FLM 101
Storyboard
a series of drawings that lays out the film sequentially
Acting begins with ______ and includes acting style, deployment of actors' bodies on screen, how they're dressed, how they're made up, what props they use and how they use them
casting
CGI
computer generated imagery
Editing can suggest more about abstract ideas that transcend the literal scope of a film's narrative in 2 ways:
1. by departing from the conventional rules of continuity editing 2. by employing associational editing
3 important variables for shots:
1. camera height 2. angle on the action 3. distance from the action
4 elements of cinematography
1. camerawork 2. lenses and filters 3. filmstock 4. special effects
3 film styles:
1. classical-invested in clear storytelling 2. realist-interested in exploring characters and capturing life 3. formalist-overt intervention that calls attention to the process of representation
All editing, even that used in completely abstract films consists of 3 attributes which are:
1. collage 2. tempo 3. timing
exposure
amount of light striking light sensitive emulsion layer
The __________ consists of the world of the story
diegesis
offscreen space: within the ________
diegesis (the world created in and by the film)
Non-___________ elements allow the filmmaker to communicate with the audience directly, rather than through characters or other aspects of the fictional world
diegetic
_______ provides a context for interpreting where and when action occurs; it also helps to establish mood and conveys ideas about themes
Setting
Ideologies operate on a(n) _________ level; they are formed and influenced by family and cultural background. personal experiences, education, and popular culture (music, movies, magazines, television and internet)
emotional
In a MLS (medium long shot) the figure is captured from ______ up
knees
Canted or Dutch angle is an angle that _______ __ _____ _____ and signifies a moment of imbalance or loss of control
leans to one side
Films produce _________ by making reference to history, to real-world locations, objects, or people, to other art forms, and to other films
meaning
Narrative films tend to privilege the _______ of one or two main characters. As they unfold, they may shift between or among characters.
perspective
______-__-______ shots may or may not align viewers with characters. They may encourage viewers to understand and sympathize with characters, as do character voice-overs and direct addresses (both diegetic elements)
point-of-view
Compositing
refers to creation of single image by combining elements filmed separately
A __________ _____ is accomplished by moving the camera, on a dolly, along a specially built track
tracking shot
Musical
-choreographed -2 plotlines: romantic and professional -song & dance fused with story
Composition: Lines
-diagonal: attract eye first -vertical -horizontal: least noticeable to eye
Soft Light
-produced by a large light source placed further away from subject -more flattering
Hard light
-produced by a small light source placed close to subject -creates strong shadows and emphasizes flaws
Framing:
-loose: open space around characters (freedom/isolation) -tight: little space around characters (confinement/intimacy) -placement: in foreground or background conveys an object or character's significance
Composition: Unbalanced
-makes the eye move through differences in emphasis of any element -may signify instability
Western
-male hero -outlaws -Native Americans -settlers for control of land -six-shooters -horses -whiskey glasses -deserts
Composition: Balance and symmetry
-may signify stability and order
Sci Fi
-most difficult to define -space travel -futuristic societies -settings where technology plays dominant role -conflict is resolved when protagonists learn to balance the scientific approach with a humanistic one -can be divided into 4 sub genres: 1. exploration films 2. invader films 3. criticism of unbridled scientific theory 4. dystopias
Available/Natural Light
-quality varies depending on time of day, weather, quality of sunlight, location relative to sun -Southern California=golden quality of natural light
Color:
-saturation: strength of a hue (red, blue, green, yellow)
Action
-visceral thrill -excitement produced by meyhem -heroic triumphs -exploitative combat *emphasis on masculine heroics and over-the-top violence
4 elements of Mise-en-Scene
1. Setting 2. Composition 3. Lighting 4. The human body
Where action can occur
1. Specific places 2. Generic locations 3. Real places 4. Imagined places
The three types of written statements that provide information about a film's meaning:
1. descriptive-neutral account of the basic characteristics of the films (most involve plot events) 2. evaluative-presents judgement (expresses the author's belief that the film is good, bad or mediocre 3. interpretive-presents an argument about a film's meaning and significance (address a film's themes and abstract ideas)
Setting can provide __________, __________, and __________
1. emotional tone (bright, grim, exciting, depressing) 2. cultural significance 3. contrast (between different settings in one film)
Film stock is composed of these 2 parts:
