The Language of Film
Prof. Myrna Monllor Jiménez
English 124
© copyright Myrna Monllor Jiménez 2013
The great thing about literature is that you can
imagine, the great thing about film is that you
can’t.
James Monaco, How to Read a Film
The Theater VS. The Cinema
In plays, the audience always observes
the entire stage and all the actors within
that stage.
In film, the filmmaker controls what the
audience sees and how by choosing the
information that viewer will see.
Mise-en-Scène/
Placing on Stage
How everything that appears on the
screen is arranged
• Actors
• Lighting
• Décor
• Props
Mise-en-Scène
Blancanieves 2012
Mise-en-Scène
Blancanieves 2012
The better a viewer reads an image the
more he/she understands it.
• Their physical reality
• What they refer to based on cultural
references
• Their various sets of meanings
When you look at a frame, one of the first things to
consider is distance.
Spiderman 3
How much do you see of the character (s)?
•Is it a close up?
•Is it a full shot?
•Is it a medium shot?
Can you see the whole body or a part of the body?
In general the closer the camera gets to the
characters, the closer the viewer feels towards the
characters.
This is why close ups are often used for:
 love scenes
 scenes where the character is suffering or
fearful
 any other scene where the viewer is supposed
to understand what the character is feeling.
The Great Gatsby 2013
As the camera moves further away from the character(s), the
viewer is provided more information about them or about their
situation.
From Rosemary’s Baby 1968
From Babel 2006
Wall-E 2008
The further the camera is from the subject, the more
distant you will feel from what is happening in the scene
or to the character(s).
Another thing you should consider when observing
A frame is the angle or camera position.

Was the frame shot from high above?
(a high angle)

Was it shot at eye level?

Was it shot from a low angle?
A frame shot from a high angle is often referred to as
God’s eye view because it suggests that ‘someone’
is observing the characters. It can suggest danger
and helplessness.
Anna Karenina 2013
300 2006
Paranorman, 2012
Apocalypto 2007
A frame shot from a low angle makes the subject seem larger.
The Wolf of Wall Street 2013
The Postman Always Rings Twice 1946
Django Unchained 2013
The Lone Ranger 2013
Black Swan 2011
The Dark Knight 2008
Inglorious Basterds 2009
Paranorman, 2012
Looper, 2012
A character that seems larger than another in a frame is usually the
dominant character.
Elysium 2013
The Departed 2006
Citizen Kane 1941
A canted angle suggests that something is wrong
either in the character or the story’s situation.
Artificial Intelligence 2001
Besides shots and angles, you should also watch for symbols.
Some common symbols are:
Images of entrapment are usually shown through characters framed by
doors, gates, or confined spaces (like closets).
From The Kid 1921
From Carrie 1976
Pan’s Labyrinth 2006
Atonement 2007
The Hours 2002
Drive 2010
The Painted Veil 2006
Inception 2010
Coraline, 2009
Alice in Wonderland, 2010
A Beautiful Mind 2001
The Departed 2006
Images of duality are usually represented by characters reflected
in mirrors , water, glass.
Psycho 1960
The Matrix 2003
Taxi Driver 1976
The Lady from Shanghai,1947
Black Swan 2010
Black Swan 2010
Stairs, dark alleys, canted angles, darkness enveloping a character,
seeing only part of a character are some images of imminent danger.
From American Psycho
From Silence of the Lambs
From Halloween
From Kiss Me Deadly
Light cutting through a character(s), lines
which divide the frame, usually mark images of
characters that are in turmoil.
From Blade Runner 1982
From The Usual Suspects 1995
From The Awful Truth 1937
Sweeney Todd 2007
Other Symbols
Christ figures or
Messianic
figures/Biblical
References
From Dead Man Walking 1995
Crosses
From The Omen 1976
Pan’s Labyrinth 2006
From Hell 2001
Inception 2010
Shadows
The top
Rebirth
2006
Color
1968
From Schindler’s List 1993
Eyes
From The Blair Witch Project 1999
From Un Perro Andaluz 1929
From Psycho 1960
From Spellbound 1945
Phallic symbols
From King Kong 1933
From Blade 1998
From Rear Window 1954
Blood
Destruction or desecration of
symbols
1976
From Planet of the Apes 1968
Trains
Slumdog Millionaire 2008
The Moon
Water
From Jaws 1975
From E.T. 1982
Roads
From North by Northwest 1959
…and many others
Trees
From Taken 2008
From Alexander 2004
From The Ring 2002
The Black Dahlia 2006
The Power of the Editor
• The editor as storyteller
– Cuts the film for transition purposes and to
provide information to the viewer
– Omits/eliminates the sections of the story
that are too obvious or unnecessary
(ellipsis)
– Alternates two or more scenes usually
happening simultaneously that culminate in
a place where the characters face each
other (cross cutting/parallel cutting)
Cross Cutting/Parallel Cutting
Example: Quantum of Solace
2008
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OD0h7WcgJ5w
Crosscutting: The Godfather
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_I82117oAw
The Kuleshov Effect
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCK53Lb4-pI
Other definitions
• Cliché- overuse of situations, symbols
• Voice over-a narrator whose voice is heard
throughout a film
• Restricted narration-limited to one character
• Omniscient narration-changes from one character to
another, the viewer receives information from many
sources.
Auteurs/genre
• An auteur is a director who manifests a consistency of style and
theme across his/her films. Auteur films are inventive and
creative. Auteur films emphasize their uniqueness.
• Genre refers to a mass produced product of the Hollywood film
industry.It studies the conventions of certain kinds of films.
Genre categorizes films according to their thematic and visual
similarities.Genres are not static, they evolve. They also create
certain expectations in the viewer.
Bibliography
Buckland, Warren. Teach Yourself Film studies.
Hodder & Stoughton, 1998.
Monaco James, How to Read a Film.
Oxford University Press, 3rd edition, 2000.
Elements of Cinema.com
http://www.elementsofcinema.com
Copyright2013 ©Myrna Monllor Jiménez