TFM 160 Final SDSU

Implicit Meaning

Internal Meaning, Implied

Explicit Meaning

Literal Meaning, definition

Form

Cinematic Language, how the SUBJECT is expressed

Content

The actual subject

Formal Analysis

Dissecting everything in a film (cinematography, sound, composition, design, movement, performance, editing)

Theme

Shared public idea

Realism

Actual or real

Antirealism

Abstract, Fantastic

Cinematic Language

Not of words but of myriad integrated techniques and concepts, connects us to the story while deliberately concealing the means by which it does

1. Manipulate space and time

2. Provide an illusion of movement

3. Movies depend on light

What are the three fundamental principles of film form?

Genre

Categorization of films

Narrative, documentary, experimental

What are the three categories of movies explored in "Types of Movies"

Narrative

Fiction

Documentary

Recording reality

Experimental

Non commercial, non conforming

What are the three basic types of animation?

Hand-drawn, stop-motion, and digital

Omniscient Narration

Narrator knows all and can provide anything about ANY character

Restricted Narration

Reveals info to the audience only as specific character learns it

Protagonist

Primary character who determines the story's structure

Antagonist

Person, creature, force, obstructing the protagonist

Anti-Hero

Protagonist chasing less noble goals

Inciting Incident (Catalyst)

Presents the character with the goal that will drive the rest of the narrative

Rising Action

Narrative builds toward a peak, breaking point

Crisis

Insurmountable obstacle, narrative peak

Climax

Comes when protagonist faces major obstacle

Resolution

Third act of falling action. narrative wraps up any loose ties

Story

All the explicit and implicit narrative events and the diegesis. IMPLIED EVENTS

Plot

Specific actions and events in the order in which they are arranged including non-diegetic elements

Diegesis

-Total world of the story,

-Events, characters, objects, settings, and sound that form the world

Diegetic

-Elements that make up the world that the story takes place in

Non Diegetic

-Things we see and hear on the screen that come from outside the world of the story

-Score music, titles and credits, third person voice over narrator

What is meant by the diegesis of a story? What is the difference between diegetic and nondiegetic elements in the plot?

Story

-Implied events and explicitly presented events

-all the narrative events that are explicitly presented on-screen

-all the events that are implicit or that we infer to have happened but are not explicitly present in the movie

Plot

-Nondiegetic material and explicitly presented events

-the specific actions and events that the filmmakers select and the order in which they arrange this events to effectively convey the narrative to the viewer

-includes nondiegetic elements

-Specific events and elements are selected and ordered to present the cause-and-effect chain of events that enables the audience to experience the narrative

What is the difference between story and plot?

Summary Relationship is most common

Which of the following is the most common relationship of screen duration to plot duration: summary relationship, real time, or stretch relationship?

Summary relationship

Screen duration is shorter than plot duration

Real time

Screen duration corresponds directly to plot duration

Stretch relationship

Screen duration is longer than plot duration

What is the difference between surprise and suspense?

Surprise

-being taken unaware, can be shocking, and our emotional response to it is generally short lived

Suspense

-more drawn-out experience

-is the anxiety brought on by a partial uncertainty

What are the two types of suspense, as explored in class?

Time -- The bomb is set to go off

Space -- The killer is in the house

Mise-en-Scène

Overall look and feel

Composition

Organization, distribution, balance, and general relationship of actors and objects within the space of each shot

Framing

What moves on screen

Kinesis

What moves on the screen

Rule of Thirds

Tool used to divide the image with horizontal and vertical lines that make a grid. -The horizontal thirds representing the foreground, middle ground, and background planes and into vertical thirds that break up those planes into further elements. The grid assists the designer and cinematographer in visualizing the overall potential of the height, width, and depth of any cinematic space.

Blocking

Director and team must plan positions/movements of actors and cameras for each scene and in rehearsals

Deep Space Composition

Visual composition that has information on all 3 planes creating an illusion of depth

On-screen space vs. Off-screen space

-Offscreen space is the implied space outside the boundaries of the film frame—ex: a character may be talking to another character who is not visibly on the screen

-Onscreen space is the space that is visible within the frame of the image

Design

-the process by which the look of the settings, props, lighting, and actors is determined

-set design, decor, prop selection, lighting, costuming, makeup, hairstyle

Composition

-the organization, distribution, balance, and general relationship of actors and objects within the space of each shot

What are the two major visual components of mise-en-scène?

