Intro to Film Analysis weeks 10-16

Final exam covering weeks 10-16

Editing

the process (art and technique) by which the editor selects, arranges, and assembles visuals, sound, and special effects to tell as story

Film editor

decides what shots to use and how to use them

Cut

a break that marks the termination/transition between two shots

Fade-out

an image gradually becomes less distinct until it disappears (fade-ins do the opposite)

Dissolve

briefly superimposes one shot over the next until the first image fades out and the second fades in

Wipe

jpins two images by moving a vertical, horizontal, or sometimes diagonal line across one image to replace it with a second image that follows that line across the frame

Master scene technique

a method of capturing footage to construct a scene in which the action is photographed multiple times with a variety of different shot types and angles (allows the editor to construct the scene using the viewpoint that is best suited for each dramatic moment)

Fragmentation

the breaking up of visual and narrative information into multiple shots that provide a diversity of combinations with which to convey meaning

Coverage

multiple angles and shot types covering the same action in each scene

Classical cutting

selecting from the coverage, the editor constructs the scene using the viewpoint best suited for each moment

Master shot

a shot (typically wide) showing the entirety of the action from beginning to end

Flashbacks/flash-forwards

cutting away from the present scene to a scene of past or future events

Parallel editing

two or more actions happening at the same time in different places

Crosscutting

cutting together two or more lines of action that occur simultaneously at different locations

Intercutting

editing of two or more actions that take place at different locations and/or different times but give the impression of one scene

Juxtaposition

placing two shots together in sequence

Montage editing

juxtaposing shots to create meaning

Associative editing (or intellectual editing)

imparts meaning in a noticeable way by juxtaposing contrasting or incongruent images in a manner that implies a thematic relationship

Battleship Potemkin

1925 soviet silent film, war/thriller

Duration of shots

(in frames, seconds, or minutes) determines the speed with whoch audiences perceive a given sequence

Content curve

the point at which we have absorbed everything we need to know in a particular shot and are ready to see the next shot

Pace

the speed at which a shot sequence flows, accomplished by using shots of the same general duration

Rhythm

applies to the practice of changing the pace, either gradually or suddenly, during a scene or sequence

Spatial relationships between shots

aid viewers in developing a mental map of the physical space within the scene

Temporal relationships

help establish the audience’s experience of time

Montage sequence

an integrated series of shots rapidly depicting multiple related events occuring over time

Overlapping action

the repetition of parts or all of an action using multiple shots

Freeze-frame

suddenly stops a shot to hold on a single “frozen” image of the arrested action

Jump cut

a cut that interrupts an action and, intentionally or not, creates discontinuities in the spatial or temporal development of subsequent shots

Scopophilia

pleasure derived from the act of looking

Rear Window

1954 movie directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Main characters: L.B. ‘Jeff’ Jefferies and Lisa Carol Fremont

Continuity editing

each shot has a continuous relationship to the next shot

Invisible editing

minimizing the perception of breaks between shots

Establishes verisimilitude

spatial and temporal consistency; seeks to achieve logic, smoothness, sequentials flow, and the temporal and spatial orientation of viewers to the images seen onscreen

Establishing shot

generally, an initials long shot that established the setting and orients the viewer in space

Two-shot

a relatively close shot of two characters

Reeastablishing shot

returns to an initial view

180-degree rule

uses an imaginary line drawn between the interacting characters being photographed. Once the line is determined, the camera remains on the same side of the line as it moves from position to position to capture different shots

Shot/reverse-shot

a shot of one character looking offscreen in one direction is followed by one of a second character looking back

Eyeline match

a character looks offscreen and the next shot appears to show what or whom she/he is looking

Match on action

the direction of an action is picked up when cutting to a shot depicting the continuation of that action

Graphic match

a dominant shape or line in one shot provides a visual transition to similar shape or line in the next shot

Sound in a film

Deepens viewers’ perceptual engagement, operates on both a physical and a psychological level, and provides key spatial and narrative information.

