FAMST 46 Study Questions

Can you think of some formal principles that apply to the films seen in class?

(lighting, scoring, sound and set design, use of color, shot composition, and editing) Diegetic and nondiegetic sound plays a huge role in Atonement, particularly the typewriter sound motif. Shot composition plays a huge role in Citizen Kane because many shots make use of deep focus to convey the emptiness of spaces.

Surrogate Narrator

-Briony would be a surrogate narrator in atonement for certain scenes, while camera would be narrator in more objective scenes -voice over is often a surrogate narrator -12 years a slave is a first person narrative, doesn't really employ a surrogate narrator

What is Soviet Montage? Can you think of a specific example from a film seen in class or in section?

-editing innovations; 1924-1930; The Priority of Editing: championed editing over all other film techniques; intercutting images to give actions meanings; Montage" the Russian word for cutting; no single main character; speed of cuts -Battleship Potemkin uses the soviet montage (baby pram falling, tipping point cuts over and over again/makes you feel terrified) -montage of clips of Briony walking in Atonement

different types of shots

-extreme long shot (landscape framing/can't see people) -long shot (figures are more prominent but background still dominates) -medium long shots (figures are framed from about the knees up) -medium shot (frames human body from waist up) -medium close-up (frames the body from the chest up) -close-up (shot just showing the heads, hands, feet, or a small object - emphasizes facial expression) -extreme close-up (singles out a portion of the face or isolates and magnifies an object)

different types of lights

-front light -top light -underlight -side light

Kuleshov experiment

-man looking at camera, cuts to a bowl of soup, people said man looked hungry (manipulated feelings) -idea of soviet montage started here

What spatial and temporal frames work to unify and sustain the narrative progression? Is the narration restricted or unrestricted?

-spatial editing/temporal editing

How are time and space organized in the films you have seen? How do plot and story differ? What strategies does the director employ to express a relativistic notion of truth? How do subjective verisimilitude and authorial subjectivity clash to create ambiguity?

...

academy ratio

1.37:1; aspect ratio of 35 mm film

key/back/fill light

3pt lighting; key light is the main light, fill light fills in shadows created by key light, and back light illuminates the back of the subject so it stands apart from background

How many films are released theatrically in the world every year?

400?

What are some of the alternatives to continuity editing? Can you think of some examples from films shown in class or in section? How would you define a "long take"? Since it concerns the duration of a shot, can it ever have any absolute value or do we need to consider the context (i.e. the particular film) in which is found?

An alternative to continuity editing is making editing visible to the viewer; this type of editing can result from jump cuts, seemingly random cuts, abrupt cuts, breaking the 180 degree rule, etc. Examples could be breathless (jump cuts) or the Battleship Potemkin which had some disjointed editing sequences, or Ballet Mechanique which connected random images together through editing A "long take" is a take that is particularly long for the sequence of shots that it is in; what defines a "long take" is thus relative to not only the film but a particular sequence in that film

What formal patterns organize Ballet Mecanique ?

Ballet Mecanique is organized by similarity and repetition, as well as difference and variation. In the film the image of eyes opening and closing is repeated often, but at one point in the film we experience a variation on this because the eyes open upside down.

Consider any film you have seen in class. How are the characters introduced? How does the editing create rhythmic and graphic patterns? Can you think of associations created by the editing? How do the songs and/or music create a counterpoint for the images?

Briony is introduced typing at her desk, and then we cut to her marching down the hallways of her mansion trying to share her story with her mother. The editing (which often matches the music) is quite quick and abrupt which helps us understand Briony's abruptness and determined nature; the rhythmic nature of the editing in the sequence though quick is obviously there and plays off the nondiegetic music quite well.

Give some examples of the use of deep space and deep focus in CK, Atonement, and 12 Years. Are there any examples of shallow focus? Are there examples of rack focus?

