Film Analysis Quiz #1

referential meaning

concrete and close to bare-bones plot summary, depends on spectator’s ability to identify context

explicit meaning

first layer of interpretation, concrete and generally agreed upon, summarized point of the film including context

implicit meaning

more abstract, more contestable/harder to prove, filmmakers may guide this meaning through subtext

symptomatic meaning

abstract and general, not the intended point of the movie, combines lesson with social ideology → situates the film within a trend of thought from the time period

plot vs. story

story is chain of events in chronological order, plot is arranged presentation of story events, story-plot distinction affects all three aspects of narrative: causality, time, & space

range of knowledge/range of story information

unrestricted (omniscient) narration → restricted narration, viewer may know more or less than a character based on what the filmmaker chooses to show, range of knowledge elicits particular reactions from the viewer (surprise, curiosity, suspense)

depth of knowledge/depth of story information

objective → subjective, objective = we’re confined to character dialogue and action, subjective = we can see character’s visual perspective or thoughts, perceptual subjectivity and mental subjectivity increase our sympathy for a character

setting

guides attention, can be background or come to the forefront, some directors opt for historical authenticity in sets while others don’t

costume/makeup

makeup enhances facial performance, costumes can play casual roles/be used for purely graphic qualities or have symbolic meaning

lighting

highlights and shadows, quality, direction, source, color, helps create framing composition, draws our eyes, while lack of lighting conceals, builds suspense

staging

movement and performance, actor’s performance consists of visual elements (appearance, gestures, facial expressions) and sound (voice, effects), performances are individualized, stylized

3 point lighting

key light (diagonally from the front) + backlight (behind and above) + fill light (near camera), key light is main & brightest, fill light is supporting & softer, backlight distinguishes from background

high-key lighting

uses fill light and backlight to create relatively low contrast between brighter and darker areas, light quality is soft, transparent shadow areas

low-key lighting

creates stronger contacts and sharper, darker shadows, creating chiaroscuro (extremely dark and light regions), opaque shadow areas, fill light and background light are less intense than high-key

3 aspects of cinematography

photographic, framing, duration

deep focus

all planes are in focus aka several areas are equally visible, relies on other things like sound and mise-en-scene elements to guide our eye

racking focus

aka pulling focus, switches our attention between foreground and background as focus noticeably shifts, making one plane blurred and another sharp

superimposition

images are laid over one another, creating multiple perspectives within the frame, often used to present dreams, visions, or memories, over characters face

zoom

camera remains stationary while zoom shot magnifies or demagnifies objects

high angle

camera looking down on subject

low angle

camera looking up at subject

straight angle

camera level with subject

canted angle

camera tipped

extreme long shot

tiny figure, mostly landscape

long shot

background dominates but can see figure

medium long shot

figure framed from knees up

medium shot

figure framed from waist up

medium close-up

figure framed from chest up

extreme close-up

portion of face

dolly or tracking shot

camera as a whole changes position in any direction along the ground

crane

may move vertically or at some angle forward or back, variations can be achieved with airplanes, helicopters, or drone aircraft

pan

short for panorama, on a vertical axis, swivels camera to scan space horizontally

tilt

on a horizontal axis, Swivels camera to scan space up and down

long take

unusually lengthy shot that can go on for multiple minutes, frame mobility breaks up a long take shot, powerful creative resource when used intentionally, sequence shot = entire scene is one shot