Film Studies - Final Exam

What is Film Analysis?

Film analysis focuses on how a specific film tells its story and engages viewers emotionally, rather than critiquing whether one likes certain aspects or reading films as reflections of cultural context.

What distinguishes criticism from analysis in film studies?

Criticism involves personal opinions about a film, while analysis examines how a film communicates its story and emotional impact.

What are the central questions of film analysis?

1. How does this specific film tell its story and engage us emotionally? 2. What stylistic techniques are being used? 3. Are these techniques used in a patterned way? 4. What are the functions of these patterns in the film?

What does film style refer to?

Film style encompasses everything seen and heard in a film, including visual and sound choices like camera angles, facial expressions, music, and dialogue.

How does the textbook define film style?

Film style is defined as 'the salient and repeated uses of film techniques characteristic of a single film or a group of films'.

What are the key questions to ask when analyzing film style?

1. How does this specific film tell its story and engage us emotionally? 2. What stylistic techniques are being used? 3. Are these techniques used in a patterned way? 4. What are the functions of these patterns? 5. Why did the filmmaker choose one stylistic option over another?

What is the aim of film analysis?

The aim is to capture and understand a specific film's range of effects on viewers, considering emotional responses such as suspense, laughter, sadness, fear, and catharsis.

What is the significance of film form?

Film form refers to how different parts of a film work together to create an overall effect, similar to how parts of a quilt are stitched together.

What are the five principles of film form?

1. Motivation 2. Repetition and patterning 3. Variation 4. Development 5. Unity.

What does the principle of Motivation in film form refer to?

Motivation is the justification for a formal element's use, questioning how the plot makes a formal element (like lighting or sound) make sense in the storyworld.

What is a motivated formal element?

A motivated formal element is a visual or sound element that has a clear source within the storyworld.

What is an unmotivated formal element?

An unmotivated formal element is a visual or sound element that lacks a clear source within the storyworld.

What does the principle of Repetition and patterning involve?

It involves salient patterns that recur in a film, creating motifs that contribute to the film's overall form.

What is a motif in film analysis?

A motif is a significant repeated element, such as colors, settings, characters, sounds, or props, that contributes to the film's overall form.

What does the principle of Variation refer to?

Variation refers to how elements can be repeated in different ways, allowing them to perform different functions.

How does variation manifest in 'Raiders of the Lost Ark'?

Examples include repeated situations presented in different ways and repeated musical cues that evoke different emotions.

What is the principle of Development in film form?

Development refers to how patterns create expectations that should develop and conclude throughout the film.

What is the persistence of vision in film?

Persistence of vision is the phenomenon where still images projected at 24 frames per second trick the brain into perceiving motion.

How has film technology changed since 2007?

Most theaters now receive a hard drive with data that is projected as moving images and sounds, replacing traditional film strips.

What is the impact of film on viewers?

Film has a profound effect on viewers due to its ability to evoke emotional responses through its form and stylistic choices.

What are some emotional responses to films that can be analyzed?

Responses include moments of suspense, laughter, sadness, fear, and catharsis.

Why is it strange that film has such a profound effect on us?

It is surprising because film is a technological medium that manipulates images and sounds to create emotional experiences.

What is the relationship between film analysis and emotional engagement?

Film analysis seeks to understand how films engage viewers emotionally through storytelling and stylistic techniques.

What is the importance of asking questions in film analysis?

Asking questions helps to uncover the techniques and patterns used in films, enhancing our understanding of their impact.

How can a film quickly fulfill audience expectations?

By immediately developing or concluding a pattern.

What technique can a filmmaker use to create suspense?

By delaying the fulfillment of audience expectations.

What effect can subverting an expectation have in a film?

It can create surprise.

How do patterns in film engage audience curiosity?

They cue the audience to think about what comes next and what came before.

What does the term 'Function' refer to in film analysis?

The purpose or effect that a specific formal element serves in a specific moment.

What is the narrative function of an element of style in film?

It reveals information about the characters, setting, or plot.

What does the thematic function of an element of style communicate?

It directly symbolizes a theme, concept, or idea.

What is the affective function of an element of style in film?

It presents the emotions of a character and/or cues an emotional response in the viewer.