CK - deep space and focus in Xanadu scenes with Kane and his wife Atonement- shallow focus in our briony close ups by the window (bee) 12- rack focus occurs when we shift in shot from focus on fields to focus on people

Compare the structures of Citizen Kane and His Girl Friday. How do they differ? To which narrative patterns do they conform?

Citizen Kane employs a narrative that restricts us to what Tompson finds out about Kane until the end of the film at which point the narrative becomes unrestricted and the audience sees the sled with Rosebud written across it. The film employs flashbacks and different narrators to allow us to learn about Kane. His Girl Friday employs more open narration than Kane in that we know the desires of the two main characters and understand them both fairly well. As an audience, we know as much as the two main characters do surrounding the situation with the murderer.

Discuss the conventions of continuity editing. Why is it called "invisible editing"? Why is it associated with the Classical Hollywood Cinema? Discuss two aspects of continuity editing with examples from any film seen in class.

Continuity editing is seamless editing (no jump cuts); continuity system: 180 degree system as well as consistent eyelines and screen direction tactics (Establishing shot, SRS, Eyeline Match, Match on Action); continuity style aims to transmit narrative information smoothly and clearly over a series of shots called invisible editing because you aren't supposed to be able to notice it Associated with Classical Hollywood Cinema because it often doesn't shock or disturb the audience; consistent In CK there is an establishing shot of Xanadu, and we approach the castle through the use of dissolves which are not particularly jarring to the audience (flow smoothly) In 12 there is a match on action when Solomon stands up during his argument Eliza (lifting arm movement)

Can you think of some examples of cross-cutting , of conceptual editing, of jump cuts? Can you identify some editing motifs? Can you identify some cinematography motifs and discuss their significance?

Cross-cutting - "The Girl and Her Trust" train scene (cuts between girl with bandits and guy going to rescue her) conceptual editing - association between images; battleship Potemkin - lions jump cuts - breathless car sequence dissolve motif in CK at the beginning and end - use dissolves to approach

What steps are comprised in the main phases of filmmaking?

Development Pre-production Production Post Production Distribution.

How can film style be affected by distribution and exhibition?

Different forms of distribution and exhibition can change the film style by changing film size, changing the way it is projected (film v. hd), it can change ...

How do digital and photographic cinema processes differ?

Digital cinema includes the process of creating images instead of just taking account of already present images; playing with CGI and animation within a film not considered to be "animated" is part of digital cinema (can create film like scenes that never occurred); live action footage as raw material for digital cinema; editing and special effects merge; digital cinema as a case of animation

Describe and think of an example of the concepts of form and function. Can you think of an overall system of relations among the elements of Citizen Kane(*)?

FORM: overall patterning of a film (the way its parts work together to create specific effects); structured experience; creates expectations and sustains them over time FUNCTION: most elements serve several purposes; motivation often points to function

How does form shape meaning? What kinds of meanings do spectators attribute to films? What are implicit and symptomatic meanings? Can you think of a film you have seen recently and give an example of each?

Form gives the film a larger significance; creates meaning. 4 types of meanings: referential, explicit, implicit, and symptomatic. IMPLICIT: more abstract, more general theme, interpretation, subtext. SYMPTOMATIC: abstract and general, social ideology, revealing social values. Implicit meaning of the Hunger Games: a young woman seeks to protect herself and her family from the dangers of the outside world and does not wish to play a role in society outside of that, but she is forced to take on leaderships roles so that she can change society and protect her family; in the process, she becomes disillusioned with the world and with other people. Symptomatic meaning of the Hunger Games: enjoyment of other people's pain through reality television is an illness within American culture in the 2000s / power to the people

Pay attention to the role of the camera in the opening and closing scenes of Kane, His Girl Friday, 12 Years a Slave. What devices have been used? How do camera movements/angles and framing affect the mood of the sequence? How is editing used? Describe how the off-screen space is created.

Kane - medium shot of no trespassing; long shot of xanadu; dissolves as we approach the window; makes us think xanadu is huge HGF - tracking shot of hall in newspaper room establishes the space of the room; follow different characters 12 - close shot of Solomon...

