The Language of Film
“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 better a viewer reads an image the
more he/she understands:
• Its physical reality
• What it means based on cultural references
• Its various sets of meanings
When you look at a frame, one of the first
things to consider is distance.
How much do you see of the character(s)?
•Is it a close up?
•Is it a full shot?
•Is it a medium shot?
A Place in the Sun 1951
Can you see the whole body or a part of the
body?
American Beauty (1999)
What shot is this?
Medium Shot
• Contains a figure
from the knees or
waist up
• A functional shot, it’s
used for shooting
exposition of
scenes, for carrying
movement, and for
dialogue.
Forrest Gump
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.
 Used to elevate the importance of thing,
often
The Shining
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
Extreme Close Up
• Very close shot of
some detail
• Used to show
emotion or
emotional ties with
an object
Clockwork Orange
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). This lets the
audience have a look at the subject in relation to its
surrounding.
The Establishing Shot or Long
Shot or Extreme Long Shot
The Illusionist 2006
It lets the audience have a look at the subject in relation to its
surroundings. It usually appears at the beginning of a film or
scene to establish the setting or to introduce a film. Used much
where locale plays an important role: western, war, historical
films.
Long Shot
The Two-Shot
Avatar 2009
Makes two characters the subject of the frame. It allows you to
understand how the characters interact and react to each other.
This is a variation of the medium and close-up shots.
Another aspect 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 and a sense of superiority of the
observers.
300 2006
Apocalypto 2007
The Fountain 2007
A frame shot from a low angle makes the subject seem larger, more
threatening, or powerful. The others are inferior.
Citizen Kane 1941
The Postman Always Rings Twice 1946
The Dark Knight 2008
Inglorious Basterds 2009
A character that seems larger than another in a frame is usually the
dominant character.
From Double Indemnity 1944
From Letter from an Unknown Woman
1948
From
Gone with the Wind
1939
From
Rebecca
1940
The Departed 2006
A canted angle or oblique-angle suggests that
something is wrong either in the character or the
story’s situation (frame is out of balance).
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
The Ring 2002
The Painted Veil 2006
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
Mulholland Drive 2001
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 The French Connection
From Silence of the Lambs
From Halloween
From Kiss Me Deadly
From The Sixth Sense
From The Others
Light cutting through a character(s), lines
which divide the frame, usually mark images of
characters that are in turmoil.
From Blade Runner
From The Usual Suspects
From The Awful Truth
Sweeney Todd 2007
Other Symbols
Christ figures/Biblical
References
From Dead Man Walking
Crosses
From The Omen
Pan’s Labyrinth
From Hell 2001
Vertigo
Inception 2010
The Sixth Sense
Shadows
Colors as symbolism
Rebirth
Color
From Schindler’s List
Eyes
From The Blair Witch Project
From Un Perro Andaluz
From Psycho
From Spellbound
Phallic symbols
From King Kong
From Blade
From Rear Window
Blood
Destruction or desecration of
symbols
From Planet of the Apes
Trains
Slumdog Millionaire 2008
The Moon
Water
From Jaws
From E.T.
Roads
From North by Northwest
…and many others
Trees
From Collateral
From The Ring
From Superman
The Black Dahlia
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. Genres include the western,
musicals, comedy, action thriller, horror, science fiction, and
film noir.