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 (with some stuff from JC thrown in
here and there)
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meaningful cultural and historical documents.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