What is the significance of Kane's collection of statues? What events have just occurred when Kane announces his European trip? What does he bring home?

Kane collection of statues reflects his desire to fill his empty life with something. At Xanadu the castle is full of statues yet it is still empty. Kane has lost control of the newspaper due to the depression before he announces his European trip. He brings home a wife, Emily.

In the films we have seen in class, props, setting, camera movements, and other elements of the mise-en-scene and the cinematography often take on such an importance that they become motifs. Find and analyze a few examples. Pay attention to the mise-en-scene strategies (lights, props, sets, actors' behaviors etc.) What role do certain locations play?

Lighting in Kane; deep focus in Kane; lighting in Atonement; writing in Atonement Locations can influence our interpretations of characters personalities and motivations (Mansion - Briony; newspaper office - Walt; Xanadu - Kane)

Discuss a mise-en-scene motif, a cinematography motif, an editing, and a narrative motif from any of the films seen in class.

Mise-en-scene: His Girl Friday - lighting on main characters' faces Cinematography: Citizen Kane - deep focus motif Editing: Citizen Kane - dissolves approaching Xanadu Narrative: Rashomon - repetition of story actions in different povs

What is the difference between plot and story? In the context of narrative theory, what do we mean by narration? Give an example of restricted and/or unrestricted narration from Citizen Kane and from 12 Years A Slave.

Plot is everything we see and hear during the course of the film (nondiegetic material that is NOT credits as well), while story is a more encompassing term which includes the plot and things we have inferred (birth). Narration, in the context of narrative theory, is the way in which the story is told and from what perspective it is told. Narration in 12 Years a Slave is restricted to Solomon's perspective; the audience's knowledge is restricted to what Solomon knows, sees, and hears - there is no crosscutting in this film which would open up the narrative. Narration in Citizen Kane can be both restricted and unrestricted. We are restricted as an audience to knowing what our narrators tell us, though the newsreel at the beginning of the film is an instance in which the narration is unrestricted thus providing us with essential information that could not necessarily be given to us by the characters in the film.

panning/tilt

The Pan movement swivels the camera on a vertical axis (scans space horizontally); The Tilt movement rotates the camera on a horizontal axis (scans space vertically)

12 Years A Slave is based on a true story and the title gives away the fact that the condition of the protagonist is not a permanent one. How would the film change if it were told as a flashback from after Northup return?

The actions in the film would seem less horrific because, although we already know going into the film that Solomon's condition isn't permanent, it would make what he went through seem more fleeting. There wouldn't be the same sense of anxiety that is created through this way of telling the story because we would constantly be aware that he makes it back home to tell his tale.

Compare the beginning and the end of CK , HGF. Are the films formally unified? Are they narratively unified? How does the narrative develop? (Hint: what pieces of the puzzle are left unresolved?)

The beginning and end of CK are formally unified; the "no trespassing" sign is shown at both the beginning and end which creates a kind of formal unity. The film as a whole while answering the Rosebud question creates new questions concerning Kane that are never answered, leaving the narrative feeling less unified. HGF while not as unified formally has a narrative unity that is a result of the resolution of the main conflicts (the murderer's sentencing and Hildy's marriage) though the audience is left wondering whether Walter has actually changed at all for Hildy.

Discuss the role of the camera as narrator in a film of your choice: how does it retreat from or approach characters and for which purpose in the narrative? For ex. Thompson plays the role of the surrogate narrator in CK. Is there a surrogate narrator in 12 Years A Slave? How is Solomon Northup's point of view providing the frame for the narration?

The camera acts as a narrator in certain scenes in Atonement. One particular scene in which the camera acts as narrator and retreats and approaches character is the long stedicam shot on the beach at Dunkirk. The camera follows the movements of Robbie and his friends for part of the scene, but the camera also gets distracted (like we as spectators would) by actions occurring within the scene; it thus gives us a sense of the scale of what has happened as well as the chaos.