Double-system recording

sound is recorded on a medium separate from the picture

Boom

a pole-like device that positions the microphone outside the camera frame but as close as possible to speaking actors

Sound crew

supervising sound editor, sound editors who focus on their specialities, sound mixers, rerecording mixers, sound-effects personnel, a boom operator, and wranglers

Pitch

the level of a sound; high or low; defined by frequency

Frequency

number of sound waves per second

Loudness

the volume or intensity of a sound; loud or soft

Quality

the characteristic that distinguishes a sound from others of the same pitch and loudness; simple or complex

Fidelity

a sound’s faithfulness or unfaithfulness to its source

Source

where it comes from

Type

vocal or musical

Synchronous sound

has a visible onscreen source

Asynchronous sound

doesn’t have a visible onscreen source/match

Parallelism

when the soundtrack and image “say the same thing” (i.e., mutually reinforcing)

Contrapuntal sound

when two different meanings are implied by the soundtrack and image

Diegetic sound

has its source in the narrative world of the film

Diegetic music

also known as source music

Nondiegetic sound

doesn’t belong to the characters’ world

On-screen sound

emanates from a source we can see

Offscreen sound

derives from an unseen source and may be either diegetic or nondiegetic

Internal sound

occurs whenever we hear what we assume are the thoughts of a character within a scene

Interior monologue

variation on the mental, subjective point of view of an individual character that allows us to see the character and hear his or her thoughts in their own voice, even though the character’s lips don’t move

External sound

comes from a place within the diegesis and we assume that it is heard by the characters in that world

The Matrix

1999 movie directed by the Wachowski sisters. Main characters: Neo & Trinity, Morpheus, Cypher, Tank, Apoc, Mouse, Switch, and Dozer

Sound perspective

the apparent distance of a sound source

Overlapping dialogue

mixing characters’ speech simultaneously

Voice-off

a voice that can be seen to originate from an onscreen speaker, or from a speaker who can be inferred to be present in the scene, but who is not currently visible

Voiceover

charactera within the diegesis cannot hear (typically a narrator)

Synchronization

the visible coordination of the voice with the body from which it is emanating

Cue

a piece of music composed for a particular place/purpose in a film

Narrative cueing

how music tells us what is happening/about to happen in the plot

Stingers

sounds that force us to notice the significance of something onscreen

Mickey-mousing

overillustrating the action through the score

Direct sound

sounds captured directly from their sources

Reflected sound

sounds captured bouncing off walls and sets

Sound editing

creates rhythmic relationships with the image track

Sound bridge

when a sound carries over a visual transition in a film

Postsynchronous sound

recorded after filming and then synchronized with onscreen sources

Automated dialogue replacement (ADR)

actors watch film footage and re-record their lines to be dubbed into the soundtrack

Sound mixing

postproduction process in which all three element of a film’s soundtrack (music, sound effects, and dialogue) that have been recorded on separate tracks are combined

Persona

1966 art movie directed by Ingmar Bergman. Main characters Elisabeth Vogler and Anna

Paris is Burning

1990 documentary directed by Jennie Livingston.

Documentary

a film that aims to inform viewers about “truths” or “facts"

Actualities

moving nonfiction snapshots of real people and events

Scenics

offered exotic or remarkable images of nature or foreign lands

Topicals

captured or re-created historical or newsworthy events

Nonfiction films

present (presumed) factual description of actual events, persons, or places

Non-narrative films

de-emphasize stories and narratives, instead employing other forms like lists, repetition, or contrasts as their organizational structure

Cumulative organizations

present a catalog of images or sounds throughout the course of a film

Contrastive organizations

present a series of contrasts or oppositions meant to indicate different points of view on a subject

Development organizations

places, objects, individuals, or experiences are presented through a pattern that has a non-narrative logic or structure but still follows a logic of change or progression

Explorative positions

announces or suggests that the film’s driving perspective is a scientific search into particular social, psychological, or physical phenomena

Interrogative/analytical positions

structure a film in a way that identifies its subject as being under investigation

Persuasive/propaganda positions

articulates a personal or social position using emotions or beliefs, aiming to persuade viewers to feel and see in a certain way

Reflexive/performative postions

calls attention to the filmmaking process or perspective of the filmmaker (often deeply emotional) in determining or shaping the material being presented

Social documentaries

examine and present both familiar and unfamiliar peoples and cultures as social activities

Political documentaries

investigate and celebrate the political activities of men and women as they appear within the struggles of small and large social spheres

Historical documentaries

concentrates largely on recovering and representing events or figuers in history