Midterm Exam Flashcards
3 kinds of film (Modes) - traits and differences.
Narrative- (cause-and-effect story and fictional)
Documentary- (real-world people, places, events)
Avangard/experamental (visual art rather than storytelling – more about composition, symbolism, and metaphors – often do not contain characters)
What is the diegesis of a film?
of a films narrative - the entire created world.
the suspension of disbelief.
Diegesis and Non-diegisis
Diegetic, textual elements:
Known by characters
heard or seen in imagined world
includes settings, characters, sounds and events
extradiegetic Extradiegetic elements - also includes non-film elements – stars, genre, directors, etc.
extratextual elements:
not contained in story/unknown by characters
narrative, visual, sound elements
Making meaning outside the film world
Parallels
Parallel arises when two characters, events, or locations are compared through the use of a narrative element or visual or sound device
Encourages viewers to consider similarities and differences between the characters and situations
3 kinds of statements about film
Evaluative - baced on criteria, found in film reveiw (subjective)
Expresses personal opinions and reflects one’s own taste and beliefs– a film is “good,” “bad,” or “mediocre” based on established criteria and meant to help you determine whether you should see a film (used more by everyday viewers and film critic reviews)
Descriptive - objectively true to everyone (usually paired with evaluative and interporative)
A neutral account of a film’s basic characteristics - does not change based on who views the film
Interporative - Objective statement of evaluation
More intellectual – make an argument about a film’s meaning and significance – that is supported with evidence from the film or details about its production or reception to support the interpretation (used more by scholars and critics)
3 film styles: Specific traits and differences
Classical- (classical realism) . Hollywood studio system films (1930s to 1960s) – do not call attention to film form – meant to be immersive and absorptive –focus on clear-storytelling, plot-driven, usually give closure
Realist– More character-driven/interested in exploring characters and capturing life and focused on everyday people and places – not focused on the story/providing closure – intimate and spontaneous – do not necessarily present a “truer version of reality”
Formalist- Overtly interventionalist work and Self-conscious, can be more abstract than the other styles, draw attention to the film form and process of representation
Can also be films that are not presenting a realistic world and employ overtly artificial sets, production design, and plots
Often meant to challenge viewers and illicit intellectual responses
4 Types of writing about film
Film Analysis paper- academic, focus on each individual shot, identify links between filmic elements
Scene analysis paper- academic, focus on an entire film, develop a thesis and isolate examples of specific scenes that illustrate that thesis
Research paper- – academic, summarize and synthesize others’ ideas to support your “reading” of a film and to go beyond/contest other readings, topics vary, can include Archival Research*
Popular reviews- not strictly academic, main goal is to encourage audiences to see a particular film, not necessarily easier to write nor do they exclude descriptive/interpretive claims – but they are more evaluative
Ch.4
Unit Two: Film Analysis (Part Two in the book) - covers analytical tools and terminology to help you describe film techniques (the how)
Formal/Technical Elements of film include:
Narrative Form*
Mise-en-Scène (“cinematic staging”)
Cinematography
Editing
Sound
Narrative Form
Is the organizing framework that determines how a story is told and when information is revealed to the viewer
Narrative films
are usually fictional and always scripted to some extent:
A Narrative is “a story, a chain of events linked by cause-and-effect logic” or “an account of a string of events occurring in time and space”
Narrative Films usually last 90-120 minutes (1 page of a script is roughly one minute of screentime)
Narrative films continued
Russian narrative theorist Tzvetlan Todorov’s theory
Narratives must have an identifiable ORDER (though not always chronological)
Must be Goal-oriented (not always a positive or clear one from the start – can be loose)
Russian narrative theorist Tzvetlan Todorov’s theory about narrative structure:
equilibrium, disequilibrium, restoration of equilibrium
Obstacles that blocks the protagonist (can be an antagonist or other challenge) from achieving their goal
Basic Elements of Narrative Storytelling
Motivation – “the central causes behind a character’s actions”
Exposition – “the opening scenes of a film in which a great deal of information about the characters and situation is imparted”
Backstory – “story events that take place before the film begins”
Narrative films generally focus on “human characters and their struggles”
Russian theory about how to identify Narrative Structures
Fabula (story – complete and chronological; all events in a narrative) (who, what, where within the concept)
Syuzhet (plot – abbreviated story and some elements are left out or “reordered”) (how, when, and why what happens in the story)
Story: the king and queen dies
Plot: the king and queen died of grief
both reveal important aspects of structure, character, and theme.
