“READING” FILMS
Taken from:
Silverman, J, and D.
Rader.
The World is a Text
FILM TECHNIQUE
Camera Angles and Positioning
How is the camera placed?
 Is it high, low, to the side?
 How does it move?
 Is it a handheld camera or is it stationary?
 How does it determine how you see the
movie?

Blair Witch Project, Citizen Kane
Lighting
Light and shading are very important.
 Are there shadows?
 Is the film shot during the day or mostly at
night?
 How do shadows and light affect the
movie and your experience of it?

Kalifornia, Forrest Gump
Color and Framing



Often, directors try to give certain scenes an
artistic feel
Is the shot framed similar to a painting or
photograph?
Does the movie use color to elicit emotions?
How does the movie frame or represent nature?

Sin City, Kill Bill, Girl with a Pearl Earring, Pleasantville
CONTENT
Theme and Ideology
What are the themes in the movie?
 What point is the director or writer trying
to get across?
 What ideas or political leanings does the
movie convey?
 Are there particular philosophies or
concepts that influence the message the
movie sends?

Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, Norma Rae, Terminator, Avatar
THE WHOLE PACKAGE
Celebrities
What movie stars appear or don’t appear
in the movie?
 How do certain stars determine the kind
of movie a film is?
 Do the actors ever look ugly or dirty or
tired or sloppy?

Jennifer Aniston, Ashton Kutcher, Humphrey Bogart, Al Pacino, John
Wayne
Technology
What kind of technology is at work in the
film?
 How do special effects or stunts or
pyrotechnics affect the film viewing
experience?

Avatar, Aliens, Terminator, Mission Impossible
Genre
What genre does a particular movie fit
into?
 Why?
 What are the expectations of that genre?

Culture
As a cultural document, a cultural text,
what does this movie say about its
culture?
 How does it transmit values?
 What kinds of ideas and values does it
hold up to or condemn?

Lord of the Rings, James Bond, Milk, Kramer vs. Kramer, Born on the
4th of July,