African Film & Social Impact Week 2 Readings

What is the spine of a film?

The main dramatic force that holds the whole story together

What is a character’s spine?

What a character desperately wants or yearns for

Why is the spine important?

It provides unity and prevents formless storytelling

How should character spines relate to the film spine?

They should all fit under the film’s central theme

What makes a spine compelling?

The stakes are high—life or death emotionally or spiritually

What question helps identify the protagonist?

Whose film is it? Who do we emotionally follow?

What did Paul Lucey say about writing stories?

Write simple stories and complex characters

What forms a character’s backstory?

Genetics, upbringing, socioeconomic status, and life experiences

What does the scorpion and frog story show?

Characters act according to their nature, even against logic

What’s the difference between circumstance and character?

Circumstance is the situation; character is the person in it

What is a dynamic relationship?

A changing, emotionally charged relationship in the moment

What is a want in film terms?

A smaller goal the character needs to reach to achieve the larger spine goal

How do wants differ from spines?

Wants are short-term; the spine is the long-term emotional goal

What creates dramatic tension?

Conflicts between wants and obstacles, or opposing expectations

What are character expectations?

A character’s beliefs about whether they’ll get what they want

What drives drama in a scene?

A character's actions taken to achieve their wants

How do actors express emotion effectively?

Through actions motivated by wants within a circumstance

What’s the difference between activity and action?

Action is the goal; activity is what fills the time around it

What is an acting beat?

A small unit of action that shifts when the character's goal or tactic changes

What is the first beat of any interaction?

Awareness of the other person

What is a dramatic block?

A chunk of a scene with one dominant dramatic idea or intention

Why use dramatic blocks?

They give clarity, pacing, and emotional progression

What is a narrative beat?

A unit of story progression, directed and articulated by the filmmaker

What does a narrative beat usually mark?

A shift in story direction or emotional escalation

What is the fulcrum of a scene?

The pivotal beat where things can go either way emotionally or dramatically

Why is spatial rendering important?

Changes in location help communicate emotional shifts

In the Notorious patio scene, whose scene is it?

Alicia’s — we’re meant to be in her emotional perspective

What are Alicia’s wants in the patio scene?

Romance and to deepen her relationship with Devlin

What does Devlin want in the patio scene?

He wants her to refuse the assignment, but won't say it

What is the emotional fulcrum of the patio scene?

When Alicia stands and confronts Devlin about love

What symbolizes defeat at the end of the Notorious scene?

Cold dinner and Alicia returning to drinking

Why does staging matter in dramatic blocks?

Each space holds a different emotional or dramatic tone

How do acting and narrative beats differ?

Acting beats come from character; narrative beats come from directorial focus

Is film a formal language like English?

No, film lacks grammar and a codified vocabulary

Why is film like a language?

It has codes and conventions viewers learn to interpret

What is foveated vision?

Only a small part of the retina sees in detail, so the eyes must constantly move

How is film perception like reading?

It's selective and active, shaped by learned visual habits

Why is perception not universal?

It depends on cultural training and visual literacy

What does the ambiguous trident show?

Perception is shaped by learned image interpretation

What is semiotics?

The study of signs and how they create meaning

Why is a filmed rose different from the word 'rose'?

Because in film, the image and meaning are almost the same

What’s a paradigmatic structure in film?

The set of options not chosen (what could have been used)

What’s a syntagmatic structure in film?

The actual sequence of shots or sounds shown

What is an icon in film?

A sign that looks like what it represents (e.g., a photo)

What is an index in film?

A sign physically or causally linked to what it means (e.g., smoke = fire)

What is a symbol in film?

A sign whose meaning is assigned by culture (e.g., a flag or cross)

What’s denotation in film?

The literal, obvious meaning of an image

What’s connotation in film?

The emotional, symbolic, or cultural meaning layered onto an image

What is metonymy?

When a related object stands in (e.g., crown = royalty)

What is synecdoche?

A part stands for the whole (e.g., “wheels” for “car”)

What is a trope?

A figurative use of imagery for symbolic meaning

What is mise-en-scène?

The arrangement of everything in the frame (space, lighting, setting, actors)

What is montage?

The sequencing of shots to create meaning through editing

What does a cut reflect better than a pan?

How attention shifts in the mind

What is a cinematic code?

A unique film technique like montage or framing used to communicate meaning

What is a cultural code in film?

A shared norm or expectation viewers bring from real life

What does the Psycho shower scene combine?

Cultural, cinematic, and artistic codes

What does the frame do in film?

It defines what is seen and how it’s composed

What’s the difference between open and closed form?

Open form implies offscreen space; closed form is self-contained

What do diagonal lines do in composition?

Create motion, tension, or emotional direction

How does proximity in a shot affect meaning?

Closer = more emotionally or narratively important