1. emulsion- light sensitive chemical layer in which the image is formed 2. base- flexible support material for the emulsion
How setting evokes responses and creates meaning
1. interior or exterior space 2. degree of crowdedness or emptiness 3. spaciousness or confinement
Where action can be filmed
1. on a set at a studio soundstage ( where forced perspective can manipulate the sense of space and depth) 2. on location (not necessarily the story's setting) 3. computer generated imagery
Editing shapes the way time is presented onscreen in 4 ways:
1. suggesting continuously flowing action 2. manipulating length of time 3. suggesting the simultaneity of events 4. arranging the order of events
Image Contrast includes: 1. high key lighting 2. natural key lighting 3. low key lighting
1. the fill light is almost as bright as the key light (2:1) producing a bright, shadowless effect so that facial features are not so clear 2. key light is significantly more intense than the fill light so it cannot eliminate shadows 3. the key light is much more intense than fill light so shadows and contrast between light and dark shape the scene visually
Three Point Lighting includes: 1. Key light 2. Fill Light 3. Back Light
1. the main, frontal lighting source aimed at the subject 2. illuminates a subject from the side opposite of that of the key light. removes shadows and provides levels of contrast 3. aimed at subject from behind and above. it separates the subject from the background and can produce a figure in silhouette depending on how other lights are
Editing can draw the audience's attention to important details of the narrative space by employing three devices:
1. the shot/reverse shot 2. the eyeline match 3. the cutaway
_______________ techniques work with a film's mode of organization, its mise-en-scene and editing, and with its sound to produce meaning in an integrated way
Cinematography
What refers to a group of films that share a set of narrative, stylistic, and thematic characteristics or conventions?
Genre
__-___________ is a technique that builds movement into single frames (creates a sense of blur)
Go-motion
Films that fuse conventions of 2 or more genres into one are called ______
Hybrid
________ and writing go hand in hand, and both are activities that engage scholars and film enthusiasts
Interpretation
What does the overhead shot or bird's eye shot do?
It gives a unique perspective on the action from above
______ (any significant repeated element) and parallels (which ask viewers to compare and contrast two distinct characters, situations, or locations) are particularly important instances of repetition that, among other things, signal turning points and overrall structure
Motifs
_________ a film means allowing it a longer time in development
Pushing
______ is a measure of a film stock's sensitivity to light
Speed
_____________ minimizes shakiness
Steadicam
Because genres change and evolve, often in response to wider cultural concerns, ______ are identified, which are smaller clusters of films in which additional conventions come into play
Subgenres
The group of individuals whose careers and lives were interrupted or ruined became known as what?
The Hollywood Blacklist
operation, placement, and movement of the camera is known as the _______________
camerawork
______ refers to a technique of tipping the camera vertically while it remains secured to a tripod
Tilt
Process of recording a very small number of images over a long period of time
Time-lapse photography
Some films _______ and others discard conventions of narrative form, such as unity, clarity, sympathetic, action-oriented characters, closure, and unobtrusive craftsmanship
adopt
Aerial shots are taken from _________/__________ and allow filmmakers to compose shots from great distances
airplanes/helicopters
White Supremacy
belief that white people are superior & should dominate society
XCU (extreme close-up) will depict only one ______ _____
body part (such as an eye, ear, or finger)
Frozen time moment is also called ______-_______ moment, and it is a shot where a single action is viewed simultaneously from multiple vantage points around the action
bullet-time
Films are generally not shot in __________ _______
chronological order
CU (close-up) =
closes in on one part of body (such as face, torso, legs, or hands)
Many films follow the standards of ____________ editing, which is a method for clearly presenting space and time
continuity
A ____ dolly has wheels that rotate, so it can change direction
crab
Frontal Light
creates a flat, washed out effect and shadows behind the subject
Most important visual characteristic is ______ __ ______ which describes space in front of and behind the primary subject where objects remain in crisp focus
depth of field
Deep space: when important objects are widely separated in the frame--conveys ______---physical and other kinds, separation and what separates, including obstacles. Operates metaphorically and when repeated, becomes a ______
distance; motif
Rolling platforms are aka
dollies
Long takes build __________ __________, emphasize the continuity of time and space, and allow directors to focus on the movement of actors in the space of the mise-en-scene
dramatic tension
fish eye lense does what?
