from a helicopter, on someone’s back, or in any other way

Editing choice �Cut – quickest way to move between images – editor joins two pieces of film (or two shots) together so that in the finished film it looks like an instantaneous change between shots �Fade – the image seen on screen slowly fades to black or white or some other color �Dissolve – an image on screen slowly fades away while the next image is slowly fading in

Length of take �Long takes – feels as if they unfold in real time, allowing the director to set up the scene realistically �Short take – typical in the quick-cutting productions in which a single shot can last under a second – creates a much more rapid, energetic style and pace – Action films often use increasingly short takes to create suspense and drama in their fight sequences or car chases