Film Terms Study Guide SOURCE: Understanding Movies 10 th ED by Louis Giannetti (Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2004)

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1 Adapted from Brian Sweeny, Walnut Hills HS, Cincinnati OH JAN 2005 Film Terms Study Guide SOURCE: Understanding Movies 10 th ED by Louis Giannetti (Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2004) PHOTOGRAPHY the art or process of producing images on a sensitized surface by the action of light; three styles of film (and each type) utilize different tendencies for various effects REALISM (documentary): style of filmmaking that attempts to duplicate the look of objective reality as it s commonly perceived, with emphasis on authentic locations and details, long shots, lengthy takes, and a minimum of distorting techniques CLASSICISM (fiction): style of filmmaking of mainstream fiction films that is strong in story, star, and production values, with a high level of technical achievement, and edited according to the conventions of classical editing [see editing ] FORMALISM (avant-garde): style of filmmaking that deliberately stylize and distort raw materials so that no one would mistake a manipulated image of an object or event for the real thing; the stylization calls attention to itself, often, so the style of expression is at least as important as the subject matter itself ALSO: six basic shots (or, the amount of subject matter included within the frame of the screen): extreme long shot, long shot, full shot, medium shot, close-up, and extreme close up [a deep-focus shot is usually a variation of the long or extreme long shot] five basic angles from which an object is photographed: bird s eye view, high angle, eyelevel angle, low angle, and oblique angle; there can be variation of angles also, for a particular effect lighting (light vs. dark) for dramatic or symbolic effects color (vs. black and white) photography for subtle, expressionistic, or symbolic effects special effects: computer generated imagery (CGI) assists both the realistic and fantastic film MISE-EN-SCENE the arrangement of visual weights and movements within a given space; in film, it is defined by the frame that encloses the images and how it is photographed FRAME: each movie image is enclosed by the frame of the screen, which defines the world of the film observe horizontal shots vs. vertical shots, placement of objects in particular spaces within the frame, location of characters within a frame TERRITORIAL SPACE: filmmakers compose images on three visual planes the foreground, the midground, and the background territories have a spatial hierarchy of power, that is, the most dominant organism of a community is literally given more space, whereas the less dominant are crowded together 1

2 actors can be photographed in five basic positions, each for its own effect: full front (facing the camera), quarter turn, profile (looking off frame), three-quarter turn, and back to the camera PROXEMIC PATTERNS: the relationship of organisms within a given space personal distance between characters or objects to develop characterization the shot and its distance clearly helps with this development (generally, the greater the distance between the camera and the subject, the more emotionally neutral we remain) OPEN FORM (stressing simple film techniques and informal, unobtrusive compositions, allowing the filmmaker to emphasize an environment that is familiar and rather intimate) and CLOSED FORMS (stressing more complex film techniques with rich and compelling compositions, allowing the filmmaker to emphasize an environment that is unfamiliar and rather artificial) MOVEMENT cinema is derived from the Greek word for movement as do the words kinetic, kinesthesia, and choreography; the act or process or moving, possibly working toward an objective KINETICS: motion that can be literal and concrete or highly stylized and lyrical varies depending on the film genre (therefore, a realistic film will utilize naturalistic movement from its actors, whereas a musical will utilize stylized, choreographed movement abstract movements are to be taken for what they are rather than as symbolic expressions of ideas MOVING CAMERA: used primarily as a way to communicate subtleties, moving the camera within the shot not only for physical reasons but for psychological and thematic reasons as well seven basic moving camera shots: pans, tilts, crane shots, dolly shots, zoom shots, handheld shots, and aerial shots MECHANICAL DISTORTIONS OF MOVEMENT: movement in film is an optical illusion; cameras record movement at 24 frames per second; when the film is shown in a projector at the same speed, these still photographs are mixed instantaneously by the human eye, giving the illusion of movement; by manipulating the timing mechanism of the camera and/or projector, a filmmaker can distort movement on the screen five basic distortions of this kind: animation, fast motion, slow motion, reverse motion, and freeze frame EDITING revising, assembling, or preparing shots or scenes for the completion of the whole CONTINUITY: long shots photographed in single takes; cutting to continuity is unobtrusive condensation or preserving the fluidity of an event without literally showing all of it (nonreal time) CLASSICAL CUTTING: involves editing for dramatic intensity and emotional emphasis rather than for purely physical reasons (close-ups for psychological reasons, reaction shots for character development, use of various shots in the same scene for dramatic purposes, establishing a mental and emotional state) thematic montage: stresses the association of ideas, irrespective of the continuity of time & space use of flashbacks and flash-forwards as subjective treatments of time in a story [film] SOVIET MONTAGE AND THE FORMALIST TRADITION: stressed that the ideas in cinema are created by linking together fragmentary details to produce a unified action; through the 2