What does the term 'Figure' refer to in film?

A character presented as a pictorial element in the frame, which can be non-human.

What does 'Object' refer to in the context of film?

Characters, props, or locations as pictorial elements in the frame.

What is meant by 'Subject' in film analysis?

The filmed performers, props, or locations.

What does 'Mise-en-Scène' refer to?

Everything that is placed—physically or digitally—in the frame.

What are the three functions of mise-en-scène?

Narrative, thematic, and affective.

How does mise-en-scène contribute to narrative storytelling?

It helps us understand a film's diegesis and cues viewers to make inferences about characters.

What is the definition of 'diegetic' in film?

Related to the storyworld of the film.

What role does setting play in mise-en-scène?

It refers to the diegetic locale where narrative action takes place and interacts with acting to motivate characters' psychological states.

What are the four core components of mise-en-scène?

Setting, costumes and makeup, lighting, and acting and staging.

What is an example of a constructed setting in film?

A studio-built or digitally created setting.

What is an example of a natural setting in film?

On-location shooting with minimal manipulation.

How can mise-en-scène represent emotional states?

By including elements in a shot that exude specific emotions.

What is the significance of recurring components in mise-en-scène?

They can create meaning that develops into motifs and themes.

What can settings in a film motivate?

Characters' psychological or emotional states.

What is the role of setting in film?

The setting refers to the diegetic locale in which the narrative action takes place, interacting with the acting to motivate characters' psychological or emotional states.

What are the four main types of props in film?

1. Instrumental: Used as intended. 2. Metaphorical: Used unexpectedly, taking on metaphorical meaning. 3. Cultural: Carry societal significance. 4. Contextualized: Meaning changes throughout the film.

How can costumes and makeup contribute to a film?

Costumes and makeup can play a causal role in the plot, provide graphic qualities, and help develop characters.

What are highlights in lighting?

Highlights refer to patches of relative brightness on a surface that express the surface's texture.

What is the difference between attached shadow and cast shadow?

Attached shadow is created when a character or object casts a shadow on itself, while cast shadow is when it casts a shadow on something else.

What are the four directions of lighting?

1. Frontal lighting: Comes from in front, eliminates shadows. 2. Back lighting: Comes from behind, creates silhouetting. 3. Under-lighting: Comes from below, distorts features. 4. Top-lighting: Comes from above, emphasizes features.

What is three-point lighting?

Three-point lighting is a dominant style in Hollywood narrative cinema involving key light, fill light, and back light to create a naturalistic feel.

What is high-key lighting?

High-key lighting uses fill light and backlight to create low contrast between light and dark, resulting in a bright and soft appearance, often used in comedies and musicals.

What is low-key lighting?

Low-key lighting de-emphasizes fill light to create strong contrasts and dark shadows, commonly used in horror and suspense films.

What is the difference between acting and staging in film?

Acting involves facial expressions, gestures, and dialogue delivery, while staging refers to the placement and movement of bodies in the frame (blocking).

What does cinematography encompass in film?

Cinematography involves the manipulation of a film image in camera and in post-production, rendering mise-en-scène as a film image.

What are the photographic aspects of cinematography?

Photographic aspects include lenses, focus effects, optical effects, framing, camera distance, angle, height, level, and mobile framing.

What is depth of field in cinematography?

Depth of field refers to the range of planes photographed in sharp focus.

What are the five kinds of focus effects?

1. Shallow focus: Few specific planes in focus. 2. Deep focus: Most planes in focus. 3. Split focus: Two distinct planes in focus separated by a blurry line. 4. Rack focus: Shifting focus between planes in the same shot. 5. (Incomplete information).

What is the significance of lighting in film?

Lighting can create mood, highlight characters, and influence the audience's perception of the narrative.

How does mise-en-scène relate to cinematography?

Mise-en-scène refers to what is in the frame, while cinematography refers to how that mise-en-scène is captured and rendered as an image.

What is the role of motifs and themes in film?

Motifs and themes contribute to the overall narrative and emotional impact of a film, creating deeper meanings and connections.

How can film elements complement or undermine each other?

Film elements can work together to enhance storytelling or create tension by contrasting with one another.

