Intro to Film Analysis
and Theory
(but first, a brief overview of
Cultural Studies)
overview of the “Introduction” from Film Analysis,
edited by Jeffrey Geiger, 2005, Norton Press, NYC
Standard Cultural Studies
Critical Approaches
• Content Analysis
• Semiotics
• Ideological Critique
• Discourse
Analysis/Theory
Approach: Content Analysis
• Quantitative
(counting!) technique
measuring specific
frequency of various
occurrences
• Produces raw data
• Limited in application
Approach: Semiotics
Sign = Signifier + Signified
Signifier = the word or
speech sound (rain)
Signified = mental concept
(the concept of water
droplets falling from the
sky)
Semiotics: Types of Signs
Iconic: (physically
resembles what it
“stands for”)
Indexical: (“A”
points to “B”)
Symbolic: (arbitrary
connection)
Semiotics: Levels of Signification
Denotation = Literal Meaning
(1st level of signification) -that ring is literally
compressed carbon
encased in platinum.
Connotation = Cultural
Meaning (2nd level of
signification) – that ring
represents love,
engagement, commitment
Semiotics: Culture Bound
• Signs are arbitrary
cultural
constructions
• Myth =
transformation of
historical into
natural
• Meanings change
Approach: Ideological Critique
Ideology = a system of
ideas and ideals
Ideological Critique looks
at cultural power and
is focused on how
meaning maintains the
social order
Ideological Critique: Marx
Social relationships are
based on domination
and injustice and
these are seen as
natural and inevitable
by those who benefit
least.
Ideological Critique: Gramsci
Hegemony = process
through which a
group is able to
claim, through
consent, leadership
or power throughout
a society – it is not
domination.
Approach: Discourse Analysis
Discourse = all forms of talk and texts
Discourse analysis interested in texts themselves,
rather than seeing texts as a way of “getting at”
some reality behind the discourse
It’s not just a movie
• Films are not simply entertainment. They are
meaningful cultural and historical documents.
• Film criticism isn’t simply a matter of opinion;
instead, film analysis examines the narrative,
thematic, and stylistic choices with the goal of
deeper understanding.
Getting started . . .
• Analysis doesn’t kill the pleasure of
watching the film, it enhances the
discussion.
• Analysis examines assumptions and
situates the film in particular historical,
cultural, and aesthetic contexts.
• Reading the film requires more than a
surface viewing. It requires an
understanding of sign systems
(semiotics), including the denotation and
connotation of words and images.
Reading a film
• Consider the film a text with meaning
that has obvious as well as complex
and even contradictory connotations.
• Films/texts have multiple meanings
and interpretations
• Reading between the lines to get to
the layers of meaning – the more
cultural, historical, and technical
understanding you have, the deeper
you can read.
Interpretation
• There isn’t a “true” or “right” meaning
• Interpretations aren’t purely
subjective and they aren’t equally
valid.
• Some interpretations are more
relevant, enlightened, and thought out
than others
• Interpretation strives to provide
insight and uses persuasive language
and solid evidence to support it
Freud: Latent Content
• Connotations, ideas, and
beliefs that lie unnoticed
within the text of a film could
be seen as “subconscious” or
“unconscious”
• Freudian approach looks as
uncovering the latent content
to analyze meaning (making
the implicit explicit)
Connotations and Ideology
• Connotations and meaning are culturally
and historically determined
• Ideology is the broadly held cultural or
social beliefs of the time (ideology in the
film analysis sense is a set or system of
ideas so widely accepted they are only
rarely examined in a conscious way – it’s
culture’s unconscious)
• Ideological beliefs are “the way things
are supposed to be” – and those change
Context is crucial
• Context includes anything that has an
influence or bearing on a particular film.
• Films are never culturally or ideologically
neutral, but are informed by their contexts.
Approaches to Film Analysis
• First things first: Opinion is not Analysis
(analysis requires that we question our own
opinions and stay focused on the text/context)
• Starting out: Formulate a thesis or argument
that uses a particular point of interest or a
particular theoretical approach to focus you
• Context: Learn about (research!) the cultural
and historical period
Types of Contexts
• Production Context of a Film: the
situation in which it is financed and
produced (which will subject it to a
range of influences and pressures)
• Filmic Context: consider the film in
comparison to others of its type or
genre (and the critical context)
• Historical and Cultural Context: what
was going on at the time? What
version of the world does the film give
us, and why?
Examining Major Themes
• What is the film about? (not the plot, but
what are the latent meanings, the main ideas,
issues and themes at an implicit level)
• What are the major conflicts?
• Don’t oversimplify.
Role of Narrative
• Narrative analysis breaks the
film into its narrative segments
and then looks for patterns of
repetition and difference (and
compared to genre
considerations)
• Narrative analysis considers
what is excluded and withheld
as well as what’s included
Style Considerations
• Style = all the elements of how the film is
constructed: cinematography, editing, miseen-scene, and sound
• Stylistic analysis considers the stylistic choices
and what they mean or communicate
Theoretical Approaches to Film
• Film History: investigates the film
according to their place within a
historical context
• National Cinemas: discuss films in
terms of their cultural or national
character
• Genre: examines how a film
organizes its story and its
audience’s expectations (genre is a
category for classifying films in terms of
common patterns of form and content)
More Theoretical Approaches
• Auteur Theory: identifies a movie by a director
and analyzes common themes and stylistic traits
of the filmmaker
• Formalism: confined to the film itself and the
matters of structure and style
• Ideological Approach: analysis of the ideological
messages of the film