What is composition? What are the two major elements of composition?

Composition is part of the process of visualizing and planning the design of a movie

-the organization, distribution, balance, and general relationship of stationary objects and gigues as well as of light, shade, line, and color within the frame.

-helps ensure the aesthetic unity and harmony of the movie as well as guide our looking and interpret the characters physical, emotional, and psychological relationships to one another

Framing

-the border between what the filmmaker wants us to see and everything else

-the dimensions of height and width that provide the shape of the movies images

Kinesis

-movement on screen

-the movement of objects and characters within the frame

-the apparent movement of the frame itself

What is composition? What are the two major elements of composition?

The movement of objects and characters within the frame

The apparent movement of the frame itself

What are the two basic types of movement we see on-screen?

Three-point Lighting

Perhaps the best known lighting convention in feature filmmaking, a system that employs three sources of light- key light, fill light, and backlight- each aimed from different direction and position in relation to the subject

Key Light

Also known as main light or source light. The brightest light falling on the subject.

Fill Light

Lighting, positioned at the opposite side of the camera from the key light, that can fill in the shadows created by the brighter key light.

Backlight

Lighting, usually positioned behind and in line with the subject and the camera, used to create highlights on the subject as a means of separating it from the background and increasing its appearance of three-dimensionality.

Lighting Ratio

The relationship between the balance of illumination and shadow- the balance between the key light and the fill light.

Low-key Lighting

Lighting that creates strong contrasts; sharp dark shadows, and an overall gloomy atmosphere. It's contrasts between light and dark imply ethical judgements

High-key Lighting

Lighting that produces an image with very little contrast between darks and lights. It's even, flat illumination expresses virtually no opinion about the subject being photographed.

Halloween Lighting

Scary lighting as if one is telling a horror story.

Deep-space composition

An approach to composition within the frame that places figures in all three planes (background, foreground, middle ground) of the frame, thus creating an illusion of depth

Deep-focus cinematography

The process of rendering the figures on all planes of a deep-space composition in focus

Shooting Angle

The level and height of the camera in relation to the subject being photographed

Eye-level Shot

A shot that is made from the observer's and usually applies the the observer's altitude is neutral toward the subject being photographed

High-angle Shot

A shot that is made with the camera above the action, and typically implies the observer's sense of superiority to the subject being photographed

Low-angle Shot

A shot that is made with a camera below the action, and typically places the observer in a position of inferiority

Dutch-angle Shot

A shot in which the camera is tilted from its normal horizontal and vertical positions so that it is no longer straight, giving the viewer the impression that the world in the frame is out of balance

Long Take

A shot that can last anywhere from from 1 to 10 minutes

What are the differences among a "setup", a "shot", and a "take"?

Setup

-one camera position and everything associated with is

-the basic component of the film's production process

Shot

-one uninterrupted run of the camera

-the recording on film, video, or other medium resulting from that run

-the basic building block of the film

Take

-the number of times a particular shot is taken

Who is the Director of Photography? What are their general duties?

Specifically refers to the art and technique of film photography, the capture of images, and lighting effects, or to the person expert in and responsible for capturing or recording-photographing images for a film, through the selection of visual recording devices, camera angles, film stock, lenses, framing, and arrangement of lighting; the chief cinematographer responsible for a movie

Close up, extreme close up, medium shot, full shot, medium long shot, long shot, extreme long shot

What are the names of the most commonly used shots used in a movie?

Close up

Subject, usually face or body part, is completely dominant, facial expressions are extremely significant. Background plays no direct role

Extreme close up

Single object or body part (e.g. lighter, lips). Emphasizes detail; used to show importance or value of an object, makes the audience wonder about its significance

Medium shot

Subjects from the waist up. Background much less significant, emotions and subject details much more noticeable

Full shot

Reduced background often shows human subject(s) from head to toe. More Detail about subjects is more explicit. Often used for fights, embraces or physical comedy

Medium long shot

Subjects filmed from the knees up

Long shot

shows whom, what and where. Often an establishing shot. Subjects are generally recognizable, but not dominating

Extreme long shot

Background information is pertinent, specific subjects are not the focus. Often used to establish location

What is the rule of thirds?

Tool used to divide the image with horizontal and vertical lines that make a grid. -The horizontal thirds representing the foreground, middle ground, and background planes and into vertical thirds that break up those planes into further elements. The grid assists the designer and cinematographer in visualizing the overall potential of the height, width, and depth of any cinematic space.

