Film Analysis midterm

Turning point

An event that gears up momentum and pushes the story into a new act.
First turning point - Concludes act one. Protagonist will take some sort of decisive action related to a threat or ultimatum. Brings the story into new arenas. Ex. Wizard of Oz and the Yellow Brick Road. Moonlight and the f-word conversation between Juan and Chiron.
Second turning point - Concludes act two. Continues to develop momentum, and forces us into act three. Develops an unavoidable climax. "Ticking clock". Ex. Kevin punching Chiron.

Catalyst

Something that sets the plot in motion

Narrative

The telling of a story or an account of an event or series of events.

Classical Hollywood narratives (late 1910s to the 1960s)

Active protagonist(s) - Often involved in heterosexual romances
Protagonist(s) struggle against (mostly) external forces of antagonism - Clear opposition
Protagonist(s) pursue their goals / desires
Typically narrated in linear fashion (A->B->C)
Narration occurs within a consistent, causally-connected reality (mapping out the film)
Typically a balance between a main plot (A) and subplots (B)
Unambiguous endings (for the most part)

Story v. Plot (not the same)

Story - All explicit and implicit narrative events
Plot - Specific actions and events, and the order in which those events are arranged to convey the narrative (classic Hollywood cinema is largely plot-driven)

Character coherence is based upon...

His/her values
His/her actions and goals
His/her behaviors and needs

Three-Act structure

The classical model of narrative form. The first act introduces characters and conflicts; the second act offers complication leading to a climax; the third act contains the denouement and resolution.

Act One (Set-up)

Who, what, when, where, why
Beginning, inciting incident, second thoughts
Establishes place, mood, and some early thematic material
Introduces pacing and style
Can launch a backstory (if relevant)
Raises central questions (that are generally answered later on)

Act Two (Confrontation / Development)

Two obstacles, midpoint, two obstacles
Raises narrative stakes / conflict
Develops main character traits and relationships (Chiron's mother, Kevin)
Introduces protagonist / antagonist strengths and weaknesses
Creates a growing sense of urgency (Dorothy's trip to Oz, kiss between Chiron and Kevin)

Act Three (Climax and Resolution)

Resolves conflict (not always)
Builds to a climactic moment/s - First climax in Moonlight: Reconcilement between Chiron and his mom, Second climax in Moonlight: Kevin's call / Diner scene
Ultimate confrontation
Answers (?) central questions
Occasionally followed by a short epilogue

Character types

Archetype - A reflection of an abstract state or process
Stereotype - A set of consistent traits that, over time, cohere to identify a character (in terms of a social, physical, or cultural category)

Character development

Pattern in which characters move from one mental / physical / social state to another
External change - Physical alterations
Internal change - Changes within the character
Progressive development - An "improvement" or "advancement" in some quality of a character (something one person may consider "bad" could be considered "good" by someone else)
Regressive development - A "loss of" or "return to" some previous state, or a regression from a present state

Character depth

Personal mysteries that deepen and layer the dimensions of a personality
Flat character - Two dimensional
Round character - Layered / Three dimensional

Diegetic / Diegesis

What we see/hear on-screen originates from the world of the story

Non-diegetic

What we see/hear on-screen comes from outside the world of the story (the characters are not experiencing it) -> Ex. A film's score, the end credits, etc.

Temporality

Narrative patterns of time
"Past actions generate present situations"

Linear chronology

Events proceed one after another through causal movement in time

Real time

The actual time when something takes place (difficult to do, story must be compelling). Screen duration and plot duration are the same. -> Ex. 1917

Flashback

Shifts to an earlier time in the story (can be signaled clearly, can be vague)

Flashforward

Leap ahead of the cause-and-effect to a future incident

Deadline structure

Acceleration toward a central event that must be accomplished by a certain point in time (hour, day, month, etc.)

Parallel plots

The implied simultaneity of, or connection to, two different plotlines, usually intersecting at one or more points

Story duration

The length of time the implied story takes to occur. Ex. Story starts with a freshman in college and ends when they're a senior. Implied duration is four years.
Plot duration - The elapsed time of the events explicitly presented in the film take to occur
Screen duration - The movie's actual runtime

Summary relationship

Screen duration is shorter than plot duration

Stretch relationship

Screen duration is longer than plot duration (often accomplished through SFX and editing)

Spatiality

The space in which the narrative takes place
Historical location - A recognizable historical setting that can carry important meanings to the narrative -> Ex. Making a movie about the founding of Iowa might utilize the old capitol.
Ideological location - Spaces and places inscribed with distinctive sociocultural values
Psychological location - Correlation between a character's space of mind and the place he / she inhabits at that moment in the story
Symbolic space - A space transformed through spiritual or other abstract means related to the narrative

