The Big One

1. The Big One

2. Analysing Moving Image Texts: 'Film Language' Reniermedia.wordpress.com

3. SIGNS, CODES and CONVENTIONS Denotation, denotes, denoting; connotation, connotes, connoting; iconic, iconicity; index, indexical, indexicality; symbol, symbolic, symbolism...

4. MISE-EN-SCÈNE (meez-ahn-sen)

5. What is it? (I) Physical creation and an emotional concept Literally means “staging or putting on an action or a scene” in the theater or cinema Filmmaker’s control of what the audience sees and hears within the frame of the movie image

6. What is it? (II) What is put before the camera and How it is photographed Thus, a total arrangement of: Settings Costumes Lighting Sound Acting

7. Usage Umbrella term for explaining how all the formal elements of cinema contribute to your interpretation of a film’s meaning.

8. Mise-en-Scène French phrase used to describe the staging of a play In film—composing a shot or a sequence with the same attention to detail (set, lighting, costumes, makeup, positioning of actors within the frame, etc) that a state director lavishes on a play A form of framing—the art of composing a shot http://www.mediaed.org.uk/posted_documents/Teaching_mise_en_scene.htm

9. Framing Frame—strip of celluloid on which the image is captured Shots can be framed In terms of horizontal, vertical and diagonal lines Geometrically Iconographically In deep or shallow focus From a high or low angle In a frame that has been masked or doubled

10. Framing Tight framing Subject appears to be confined withing the horizontal and vertical borders of the frame Not a hint of offscreen space Gives a feeling of oppression Canted shot—frame looks lopsided Geometrical compositions can be symbolic as well as visually interesting

11. Iconography Framing a shot to imitate a painting or sculpture

12. Focus Deep Focus foreground, middle ground and background are equally visible Conveys a greater sense of depth Minimizes the need to cut from one shot to another Brings out meanings that otherwise not be apparent Shallow Focus Foreground is more distinct than background

13. Colour & Lighting Colour palettes and lighting sets tone and mood Lighting has a direct bearing on the way an image is perceived http://www.fis.ie/

14. Lighting & meaning Lighting can create atmosphere and mood as well as signify meaning, e.g. in a horror movie, light and shade are important codes of meaning. High-key lighting is harsh; soft-key lighting creates a romantic atmosphere, spotlighting picks out a character from a group, etc.

15. EDITING Some important edits are called: continuity (or 'Hollywood') edits; MTV ('music television') edits; cross-cuts; follow-cuts; match-cuts; jump cuts; eye-line matches; dissolves; fades; montages; bridging; flashbacks...

16. SHOT TYPES Establishing shot / long-shot / mid-shot / close-up / point-of view shot / soft-focus...

17. Semiotics Semiotics is the name given to the study of the way by which meaning is created in the world, especially in the mass media. It is based upon the Idea of 'signs' and 'codes', 'denotation' and 'connotation'. A sign is the basic unit of meaning in semiotics. A sign is any individual thing that signifies meaning; for example, your clothes are a group of 'fashion signs' which signify meaning (perhaps you are trying to look 'cool'?)

18. Denotation/ connotation There are two ways that signs create meaning: all signs have a literal meaning, which is called their denotation; but, depending on the context, many signs also suggest other 'layers' of meaning, which is called their connotation. For example, an image of a girl dressed all in white denotes just that, I.e. this is what you 'see'; but it may also connote innocence or purity (and all that this means in our society and culture), i.e. this is what you 'think'. Connotation, therefore, is always more than the denotation.

19. Signs - codes Signs rarely work alone. They are most often combined with other signs to form a code. A code is a group of signs that we recognise as going 'naturally together' to signify meaning (e.g. a rose is a sign; but being handed to a girl by a boy could create a 'romance code' and suggest love). Film and TV codes are often called technical codes because technical equipment is used to create them. There are three ways through which codes and signs can signify meaning:

20. Iconicity: Iconicity: an iconic sign or code looks just like the thing it seems to represent, e.g. an image of a cowboy seems to be just that; but it is called iconic because it suggests far more than it should: for example, our culture tends to associate extra meanings with the idea of 'cowboy', such as toughness, heroism, masculinity, etc. Iconic signs are never reality: they are a representation of reality.

21. Indexicality Indexicality (an indexical sign or code) in a sign directly suggests meaning because what it shows seems to be the result of something we associate with the thing it represents, e.g. smoke suggests fire, sweat suggests exercise, appearance can suggest wealth, etc. This can be a short-cut way for a film director to create meaning.

22. Symbolism Symbolism (a symbolic sign or code) suggests meaning because we have learned this meaning in our culture; a symbol, in itself, has no association with what it means, e.g. a red heart shape suggests love; letters combine to make words, etc.

23. Meaning =culturally determined The meaning we gain from codes is said to be culturally determined which means that our culture 'taught' us that particular way to interpret the meaning. For example, when we see the UK national flag, the Union Jack, we see more than what it simply denotes - a piece of coloured cloth: patriotism and pride, etc.

24. Enigma code An important code is an enigma code. These codes put a fascinating question in the mind of the audience that only watching the movie will answer. They tempt the audience to watch and are often used in trailers.

25. Conventions A convention is simply a way of doing something that we are so used to we usually fail to notice it; conventions can seem 'perfectly natural' or 'realistic' yet are anything but. So: women in cowboys tend conventionally to be either 'very good' or 'very bad' - and this seems 'normal' within the genre of cowboy movies; the wheels of a car always screech; guns always kill outright; a punch always knocks a person out cold. Genre and narrative are important media conventions that are covered later, as are editing techniques and-the use of certain shot types (such as an establishing shot sequence or montage - see later).

