Cinema Flashcards
Cinema
Comes from Greek work kenesis meaning movement
Cinematic language
To film what grammar is to writing/ comes with its own terminology to words
Shots
An uninterrupted run of the camera
Fade in/fade out
Technique used for the passage of time/ screen fades to black or solid color wash
Protagonist
- “The character that wins” even tho they don’t always win
- The character who changes the most/has the most things happen to them
- The main character
Implicit meaning
Underlying meaning
Explicit meaning
Surface meaning
Formal analysis
-A study of the formal elements of film
-elements of form
I.e.
Cinematography, acting, sounds
Theme
Underlying message or idea
Motif
The recurring symbol that underscores the meaning
Duration
The length of a shot
POV
The position from which a film represents the actions of the story
Form
How that subject is expressed
Content
Subject
How do Form and content relate to each other?
They work together to give the viewer context
Fundamentals of film form
- Dependent on light
- Provides an illusion of movement
- Manipulates space and time
Phi phenomenon
Illusion of movement created by events that succeed each other
Critical flicker fusion
2 lights switch on and off until they become one light
Flicked effect
Persistence of vision
Our brains hang on to a vision a moment longer than what’s actually there
Works together with the phi phenomenon and critical flicker fusion
Mediation
Transfer o information from one place to the next
Transferring of information
Scene
Shot: uninterrupted run of the camera ➡️ put together in a sequence ➡️ put together to form a scene
Sequence
Uninterrupted run of the camera put together to form a scene
Freeze frame
The same frame repeated over and over at 24 fps
Realism
Real to life
Antirealism
An interest of concern for the abstract or extraordinary
Verisimilitude
The movies world vision seems realistic as if it was really there
- it follows its rules and is believable
Ex. In avatar the blue people can’t stop and wat cheeze it’s and drink a 7 up
Mac guffin
Coined by Alfred Hitchcock
Plot device that is usually something that’s very important to the character in the beginning and has no value in te end
Ex. In phyco (bates motel) the suitcase is important in the beginning but means nothing in the end
What differentiates narratives from documentaries and experimental films?
Narratives are broken into genres
Narrative
They tell a story
Directed towards fiction
Sci-fi, rom-com, action/adventure, musical, comedy, etc
Documentary
Films that record real life in creative ways
The creative treatment of actuality- John grierson
Factual documentary
Present real people, real places without undoley influencing the audience
Instructional documentary
How to
Youtube
Persuasive documentary
Usually address social injustice of cause
Subjective
Propaganda documentary
Deals with politics or very big companies
Triumph of the will
Direct cinema
The subject addresses the camera directly in order to tell the story
Speak truthful this about themselves
Avant-garde
French word that means advanced guard
Techniques that drift down to films
Ie cloverfield
6 characteristics of experimental films
- Gangster
- Film noir
- Science fiction
- Horror
- Western
- Musical
Stream of consciousness
Captures the unedited flow of experience through the mind
A movies narrative?
Fictional or fictionalized events, type of film, how the movie is described to us
Screenwriter
The people or peoples who write the screenplay
Screenplay
The story of a movie
The text of the story of a movie
Evolution of a screenplay
- Pitch - the short enticing description of an idea
- Treatment - a pro’s (short story version) of the idea
- Rough draft/ 1st draft
- Shoot script - the master script, a reference point for all members of the production unit
- Story boards - a scene by scene breakdown of the script to give a visual representation; combines sketches/photographs to show how the scene should look
Elements of a narrative
- Exposition - all the things that happen before the movie that evolves the plot
- Inciting moment - the event/situation during the exposition stage of the narrative that sets the rest of the narrative in motion
- Rising action - bulk of the movie; temporary defeats, mentors, allies, enemies, threshold guardians
- Climax - point of no return, the turning point
- Denouement/resolution - the end of the movie, all is resolved, plot line ties up
Who said a movie needs a beginning middle and end?
Aristotle
Who said that beginning middle and end don’t have to be in order?
John Luc Godard
Difference between plot and story?
