language features/film techniques

Anaphora

Repetition of a word or phrase at the start of the consecutive clauses or lines.

Creates a measured, balanced rhythm.

Anticlimax

Not matching the expected course of events but ending in an unsatisfactory manner.

Antithesis

The juxtaposition of opposing ideas in a parallel grammatical structure.

example: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times."

Colloquial

Ordinary, informal language and everyday expressions.

Diction

The writer’s word choice and style.

Creates tone, determines clarity and suitability for audience.

Dramatic Irony

Audience knows something characters do not.

Creates suspense and usually tragedy.

Epithet

Highlights a prominent characteristic of a place, person, or thing

Creates vivid description.

Euphemism

Polite substitution for words considered too blunt or rude

e.g.: "passed away" for "died”

Hedge

Word that softens a statement.

e.g. Perhaps", "Possibly", "I don’t think I’m responsible.

Litotes

Understatement using negatives to express a positive.

e.g."No small problem", "not bad looking".

Polysyndeton

The use of multiple conjunctions in a sentence.

"He was interesting and funny and kind."

Stichomythia

Rapid alternation of short lines of dialogue, often in arguments.

e.g. A: "I'd like to see you try!" B: "Well you will."

Synecdoche

Substitution of a part for the whole or the whole for a part. Check out my new wheels!" to describe a car.

Anthropomorphism

Anthropomorphism is a literary and artistic device in which non-human entities, animals, objects, or natural phenomena are portrayed with human attributes, characteristics, or behaviors. It involves attributing human qualities such as emotions, thoughts, or intentions to these non-human entities, making them relatable and engaging to the audience.

Circumlocution

Circumlocution is a literary device in which an idea is expressed through excessive words and convoluted sentence structures. It’s often used to avoid giving an honest or direct answer, especially in delicate or evasive situations.

Example: A doctor might use circumlocution when discussing a patient's prognosis, saying, ‘We are facing some challenges in your health journey,’ to avoid using the word ‘terminal’.

Allegory

An allegory is a type of narrative that uses characters and plot to depict abstract ideas and themes. In an allegorical story, things represent more than they appear to on the surface.

Example: Animal Farm by George Orwell. This dystopian novella is one of modern literature’s best-known allegories. A commentary on the events leading up to Stalin's rise and the formation of the Soviet Union, the pigs at the heart of the novel represent figures such as Stalin, Trotsky, and Molotov.

Dysphemism

When you choose to use an offensive or derogatory term in place of a neutral or agreeable one, you’re using a dysphemism.

Example: “He’s a nerd” instead of positively describing that someone is smart or factually stating that someone often studies is an instance of a dysphemism. 

Epistrophe

Epistrophe is the opposite of anaphora, with this time a word or phrase being repeated at the end of a sentence. Though its placement in a sentence is different it serves the same purpose—creating emphasis—as an anaphora does. 

Meiosis

rhetorical device where the speaker understates something to belittle a undermine or situation.

Example: You’d be using meiosis if you said “Oh, it’s only a scratch” to describe a deep, gaping wound that’s bleeding out of the bone.

Parallelism

Parallelism is all about your sentence structure. It’s when similar ideas, sounds, phrases, or words are arranged in a way that is harmonious or creates a parallel, hence the name. It can add rhythm and meter to any piece of writing and can often be found in poetry. 

Example: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” — Neil Armstrong

FILM - Angles

Camera angles refer to the tilt of the camera in relation to the scene and the characters.
Low – Establishes the power of the character or object

Eye-Level – Allows the audience to get personal with the character(s)

High – Presents the subject as vulnerable or lacking in power

FILM - Colour

Colour, especially the choice of colour palette or scheme, can reflect the mood of the piece. Colour in a scene can also be enhanced through lighting.

For example, in The Great Gatsby (2013), the use of a vibrant colour scheme reflects the opulent lifestyle of New York elites in the 1920s.

FILM - Flashback

Images that refer to previous events in the characters’ lives. Flashbacks can be used to foreshadow future events.

FILM - Lighting

Lighting contributes to the mood of a film and suggests interpretations of a character. Are they good? Are they nefarious?

Low-key lighting emphasises the shadows in a shot while lighting from above or below can suggest that a character possesses sinister qualities.

FILM - Mise en scène

Mise en scène translates as “what is put into a scene”. This French expression refers to the composition of a scene, including the placement of characters, costumes, make-up and setting.

FILM - Point Of View Shot (POV)

A shot that is taken from a character’s point of view, like a first-person video game. Point of View shots focalise (that is, focus in on) a character’s experience.

FILM - Shot Type

Shot types indicate how close or far the camera is from the characters. Shot types range from Extreme Long Shot (XLS), where the characters may be very small and embedded in a landscape, to Extreme Close Up (XCU), where part of the character’s face makes up the whole shot.

The shots are:

• Extreme Long Shot (XLS)

• Long Shot (LS)

• Medium Long Shot (MLS)

• Medium Shot (MS)

• Medium Close Up (MCU)

• Close Up (CU)

• Super Close Up (SCU)

• Extreme Close Up (XCU)

FILM - Two Shot

A shot that features two characters and is used to establish or develop their relationship.