3 juxtaposition of shots, new meanings can be created, and the meanings, then, are in the juxtapositions, not in one shot montage: transitional sequences of rapidly edited images, used to suggest the lapse of time REALISM and EDITING: believed that in the cinema there are many ways of portraying the real; the essence of reality lies in its ambiguity; filmmakers whose films reflect a sense of wonder before the mysteries of reality and that distortions of reality, thematic montage, violate the complexities of reality use of deep-focus photography (a technique that allows all images to remain in focus, from close-ups to infinity) and lengthy takes use of panning, craning, tilting or tracking rather than editing to individual shots SOUND the sensation of hearing to convey a certain impression SOUND EFFECTS: multiple layers of sound are synthesized (mixed) in a studio rather than recorded in reality; the pitch, volume and tempo of sound effects can strongly affect our responses to any noise MUSIC: a highly abstract art, tending toward pure form; words make music more concrete, thus both words and music convey meanings, but each in a different manner ACTING doing duty temporarily (as a character); performing by action STAGE vs. SCREEN ACTING: the differences between stage and screen acting are largely determined by the differences in space and time in each medium the stage actor tends to dominate the stage, while in movies the director is the artist and the actor has less of an opportunity to create SHOTS: acting in the cinema is almost totally dependent on the filmmaker s approach to the story materials, using various takes and shots to convey characterization [acting]; the more formalistic director the less likely he or she is to value the actor s contribution STYLES OF ACTING: acting styles differ radically, depending on period, genre, tone, national origins, and directorial emphasis; such considerations are the principal means by which acting styles are classified (hence, expressionistic vs. realistic) DRAMA a series of events involving conflicting forces using a broad range of techniques TIME, SPACE and LANUAGE: the basic unit of construction in movies is the shot the shot, in cinema, can lengthen or shorten time more subtly: drama has to chop out huge blocks of time between the relatively few scenes and acts, while films can expand or contract time between the many hundreds of shots the stage actor interacts with the audience, while the screen actor in inexorably fixed on film both theater and cinema are audiovisual mediums, then, but they differ in their stress of certain conventions theatrical action is restricted to objective long shots with the tow major sources of information being action and dialogue, while cinematic action can move easily among all ranges and is not so dependent of humans with so many techniques at its disposal SETTINGS and DÉCOR: settings are not merely backdrops for the action, but symbolic extensions of the theme and characterization; settings can convey an immense amound of information 3

4 film directors has far more freedom in the sue of settings, especially with its use of outdoors sets and décor vary based on the style of the director (expressionistic vs. realistic) or the art director and appeal to a variety of emotions in us, embodying the essence of the story and changes in characters, as much as possible COSTUMES: reveal aspects of character and theme, not merely frills to enhance an illusion costume symbolism: can reveal class, self-image, even psychological states of characters [think: colors, glamour, excess] STORY narrative, account; mimesis (showing) versus diegesis (telling) NARRATOLOGY: a study of how stories work, how we make sense of the raw materials of a narrative, how we fit them together to form a coherent whole; it is also the study of different narrative structures, storytelling strategies, aesthetic conventions, types of stories [genres], and their symbolic implications though not necessarily with a neutral narrator styles: voice-over (off-screen narrator, usually a character in the film, helping us to interpret events), similar to first-person narrator in literature story vs. plot: story can be defined as the general subject matter, the raw materials of a dramatic action in chronological sequence, while the plot involves the storyteller s method of superimposing a structural pattern over the story CLASSICAL PARADIGM: a set of conventions, starting with a conflict between a protagonist, who initiates the action, and the antagonist, who resists it, following scenes intensifying the conflict in a rising pattern of action, building to its maximum tension in the climax, where scenes depict the protagonist and the antagonist clashing overtly with one winning and one losing, and the story ending with some kind of formal closure emphasis is placed on dramatic unity screenplay s usually have a clear setup, confrontation, and resolution REALISTIC NARRATIVES: loose, discursive plots, with no clearly defined beginning, middle, or end; we dip into the story at an arbitrary point without a clear-cut conflict in a slice of life flow of scenes rather than as a neatly structured tale (hence, life goes on, even after the final reel of film finishes) FORMALISTIC NARRATIVES: indulge in their artificiality, where time is often scrambled and rearranged to hammer home a thematic point more forcefully, and the design of the plot is not concealed but heightened NONFICTIONAL NARRATIVES: do not tell stories in a conventional (fictional) sense and though structured, usually according to a theme or argument, does not have a plot not creating a world, but reporting on the one that already exists deal with facts real people, places, and events use of lengthy takes and limited editing WRITING using the written word to create (original screenplay) or to adapt established material (adapted screenplay) as the basis for visually a story visually SCREENWRITER: the main author of a film, often setting forth the main theme of a movie; generally responsible for the dialogue and an outline of most of the action 4

5 SCREENPLAY: is rarely an autonomous literary product; is usually linguistic approximations of the films themselves; is often modified by the actors who play the characters FIGURATIVE TECHNIQUE: an artistic device that suggests abstract ideas through comparison, either implied or overt, the most common are motifs, symbols and metaphors IDEOLOGY a set of values and priorities OR a body of ideas reflecting the social needs and aspirations of an individual, group, class, or culture: movies tend to be highly variable in their degree of ideological explicitness NEUTRAL: escapist films and light entertainment movies often bland out the social environment in favor of a vaguely benevolent setting that allows the story to take place smoothly IMPLICIT: protagonists and antagonists represent conflicting value systems, but these are not dwelled on; we must infer what the characters stand for as their tale unfolds EXPLICIT: thematically orientated movies that aim to teach or persuade as much as to entertain; patriotic films, many documentaries, political films, and movies with a sociological emphasis many factors play into the categorizing of films: casting of big-name actors, underdogs, charming or funny protagonists, negative or villainous traits, a filmmaker s use of skillful filmmaking techniques, tone in film refers to its manner of presentation, the general atmosphere that a filmmaker creates through his or her attitude toward the dramatic materials; tone can strongly affect our responses to a given set of values; tone can also be elusive in movies, especially in those works in which it deliberately shifts from scene to scene 5