Plot is what he story is surrounded by
Plot is based off of the story
Subplot
Shines light on plot, usually not important to movie
Backstory
The fictional history that is behind the story
Direct address
The narrator speaks directly to us
Voice over
The narrator is a voice over an image
First person narration
The narrator is a character in the movi
Third person narration
The narrator is a character that doesn’t exist in the movie
Suspense vs surprise
Suspense brings an anxiety of uncertainty
Surprise ends the suspense
Scope
The overall range of the story
Setting
Time and place
Difference between story plot and screen duration
Story: everything we see/hear/implied meanings
Plot: surrounds the story, the purpose of the story
Duration: the time the movie takes to unfold onscreen
Familiar image
The image the director has periodically repeating in the film to help stabilize the narrative
Round character
3d
Unpredictable, complex, surprising
Flat character
1d
Predictable, easily remembered
Major character
One of the main characters
Has the most happen to them
Minor character
Supporting character, fewer traits, may lack definition/screen time
Marginal character
Lacks definition and screen time
Mise-en-scene
Look and feel of the movie
Design + composition
Design
Process of choosing visual and audio elements for the shots
Composition
How it’s Arranged (where the design elements go)
Lighting
Movies are dependent on light
It sets the mood and creates atmosphere for each scene
Production designer/art director
Oversees all design elements
One of the first people to work, does pre-production
HBQ hairstyle
Hollywood beauty queen
A wig that was used for years in movies
Soundstage
A place where movies are shot
A large, windowless, soundproof room
Lumière Brothers
Non-fiction, realistic
Known for “actualities”
Ie
Coal miners leaving work
Late 1880’s , 10 yr span
George melies
Fiction, non realistic, fantasies
Known for “man on the moon”
Special effects
Expressionism
A movement that deals with nightmare logic
Diagonals forced perspective
A German movement
Ex. The cabinet of dr. Caligari - Robert wigne 1920
Tim burton
Framing
What the camera points at
Kinesis
Reframing: when camera moves
Kinesis: subject in frame moving
Greek, also root word of cinema
Offscreen
Can’t see
Onscreen
Can see
Open frame
Wide shot
Character can move more freely
Open spaces
Unlimited movement and space
Closed frame
Closed in, tight, claustrophobic
Can be inhibited phycology and physically
Big 3
Cinematographer
Director
Production designer
Props
Things that actors can handle ad move around
Decor
Set scenery
Sofas lamps chairs
Cinematography
Writing with movement and light
Cinematographers job
Determine what is placed in front of the camera and where those things need to go
Cinematographers title
Director of photography
Shot
An uninterrupted run f the camera
Set up
Every time they move the camera for a new shot completely
Take
Number of times they take a new shot
Film stock
Color or black an white
Cinematographer in charge of
Speed, gauge = (mm 18, super 8, 16,35,65,70,iMax)
8-18 is ametuer
Film speed
Cinematographer in charge of
The degree in which the film is light sensitive
The faster the more sensitive to light - grainier
Less sensitive is slower
Widescreen aspect ratio
Cinematographer in charge of
1:33 (width) to 1(height)
Production values
The overall style of the film
The amount/quality of both human/physical resources devoted to the film
Two sources of light
Natural - sunlight
Artificial- manipulated
Artificial lights are called
Instruments
Two kinds of artificial lights are
Flood lights - softer
Focusable - bright light
Reflector bird
Used to bounce light
2 sides
Birge/white - dulls or softens light
Metallic - reflects brightens light
Key light
Controls how the lights look
3 point light system
Fill light - softens shadows Key light - controls how the light is Back light (edge/rim light)
Fill light
Softens features
Aperture
Gate
Here the light cows in
Iris
The adjustable diaphragm
Think of your eye
Focal length
The distance between the optical center and the lens
Short focal length lens
Wide angle more depth
Looks further apart
Long focal length lens
Telephoto looks closer to camera
Depth of field
The distance in front of the camera where the objects Are sharp
Rack focaus
Where you change the point of focus from one subject to another
The switch of focus from blurt to sharp or vise versa
Extreme long shot
Characters outline is visible
More surroundings are taped
Long shot
The characters features are not as visible
Medium long shot
American log shot
Subjects filmed from knees up
Two shot
Two people are in shot
Medium shot
Filmed from waist up
Close up
Fined chest up
Extreme close up
An object is given a lot of detail
Ex. Filming just a hand or letter or eyes
High angle shot
When the camera must be look down at something
Low angle shot
When the camera is looking up at something
Dutch angle shot
Sideways shot
Oblique
Frame is off balance
Character is in a state of distortion
Pan shot
Camera moves horizontally
Tilt shot
Moving/angling camera up an down
Dolly/traveling shot
Camera is fixed to a vehicle or cart
Tracking shot
Camera moves on tracks she. Following a subject
Zoom
Magnifies shot just by the lens of the camera
Crave sht
Camera is attached to a mechanical arm
Stedicam
Not a camera
A vest that the camera operator wears with articulated arm
Allows for vibrations to be absorbed while filming with a handled camera
Omniscient pov
Camera knows all
Follows everyone
Single character pov
Camera only follows one character
Slow mo
More than 24 fps
Fast mo
Less than 24 fps
