Film Studies 101 Flashcards
Revise essential film form vocabulary
What are the five elements of film form?
Mise-en-scene, performance, cinematography, editing & sound
What does the term ‘mise-en-scene’ mean?
To place in the scene (to stage)
What are the key components of mise-en-scene?
Setting, costume, props, colour & light
What kind of lighting & colour does mise-en-scene contain?
Diegetic
What does diegetic mean?
From the Greek ‘ diegesis’, meaning narrative, it is the ‘story world’ of the film.
What is diegetic light?
Diegetic light belongs in the story world e.g. a torch, car headlight.
Can the source of diegetic light always be seen?
No, it can also be logically implied e.g. moonlight
What are the components of high key lighting?
Key light, fill light and back light.
High key lighting is also known as ______ _____ _______
Three point lighting
How do you create low key lighting from a standard 3-point lighting scheme?
Remove the fill light
What is the Italian term which uses low-key lighting and heavy shadows to achieve contrast between the subject and a dark background
Chiaroscuro
https://www.epidemicsound.com/blog/chiaroscuro-lighting/
How is a silhouette created?
Through backlighting only - no key or fill light
What are the key elements of performance?
Casting (physical appearance), body language, gesture, facial expression, eye contact, proximity & orientation, movement and aspects of speech such as tone, accent, volume etc.
What are the three main acting traditions used in film?
Classical (studio), Method (Stanislavski) & Brechtian. We could also consider acting styles within genres (e.g. slapstick comedy, musicals etc.)
What is the literal meaning of the word cinematography ?
‘Writing in movement’, as opposed to photography, which means writing in light.
https://www.etymonline.com/word/kinema
Identify the six elements of cinematography
Lens inc. focus
Film stock (e.g. B&w, colour, digital, film) Camera distance (shot size)
Camera height/angle
Composition
Camera movement
_______ ________ is where everything is in focus from the foreground to the background.
Deep focus
What is usually the purpose of shallow focus?
To draw attention to the subject. It can also suggest isolation and other effects.
What can a Close Up (CU) do that a long shot cannot?
Show something (often a face) in detail.
What can a Medium Shot (MS) provide that a CU or a LS cannot?
A degree of detail and context (background)
What does HH mean?
Hand-held
Name two camera movements which involve static placement of the camera
Pan and tilt
What is a Zolly shot?
A combination of zoom and dolly which gives an optical effect in which the background appears to move whilst the subject remains static.
Who famously invented the Zolly shot?
Alfred Hitchcock (with 2nd unit cameraman Irmin Roberts) in Vertigo
What is the purpose of a two-shot?
To establish the spatial relationship between two characters.
A two-shot is conventionally followed by _____ ____________
Shot-reverse shot
What is the term for a shot in which the camera is not parallel to the horizon?
Canted (or Dutch)
Name the shot which the camera tripod stays in the same position and the camera head moves from side to side or sometimes a whole 360 degrees.
Pan (or Panorama)
A very fast pan is called a ____ ___
Whip pan
Name a shot which appears to move but actually only involves a change in the lens
Zoom - often confused with a tracking shot!
What does desaturated mean?
When colour is partially or entirely removed
What is the difference between monochrome and black & white?
Monochrome can refer to the dominance of one particular colour
What is ‘day-for-night’ filming?
A film shot during the day, but made to look like night time through the use of filters and/or post-production tints.
What is the conventional colour for night?
Blue
Name the two major editing styles
Montage and Continuity
Which editing style belongs in Hollywood?
Continuity
Explain the Kuleshov Effect
The juxtaposition of one shot with another, which creates a third meaning.
Identify three techniques used in contuinity editing
Three from:
Establishing shots
180 rule
Shot/reverse shot
Cutaways
Eyeline match
Parallel cutting
What is the purpose of an establishing shot?
It helps the audience locate the diegetic space; i.e. it sets the scene for action.
Name three commonly used transitions
Cut
Fade
Dissolve
What other features of editing can help to create meaning?
Shot duration
Editing tempo
Rhythm
Is continuity considered realist or expressionist?
Realist - the impression of real time
What is normally done to time in film?
It is compressed
Name two ways in which time is expanded in film
- Repetition of action, sometimes from different perspectives
- Use of slow motion
What are the two commonest ways to repeat action?
- Flashback (analepsis)
- Flashforward (prolepsis)
What are the three ways in which time is manipulated?
Through changes in temporal order, frequency and/or duration
Give one example of diegetic sound
E.g. dog bark, dialogue, music from a source, such as a radio.
Is VO diegetic or non-diegetic?
Non- diegetic
A _____ is written specially for the film and suggests genre, narrative and mood
Score
_________________ sound is often non-diegetic but instead of emphasising and complementing the image on screen (i.e. parallel) it works in opposition to it. Strangely, this can actually enhance the intended response.
Contrapuntal
_____________ sound is where a natural sound is exaggerated to encourage a stronger response from an audience.
Pleonastic
