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Cinematic Invisibility

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The techniques and strategies employed by the filmmakers that are hidden from the audience due to the passive experience and fast moving pictures of the film medium.

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Cultural invisibility

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Just as the techniques of filmmaking can go unnoticed during a casual viewing of a movie, so too can the cultural mores and prejudices lurking under the surface of a movie. These are employed by the filmmaker to reinforce the casual viewer's subconscious beliefs or worldviews.

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diegetic sound

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Any voice, musical passage, or sound effect presented as originating from a source within the film's world.

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diegesis

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The imagined world of the story

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Implicit Meaning

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

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Explicit Meaning

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An association, connection, or inference that a viewer makes on the basis of the given story and form of a film.

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shot

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A continuous piece of filming without interrupting from the time the camera is turned on and starts, until it is turned off

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cutting on action

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A continuity editing technique that smoothes 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.

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Fade out/fade in

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A slow fade to or form the black. Fading is used to suggest an extended passing of time and the beginning or ending of a scene.

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Low angle shot

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a shot created by placing the camera anywhere from slightly to greatly below the eye level of the talent and pointing it upward

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dolly in

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Slow movement of the camera toward a subject, making the subject appear larger and more significant. Such gradual intensification is commonly used at moments of a character's realization and/or decision, or as a point-of-view shot to indicate the reason for the character's realization.

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point of view

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the perspective from which a story is told

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duration

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The period of time through which something continues.

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formal analysis

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Film analysis that examines how a scene or sequence uses formal elements to convey story, mood and meaning.

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close-up

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A framing in which the scale of the object shown is relatively large

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mise-en-scene

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composes design elements such as lighting, setting, props, costumes, and makeup within individual shots

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sound

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organized into a series of dialogue, music, ambiance, and effects tracks

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narrative

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structured into acts that establish, develop, and resolve character conflict

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editing

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*juxtaposes individual shots to create sequences, arranges these sequences into scenes, and from these scenes builds a movie *The process by which the editor combines and coordinates individual shots into a cinematic whole, the basic creative force of cinema.

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shots

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the product of one uninterrupted run of the camera

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sequences

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a series of shots unified by theme or purpose

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scenes

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complete units of plot action

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content

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the subject of an artwork (what the work is about)

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cinematic language

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the tools and techniques that filmmakers us to convey meaning and mood to the viewer (i.e. lighting, mise-en-scene, cinematography, performance, editing, and sound)

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**form

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the means by which that subject is expressed and experienced--lets us see the content in a particular way *for movies it's pictures and sound

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3 fundamental principles of form

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light, illusion of movement, manipulation of space and time in unique ways

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cels

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light that is drawn on pieces of celluloid

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persistence of vision

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*process by which the human brain retains an image for a fraction of a second longer than the eye records it *gives the illusion of succession or one image following another without interruption

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illusion of movement

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figures and objects within the image changing position simultaneously without actually moving

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2 interacting optical and perceptual phenomena that makes it possible to view movement on the movie screen

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persistence of vision & phi phenomenon

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phi phenomenon

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An illusion of movement created when two or more adjacent lights blink on and off in quick succession

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critical flicker fusion

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related to phi phenomenon *flashing a light faster and faster to create a continuous beam of light

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apparent motion

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the perception of movement as a result of alternating signals appearing in rapid succession in different locations

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meditation

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process by which an agent, structure, or other formal element, whether human or technological, transfers something from one place to another **manipulating time and space

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freeze-frame

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still image is shown on-screen for a period of time

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manipulating space and time

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movies can move seamlessly from one space to another or make space move, or fragment time in many different ways

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realism

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interest in or concern for the actual or real, a tendency to view or represent things as they really are

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parallel editing

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alternative between 2 or more strands of simultaneous action- The Godfather

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overlap editing

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An editing technique that expands viewing time and adds emphasis to an action or movement by repeating it several times in succession. -Mission Impossible

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light

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A key formal element that film artists and technicians carefully manipulate to create mood, reveal character, and convey meaning.