First-person narration

Identified with the voice-over narration of a single individual, usually someone who is a character in the story -> Ex. Nick Carraway

Omniscient narration

Third-person narration in which all elements of the plot are presented from many / all potential angles

Restricted narration

Organizes stories by focusing on one or two characters

Reflexive narration

Calls attention to the narrative POV to complicate and / or subvert its authority as a consistent perspective of the world

Unreliable narration

Raises questions about the truth of the story being told -> Ex. Black Swan

Multiple narration

Uses several different narrative perspectives to tell a single story -> Ex. Rashomon

Art cinema

A cinema of interiority (mental states) and style more than of exteriority (physical action) and plot. Often associated with European cinema, but these qualities appear in some films from many nations, including the U.S.

Shot on location

filmed in the real place, not in a studio

Sexual realism

Accurate portrayals of human sexuality

Realism

the attribute of accepting the facts of life and favoring practicality and literal truth

Auteur

a filmmaker whose personal influence and artistic control over a movie are so great that the filmmaker is regarded as the author of the movie. Developed from French auteur theory in the 50s and 60s.

Self-reflexivity

Foregrounding the artificial construction of the story

Narrative as enigma

Who is telling the story?
How is the story being told?
Why is the story being told this way?

U.S. market for art cinema

Took off in the late 1940s / early 1950s, post-WWII
End of vertical integration in the American film industry - Production companies owning every facet of the film (production, distribution, exhibition)

United States v. Paramount Pictures (1948)

Government sues production companies to disintegrate the monopoly they had over the industry. Led to the "death" of the studio system.

Exploitation films

Horror, crime, violence, soft-core porn, etc. These films were shown in grindhouse theaters in larger cities.

Circuits of distribution

Art cinema was based (mostly) in New York City. They traded in both "high" and "low" product. Janus Films was known for being Ingmar Bergman's distributor.

Advance financing

Distributor offers an advance to help fund the film for exclusive distribution rights. Ex. Apple and Killers of the Flower Moon.

Festival circuit

Exist as a mall for arthouse distribution. Distributors watch the films, get into bidding wars, and attempt to secure the rights to distribute a film. Ex. Venice, Cannes.

Release prints

Reels of film that are shipped to movie theaters for exhibition. Digital cinema, which can be distributed via satellite, broadband, or on media such as DVDs, may soon replace film prints because the latter are expensive to create, copy, and distribute.

Retitling

American distributors often retitled international films to make them more appealing to an American audience

Editing for the U.S. market

Cutting of explicit or prolonged nudity (depending upon the context). Europeans were (and still are) more comfortable with nudity. Films were also cut for length, as Americans generally had a shorter attention span.

Mutual v. Ohio (1915)

Court ruled film was not protected under the First Amendment, and was therefore subject to censorship and regulation.

Burstyn v. Wilson (1952)

Also known as the Miracle Case. The Supreme Court provides a constitutional basis to appeal local censorship. People could no longer censor films just because they felt like it. More or less reversed Mutual v. Ohio.

Original rating system

G, PG, R, X

Post-war entertainment

Domestic installation of television - Why would people go out to see movies when they can stay home and watch things for free?
Bowling and other "night-sports"
Movie attendance shoots into a sharp decline
The post-war middle class grew, and concerns arose over "legitimate taste". Seeing art cinema was a sign of your sophistication, especially foreign films.

Mise-en-scene

All elements of a scene that are put in position before filming begins (lighting, props, costuming, setting, etc) -> Everything visible on-screen

Setting and sets

Where the movie is located, how the setting is constructed (built or shot on-location), etc. They may tell us where the movie is set, or they may not.

Set

A constructed setting, typically on a soundstage. Shooting on a set may offer soundproofing, protection from the elements, and total control of the visual idea; shooting on-location may offer a greater sense of realism.

Scenic realism

The physical, cultural, and historical accuracy of backgrounds, objects, and other figures in a film.

German expressionism

One of the earliest solidified movements in the history of cinema. Comes from the world of art. Expressionism emerged in Europe as a form of painting in the early 20th century. Broadly defined as the rejection of western conventions with a depiction of reality that is wildly distorted. Expressionist films sought to convey the inner, subjective experience of the characters (alternative reality, psychology, etc). Inspired by artists such as Van Gogh, Munch, and El Greco.

Origins of German expressionism

The German government began to invest in the film industry as a vehicle for propaganda. Production increased rapidly and led to an import ban from 1916 to 1920. In the postwar period, the need for propaganda disappeared, leaving a hole in the domestic film market. The government defunded film, which forced filmmakers to get creative.

