Karina Martinez
April 19, 2012
Alex Langshall
Film Studies
Reflective Essay
Film is made up of series of individual images. All these images are shown in a rapid
pace. The viewer has the chance to catch the motion in succession. Film involves so much more
than just images known as frames. There is more to film than as where the eye retains a visual
image for a second. The viewers have the chance to perceive a motion. Film involves not only
shots but lighting, music, film form, genres, a narrative, and sound. This film class helped me
understand that there is more to film than just frames. There would be no creativity if we didn’t
have all the elements that create a film. For starters,
Mise en Scene brings in vibrant colors that draw your attention. Mis en Scene gives the
film life, it is the intricacy of using the actors, scenery, shot selection, costumes, props, and
lighting, to put people in the story and let them feel the real beauty of film.To begin, staging is
how the props and the characters are placed in front of the camera. It is what is used to grab the
viewer’s attention and what helps them see the whole picture. Deep staging adds depth to the
film. To get deep staging the film must have characters in the foreground and in the background.
It is very important to know how to direct a film and know what kind of story you are trying to
portray. If a film did not have the variety to change from a boring frame selection, films would
be boring and no one would like films. When I first started the course, I had no idea how much
work it takes to make a film.
It starts with having an idea and from there using all these elements that the film world
has, it helps create a beautiful representation, with emotions and life. Scenery is what makes the
movie. It makes you feel like you are in that exact place the film is portraying. Music and sound
make such a difference once the scenery, and the characters and portrayed. I worked on Shot
Selection as part of an assignment for this class, and I had no idea what Shot Selection was until
I took this course. The shot selection is like scenery. It is the importance to the movie. By
choosing the best shot you can truly put you in the movie. With close shots, and even far shots
you feel like you are present in that film. Something a narrator would not be able to portray. It is
only possible with the right camera angles. There are so many types of camera shots. All shots
are taken with different angles, zoom, and focus.
It is very important to have a variety of shots to show depth and detail throughout
different films. The film and television industry has many guidelines to common types of shots,
framing and picture composition. Shots are usually described in relation to a particular subject
such as a person, place, or thing. Shot selection helps intensify the mood just by the environment
in which the shot is being taken to even show part of the subject in detail. Shot selection is what
gives film its life, and depth of what is happening in the film. Every angle matters, every shot
taken means something different. Without shot selections there would be no variety. I had no
idea of this until I took the time to understand how important each element is in Film.
Combining music with film has to do not only with what kind of movie is being created
but also what the writer and director would like. The majority of the time the film will be built
around the scenes and setting. Once the layout of what is needed for the film, music is created.
The composer will take the time to create and record the custom music. Lighting is also very
important in movies. It is what captures a picture with a camera, without it you would not be able
to capture pictures or shots. Without any kind of lighting there would be no films. Lighting can
change the mood or the feeling of a film. It has the power to create an emotion without using
words or actions. It can set the tone. Each film genre has certain lighting. Lighting is a key
element to creating and understanding film. Once all the elements are combined, Film Form is
what is involved in making and producing the finished product. It includes the lighting, mise-enscene, acting, camera movement, editing, framing, sound and music. The way a film is edited
and shot is essential to the form of the film.
Editing and camera movement determine what the audience will capture and how they
interpret it. Once again without editing the film would not be the greatest. One needs an
explanation and picture examples. Camera movement and editing go hand to hand. By using
different camera angles, directors can alter the way an audience view a film. Before a film is
shot, the film’s camera form is planned, illustrated, and revised.
I enjoyed this class very much. It helped me understand film for what it is. Now every
time I watch a film I depict every part of the film and try to understand what the director had in
mind with all the elements that are involved to make the movie. I was glad to have been given
the assignment for Shot Selection, because I strongly believe if it weren’t for the many ways to
shoot a shot, films would be dull and have not life. Each way the shot is taken makes a
difference. It gives the film an emotion and each time you watch that film again, you can’t help
but feel that certain emotion. For example when I watched Titanic, the way the movie was
portrayed, and shot made a huge difference. The actor focused on telling a story and that story
came alive. The scenery, the music, the costumes, and the genre made that movie a success. I
could never get enough of Titanic.