dramatically distorts images so that most straight lines appear curved
Eye lights: directed into an actor's _____ to give them a _____
eyes; glow
To produce slow motion, the camera records images at a speed ________ than that at which it is projected
faster
Shallow space: little to no sense of depth, making the image seem _____. It can be used to emphasize ________ and immediacy, and focuses attention on those elements that are in that shallow plane.
flat; proximity
Both __________ and ____________ demand an appreciation of how films systematically use narrative, visual and sound details to evoke characters, themes, and abstract ideas
formal academic analysis and popular film reviews
MCU (Medium close-up) =
from chest up
Viewer expectations about film organization, stars, directors and ______ influence their experience of films
genre
Ideologies of sexuality include
heterosexuals, homosexuals, bisexuals, etc
Pan
horizontal turning motion of a camera fixed to a tripod (normally used to show an expanse of landscape)
Uninterrupted shots of more than one minute are called ______ takes
long
__________ ______ and ________ _______ tend to produce a greater sense of intimacy by allowing viewers to focus on actors' faces and characters emotions, whereas ______ _______ tend to emphasize environment and space that surrounds the characters
medium shots; close-ups; long shots
Disability ideologies
mental illness, dyslexia,
Filmmakers anticipate expectations and may satisfy some expectations and offer ______ approaches to others
novel
Swish Pan
occurs when a pan is executed so quickly that it produces a blurred image, indicating rapid activity or sometimes, the passage of time
Takes not included in the film are called ___-________
out-takes
The process of shifting the camera's height, angle, or distance merely to account for changes in character position is called ____________
reframing
Paying careful attention to _________ details helps to uncover important aspects of character, story, and structure
repeated
When a film radically modifies a genre's conventions, critics refer to it as __________
revisionist
Editing several shots together produces a _______
scene
[Light] From the Side
seems to sculpt with shadow and light, emphasizing volume, texture and shape
Back Lighting
separates the subject from the background (silhouette)
An important narrative convention in any genre is _______ set of _____ ________
set; plot events
Ideologies are based on underlying assumptions about the way things ______ __
should be (norms)
Integrated Musicals
show characters who do not need an audience to make music (spontaneously break out into song)
Shot (basic unit of expression)
single uninterrupted series of frames
Gauge refers to the ____ of the film
size
To produce fast motion, images are recorded at a _________ speed than the speed of projection
slower
In an XLS (extreme long shot) the human subject is very _____ in relation to the surrounding environment
small
Patriarchies
societies whose laws and customs prohibit women from participating as full citizens (men have authority over everyone)
Film ______ emerges from the interaction of a film's formal mode of organization, its subject matter, and its visual and sound elements.
style
Grain refers to :
suspended particles of silver or color sensitive grains in emulsion layer
Most narrative films use restricted narration, providing objective and subjective information to viewers. When viewers know more than characters about an event, that knowledge affects response to the character, and may generate _______
suspense
Ideology
system of beliefs, values or opinions
The distinction between syuzhet and the fabula is critical for understanding the significance of the order and selection of events. The _________ contains all represented events whereas _________ consists of a complete and chronological accounting of all represented and implied events
syuzhet; fabula
Mise-en-Scene
the design within the framed image onscreen, in which several elements are integrated and interact
Many narrative films conform to a ____-act or four-part structure. Alternatives to this model include two-part structures, frame/embedded tale, and episodic narratives
three
In narrative films, editing helps shape the way audiences perceive _______ and _______
time; space
Light and Dark: Chiaroscuro
uses contrasting areas of light and dark to create effects
Films from the same genre tend to exhibit the same ______ and _______ techniques
visual; sound
A MS (medium shot) captures a character from their ______ up
waist