26. Effects, meaning , purpose Cinema and TV codes are created within an area bounded by the edges of a screen. By controlling what objects and action are in this frame, a film director creates what is called a mise-en-scene. Asking questions such as 'who, what and where' of the characters and objects and their relative positions, expressions, appearance, costume, make-up, scenery, props, lighting, sounds, etc. in a mise-en-scene will help you analyse it. Try to consider what effects are created in a mise-en-scene', what meaning they have (their denotation and, most importantly, connotation), how they have been created and why they were created (which will be the director's purpose - perhaps to develop a character, a mood, the storyline or plot and sometimes to explore a deeper meaning or idea, i.e. a theme).

27. Editing Editing is the placing of separate shots together. This allows a director to manipulate space and time ­hundreds of miles or weeks of time can be reduced to a few scenes that appear perfectly natural and believable to the audience. A montage is a most important editing technique. It is a series of shots that are edited together to create a kind of ' individual unit' of meaning.

28. Continuity edits Continuity edits - especially matched cuts - are called 'Hollywood editing'. This creates a sequence that seems to flow naturally on from the previous one, and in which the edits are 'invisible'. These have the effect of creating a realistic and seamless flow to a story or narrative (see below) where one event leads naturally onto the next. Jump-cuts are dramatic edits; MTV edits are rapid sequences of fast jump cuts used to create a conscious effect as used first in pop-videos; cross-cuts follow different actions such as two people talking; follow-cuts follow an action to its consequence, e.g. a character looking edits to what they look at eye-line matches are a kind of follow cut). A sound-bridge is a sound edit that allows sound from one shot to cross into the next to create continuity.

29. The Shot Defined in terms of distance, area or the subjects they contain Types: Close-up Extreme Close-up Long Shot Full Shot Extreme Long Shot Medium Shot Establishing Shot Two-shot, Three-Shot Shot/Reverse Shot Over-the-shoulder shot http://www.fis.ie/

30. Shots http://www.fis.ie/

31. The Shot High-angle Shot God’s Eye Suggest entrapment or frustration Low-Angle shot Makes subject appear larger Suggests dominance or power Objective-view of camera Point of View Shot http://www.fis.ie/

32. The Moving Shot Pan shot—horizontal Tilt shot—vertical Mobile Camera shots Swish pan—unusually rapid & produces momentary blur Tracking Shot—greater area and more detail Dolly Shot Crane Shot

33. The Moving Shot http://www.fis.ie/

34. Shots and meaning An establishing shot is usually the opening shot of a sequence; it 'sets the scene' and locates the action. It is often followed by a mid-shot followed by a close-up shot. A subjective point-of-view shot (POV) is at eye-level and appears as if you are viewing the scene from the character's perspective (as in 'Blair Witch'). An objective point-of-view shot acts as if you are an observer secretly looking into a scene.

35. Camera moves, lighting etc CAMERA ANGLE Eye-line match / high / low CAMERA MOVEMENT Zooming / tracking / panning / hand-held / etc LIGHTING High key, neutral, low key

36. More vocabulary 'DIEGESIS' AND SOUND VISUAL EFFECTS / SFX NARRATIVE GENRE ICONOGRAPHY THE 'STAR SYSTEM'

37. REALISM 'Verisimilitude' 'Generic verisimilitude' 'Cultural verisimilitude'

38. Film process The Shot The Scene vs. The Sequence Appear to be virtually synonymous Chief difference—there can be scenes within a sequence, but not sequences within scenes

39. Camera angles & meaning Camera angles can signify meaning, e.g. a subjective POV high angle shot can crate a superior feel.

40. Camera Movements http://www.fis.ie/

41. 180 degree rule Shot reverse shot

42. camera movements & meaning Different camera movements can create significant meaning - a zoom into a close-up of a face can create emotion, a pan across a war scene can suggest violence; POV tracking shots and POV hand-held camera shot can create tension and involvement by making you feel as if you are a part of the action.

43. The Sequence A group of shots forming a self-contained segment of the film that is, by and large, intelligible in itself Types Linear Sequence Associative Sequence Montage Sequence

44. The Linear Sequence Beginning initiates the action Middle adds to the action End follows and completes the action Elliptical linear sequence Certain details omitted Viewers must make connections

45. The Associative Sequence Scenes linked by an object or a series of objects http://mcel.pacificu.edu/JAHC/JAHCV2/ARTICLES/david/david.html

46. Montage Sequence A series of shots arranged in a particular order for a particular purpose Rapid succession telescoping an event or several events American Montage: 30s & 40s Collapses time as shots blend together, wipe each other away or are superimposed Calendar pages, headlines, etc.

47. Montage Sequence Feature of both linear and associative sequence Can be unified by images http://www.vsmu.sk/rybarova/unit_7.doc

48. Cuts Verb—terminate a shot Noun—a strip of film Film stages: rough cut  director’s cut  final cut

49. Cuts Joining of two separate shots Straight cut—one image replaces another Contrast cut—images are dissimilar Crosscut (Parallel)—2 actions occurring simultaneously Jump cut—break in continuity Form cut—a cut from one object to another of similar shape Match cut—one shot complements or “matches” the other, following smoothly without any break in continuity of time and space

50. Transitions—Bridge Scenes The Fade: Fade-out & Fade-in Denotes demarcation—the end of a narrative sequence The Dissolve denotes continuity by the gradual replacement of one shot by another No sooner said than done