reading film

elements of visual design silence: can be used to create realistic sound designs

can be used to create realistic sound designs

Aristotles key elements of story in order

plot, character, diction, thought, song, spectacle.

plot

pattern or sequence of events that make up a story.

character

any person or personified figure in a literary work.

diction

the word choice, the style of speaking or writing determined by word choice. dialogue, accents, slang.

thought

the rhetorical message. the theme/message/impact.

song

the rhythmic or melodic embellishments in a piece. any use of music in film, background music, motifs. can also be a writing style/tone of an author of a book.

spectacle

the setting, color, costumes, visual effects, the physical beauty, grandeur, and artistry of a piece.

silent era

1895-1927.

frames

single still images sequenced together to make a film.

original frame rater

24 frames per second.

Lumiere brothers

developed their own film camera cinematografe. also known for film, "arrival of a train" (1896).

George Melies

first person to set up a camera and cut/use sets and a story in his films. first person to see film's narrative possibilities. Known for his film, "a trip to the moon" (1902).

DW Griffith

began to manipulate film in a new way, showed multiple plot lines at once. first to make long feature films, use the close-up , irising, title cards. best known for film "the birth of a nation" (1915).

Charlie Chaplin

actor of the silent era, known for his over the top eccentric performances. known for his performance as "the tramp" a reoccurring character. notable films city lights.

buster keaton

actor of the silent era, known for his realism, known as "the great stone face" helped transition acting into what it is today.

Intertitles

mostly associated with silent films, images that present printed information or dialogue about the images before or after an intertitle.

sound

introduced in 1927.

narrative structure

the organization of action as it relates to character growth and conflict resolution.

temporal structure

organization of the actions as it relates to the passage of time.

Freytag's Pyramid

basic narrative structure that involves rising, climaxing, and falling actions, based on one central conflict.

freytag's pyramid diagram

freytag's pyramid 1) exposition

exposes the world of the story by introducing characters, setting and mood.

freytag's pyramid 2) inciting incident

also called the complication, the event or decision that introduces the main conflict and sets the plot in motion.

freytag's pyramid 3) rising action

a series of relevant events that build upon one another to create suspense, interest and tension in preparation for the climax.

freytag's pyramid 4) climax

the peak of emotional or physical stakes that all other action works up to.

freytag's pyramid 5) falling action

the events that occur after the climactic height of physical or emotional states but before the problem has been completely resolved.

freytag's pyramid 6) resolution

the point where either the conflict is resolved or the protagonist can go no further.

freytag's pyramid 7) denouement

the final portion of the story in which all remaining questions are answered and loose ends are tied up.

syd field paradigm/three act structure act 1:

"the set up" (pgs. 1-30). the beginning unit go a screenplay that establishes the characters, setting, and dramatic premis. includes the exposition, the inciting incident, and plot point 1.

plot point 1

the point of no return, the character can't back out of the central conflict.

plot point 2

moment when the character is low and comes back.

syd field paradigm/three act structure act 2:

the confrontation (pgs. 30-90). the unit of dramatic action where the protagonist encounters obstacle after obstacle that keeps them from achieving their dramatic need. the protagonist is at their lowest. all hope is lost all the chips are against them, until they aren't anymore.

syd field paradigm/three act structure act 3:

the resolution (pgs. 90-120) the act in which the action rises to a peak and falls, the rest of the rising action, the climax, falling action, the resolution, and the denouement.

episodic structure

a narrative structure that consists of a series of chapters or stories liked together by the same character place or theme. but held apart by their individual plot, character or subtext. ex black mirror

experimental

a plot that takes a unique atypical or disorganized approach to storytelling. "slice of life"- a narrative form in which a seemingly arbitrary sequence of events. the form often lacks plot development and exposition and the resolution is often ambiguous.

temporal structure: linear

in which the timeline of the piece moves forward normally, no manipulation of the timeline.

types of linear structure:

real-time: the events occur without breaks or jumps of any kind

broken linear: a timeline that moves almost exclusively forward but is occasionally broken by brief flashbacks or flash forwards

accelerated linear: a timeline that moves exclusively forward but may make large leaps into the future.

anachronic structure

a temporal structure that frequently manipulates time by jumping back and forth in order to introduce new perspectives or illuminate certain elements.

parallel timelines

a temporal structure in which either several seemingly unrelated storylines occur at the same time OR several related storylines are told at the same time but occur at different moments.

