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Comenius

Explore the dual nature of film as a narrative medium and analyze its visual and aural content, including mise-en-scene, symbolism, lighting, camera angles, editing techniques, special effects, and sound. Discover how films convey plot, characters, setting, themes, and messages to create a unique cinematic experience. Gain insights into the relationship between film and other arts, such as the novel, theatre, music, and architecture. Develop genre analyses skills to uncover deeper meanings and understand the themes and messages behind different film genres.

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Comenius

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  1. Comenius Reading Film Film Analysis

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

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

  4. 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

  5. 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

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

  7. Mise-en-scene

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

  9. Signs / connotations / codes

  10. Signs / connotations / codes

  11. Signs / connotations / codes

  12. 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

  13. Iconography

  14. 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

  15. Lighting

  16. Low-key lighting • High contrast • Dramatic • Dangerous

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

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

  19. Camera angle

  20. 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)

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

  22. 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).

  23. Shot Size • Long shot • Medium shot • Close up

  24. 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

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

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

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

  28. Film Sound • Actual sound • Commentary sound

  29. 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

  30. Actual Sound

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

  32. Commentary Sound

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

  34. Genre

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

  36. 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

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