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antirealism

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interest in or concern for the abstract, speculative, or fantastic

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cinematic language

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accepted systems, methods, or conventions by which the movies communicate with the viewer

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verisimilitude

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movies are verisimilar when they convince you that the things on the screen-people, places, what yo , no matter how fantastic or antirealistic--are "really there" **what is happening on-screen could very well be happening in real life

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Narration

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act of tellig the story

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narrator

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who or what tells the story--delivers the narration that conveys the narrative

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Narrative

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story fiction cinematic structure in which the filmmakers have selected and arranged events in cause-effect

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1st person

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narrator is a character in the narrative who typically imparts info in the form of VOICE-OVER narration

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direct-address

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type of narration directly to the audience, breaking the "fourth wall"

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3rd person narrator

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voice imposed form outside of the narrative to provide info not accessible to a narrator who is also a participant in the story

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omniscient

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narration that knows all, unrestricted access to all aspect so of the narrative, can even provide info that no character knows

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restricted narration

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limits the info it provides the audience to things known only o a single character, encourages audience to identify with character's singular perspective

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narrative, narration, and narrator

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the story, the act of telling the story, and the one that tells the story

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essential elements of a narrative

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character pursuing a goal

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round characters

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complex characters, contradictory behavior, etc.

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flat characters

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uncomplicated, exhibit few distinct traits and do not change as the story progresses

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protagonist

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character who pursues the goal

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narrative structure

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how the story is organized

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normal world

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a movies first few minutes lay out the rules of the universe that we will inhabit (or at least witness) for the next couple hours

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catalyst

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the inciting incident where the character is presented with the goal that will drive the rest of the narrative

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antagonist

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responsible for obstructing the protagonist

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stakes

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the deeper we get into the story the greater the risk to our protagonist (stakes are rising)

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rising action

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provides tension and enhances our engagement with the ongoing narrative

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crisis

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narrative peak, the goal is in the greatest jeopardy and an affirmative answer to the central question seems all but impossible

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climax

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comes when the protagonist faces the major obstacle

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resolution

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the third act of falling action, in which the narrative wraps up loose ends and moves towards a conclusion

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the screenwriter

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responsible for coming up with the story, either from scratch, or by adapting another source, such as novel, play, memoir, or news story

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Elements of narrative

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story and plot, order, duration, events, suspense vs. surprise, repetition, setting, & scope

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Story

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consists of (1) all the narrative events that are explicitly presented on screen plus (2) all the events that are implicit or that we infer to have happened but are not explicitly presented

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diegesis

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the total world of the story presented (the events, characters, objects, settings, and sounds that form the world in which the story occurs) --made up of diegetic elements

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plot

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consists of the specific actions and events that the filmmakers select and the order in which they arrange those events so as to effectively convey the narrative to the viewer

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nondiegetic elements

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those things that we see and hear on the screen that come from outside the world of the story (such as score music)

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backstory

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creating a narrative structure based on a "backstory", a fictional history behind the situation existing at the start of the main story

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Order

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bringing order to the plot

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Duration

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length of time

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story duration

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amount of time that the implied story takes to occur i.e. citizen kane- several years

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plot duration

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elapsed time of those events within the story that the film explicitly presents (elapsed time of the plot) i.e. in citizen kane- 1 week

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screen duration

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movie's running time on-screen

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cinematic time

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images occur in human-made time, not seamless real time

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surprise

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being taken unawares, can be shocking, and our emotional response to it is generally short lived

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suspense

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more drawn-out experience, one that we may seek out even when we know what happens in a movie, anxiety brought on by a partial uncertainty: the end is certain, but the means is uncertain

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repetition

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number of times with which a story element recurs in a plot (important element of narrative form)

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familiar image

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any image (audio or visual) that a director periodically repeats in a movie (with or without variations) to help stabilize its narrative

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setting

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the time and place in which the story occurs--also identifying factors for understanding things

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scope

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relating to duration and setting the overall range, in time and place, of the movie's story

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What is Mise-en-scene?

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french "staging or putting on an action or scene overall look an feel of the movie subtly influence emotional response

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2 major visual components of Mise-en-scene

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design & composition

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Design

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*process by which the look of the film is determined during production *set design, decor, prop selection, lighting, costuems, makeup, hairstyles, etc.

