FILM
CONTENT
1. WHAT?
Types of film:
Narrative (like a story) and non-narrative
I.
II.
III.
IV.
Documentary
Abstract
Associative
Rhetorical
CONTENT
2. WHY?
3. HOW? Which elements of film?
I.
II.
III.
IV.
Cinematography (tempo, perspective, cameramovement, special effects)
Editing (graphic, rhythmic, space, time)
Sound (music, dialogue, background)
Art Direction / mise-en-scène
(costumes, make-up, setting, light)
4. History of film(art) in keywords
A. Narrative
• (Fairy) tale, romantic, drama, melodrama, historic,
western, action, science fiction
• Plot, motivation, parallels, development, order,
couse and effect
• Dramaturgy (building of tension), themes and
motives
• Similar to drama and literature
B. Non narrative
I.
II.
III.
IV.
Documentary
Abstract
Associative
Rhetoric (skill in using laguage effectively and
persuasively)
I.
Documentary
• Objective, balanced
• Scientifically based
• Clear structure
II.
Abstract
• Form is content
• Colour, shape, patterns
• Casual or formal consistency?
E.g.
• Oscar Schlemmer: Triadic ballet
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apiWk8Aaj1I
• Ferdinand Léger: Ballet Mécanique
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SgsqmQJAq0
III. Associative
• Atmosphere
• Loose connections around theme
• Un Chien Andalou, Louis Bunuel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCl_8522FF0
• Koyanisquatsi :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqaU2vGjujM
IV. Rhetoric
• Subjective
• Based on reasoning
Chris Marker: Letters from Siberia
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILiVndlT368
Michael Moore: History of USA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4vGtDPSxiY
Morgan Spurlock : Supersize me
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1Lkyb6SU5Un
WHY?
Depending on genre:
•
•
•
•
•
Provoke emotions
Convince
Inform
Consider
Undergo
HOW?
Which elements of film?
I.
II.
III.
IV.
Cinematography
Editing
Sound (music, dialogue, background)
Mise-en-scène (costumes, make-up,
setting, light)
I. Cinematography
‘writing movement’
•Shot: frame filled with background, light,
costumes, moving and speaking actors
•Scene: a series of shots which form a piece of
film in which we discover unity of place, space
and time.
Elements of cinematography
1. Tempo/pace (real time, slow-motion or fast
foward)
2. Perspective, framing, camera position
3. Camera movement
4. Special effects
2. Framing
I.
II.
Size and shape of the frame
The way the frame defines the ‘offscreen’
space
III. Perspective: angle, height, distance,
vanishing point
IV. Multiple-frame like split screen
I.
Size and shape
• A ‘mask’ allows variations on the rectangle
II.
Space outside the frame
• Six areas:
space outside the four
sides of the frame,
space behind the
backdrop or decor
space behind the camera
• Somebody or something
enters or leaves the frame
• Cropping
III. Angle, level, height, distance
• comparable to 2D
• bird’s eye view, frog perspective, human
perspective
• (extreme/medium) long shot
• medium shot
• (medium/extreme) close-up
• point of view (protagonist’s perspective)
Armoured cruiser Potemkin
•
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jebW5-G2HTs
IV multiple frames
• Split screen
3. Camera movement: What?
•
Different cameras and lenses:
dolly, crane, hand-held, fixed
•
possibilities:




pan(orama) (from left to right and vice versa)
tilt (up and down and vice versa)
helicopter view, establishing shot
follow
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RN9dUquiHHU Blair
Witch Project
 from the eye of a character
 zooming in and zooming out
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrVVmALJNMk Woody Allen:
Deconstructing Harry
Combined camera movement
Citizen Kane
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Th8cuq
9tzZk
Vertigo effect,
invented by
Hitchcock
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=je0NhvAQ
6fM
Camera movements:
How? What?
Time:
• fast, slow
• fluent, staccato, unstable
• repeating patterns
Space:
• follows characters (reframing)
• from characters perspective
• hovering around an object
• provides overview
II. Editing: which kind?
1. Graphic analogy: match or contrast in form, colour,
composition, movement of the shots
2. Rhythmic analogy: duration and pace
3. Spatial: varying locations
4. Time:
• chronologic, flash back and -forward, synchronic
• Time extension, time shortening
Editing: how?
1. Punctuation: fade, dissolve, fly in-out, split,
drive (PowerPoint!)
2. ‘Empty frames’ with actors moving in or out
3. Cut away
Editing: why?
•
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gGl3LJ7vHc
Lev Kuleshov experiment
•
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNVf1N34-io
Mr. Hitchcock legt het uit
1. Narrative function
2. Rational function
3. Emotional function
1. Narrative
Progress of the story in space and time
2. Rational, argumentative function
I association ants and labourers
II contrast rich and poor
III parallel murder and slaughter of animal
3. Emotional function
I rhythm, movement and tempo causes excitement or
tranquility
II grafic editing in colour and dark/light: causes positive
or negative feelings
III analogy in shape: e.g. moon and eye
IV contrast, parallel en association can provoke
emotions
III Sound: what?
1. Music
2. Spoken language (e.g. dialogue, monologue)
3. Background
1. Music: why?
1.
2.
3.
4.
subtext
supports tension
provokes expectation
emphasizes silence
Music: what?
• Existing or composed
• Major film composers:
Korngold, Elmar Bernstein, John Barry
Herbert Hermann, John Williams, Danny Elfman
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBxjwurp_04&list=PLE3C85853C9DCF23D
North by Northwest, Hermann
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jwu4S996VZI&list=PLE3C85853C9DCF23D
Star Wars, Williams
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DX1iplQQJTo
The Simpsons, Elfman
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-QFj59PON4
2001 A Space Odyssey
Music: which elements?
HOW?
•
•
•
•
Dynamics
Pitch
Timbre
Rhythm
Music
• From where?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2xYaL_Mheg
Blazing saddles
• When?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WtDmbr9xyY
Psycho
2. Language: what and why?
1. Conversation, dialogue
2. Thought
3. Voice over
intention: information, emotion
3. Background noise:
what? when? why?
• When?
asynchronous (after or before) or synchronous
• From where? diegetic, non-diegetic
• Intention: realism, building of tension or content?
•
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOXo0xnwnz0
Delicatessen
IV Mise-en-scène
• Costumes
• Make up
•
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eq2PPFUhfpo
• Decor, setting
•
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtEgAx80NC4
• Props
• Light (contrast)
•
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcyzubFvBsA
Edward Scissorhands
History of film
• Start: realism (Lumière), registration drama, special
effects (Méliès)
• Hollywood 20ies, 30ies (Chaplin, Griffith, Lubitsch,
von Sternberg)
• Duits expresionism 20ies, 30ies (Murnau, Frits Lang)
• French surrealism 30ies (Brunuel)
• Soviet realism (Eisenstein) 20ies, 30ies
• Hollywood 1940-50 (Welles, Hitchcock, Wilder)
• Japan (Kurasova)
• Italian Neo Realism (Pasolini, Fellini, Antonioni,
Bertolucci, Scola) 1950 -70
• Nouvelle Vague (Resnais, Renoir,Malle) 1950, 60
• Directors: Bergmann, Stanley Kubrick, Polanski
• Protest film 60ies in USA
• Neues Deutsches Kino (Fassbinder, Wenders)
1960 - 70
• Bollywood
• Classic American: Scorcese, Coppola
• Post modern (Lynch, Tarantino, Coen brothers,
Tim Burton)