Media Aesthetics

cinematic language

The systems, methods, or conventions by which the movies communicate with the viewer. (2)

shots

1. In an edited film, an unbroken span of action captured by an uninterrupted run of the camera that lasts until it is replaced by another shot by means of a cut or other transition. 2. During the preproduction and production process: a specific arrangement of elements to be captured in a particular composition from a pre-determined camera position. (5)

editing

The process by which the editor combines and coordinates individual shots into a cinematic whole; the basic creative force of cinema. (6)

cut

1. the act of an editor selecting an in point and an out point of a shot as part of the editing process; 2. a direct change from one shot to another as a result of cutting, that is, the precise point at which shot A ends and shot B begins; 3. an edited version of a scene or film, as in a “rough cut.” (6)

close-up

A shot that often shows a part of the body filling the frame—traditionally a face, but possibly a hand, eye, or mouth. (6)

storyboards

A shot-by-shot breakdown that combines sketches or photographs of how each shot is to look and written descriptions of the other elements that are to go with each shot, including dialogue, sound, and music. (6)

blocking

The actual physical relationships among figures and settings. Also, the process during rehearsal of establishing those relationships. (6)

fade-out/fade-in

A transitional device in which the first shot ___ (gets progressively darker) until the screen is entirely black. After a moment, the succeeding shot ___ (becomes increasingly exposed). Fades often imply a passage of time.

low-angle shot

Also known as low shot. A shot that is made with the camera below the action; it typically places the observer in a position of inferiority.

protagonist

The primary character whose pursuit of the goal provides the structural foundation of a movie's story.

cutting on action

Also known as match-on-action cut. A continuity editing technique that smooths the transition between shots portraying a single action from different camera angles. The editor ends the first shot in the middle of a continuing action and begins the subsequent shot at approximately the same point in the matching action.

implicit meaning

An association, connection, or inference that a viewer makes based on the given (explicit) meaning conveyed by the story and form of a film. Lying below the surface of explicit meaning, ___ is closest to our everyday sense of the word meaning.

explicit meanings

Everything that a movie presents on its surface

formal analysis

Film analysis that examines how a scene or sequence uses formal elements—narrative, mise-en-scène, cinematography, editing, sound, and so on—to convey the story, mood, and meaning.

form

The means by which a subject is expressed. The ___ for poetry is words; for drama. it is speech and action; for movies. it is pictures and sound; and so on.

mise-en-scène

The composition, or staging, of all of the elements within the frame, including setting, costumes and makeup, actors, lighting, and figure movement.

sound

Transmitted vibrations received by the ear and thus heard by the recipient. In cinematic terms, the expressive use of auditory elements, such as dialogue, music, ambience, and effects.

narrative

A cinematic structure in which content is selected and arranged in a cause-and-effect sequence of events occurring over time.

sequences

A series of edited shots characterized by inherent unity of theme and purpose.

scenes

A complete unit of plot action taking place in a continuous time frame in a single location.

content

The subject of an artwork.

parallel editing

Also called crosscutting. The cutting back and forth between two or more lines of action that occur simultaneously.

frames

1. A still photograph that when recorded in rapid succession with other still photographs creates a motion picture; 2. the borders of a motion picture, within which formal elements are composed.

mediation

An agent, structure, or other formal element, whether human or technological, that transfers something, such as information in the case of movies, from one place to another.

speed ramping

A technique in which action speeds up and slows down within a single shot.

freeze-frame

Also known as stop-frame or hold-frame. A still image within a movie created by repetitive printing in the laboratory of the same frame, so that it can be seen without movement for whatever length of time the filmmaker desires.

realism

In cinematic terms, an approach to narrative filmmaking that employs naturalistic performances and dialogue; modest, unembellished sets and settings; wide-angle compositions and other unobtrusive framing; and story lines that portray the everyday lives of “ordinary” people.

antirealism

A treatment that is against or the opposite of realism. However, realism and antirealism (like realism and fantasy) are not strict polarities.

formalism

An approach to style and storytelling that values conspicuously expressive form over the unobtrusive form associated with realism.

verisimilitude

A convincing appearance of truth. Movies are ___ when they convince you that the things on the screen—people, places, and so on, no matter how fantastic or antirealistic—are “really there.”

flashback

The interruption of chronological plot time with a shot or series of shots depicting an event that has happened earlier in the story.

narration

The act of telling the story of the film. The primary source of a movie's narration is the camera, which narrates the story by showing us the events of the narrative on-screen. When the word narration is used to refer more narrowly to spoken narration, the reference is to the commentary spoken by either an offscreen or on-screen voice. When that commentary is not spoken by one of the characters in the movie, it is omniscient narration; when spoken by a character within the movie, it is first-person narration.

narrator

Who or what that tells the story of a film. The camera, a character in the movie or a person who is not a character.

first-person narrator

Narration by an actual character in the movie.

voice-over narration

Narration heard concurrently and over a scene but not synchronized to any character who may be talking on-screen. It can come from many sources, including a third person, who is not a character, to bring us up-to-date; a first-person narrator commenting on the action; or in a nonfiction film, a commentator.

direct address narration

A form of narration in which an on-screen character looks and speaks directly to the audience.

third-person narrator

Narration delivered from outside the diegesis by a narrator who is not a character in the movie.

omniscient

Providing a third-person view of all aspects of a movie's action or characters.

restricted narration

Reveals information to the audience only as a specific character learns of it

character

An essential element of film narrative; any of the beings who play functional roles within the plot, either acting or being acted on. Characters can be flat or round; major, minor, or marginal; protagonists or antagonists

goal

A narratively significant objective pursued by the protagonist.