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Composition

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*organization and relationship between actors and objects within the space of each shot *how all visual components of design are incorporated within the camera's frame

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The production designer

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works closely with the director and director of photography in visualizing the movie that will appear on screen *both artist and executive responsible for the overall design concept, the look of the look of the movie, etc.

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art director

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what the production designer was called before the 1930's- creates and maintains the studio's distinctive style, look full screen credit and any awards the film received for art direction

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3 most important elements of DESIGN

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1. setting, decor, and properties 2. lighting and color 3. costume, makeup, and hairstyles

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Setting

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*spatial/temporal environment (realistic or imagined) in which the narrative takes place *can be on location or within enclosed sets *whether on location or not, sets are not reality, but a construction of it *"serpentine dances" vs. "arrival of a train at la ciotat" *setting becomes more sophisticated in time *silent era: dominant marker of personal style *German expressionism

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on location

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shooting in an actual interior or exterior location away from the studio (in comparison to a set)

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decor

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the color and textures of the interior decoration, furniture, draperies, and curtains

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properties

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(props) objects such as paintings, vases, flowers, silver tea sets, guns, and fishing rods that help us understand the characters by showing us their preferences in such things

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soundstage

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a windowless, soundproofed, professional shooting environment that is usually several stories high and can cover an acre or more of floor space

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Lighting & Shadow

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*a further understanding of action, theme, and mood *calling attention to shades and textures; shadow masks and conceals *quality, placement, etc.

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3 point lighting

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key light, fill light, and backlight

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high-key lighting

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when the light fill light is raised to almost the same level as key light; produces bright images with few shadows; low contrast; you can see everything very clearly like a romantic comedy

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chiaroscuro

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the use of deep gradations and subtle variations of light and darks within an image

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low-key light

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fill and back lights reduced; high contrast, creates and somber mysterious look usually deliberately artificial, emphasizing deep shadows german expressionism-popular, also film noir chiaroscuro

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Costume

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setting of the film generally governs the design of costumes, which can contribute to the setting and suggest specific character traits, such as social station, self-image, and the image that the character is trying to project

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costume, makeup, and hairstyles

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*reflect social structure and values of society and the way we expect it to look *contributes to construction of "ideal" beauty *hollywood studio system-stars and glamor *iconicity of costumes

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types of acting

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*method *impersonation *personality (i.e. charlie chaplin) *Character actor (tight cast, never the protagonist, hank)

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Composition

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*the process of visualizing and planning the design of a movie *the organization, distribution, balance, and relationship of objects and figures within the frame *not WHAT we see, but HOW we see it *guides us what to pay attention to *on & offscreen space *open and closed framing

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Open framing

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a world where characters move freely within an open and recognizable environment

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closed framing

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forces have robbed the characters of their abilities to move freely

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figures

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any significant things that move on the screen--people, animals, objects

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Acting (only in lecture notes)

answer

*most prominent aspect of narrative film *visual elements and sound *not ALL performances strive to be "realistic"

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reframing

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a movement of the camera that adjusts or alters the composition or point of view of the shoot

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moving frame

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the result of the dynamic functions of the frame around a motion-picture image, which can contain moving action but can also move and thus change its viewpoint

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point of view

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the position from which a film presents the actions of hte story; no only the relation of the narrators to the story but also the camera's act of seeing and hearing omniscient and restricted

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viewfinder

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the little window you look through when taking a picture

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kinesis

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perception of movement in a movie

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What director is "Far from Heaven" and homage to?

answer

Douglas Sirk

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Things about Douglas Sirk

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*vibrant colors *1950's *women's films *social isolation/alienation *progressive ideas *repression

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blocking

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familiarizing the cast and cameras for each scene and in rehearsals, familiarizing with the plan and process

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causal minimalism

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still a narrative because it has cause and effect (ex. the movie Slacker--no central character and no sustained conflict)

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hybrid movies

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cross pollination between different types of films (narrative, documentary, experimental) Borat is combo of documentary and narrative

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documentary films

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A nonfiction film that presents the film makers perspective on actuality. Documentary films take many forms, including factual, instructional, persuasive, and propaganda. Regardless of approach, every documentary is shaped by the film makers intent + subjective interpretation of idea and actual events.

