THE GRAMMAR OF FILM
HOW FILMMAKERS TELL A STORY ON SCREEN
A MS. WICHTERMAN PRODUCTION
In literature so much of how
we experience a text depends
on our imagination.
We are given words on a page
and it is up to us to fill in the
rest.
Authors rely on plot,
characterization and imagery
to paint a picture in our minds.
In film however, things are somewhat different…
Film is an audiovisual medium. We see what the
filmmaker wants us to see.
Filmmakers use certain common conventions often
referred to as the 'grammar' of film to tell their
stories.
In this lesson we will learn about three of these
common conventions:
Shots
Angles
Editing
Shot: a length of
film taken by a
single camera
without breaks.
An Extreme Long Shot is generally taken from a great distance
away from human subjects. Often these are landscape shots.
We generally see these kinds of shots in epic movies that focus
attention on setting, such
as Westerns.
When people are included
in extreme long shots, they
often look like specs on
a screen.
A Long Shot gives a view of all the characters
within the shot. It is a shot that helps the
audience become comfortable with the
surroudings.
A Medium Shot shows a little over half of the
human body up and is generally used to show
interaction between characters, including dialogue.
Medium Shots are also used to show
movement, for instance when two characters
are having a conversation while walking down
a corridor.
A Close-Up contains just one character's face. This
enables viewers to understand the actor's emotions
and also allows them to feel empathy for the
character. This is also known as a personal shot.
An Extreme Close-Up is a variation on the
close-up. It is often used to highlight a
symbolically important object or a particular
body part such as
an eye, a hand,
or a mouth.
Angle: The
direction and
height from which
the camera takes
the scene.
As we know from watching movies, the angle at which
a character is shot in a film can dramatically affect how
we perceive that character.
Film directors often choose to shoot characters
using different angles in order to make
a comment on the importance of that
person in the film.
There are five basic camera angles used
to shoot scenes in a film…
For the Bird’s-Eye View, the camera is placed above the
subject, looking down toward the subject and the ground.
This kind of shot can seem disorienting because it is rarely
the way audiences see the world. Because of this, directors
often use the bird’s-eye view when they want to make
some kind of dramatic comment on a character or scene.
The High Angle, looking downwards, tends to
draw attention to the importance of the
environment or setting for a scene.
High angle shots also
tend to make characters
look small and are often
used by directors to
symbolically suggest
insignificance.
The Low Angle, looking upwards, has the opposite effect of
a high angle shot. It tends to focus attention on the size
and significance of a character or object. Often directors
will use this kind of shot to symbolically announce the
power and authority of one of their characters without
literally telling the audience this information
The Eye-Level shot is the most common angle
seen in movies. Scenes are shot at the same
level as an observer would see the scene
.
These are not terribly dramatic
shots but are used to
photograph scenes that explain
story development.
The Oblique Angle is shot by literally tilting the
camera frame. It can be used to suggest a sense
of “crookedness” and anxiety, or, in the case of
some television news shows and music videos, a
sense of playfulness.
Editing: The work
of selecting and
joining together
shots to create a
finished film.
Continuity Editing: Editing
that creates action that
flows smoothly across shots
and scenes without jarring
visual inconsistencies.
Establishes a sense of story
for the viewer.
Eyeline Matching: The matching of eyelines between
two or more characters. For example, if one character
looks to the right in shot A, the other character will
look to the left in shot B. This establishes a
relationship of proximity and continuity.
Errors of
Continuity:
Disruptions in the
flow of a scene,
such as a failure to
match action or the
placement of props
across shots.
Cut: visual transition created in editing in
which one shot is instantaneously replaced on
screen by another.
There are many different types of cuts in film.
Matched Cut: A
cut joining two
shots whose
compositional
elements
match, helping
to establish
strong
continuity of
action.
Jump Cut: a cut that creates a lack of
continuity by leaving out parts of the action.
Shot Reverse Shot
Cutting: Usually used
for conversation
scenes, this
technique alternates
between over-theshoulder shots
showing each
character speaking.
Cross Cut: Cutting back and forth quickly
between two or more lines of action,
indicating they are happening
simultaneously.
Questions?