Story Versus Plot
Story (includes chronological and complete explanation of all represented and implied events): Moonlight follows three chapters in a young black queer man’s life in poverty in Florida as he struggles to form and finally accept his identity
Plot (includes specific order of events, not necessarily chronological, and only represented elements): Moonlight spends equal time on each key phase of Chiron’s development and ends by circling back to the beginning after reuniting him (for an indefinite amount of time) with his past lover and after he confronts the trauma of his childhood with his mother
Narrative Structure
Syd Field’s model (set up, confrontation, resolution)
Kristen Thompson’s Model (
The standard pattern that shapes narrative films:
Three-Act Structure (Syd Field’s model):
1. ) Exposition 2. ) Complications/Obstacles to Climax 3. ) Resolution/Epilogue (Dénouement)
Four-Act Structure (Kristen Thompson’s Model):
1. ) Exposition 2. ) Complications/Obstacles to (halfway mark/midpoint) 3. ) Climax 4. ) Resolution/Epilogue (Dénouement)
Conventional Narrative Structure
Classical Hollywood Narrative Structure (pg.86)
Clarity - Viewers should not be confused about setting, time, events, or character motivations
Unity – Connections between cause and effect must be direct and complete
Characters – They should invite viewer identification, be active, and seek goals
Closure – Third (Fourth) Act and epilogues should tie up loose ends and answer all questions
Unobtrusive craftsmanship – Stories are told in a manner that draws viewers into the diegesis and does not call attention to the storytelling process – does not “break the fourth wall”
Propp’s Character Types (Not in the book) and The Hero’s Journey
Why so many restrictions on the stories told and how they are told:
The Motion Picture Production Code
(aka The Hays Code) – 1930-1968* - censorship of certain story elements/narrative content – made all films produced during this period follow a set narrative structure in many ways.
Alternatives to CHWNS (Often Non-US and Non-mainstream films) – not 3 Acts/4 Parts
Two-part Narrative Structure
More Acts (pulp fiction)
Frame Narrative (i.e. Cabinet of Dr. Caligari)
Episodic
Two different tales in the same film with equal share of the running time
Not necessarily in chronological/linear order
A character who narrates an “embedded tale” to onscreen or implied viewers
Two distinct diegetic worlds exist
The narrator may be unreliable
No strict cause-and-effect Emphasizes repetition of everyday events No rise and fall necessarily AKA “a day in the life of…” Often open-ended
Other Ways to Break from CHWNS (classic neritive)
Lack of clarity
Related to: Characters, Goals, Lines of action, Motivation, Perspective
Lack of Unity
Broken Chain of Cause-and-Effect
Open-endedness
Questions are left unanswered or conflicts unresolved; no closure
Unconventional Characterizations
Distanced from the viewer; talk or think but do not act; goals are unclear; narrator may be unreliable; not necessarily sympathetic
Intrusions or Obstructive Craftsmanship
Breaks the fourth wall/cinematic illusion - can be in the form of direct address
Types of Narrators
Narrators take on multiple levels of knowledge in the film and communicate that knowledge to viewers
(usually through VO or POV shots) First Person (Uses “I”) – VO by one character in the diegesis Third Person ( Uses “He/She”) – Usually not a character, and has limited knowledge about characters and diegesis Omniscient Narration (All-knowing): Usually not a character in the film/diegesis
Perspective and Meaning
- Restricted Narration
- Character Subjectivity
- most common, no narrator, events unfold, and we follow one/a few characters closely as events unfold – which align viewers with them
- Refers to who are we aligned with or who is leading viewers through the story world (not always a hero/likable or reliable
Perspective and Meaning Continued
Point-of-view shot:
The audience shares the visual perspective of a character(s) to either encourage or discourage viewers to align with them, Can also explain their motivation and perspective
Voice-over (if non-diegetic) and Direct address
“break the fourth wall” - engage viewers and is obtrusive
CH.5
Bicycle Theaves
Defining film of Italian Neorealism
Post-WWII European film movement that lasted from 1943 (i.e. Osessione) to 1952 (i.e. Umberto D)
Influenced French New Waves (aka The Nouvelle Vogue) film Movement (i.e. The 400 Blows and Breathless)
Rejected and Challenged various aspects of Classical Hollywood narrative structure and form in favor of more realist and episodic narratives about life in Post-WWII Italy
Rejected Classical Italian filmmaking traditions
Key Stylistic Characteristics of Italian Neorealism (Documentary aesthetic but Narrative Films)
ellipses (everyday life and “small moments”
Shot on-location (not sets)
Loose and episodic structure (not plot-driven but character-driven - narrative is about everyday people, places, events in post-WWII Italy)
Non-actors
Natural lighting
Working class/lower class characters
Common Themes: Oppression, desperation, injustice, alienation, poverty
A main character and extras/minor characters are all important and shown on-screen (everyone is suffering)
Open-ended – Cynical
Critical of societal institutions and authority - religion, police, etc.