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experimental films

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trying to create something new that defies boundaries; aka avant garde, not commercial, personal, not conforming, critique of culture... Also known as avant-garde film, a term implying a position in the vanguard, out in front of traditional films. Experimental films are usually about unfamiliar, unorthodox, or obscure subject matter and are ordinarily made by independent (even underground) film-makers, not studios, often with innovative techniques that call attention to, question, and even challenge their own artifice.

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genre

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The categorization of narrative films by form, content, or both. Examples are musical, western, biography.

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theme

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a shared pubic idea (such as a metaphor, adage, myth, or familiar conflict or personality type)

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presentation

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Certain elements of cinematic language that communicate tone and atmosphere

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factual films

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entertain and instruct in straightforward fashion with influencing audiences POV's

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Instructional films

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"how to"

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Persuasive Films

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originally "documentary films", to persuade people on an issue (i.e. the inconvenient truth)

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propaganda films

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made by the government do disseminate deceptive information, "Triumph of the Will"

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Direct cinema

answer

no narrator, interviews, etc., just in action

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character types

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individual characters, genre films are populated by specific character types

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story formulas

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The way a movies story is structured, its plot also helps viewers determine what genre it applies to.

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stars

answer

Even the actors that star in genre movies factor into how its classified, analyzed and received by audiences.

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gangster

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The gangster genre is deeply rooted in the concept of the american dream, which states that anyone regardless of how humble his origins can succeed.

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film noir

answer

French for black film. Distinguished by its visual style, 'black film' not only references the genres attitude but its look as well. Lighting schemes emphasize contrast and create deep shadows that can obscure as much information as the illumination reveals. Reinforces a feeling of disorientation. Plot twists, goal shifts, and expectations are reversed. Allies revealed to be enemies, moral reference points are skewed.

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science fiction

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focus is on humanities relationship with the technology is creates

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horror

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born out of a cultural need to confront something and vicariously conquer something frightening that we do not fully understand

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western

answer

predates the invention of motion pictures

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hand drawn animation

answer

to create, animators draw or paint images that are photographed one frame at at time on film camera. Since 24 frames equal one second of time, animators must draw 24 separate pictures to achieve one second of animation.

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stop motion animation

answer

records the movement of objects with a motion picture camera. The animator moves the objects slightly for each recorded time.

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digital animation/CGI

answer

uses the virtual world of computer-modeling software to generate animation.

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uncanny valley

answer

a graph that shows that the more humanlike a robot is the more people re uncomfortable with it.

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Important features that genre have

answer

repetition and variation, familiar stories, familiar character, familiar situations, settings and devices, expectations and experiences, emotional experience

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6 major american genres

answer

gangster, film noir, science fiction, horror, western, the musical

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narrative structure schematic

answer

Act 1: Setup Inciting incident Act 2: Conflict and Obstacles Rising Action and Stakes Crisis Climax Act 3: Resolution

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Storyboard

answer

A scene-by-scene (sometimes 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.

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subplot

answer

A subordinate experience of action in a narrative, usually relevant to and enriching the plot.

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Mise-en-scene

answer

French for "Staging or putting on an action or scene" *overall look and feel of the movie *can subtly influence or emotional responses as we watch

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Elements of Mise-en-scene

answer

Design & Composition

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generic transformation

answer

when the genre adapts to meed the expectations of a changing society

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3 fundamental principles of film form

answer

1. light 2. illusion of movement 3. manipulation of space and time

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anti-hero

answer

a protagonist who lacks the characteristics that would make him a hero (or her a heroine)

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script doctors

answer

professional screenwriters who are hired to review a screeplay and improve it

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jump cut

answer

A sequence of shots that constitutes and error in editing. this error occurs during producing when cutting between camera shots and results in an on-screen object or character appearing to jump from one side of the screen to the other.

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linear structure

answer

the action unfolds from beginning to end

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M.P.A.A.

answer

Motion Picture Association of America

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