Classic Hollywood
Film Language
Alfred Hitchcock: Shadow
of a Doubt (1943)
Film Language and Technique:
Class Aims
Discuss Film as
Narrative
Review “Classic
Hollywood Style”
Intro Vocabulary
Terms
Discuss Use and
Impact of Film
Techniques
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000055Y14.
01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg
Class Schedule
Introduce, discuss film
as narrative; group
discussion/comments:
12 min.
How film is set up: 5
min.
Building blocks of
film 7 min.
Shot, Scene, Sequence
Camera movement
and placement: 15
min.
Lighting: 10 min.
Editing: 10 min.
Film techniques telling
a story and expressing
ideology: 10 min.
Classical Hollywood Style
Belton argues that Hollywood cinema
is a _________-centered drama.
How does cinema develop characters?
Break into Groups: come up with an
example of a film you have recently
viewed that develops (or fails to
develop) a character. How does this
work?
Character Narration in
Shadow of a Doubt
Perhaps the most obvious narration
occurs in Uncle Charlie’s voice-over
________.
How does this element advance the
story? What does it tell us?
http://hitchcock.alienor.fr/shadow.html
Film Technique Terms:
Basic Units
Frame
_________ of the film’s image
on the ______
Mise-en-Scene:
French: “___ on _____”
Film Technique Terms:
Basic Units
Shot:
Basic unit of _______
One _________ piece of filming
Film Technique Terms:
Basic Units
Scene
Several _____ unified by _____
and ______
Film Technique Terms:
Basic Units
Sequence
Several ______ unified by
common time, but _______ by
space
Basic units in Shadow of
a Doubt
Establishing shots
Long shots of the city
Gradually dissolve into one
another and move in on a
locale—i.e., a sequence
Film Technique Terms:
Movement/Placement
Focus:
Rack: camera changes
from ______ to _______
Deep: camera _______
fore- and background
Film Technique Terms:
Movement/Placement
Angle: establishes the viewer’s
_______ to the ______
High: camera looks ____
Low: camera looks ___
How does this affect our
perceptions of the characters?
http://www.imagesjo
urnal.com/issue02/inf
ocus/shadow.htm
Film Technique Terms:
Movement/Placement
Zoom: lens adjusts so scene
appears to move _____________
the viewer
Pan: _______ pivoting of camera
Tilt: when camera looks
_________
Film Technique Terms:
Movement/Placement
Crane: the camera is moved _______ by
crane
Tracking: camera rolls along a _______
Dolly: camera moves on _________ in ___
direction
Steadicam: device to keep _______ camera
_____
Camera Movement in
Shadow of a Doubt
In the opening sequence:
Crane shot up to Charlie’s room
Camera tracks across room: how
does this position the viewer?
Film Technique Terms:
Lighting
Lighting Position
_______ Lighting
The ____ light is the dominant light
source
_______ lighting is bright and less
shadowy
_______ lighting is darker and more
uneven
Lighting in Shadow of a
Doubt
How would you
characterize the
lighting of this shot?
What is the effect on
the viewer?
What mood does
lower-key lighting
create?
http://www.imagesjournal.com/issue02/infocus/shadow.htm
Film Technique Terms:
Editing
“Classical continuity editing”:
a.k.a. _________ editing
Editing between scenes is called
_________
Editing within scenes often seek to
conceal _________
Film Technique Terms:
Editing
Transitions:
Cut: 2 shots joined ______ together
Fade: gradual ________ or _______ of
onscreen image
Dissolve: ________ fade in and out
Iris: ______ closed or widened
Wipe: where one scene appears to wipe
the other ______
Film Technique Terms:
Editing
Editing within scenes: ________
techniques
Matches: including _______ match
Point-of-view editing: ___ shot
process
180-degree rule: ______ convention
Summing up
Film Techniques as a Language in the
service of ________
Stylistic _________ becomes a goal of
Hollywood cinema techniques
Film style is not “superficially ______” on
the narrative
Think about how film technique influences
viewing