Children – hope for the future, symbol of innocence and naivety
Individuals vs Crowds vs. Society/Societal Institutions
Editing and Cinematography: Wide shots/Long shots, Long takes, and tracking shots that showcase the environment (war-torn) and make the characters feel distant and diminutive
Mostly “invisible” editing
Focus on ellipses (everyday life and “small moments” usually cut out of Classical Hollywood films)
Attempts to elicit an emotional response from viewers/empathy for the characters
Long Takes and Tracking Shots
Long Shots that emphasize the environment
Focus on minor characters and extras – not just the main character
No closure – biggest break from Classical Hollywood narrative structure
(4) Elements of Mise en Scène
Setting
The Human Figure (i.e. acting, costume, props, make-up, placement, casting)
Lighting
Composition (and Framing)
Mise en Scène / Production design
Translates to “putting/staging of the scene (or frame)” – also known as cinematic staging or production design - originated in theater.
Book definition - “the artful arrangement of actors, scenery, lighting, and props – everything the viewer sees” (pg. 103)
purpose/function – “develops characters, supports themes, creates mood
Context matters when analyzing each element of mise en scène
The production design is also an aspect of documentary and avant-garde filmmaking
Not concerned with sound, camera movements (cinematography), or transitions (editing) – but can work with these other elements to create meaning in films
Setting
The site of the story action (pg. 139)
The overall design of a setting can shape how we understand story action
Visual and spatial attributes
Offers insight into characters’ emotional states
Functions of setting
Establish time and place, introduce ideas and themes, create mood
Can be real or imagined and can be built (sets) or natural settings
Forced Perspective
A system of constructing and arranging buildings and objects on the set so that they diminish in size dramatically from foreground to background, which creates the illusion of depth.
The Human Figure
EX:
Many close-ups (constriction and emotional attachment)
Isolation (compartments/compression)
Vast spaces (freedom/oblivion) – the bluffs
Triangles (relationships/power struggles)
Low angles (power vs. weighing down)
Color (red vs. beige)
Figure Placement and Movement (acting styles and typecasting will be discussed with Star Studies*)
Function: develop motifs, reinforce themes, reveal information about characters and their relationships
Costume
Often develops to change with the character
Props
Object in the setting has a function within the ongoing action; can become a motif
Anachronism (a thing not belonging to that time period)
Make-up
Used in a variety of ways
Construct of gender and beauty
Lighting
Sculpting with light and shadow
Function: Guides viewer’s attention
Sets Mood
Can reflect characters’ subjectivity
Artificial Light or Available/Natural Light
Three features of lighting:
Quality
Placement
Contrast
Light Quality
Hard light: Clearly defined shadows Crisp Textures Sharp edges Harsh
Soft light:
Diffused illumination
More flattering
Softer haze
What situations might you use these types of lighting in and why?
Light Placement
Direction from which light strikes subject
Frontal
Eliminates shadows; flat-looking image
Backlighting
Creates silhouettes
Underlighting
Distorts figures
Top lighting
Defines features, outlines upper areas of figure
Helps separate figure from background
Eye lights – lights aimed directly into the actors’ eyes