Discuss the role of the camera as narrator: how does it retreat from or approach the characters and for which purpose in the narrative? What role does the positioning of the characters in the frame play in 12 Years a Slave? In CK?

The camera can retreat from characters to establish a space or, in the case of CK, establish a feeling of disassociation. The camera can approach characters to give the audience a better view and understanding of that character's thoughts and emotions, as is often the case in 12 years a slave.

What pushes the narrative forward in Atonement? How does the story develop? How does the plot unfold? Think of the significance of the title.

The narrative of Atonement is pushed forward by Briony's curiosity and desire for control. The story develops in a fairly straightforward way with events creating conflicts which drive the story forward. The plot unfolds in a manner that is less straightforward; there are alterations to scenes and omissions and blatant lies that are revealed at the end of the film that reveal the plot to be much less straightforward than originally thought. The plot does push forward the necessity of atonement for one's wrongdoings by establishing how harmful those actions can be.

How does the newsreel function in Citizen Kane? What conventions of documentary film making are used in the "News on the March" newsreel sequence?

The newsreel functions to provide the reader with basic information surrounding who Kane was. Voice-over narration and news footage are used in the film and are conventions of documentary filmmaking; the piecing together of different clips concerning Kane is another documentary convention being employed in the "News on the March" segment.

Can you think of the "logic" behind some transitions in the films we have seen in class? Could you come up with an alternative to the way in which the opening scenes of films seen in class are edited? Would it be equally effective?

The opening sequence of Atonement could be edited very differently. Instead of doing quick cuts between shots of Briony walking, the editor could have had an establishing shot of her leaving the room and then faded out and shown her with her mother in the next shot. This would not have been as effective though because we wouldn't have established Briony's authoritative, determined personality at the beginning.

Consider the characters of the protagonists in His Girl Friday, of Thompson, the journalist, in Citizen Kane, and of Briony Tallis in Atonement. How do their professions and/or their limitations work to organize/justify the narrative?

The reporters in His Girl Friday and in Citizen Kane help organize and propel the narrative forward by providing the film with characters who have a goal (discover/report on something) and set out to accomplish it. Briony's roles as a writer also helps propel the narrative of Atonement forward because the fictional world she creates and controls is the one the film takes place in.

You are a director. The sequence you are shooting shows a man pursuing someone running up a flight of stairs in a tall building. Can you think of three different ways to film and edit the sequence? Can you think of examples from films you have seen?

You could have a shot of both men beginning to run up the stairs and then fade out and in to the top to establish that time has passed You could film the men running all the way up the building cutting between flights (if you want to extend it) You could create a sort of montage where you have the men run up a couple different sets of stairs to establish they are moving up and then have them emerge on the roof WWZ stair scene Mockingjay stair scene where there is an establishing shot of how many flights people need to descend to get to the basement and then a shot of Katniss close to the bottom walking down the last set of stairs

tracking

camera as a whole changes position, traveling in any direction along the ground

180 degree rule

camera can't cross axis of action or else everything will flip

omniscent camera

camera knows more than a specific character; see things from camera's perspective

crane movement

camera moves above ground level

What does chiaro-scuro mean? How is the lighting in film noir? What effect does it have on us?

chiaro-scuro means light and dark; contrast between blacks and whites in film noir (little gray); makes the film appear more gritty, less real; creates tension; very distinct light and dark surfaces - high(lots of light/fill light/everything bright)/low(more contrast between lighting) key lighting

match on action (m.o.a.)

cutting between clips on an action (ie opening a door cut would have the door starting to open on one side and continuing the motion on the other)

cross cutting (parallel editing)

cutting two images together to show what is happening at the same time, just in a different space (unrestricted narrative)

fade out/fade in

darkens end of a shot to black, lightens a shot from black

deep vs. shallow focus(cinematography)

deep focus has almost everything in focus in the shot; shallow focus limits focus to what is close to camera