round characters

A complex character possessing numerous, subtle, repressed, or contradictory traits. Round characters often develop over the course of a story.

flat characters

A relatively uncomplicated character exhibiting few distinct traits. ___ do not change significantly as the story progresses.

antiheroes

An outwardly unsympathetic protagonist pursuing a morally objectionable or otherwise undesirable goal.

obstacles

Events, circumstances, and actions that impede a protagonist's pursuit of the goal. Obstacles often originate from an antagonist and are central to a narrative conflict.

normal world

In a narrative screenplay, the state of the character and setting before the inciting incident.

catalyst

Inciting incident, present the character with the goal that will drive the rest of the narrative

antagonist

The character, creature, or force that obstructs or resists the protagonist's pursuit of her or his goal.

stakes

In a conventional narrative, that which is at risk due to the protagonist's pursuit of the goal

rising action

The development of the action of the narrative toward a climax.

crisis

A critical turning point in a story when the protagonist must engage a seemingly insurmountable obstacle.

climax

The highest point of conflict in a conventional narrative; the moment of the protagonist's ultimate attempt to attain the goal by overcoming the final obstacle.

resolution

The concluding narrative events that follow the climax and celebrate, or otherwise reflect upon, story outcomes. Also, the capacity of the camera lens, film stock, and digital sensors to provide fine detail in an image.

story

In a movie, all the events we see or hear on the screen, as well as all the events that are implicit or inferred to have happened but are not explicitly presented.

diegesis

The total compilation of a story—events, characters, objects, settings, and sounds—that form the world in which the story occurs.

diegetic elements

An element—event, character, object, setting, and sound—that helps form the world in which the story occurs.

plot

The specific actions and events that filmmakers select, and the order in which they arrange those events and actions to effectively convey on-screen the movie's narrative to a viewer.

nondiegetic elements

Something that we see and hear on the screen that comes from outside the world of the story, such as background music, titles and credits, and voice-over narration.

duration

A quantity of time. In any movie, we can identify three specific kinds of ___: story duration (the time that the entire narrative arc—whether or not explicitly presented on-screen—is implied to have taken), plot duration (the time that the events explicitly shown on-screen are implied to have taken), and screen duration (the actual time elapsed while presenting the movie's plot, that is, the movie's running time).

story duration

The implied amount of time taken by the entire narrative arc of a movie's story—whether or not explicitly presented on-screen

plot duration

The elapsed time of the events within a story that a film chooses to tell.

screen duration

The amount of time that it has taken to present the movie's plot on-screen, that is, the movie's running time.

summary relationship

A time relationship in which screen duration is shorter than plot duration.

real time

The actual time during which something takes place. In ___, screen duration and plot duration are exactly the same. Many directors use ___ within films to create uninterrupted reality on the screen, but they rarely use it for entire films.

stretch relationship

A time relationship in which screen duration is longer than plot duration.

cinematic time

The passage of time within a movie, as conveyed and manipulated by editing.

surprise

A taking unawares that is potentially shocking.

suspense

The anxiety brought on by partial uncertainty: the end is certain, but the means are not.

repetition

The number of times that a story element recurs in a plot. Repetition signals that a particular event has noteworthy meaning or significance.

familiar image

Any image that a director periodically repeats in a movie (with or without variations) to help inform or stabilize the narrative.

setting

The time and space in which a story takes place

scope

The overall range of the story

Design

The process by which the settings, objects, and actors is determined

Production designer

Responsible for the overall design concept (the look of the movie) and for supervising the heads of the many departments involved in creating that look

Setting

The environment in which the narrative takes place

Decor

The color and textures of the interior decoration, furniture, draperies, and curtains (color / structure / texture / composition or set design and set dressing)

Properties

Divided by props, and set dressing

Props

Object that are part of the actor’s action

Set dressing

Objects in the environment not used by the actors

Prop master

Finds and selects props, then maintains each object and ensures it is ready for shooting

Set decorator

Cinematic interior ___ who is in charge of set dressing, supervises a variety of specialists

Prosthetics

Synthetic materials attached to an actor’s face or body

Motion capture

This technology is being used to computer generate animated layers over live performances

Kinesis

Movement and acting

Hard light

Direct light from the source to the subject. Creates a high contrast with crisp and defined details, A sharp boarder between bright illumination and dark shadows

Soft light

Diffused light (broken up and scattered) from the source to the subject. Creates a low contrast with less defined details, A less defined boarder between bright illumination and dark shadows

Lighting ratio

The level of illumination on a subject, as compared with the depth of the corresponding shadow

Three-point system

Method to regulate the relationship between light and shadow. You have three sources, key light, fill light and rim (back) light

Key light

Main / source light, creates deep shadows

Fill light

Opposite side of the camera from the key light, adjusts the depth of the shadows. Can come from a reflector

Rim (back) light

Can also be called kicker, provides highlights in the hair and along the edges of the subject. Make an actor stand out from the background

Low-key lighting

Causes a HIGH ratio and therefor a HIGH contrast (no to low fill light)

High-key lighting

Causes a LOW ratio and therefor a LOW contrast (with fill light)

Backlighting

Creates a dramatic lighting effect and can make the person more frightening or impressive (depending on contrast)

Halloween lighting

Bottom lighting, lighting from underneath a character

Top lighting

Light casts on a character from above

Frontal lighting

Light aimed at a subject from the same angle as the camera. No shadows and features are flattered

Composition

the organization, distribution, balance, and general relationships of objects and figures, as well as with light, shade, line, color, and movements within the frame

Previsualisation

Visualizing each shot and help them achieve an unified approach to shot compositions (storyboards)

Overheads

Diagrams of sets that include actor and camera positions