Eye Level

-Made from observers eye level

-subject is neutral

-identify's with audience

High Angle

-camera above the action

-makes subject inferior

-observer in a sense of feeling helpless

Low Angle

-camera below the action

-subject becomes superior

-intimidating -implies power

Dutch Angle

-camera is tilted

-the world is out of balance

-creates anxiety

Arial / Bird's Eye /God's Eye View

-an extreme point of view shot taken from an aircraft of a very high crane

-implies omniscience -ex. The Bird's

The movie camera can shoot from various angles. What are they? What meaning does each imply? Do these implications always hold true?

What are the basic types of camera movement?

Pan Shot, tilt Shot, dolly Shots, crane shot, handled camera, steadicam

Pan Shot

Horizontal movement of the camera mounted on the gyroscopic head of a stationary tripod

Tilt Shot

The vertical movement of a camera mounted on the gyroscopic head of a stationary tripod. Like the pan shot, the______ shot is a simple movement with dynamic possibilities for creating meaning

Dolly Shot

A shot taken by a camera fixed to a wheel support called a _______. When the _____ runs on tracks (or when the the camera is mounted to a crane or an aerial device such as an airplane, a helicopter, or a balloon), the shot is called a tracking shot.

Crane Shot

Camera is mounted on an elevated arm that is on a vehicle capable of moving around and turning

Handheld Camera

Small and handled, shaky

Steadicam

Device attached to camera assistants body to steady it

What are the three basic phases of making a movie?

Pre production, post production, and production

What are the principal activities in each of the three basic phases of making a

movie?

Pre-production- planning and preparation. on average, usually takes a year or two. filmmakers develop a script/buy the rights to a story. estimate budget, costume design, set design, scouting locations, obtaining permission for these locations, rehearsals with cast and crew.

Production- actual shooting: 6 weeks-several months-or more. director takes charge during shooting- conduction blocking and lighting rehearsals on set with stand ins, followed by rehearsals with the cast, informing cast and crew of their assignments, replacing cameras, lights, microphones, and other equipment, shooting as many of each shot as necessary, reviewing the results of each day's shooting (rushes/dailies), reshooting if necessary

Post-production- three phases: editing, preparing the final print, and bringing the film to the public (marketing and distribution).

What is persona?

The image and character we want to show to the outside world; "mask"; aspect of a character perceived by others

Stage actors plays the audience, project vocally and physically, memorizes lines. Screen actors plays the camera, small gestures, needs lines for the scene

What are the differences between acting for screen and acting for the stage?

Personality, plays against expectations, chameleon, nonprofessional

What are the four key types of actors presented early in your reading?

Before the development of sound and live audio in motion pictures, acting on screen was very similar to acting on stage. The breakthrough of hearing an actor's voice allowed for the facial and bodily subtleties that we appreciate in screen acting today.

In what ways was the evolution of screen acting dependent upon technological changes in the making of motion pictures?

American actress of the screen and stage, as well as a director and writer whose film acting career spanned 75 years, from 1912 in silent film shorts to 1987. Gish was called the First Lady of American Cinema, and she is credited with pioneering fundamental film performing techniques

Who was Lillian Gish and how did she serve in the evolution of screen acting?

Encourages actors to speak, move, and gesture not in a traditional stage manner but just as they would in their own lives; based upon Stanislavky's ideas which were to encourage acting students to conduct an exhaustive inquiry into their character's background and psychology

What is method acting? And what was it based upon?

What is "casting"?

The process of choosing and hiring actors for leading and supporting roles

Appropriateness/Transparency, Inherent Thoughtfulness/Emotionality, Expressive Coherence, Wholeness and Unity

When evaluating an actor's performance, the textbook stresses four criteria

for analysis. What are the four?

Appropriateness/Transparency

Have the actor behave as if they weren't acting but were simply living the illusion of a character we can accept

Inherent Thoughtfulness/Emotionality

Find the motivations between the characters actions and reactions

Expressive Coherence

Maintain not only a coherence of manner but also a fit between setting, costume and behavior

Wholeness and Unity

Actors ability to achieve aesthetic consistency while working with others

What is editing?

The basic creative force of filmmaking. The process of selecting, arranging, and assembling shots to tell a story

The shot

What is the fundamental building block of film editing?

Cutting/splicing

What is film editing's fundamental tool?

-What is within the shot

-How the shot is situated in the film

What are the two explicit values in each shot?