Film Analysis: Realism, Formalism, and Techniques in Cinematography - Prof. Katharina Hamm, Study notes of German Philology

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Key Terms Realism -A slice of life -little manipulation or commentary -focuses on content rather than technique Formalism -manipulates/distorts raw material -styalized/subjective approach -focuses on technique -Avant garde Classicism -mixture of both realism and formalism -most FICTION films are classicist Mise en Scène -"put in the frame" -where characters or objects are placed within the frame -the different positions signify different meanings and different importance -center = reserved for the most important visual elements -top = shows authority -bottom = subservience, vulnerability -left/right = suggests insignificance -off frame = darkness or mystery Sound -called talkies-first used in "The Jazz Singer" in 1927 -problems were that actors were restricted to one spot in order for the sound to be picked up by the microphone -actors had to subdue their facial expressions -everything had to be memorized and choreographed -off-screen sound = scary -silence = creates tension Pitch, Volume, and Tempo -High pitch = fear/on edge vs. low pitch = soothing -Loud volume = intensity/powerful vs. quiet = calm/mystery -Fast tempo = exciting/action vs. slow = relaxing/boredom Music -compliments what the audience sees -triggers emotion/mood -foreshadows leitmotiv -a small piece of music that goes with a character Spoken Language -dialect -how lines are said Six Basic Shots -extreme long shot (aka establishing shot) -long shot -full shot -medium shot -close-up -extreme close-up Five Basic Angles -Birds eye view (god like), can be used as establishing shot -high angle (vulnerable) -eye-level (equal) -low angle (audience is less powerful) -oblique angle (off-balance) Color -light = joy, virtue, security -dark = evil, un-known, fear Use of Color in Film -high key = comedy, musicals -high contrast = tragedies -low key = scary movies -backlighting = angelic, halo effect -cool colors = blue, purple, green -warm colors = orange, yellow, red Editing -Cutting to continuity = preserve fluidity/continuity of event of development without showing every second of it -condensation without missing important info -put in sequence (avoid jump cuts) Transition Techniques -cut -fade in/out -cross cutting -iris in/out -jump cut (no establishing shot) Nonfictional Narrative -story structure is based on an argument Documentary -actual people, places, etc. -interviews -tries to be non-bias but usually is -objective -edit the film -reporting Propaganda Contains a figure from the knees to the waist up. Used for carrying dialogue and movement. There are several variations, the two-shot which has two characters and the three-shot with three. the over-the-shoulder shot usually contains two characters. The Close-up Shows very little and concentrates on a small object. The Extreme close-up Instead of a face, it may show only a persons eyes or mouth. Deep-Focus Shot A long Shot consisting of a number of focal distances. Sometimes a wide-angle lens is required in order to photograph. This type of shot captures objects at close, medium, and long ranges simultaneously. Types of Angles 1. Bird's-eye view 2. the high angle 3. the eye-level shot 4. the low angle 5. the oblique angle Eye-level shots Seldom dramatic and tend to be the norm. Bird's-eye View The most disorienting angle of all, for it involves photographing a scene from overhead. The people photographed seem vulnerable and insignificant. High-Angle Shots Reduce the height of the objects photographed and usually include the ground or floor as a backgrounds. Movement is slowed down. The importance of the setting is usually increased and the locale seems to swallow people. Low Angles Increase height. Motion is speeded up especially in scenes of violence and a sense of confusion. Often the sky is used as a ceiling. A person shot from this angle inspires fear and awe. Oblique Angle Sometimes used for point-of-view shots and meant to disorient a viewer. High Key Bright, even illumination with no conspicuous shadows. Tend to be used in comedies and musicals. High Contrast Tragedies and melodramas are usually shot wit h harsh shafts of light and dramatic streaks of blackness. Low Key Mysteries and thrillers. Show diffused shadows and atmospheric pools of light. Backlighting Create an ethereal lighting and can create a halo effect. Overexposure A glaring flood of light from too much light entering through the aperture. Used in nightmare films. Filter Intensify given qualities and suppress others. Rack Focusing (selective focusing) Adjusting the focal distance of long lenses while shooting. Wide-angle lenses (Short lenses) Have short focal lengths and wide angles of view. Tend to warp edges of the image. The fish-eye lens is the most extreme example. Cutting to Continuity Tries to preserve the fluidity of an event without showing all of it. Jump Cut Editorial transition that is confusing in terms of time and space. Reverse Angle Shot director takes care to fix the placement of the characters from shot to shot during dialogue. Parallel Editing The switching of shots of one scene with another at a different location. Cross-Cutting Switching back and forth between scenes. Leftists and Rightists Leftists are global in their perspective, emphasizing human rights. Rightists tend to be strongly patriotic, often regarding people from other countries as vaguely inferior. Avantgarde Don't usually tell stories in the conventional sense. First-Person Narrator Tells his or her own story. An objective observer who can be relied on to relate events accurately. Omniscient Point Of View All-knowing observers who supply the reader with facts.