UFA (Universum Film AG)

Production company created by the German government in 1917 to control filmmaking and produce propaganda. This consolidated most of Germany's commercial studios. Enjoyed a near-monopoly over German film after a merger with Decla-Bioscop, and produced many influential works during the Weimar Republic (1919-1933).

Defining characteristics of German expressionism

Expression of feeling in direct / extreme fashion, distortion to represent inner emotional realities, etc. Mise-en-scene dominated over all else.

Props

Objects that function as part of a set and / or tools used by actors

Instrumental props

Objects used according to their common function (pen used for writing, knife used for cutting, etc)

Metaphorical props

Objects that are reinvented or employed for an unexpected purpose / metaphorical meaning (suitcase in Pulp Fiction)

Cultural props

Objects that carry meanings associated with their place in a particular society (religious symbol)

Contextualized props

Objects that acquire meaning through their changing place in the film's narrative (stone in Parasite)

Staging

Performance, composition, and blocking

Performance

The actor's use of language, expression, physicality, and other elements to communicate important dimensions of a character to their audience

Composition

The organization, distribution, balance, location, and relationship of actors and objects in each shot

Rule of thirds

A grid pattern that divides an image into horizontal thirds representing the foreground, middle ground, and background planes and into vertical thirds that break up those planes into further elements. This helps achieve balance, distribution, and continuity between shots.

Negative space

A significant portion of the frame does not contain much visual information, which can be a tool for tension / suspense (particularly common in horror movies)

Deep-space composition

Uses more than one plane of depth for placement of important elements

Blocking

The arrangement and movement of actors in relation to each other within physical space

Costumes

Clothing and related accessories worn by an actor that define his / her character and contribute to the visual impression and design of a film

Prosthetics

Synthetic materials attached to an actor's face or body to change the actor's appearance (Christian Bale in Vice)

Mise-En-Scene lighting

Refers specifically to lighting sources located within the scene itself

Natural lighting

Derives from a natural source, like the sun

Directional lighting

Directs light in ways that define and shape the object or person being illuminated

Three-point lighting

Made up of key lighting, fill light, and highlighting

Key light

The main source of illumination

High-key lighting

Light that is balanced and has very little contrast -> Low ratio of key = Fill

Low-key lighting

Stark contrasts between light and dark -> High ratio of key = Fill

Fill light

Used to minimize shadowing. Balances out key light or emphasize other spaces / objects.

Highlighting

Emphasizes certain characters or objects, charging them with a special kind of significance within the scene

Backlighting

Highlighting technique that illuminates a person from behind, making them a silhouette

Frontal/side/under/top-lighting

Illuminates a subject from different directions

Naturalistic mise-en-scene

Appears realistic or recognizable
Historical mise-en-scene - Recreates a recognizable historical scene
Everyday mise-en-scene - Commonplace backdrops

Theatrical mise-en-scene

Features appear unfamiliar, exaggerated, and/or artificial (Dr. Caligari is a great example)
Expressive mise-en-scene - Elements assert themselves independently or characters and describe and emotional / spiritual life
Constructive mise-en-scene - World can be shaped or altered through the work or desire of character

Cinematography

What you can do within the confines of a single frame, "writing in movement" -> Everything is intentional

Role of the Cinematographer / DoP (Director of Photography)

Primary person responsible for transforming the script and production design into moving images
Close partnership with the director to make decisions about how the movie will look / be photographed
Translates the director's vision and needs of the story into choices about the lighting, lenses, exposure, focus, camera positions, movements, etc.

Camera operator

Exactly what it sounds like

First AC (Assistant Cinematographer)

Oversees the camera and lenses; adjusts focus

Second AC

Prepares the slate, notes the lenses and exposures, and moves the camera to each new shot

Loader

Feeds film stock into magazines and loads the camera

Digital Imaging Technician (DIT)

Archives the digital data

Gaffer

The chief electrician
Best Boy - First assistant electrician
Grips - All-around handypersons (not limited to a specific area)

Film stock

Flexible backing / base (ex. celluloid) painted with a light sensitive chemical (black and white or color)

Nitrate

The original film stock that worked well but was highly flammable (caused theaters to burn down)

Tonal range

The complete range of tones from black to white (black and white films are not only black and white)

Film gauge

Width of a film strip (8mm, Super 8mm, 16mm, Super 16mm, 35mm -> industry standard for film, 70mm, IMAX)
The larger the gauge, the higher the resolution

Speed

The degree to which film stock is light-sensitive. "Fast" film stock needs less light; "slow" film stock needs more light.