German Expressionism

depart from realism; German government used film to build support for WWI; symbolic and stylized; influenced noir

depth/range

depth is how deeply we know a character (thoughts/feelings), while range is how much we know about a character/situation (restricted and unrestricted)

conceptual editing

editing different images together that are related purely ideologically

invisible editing

editing that is not visible to the viewer/not noticeable; seamless/smooth editing

deadlines

film MUST have a deadline; we need to be moving toward something

framing/reframing

framing allows us to know what is important in a shot ;camera placement is central to visual storytelling; framing can put us in a character's place; in cinema the frame can move with respect to what it shows us; reframing allows us to focus on what is important in the shot

Film Noir

genre of film characterized by use of contrasting black and white

iris (wipe)

growing or shrinking circle (cartoons like Looney Tunes)

flip

happens when the camera crosses the axis of action; images flip (right to left)

hierarchy of knowledge

how much the audience knows v. how much the characters know (some characters know more than us while we know more than other characters)

30 degree rule

if the camera moves less than 30 degrees it will result in a jump cut; more and it will look like a different pov

3 pt lighting system

key light, fill light, and backlight; lighting system that controls shadows on face while making person stand out from background

screen direction

left to right OR right to left; 180 degree line ensures consistent screen direction

composition

lighter and darker areas within the frame help create the composition of the shot

long shot vs. long take

long shot is a shot from a great distance while a long take is a shot that has a longer duration in the film

long take (editing) vs. long shot (cinematography)

long take is a shot that lasts longer than other shots in a sequence (not cut as quickly); long shot is a shot from far away

graphic editing

more graphic continuity if cuts are within similar areas of frame (man in upper left -> cut to house in upper left)

What modes of production are characteristic of the experimental cinema?

non-commercial, individual or collectives, museums, web sites

motivation

often points to function; character motivation pushes plot forward

eyeline match

people look in a particular direction and we see what they're looking at

plot/story

plot is diegetic and nondiegetic material we see onscreen (minus credits), while story includes plot and what we have inferred

point of view shot (p.o.v.)

point of view shot is on the axis of action; optical pov is consistent with continuity editing, creating the type of eyeline-match editing known as point of view cutting

motif

repeated element in a film (can be visual or auditory

restricted vs. unrestricted narration

restricted narration limits our range of knowledge while unrestricted narration opens it up

rhythmic editing

rhythmic- the patterning of shot lengths contributes considerably to what we intuitively recognize as a film's rhythm

mise-en-scene

setting, costumes and makeup, lighting, and staging

wipe

shot B replaces shot A by means of a boundary line moving across the screen

shot vs. scene

shot is a smaller unit than a scene; shot is a single part of a scene (shot of a characters eyes isn't a scene in and of itself)

shot/reverse shot

shot of a character talking, cut to another characters reaction, cut back to character talking; once 180 line has been established we can show first one end point of the line, then the other

deep space (mise-en-scene)

significant elements of an image are positioned both near to and distant from the camera.

Off screen space

space outside of what is shown on the screen; most aware of offscreen space when it creates suspense or surprise

spatial editing

spatial - editing permits the filmmaker to juxtapose any two points in space and suggest some kind of relationship between them (can create a space)

surprise/suspense

surprise occurs when something happens that we didn't expect (characters know more than us); suspense occurs when we are expecting something to happen and it does (we know more than the characters)

dissolve

takes two shots and dissolves one into the other; briefly superimposes the end of shot A and the beginning of shot B

temporal editing

temporal - editing can control the time of the action presented in the film

Narration

the plot's way of distributing story information in order to achieve specific effects

How does the camerawork function to bridge the past and the present or different locations in any of the films you have seen? How does the camera perspective often blur distinctions?

the shot-reverse-shot used in the breakfast montage in CK bridges the beginning of Kane's relationship with Emily to the end of it; if not for the change in costumes, we would assume that the scene doesn't change

CHC narrative

transitive action, linear, goal oriented, closure

cinematography

writing in movement; act of filming/photographing something