READING
FILM
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THE BEGINNING OF STORY…….
LOOKING IN THE MIRROR
WHY READ FILM?
BECOME AN EYE AND EAR
WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR
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WHERE DOES STORY TELLING
BEGIN…….
Close your eyes….
Relax…..
Listen……..
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Looking into the Mirror
 Mirror neurons are neurons whose response mirrors
what we observe, and makes us feel what the other
person is feeling or doing that you are watching (Mirror
neurons “fire in response to seeing someone else
perform an action” (Goldstein 75). As a result, the
firing that occurs brings us information about the
action we are observing because “watching someone
else perform the action is the same as the response
that occurs when the observer performs the action”
(Goldstein 75).
 Film just like other arts have always existed as a
mirror reflecting actual and perceived images of
society, history, politics, religion or (the
meaning of life) and ones individual and
collective identity .
Film as a Mirror
WHY “READ” FILM?
BECOME AN EYE AND EAR
WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR
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WHY “READ” FILM?
The Difference between a Tourist
and a local. Helps us to
appreciate much more of the
amazing landscape, variety and
depth of films across time and
space.
YOU WILL ENJOY FILMS IN WAYS
OTHERS CAN’T.
Film as a Mirror
Gives us a direction towards
understanding and exploring how
and why films affect us in
different ways.
YOU WILL UNDERSTAND MORE
ABOUT HUMAN PSCYHOLOGY
AND CONSCIOUSNESS.
WHY “READ” FILM?
Become a Better Builder of
“worlds”. Like a coder who knows
coding, when you understand the
fundamentals of the film and it’s
language, you can better create
what exactly what you want.
IT WILL MAKE YOU A BETTER
FILMMAKER/ARTIST/STORYTELLE
R/COMMUNICATOR
BECOME AN EYE AND EAR
WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR
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BECOME AN EYE AND
EAR
 When you start to read film you, need to
start to become a curios observer, like a
human who has just landed on Mars. You
are interested to see what make this
planet unique and special.
 Start to pay attention not only to the story,
plot, and characters, but to how these things
are intentionally presented to us by the
camera, music, and sound within a film world
and how it relates to the intended audience
in the context of human psychology, history,
geographical location, technological, social,
political, religious and economic
circumstances.
 You ARE Now a CINEMANAUT!
Film as a Mirror
Second Skill
BECOME AN EYE AND EAR
WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR
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 Is the director using a long shot, a medium shot, a close up, or an
extreme close up? Is the shot taken from a high angle, a low angle,
or from eye level? Is the camera placed in an “objective” location,
or does it represent the “subjective” point of view of one of the
characters? Does the camera move or does it stay in place? Is it
handheld or stable?
WHAT TO
LOOK OUT
FOR
Film as a Mirror
 Consider also the composition of the scene. That is, how has the
director arranged actors, objects, lighting, etc. to make the effect of
the scene? Is there something implied going on off screen? This
scene from The Godfather is a great example. What does it convey?
Why is it so effective?
 Does the film utilize effects like voiceovers, text, direct addresses to
the camera and other narrative devices? What is the effect of these
devices?
WHY “READ” FILM?
BECOME AN EYE AND EAR
WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR
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 Pay attention to how the movie opens and ends. The first thing you
see in a movie is the credits. What images are shown in these
credits? How is music used to set the mood of the film?
WHAT TO
LOOK OUT
FOR
 Editing: Most people do not pay attention to how a film is edited or
how it cuts from shot to shot and scene to scene. This, though, is an
important part of how film has an effect on an audience. Pay
attention to whether the rhythm of the editing is fast or slow, does
the director use long takes in a scene or does he/she divide the
scene up with many short takes? Does the editing make for a
unified and continuous effect (i.e., you don’t really notice it) or is it
jarring or destabilizing? Does the editor/director use effects like
fade in/fade out frequently?
 Consider the overall mood of the film as created by acting, music,
lighting, sound effects, costumes, colors, sets, etc. (All of these
things taken together is what film scholars call mise-en-scene,
French for “put before the camera.”) These small details, all of which
filmmakers often pay a great deal of attention to, often go
unnoticed but play a crucial role in a film.
Film as a Mirror
WHY “READ” FILM?
BECOME AN EYE AND EAR
WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR
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 Look for repetitions that cue you in to the things the
director or writer thinks are important. Is there a
recurring song, music, camera technique, special effect
that adds meaning to the film? Just as when you read a
book or play, pay attention to these repetitions.
WHAT TO
LOOK OUT
FOR
Film as a Mirror
 Finally, think about how your observations relate to the
over-arching ideas, issues, and themes of the film. How
do these particulars help your understanding of the
whole?
WHY “READ” FILM?
BECOME AN EYE AND EAR
WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR
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ST
1 EXERCISE
How does the
use of
narration and
voice over in
the “The
Fall”(2006)
convey to us
the power of
Storytelling.
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