Classical era

1927-1945

MGM studios

"studio of the stars" known for wholesome family content. most profitable studio.

stars of the studio: Katherine Hepburn, Clark Gable, James Stewart. films: "The Wizard of Oz", "Gone with the Wind"

Paramount

"pushing the boundary" known for pushing boundaries and restrictions of the time.

stars of the studio: The Marx brothers, Mae West

also known for their directors; Cecil B. DeMille, Billy Wilder

Warner Brothers

"Studio of good talk" known for sharp entertaining dialogue. stars of the studio: Humphrey Bogart, James Cagney.

films challenged politics, and made statements. gang movies

Twentieth Century Fox

"The adventurers" known for historical epics, adventure, and westerns.

directors: John Ford

films: "the grapes of wrath", "how green was my valley"

Universal

"harbingers of horror" known for horror genre films.

films: "wolf man", "dracula", "frankentstien"

Columbia

"dictators and directors" studio known for giving directors more influence and freedom over their films.

directors: Harry Cohn

RKO pictures

"Music, mismanagement" known for fred astaire and ginger roberts tap dancing routines. least profitable this studio does not exist today.

Disney

"magic, miracles, and a mouse" changed animation forever.

films: "snow white and the seven dwarves" "Steamboat Willie".

aspects of performance: intonation

refers to the pacing, emphasis, and volume of dialogue as delivered by an actor. "the song of language".

aspects of performance: the mask

refers to the way an actor conveys emotion through facial expressions. subtle face changes can now convey emotions more clearly.

aspects of performance: action

a movement or event that advances the plot.

aspects of performance: gesture

a movement or event that does not actively advance the plot but serves as an adornment to a character or plot, can also be in little things a character does; ex. twiddling thumbs, pacing etc.). how the actor does an action.

aspects of performance: business

any activity or superfluous work the actor does, often while delivering dialogue. "the little nothings" adds to realism.

aspects of performance: silence

becomes an acting tool now that the performance can translate beyond dialogue.

aspects of performance: take

one of many performances of a given sequence, from which the editor will choose just one.

properties of an actor: appearance

actors need to look like the characters they are playing. ex age

properties of an actor: aura

even the most talented and transformative actors will be playing some aspect of themselves. who the actors are and what they bring to each and every role.

properties of an actor: talent

the actual skills an actor is bringing to their performance, can be special skills like singing, dancing etc.

properties of an actor: mythology

preconceived notions in actors either in previous roles, or in their personal life through media. this can negatively or positively affect their careers.

acting styles: presentational

emotions are conveyed less with words and more through exaggerated expressions and movements. hyper-theatrical. ex jim carey, charlie chaplin.

acting styles: representational

known as the outside-in approach. defined as a deep understanding of the script and defined as a deep understanding of the script and what will take place in a scene.

acting styles: method

a technique of acting in which the actor seeks to achieve complete immersion in the role, depending upon their personal experiences to convey emotions accurately and honestly. "embody character and live it"

method acting: perceptual observation

a process of study in which an actor seeks to understand the people most like his or her character. deep study: "builds the character".

method acting: emotive memory

a method actor will draw on his or her own relative life experiences to convey honest emotions. (thinking of a memory that relates to the emotion in the scene)

acting styles: star

someone that is essentially the same in every film and relies on charm or star power. (ex. the rock in anything, marilyn monroe)

acting styles: non-professional

a player with no training or even talent who can act in a film because the editing process can create their performance. (ex. celebrity cameos) exclusive to film and tv cannot act on stage.

post classical era

1946-1963

post-classical era advancements

techni-color: films are now available in color

cinemascope: to separate itself from television small screen, film made the screens bigger, nearly doubled the width of the screen, made the experience more immersive. filming on location also becomes more common.

cine-dance

developed along with the rise of musicals, larger cameras can move throughout dancing, ex. camera moving through the crowd of dancers, dancing with them

film noir

a highly stylized genre usually deals with crime in big cities, developed the anti-hero. uses light and shadow, silhouettes, and lighting to create a specific mood/aesthetic

femme-fatale

an attractive seductive woman who is usually treacherous if not dangerous. appears in film noir often.

elements of visual design:

costume

hair

makeup

decor

lighting

visual design decor:

sets: where a scene is happening.

set dressing: decoration, or aesthetic embellishments added to the set.

props: objects that are utilized by the characters in some way.

3 point lighting system:

typical lighting on a film or set. starting point for all lighting designs. defined by three lights set in specific places:

key light: brightest, 45 degree angle to camera, light shines directly on the subject.

fill-light: serves to provide lighting to areas that are not reached by key light. medium intensity about 50-75% of key light.

back light: placed behind the subject and used to separate the subject from the background.

camera movement types:

stationary-movement is from the lense only, tripod/axis: pan, tilt, zoom

dynamic-camera itself is moving: dolly, tracking, crane

long shots, and close ups:

long-shots plays the fastest

close-ups plays the slowest