Film Form

“The overall form that we can perceive among elements in the whole film”

• A system of cues designed the generate audience response

  • includes narrative and stylistic elements working together

Narrative vs. Stylistic Elements

• Narrative Elements

  • The film’s story

• Stylistic elements

  • How a film is put together, including cinematography, mise-en-scene, editing, sound, etc.

  • Both work together to make up form

Form vs. Content

• Content:

  • The individual components of a film

• While they are not the same, form is inseparable from content

  • Every piece of content functions as part of the overall form that engages the viewer

• Form:

  • How it was made

  • Content is what is showing/what it’s supposed to be or represent

Genres- hybrid

Master Plot

• Story templates that are repeated in storytelling

  • Quest

    • Search for a person, place, or thing

  • Adventure

  • Pursuit

    • One character chases another

  • Revenge

  • Escape

    • Hero confined (physically) against will and wants to escape

  • Rivalry

  • Underdog

  • Temptation… and many more

Story vs. Plot

• Meeting friends, just watched a film, what was the story? Chronological order

Story: the raw sequence of events, including what happens on and off screen

Plot: How the events are structured and presented to the audience

• 3 Act Structure

  • Act 1

    • Exposition

  • Act 2

    • Inciting incident

    • rising action

  • Act 3

    • falling action

    • denoument

Archetype Characters

• Archetype characters (main)

  • The original model for characters after which other characters are patterned. Character templates or protypes

  • main characters

• Archetype: Wise old man

• Protagonist

  • who/what the story is about

• Antagonist

  • who/what is preventing the protagonist from getting what they want

• Foil

  • A character that contrasts the protagonist.

  • Helps draw attention to the protagonist’s traits