Film Midterm

Act One

Exposition, est. conflict, first turning point

Act Two

Development, complicates conflict, second turning point

Act Three

climax and resolution

Catalyst

sets story in motion, in act one

Primary narrator

the camera

Classical Hollywood

tight storytelling, efficient, easy to follow

Classical Hollywood

Story

chronological events in a narrative (presented and inferred)

Character Coherence

values, actions/goals, behaviors/needs

Plot

the order in which beats are arranged to lay out a narrative

Archetype

abstract idea of process/stateteS

Stereotype

consistent traits to identify a type of character

progressive development

“improvement” in some way

regressive development

“deterioration”- going backwards in some way

diegesis

what we see/hear coming from inside the world of the story

nondiegetic

what see/hear coming from outside the world of the screen

Linear chronology

events move forward in time

deadline structure

acceleration towards some kind of event that must be accomplished in a certain time

Parallel Plots

two different plotlines intersecting at one or more points-implied

Story duration

the length of time the implied story takes to get through

Plot Duration

the elapsed time the events presented in the film take to get through

Screen Duration

movie run time

narrative frequency

how often elements are repeated

real time

the actual time during which something takes place

omniscient narration

3rd person POV-all potential angles

Restricted Narration

story focused on one or two characters

Reflective narration

complicates authority of the narrator

Unreliable narration

questions truth of story being told

art cinema

loosens typical cause-and-effect/linear chronology

realism

shooting on location, modern social issues, sexual realism

French Auteur theory

theory that the author/director is the top authority of the film

lack of defined goals (in art cinema)

inconsistencies, self-doubt, episodic wandering

Art cinema endings

protagonists experience crises to produce inner changes, open ended endings

postwar hollywood

end of vertical integration

U.S. vs Paramount Pictures

Paramount is sued for owning a monopoly

Cutbacks after the war

B-films, animations, shorts, studio lots sold off

Solution for theaters looking for products

exploitation circuit, beginning of art cinema

Circuits of art cinema distribution

Based in NYC- high and low culture films, Janus films

Beginning of festival circuit

Venice, Cannes, act as “malls” for arthouse distributers

Release prints had to…

clear customs, checked for censors, cut for obscene material

Mutual v. Ohio (1915)

decides film was not protected under 1st Amendment- could be regulated

Burstyn v. Wilson

Supreme Court disagreed w/ boycott of catholics, reversed Mutual v. Ohio

Art film audiences

movie attendance declines postwar due to television, suburbanization

Setting

fictional/real place where film occurs

Set

Constructed setting

realism

extent of which a film creates a truthful picture

Realism varies across…

culture/individuals- subjective

Evaluation of realism involves

function/motivation/how the elements relate to the rest of the film

Expressionism

Artistic genre originating in Europe, early 20th century

German Expressionism

rejection of realism- distorted reality for emotional effect

UFA

created by German govt for propaganda- made German studios into monopoly

Instrumental props

objects used according to their common functions

metaphorical props

objects reinvented for an unexpected purpose/metaphorical meaning

cultural props

carry meaning associated with their place in society

contextualized props

objects that acquire meaning through their changing place in a narrative 

Staging

performance, composition, blocking

performance

actor’s expression to reveal dimensions of a character

composition

organization, distribution of actors and objects in each 

rule of thirds

a grid pattern breaking a frame down into horizontal and vertical thirds

compositional stress

breaking rule of thirds to highlight something

negative space

area that doesn’t contain visual information- creates tension

deep space

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

blocking

arrangement of ACTORS in relation to each other

social blocking

arrangement of characters to emphasize relationships

graphic blocking

arrangement of characters according to visual patterns

directional lighting

directs like in ways that define an object

Key light

main source of illumination

high key lighting

balanced, little contrast- comedies, musicals

low-key lighting

stark contrasts- horror, noir

fill light

minimizes shadow, used to emphasize objects

highlight

emphasizes things with significance

backlighting

illuminates objects from behind

Mis-en-scene as a measure of character

dramatizes an established identity through how they interact with setting

role of cinematographer

transforming script/production design into moving images

Cinematographer translates diretcor’s vision through

lenses, lighting, exposure, focus, camera positions, movement

camera operator

controls the camera

first AC

oversees camera and lenses

Second AC

prepares slate, notes lenses and exposures, moves camera to each new setup

Loader

feeds film stock, loads camera

DTI

archives digital data

gaffer

chief electrician

best boy

first assistant electrician

film stock

flexible base with light sensitive emulsion

film gauges

35mm-standard, 16mm-independents, 70mm- big budget blockbusters

speed

degree in which film stock is light-sensitive

aperture

diaphragm that controls amount of light that passes through

focal length

distance from center of lens to where image is in focus

wide angle lens

short focal length (wide distances)

telephoto lens

long focal length (covers wide distances)

zoom lens

variable focal lengths

shot

one uninterrupted view that runs continuously across multiple frames

cut

transition to another image

subjective pop

recreates a character’s perspective

Masks

attachments to a camera that cut off parts of frame

iris

make the frame so only a small circle is seen

camera distances

extreme close up, close up, medium close up (mid chest up) medium shot (waist up) long shot, extreme long shot

camera angles

high-angle, low-angle, bird’s eye, dutch angle

depth of view

the camera distance is which subjects appear in deep focus

shallow focus

only small part of field in focus

rack focus

focus shifts in a shot