What is the importance of character development in film?

Character development is crucial for audience engagement and understanding, influencing how viewers relate to the narrative.

What is the significance of expectations in film?

Creating expectations helps guide the audience's understanding and emotional response to the narrative.

How can settings be constructed in film?

Settings can be constructed through studio-built designs or digitally created environments, as well as through natural locations with minimal manipulation.

What is the impact of lighting direction on a film's visuals?

The direction of lighting affects the mood, visibility of details, and overall aesthetic of a scene.

What is follow focus in cinematography?

Follow focus is when the focus shifts to follow a moving figure.

What is the difference between deep focus, deep staging, and deep space?

Deep focus refers to the number of planes in focus, deep staging refers to the number of visible planes where figures appear (not necessarily in focus), and deep space refers to the number of planes visible in an image (not necessarily in focus).

Can a shot with deep focus have deep staging?

A shot with deep focus will always have deep space but not necessarily deep staging.

Does deep staging always include deep space?

A shot with deep staging will always have deep space; however, a shot with deep space may not necessarily have deep focus or deep staging.

What is focal length in cinematography?

Focal length refers to the distance from the center of the lens to the point where light rays meet at sharp focus on the film, measured in millimeters.

What effect does a wide-angle lens have?

A wide-angle lens creates the illusion of exaggerated spatial depth, making objects closer to the camera appear enlarged while those in the background seem far away.

What is the characteristic of a telephoto lens?

A telephoto lens creates the illusion of exaggerated flatness, reduces depth, has a long focal length, and provides a narrower view.

How does a normal lens function in cinematography?

A normal lens has no overt exaggeration, features a middle-range focal length, and is akin to the human eye.

What are optical effects in cinematography?

Optical effects refer to special visual effects created in the lab or in-camera, not through computer-generated imagery (CGI).

What is frame rate and how does it affect onscreen motion?

Frame rate is the speed of onscreen motion, determined by the rate at which the film was shot and the rate of projection, with standard being 24 fps.

What is superimposition in cinematography?

Superimposition is a composite shot that combines two images over one another in the same frame.

What is rear projection?

Rear projection involves projecting a fictive background behind the subject in a shot.

What is a matte shot?

A matte shot seamlessly combines different images without drawing attention to the visual effects.

Why is framing important in cinematography?

Framing helps determine our response to the image, sometimes more than the image's mise-en-scène itself.

What does framing encompass?

Framing includes size and shape, camera distance (shot scale), angle, height, level, onscreen and offscreen space, and mobile framing (moving camera).

What is aspect ratio in cinematography?

Aspect ratio refers to the ratio of frame width to frame height.

What is masking in cinematography?

Masking refers to using an iris, a circular mask over a lens, to emphasize part of the frame or transition into the next shot.

What is a split screen?

A split screen creates two or more frames within the frame.

What does camera distance refer to?

Camera distance refers to the size of the filmed subject in the frame, especially human figures.

What is an extreme long shot (ELS)?

An extreme long shot features a figure that is small while the setting dominates.

What is a long shot (LS)?

A long shot includes headroom between the figure's head and the top of the frame.

What is a full shot (FS)?

A full shot frames the subject from the ankles or bottom of feet up.

What is a three-quarter shot or medium long shot (MLS)?

A three-quarter shot or medium long shot frames the subject from the knees up.

What is a medium shot (MS)?

A medium shot frames the subject from the waist up.

What is a close shot (CS) or medium close-up (MCU)?

A close shot or medium close-up frames the subject from the chest up.

What is a close-up (CU)?

A close-up shows the subject with the tip of the shoulders visible.

What is an extreme close-up (ECU)?

A shot that magnifies part of the body (usually a part of the head) or another object.

How is camera angle determined in cinematography?

Camera angle is determined by where the camera is placed, not by the filmed subject.

What is a high angle shot?

A shot where the camera is positioned above the object.

What is a low angle shot?

A shot where the camera is positioned below the object.

What are the different camera heights used in cinematography?

Above-head level, head level, waist level, ankle level.

What does 'level' refer to in cinematography?

Level refers to the camera's position relative to the ground; a level frame is aligned with the ground, while a canted angle is tilted.