Style & Structure in Writing
Concrete Languate : purpose of the essay is to recreate a film and a perspective on it through language—sensitive and accurate use of words is vital-awareness of descriptions that you hear
Denotation & Connotation Denotation : dictionary meaning of a word ..
i.e. « film » & « movie » are synonymsConnotation : an association of implication of the word you use.
.i.e. « film is sophisticated and « movie » is mass entertainment
Tone : the writers voice and total effect of words and how they are used !
Repetition : emphasizes key words, but should be avoided unless explicit (also, avoid clichés)
Effective Sentences :
-be economical, say precisely what you need to say but cut out words that are superfluous.
-be interesting
Vary sentence structure :
1. Parallels : draw attn to the relation between two or more facts/ideas (agreement of verbs)
2. Coordination : joins two related sents. With a conjunction with a result of rhythmic variation3. Subordination
Paragraphs : Topic sent. (to guide the concept, NO plot sentence that simply summarizes, successful transitions to connect parts of sentences, separate sentences, and paragraphs.
-Convey a thesis and intend to develop, no general concepts
-Conclusion should not just be a rephrasing, should bring new ideas that « leave them asking for more »
Revision is key !
Denotation & Connotation Denotation : dictionary meaning of a word ..
i.e. « film » & « movie » are synonymsConnotation : an association of implication of the word you use.
.i.e. « film is sophisticated and « movie » is mass entertainment
Tone : the writers voice and total effect of words and how they are used !
Repetition : emphasizes key words, but should be avoided unless explicit (also, avoid clichés)
Effective Sentences :
-be economical, say precisely what you need to say but cut out words that are superfluous.
-be interesting
Vary sentence structure :
1. Parallels : draw attn to the relation between two or more facts/ideas (agreement of verbs)
2. Coordination : joins two related sents. With a conjunction with a result of rhythmic variation3. Subordination
Paragraphs : Topic sent. (to guide the concept, NO plot sentence that simply summarizes, successful transitions to connect parts of sentences, separate sentences, and paragraphs.
-Convey a thesis and intend to develop, no general concepts
-Conclusion should not just be a rephrasing, should bring new ideas that « leave them asking for more »
Revision is key !
La Mise en Scene
La Mise-en-scene : The Shot « staging, putting into the scene »
Important elements are setting, light, costume, and physical actions. La Mise-en-scene requires some planning, but is very subjective to change. Often judged by standards of realism. It is best to examine the function of mise-en-scene (some films seeks to create a realistic mise-en-scene, but others try and create an unrealistic one, emphasizing comedic qualities)
Setting: select an existing locale, construct a setting and duplicate a sound stage, colors are important
Costume & Make-up: costume can have specific functions in the total film
-color, texture and movements can all be carefully orchestrated, motivic and causal roles, make-up accents expressive qualitie of the actor’s face
Lighting: lighter and darker areas within the frame direct our attention to certain objects and actions (drawn to brighter areas)
-highlighting provides cues to the texture of the surface, shadows (attached : where light fails to illuminate part of an object because of its shape or surface features) (Cast : shadow projected when an object blocks the light)
Frontal lighting, backlighting, underlighting, toplighting is extremely important!
Key light : provides the dominant illumination and casts the strongest shadows and is the most directional. Fill light : less intense illumination that fills in the rest of the area (softening or eliminating shadows). A term to remember is « Chiaroscuro » referring to extremely dark and light regions within the image
Staging : directing the moving subjects of the film
Appearance, gesture, facial expressions (sometimes sound)
Visual vs. Sound illumination. Question of realism within acting ? Acting similar to real life, but must be placed in context (in a few decades our acting today may seem stylized). One must also consider the intentions of film (i.e. comedy-jim cary, bolywood)
Important elements are setting, light, costume, and physical actions. La Mise-en-scene requires some planning, but is very subjective to change. Often judged by standards of realism. It is best to examine the function of mise-en-scene (some films seeks to create a realistic mise-en-scene, but others try and create an unrealistic one, emphasizing comedic qualities)
Setting: select an existing locale, construct a setting and duplicate a sound stage, colors are important
Costume & Make-up: costume can have specific functions in the total film
-color, texture and movements can all be carefully orchestrated, motivic and causal roles, make-up accents expressive qualitie of the actor’s face
Lighting: lighter and darker areas within the frame direct our attention to certain objects and actions (drawn to brighter areas)
-highlighting provides cues to the texture of the surface, shadows (attached : where light fails to illuminate part of an object because of its shape or surface features) (Cast : shadow projected when an object blocks the light)
Frontal lighting, backlighting, underlighting, toplighting is extremely important!
Key light : provides the dominant illumination and casts the strongest shadows and is the most directional. Fill light : less intense illumination that fills in the rest of the area (softening or eliminating shadows). A term to remember is « Chiaroscuro » referring to extremely dark and light regions within the image
Staging : directing the moving subjects of the film
Appearance, gesture, facial expressions (sometimes sound)
Visual vs. Sound illumination. Question of realism within acting ? Acting similar to real life, but must be placed in context (in a few decades our acting today may seem stylized). One must also consider the intentions of film (i.e. comedy-jim cary, bolywood)
Narrative & Narration
Our engagement with the story is based off our understanding of the evolution of change in the story
The creation of expectations from the viewers is VITAL, title, genre conventions, previews
Film is a manipulation of sequences
Chapter 2 Film Art analysis of Narrative &Narration
-Need to be a distinction between what you saw « diagetic » or what you inferred or what was implied « non-diagetic »
Cause & Effect----What are the causes ?
-character traits, a plot event—i.e. natural disaster
-Within mysteries, the causes are suppressed and this creates fear of unknown
Time-order, duration, frequency :
Temporal order: any order of event « manipulation of time » --> With regard to music? Rhythm creates a sense of time, like ticking of clock, beating of heart. Repetition !
Space : Screen space (visibal frame), Plot space, Story space
Openings, Closings, Patterns of development : A Beginning (exposition), development (set-up = opening & development), Plot Patterns : Change in knowledge-goal oriented-investigation, *time & space influence patterns of development, i.e. flashback
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Narration : The plots way of distributing story information in order to achieve specific effects. « moment by moment process » guides the viewer in following the plost
1.Range of Story & Depth of Story : Range-unrestricted/restricted creating a heirarchy of knowledge, Depth-objectivity/subjectivity (subjective moments inserted into objective frameworks) point of view shots !!! ..Perceptual/Mental subjectivity..
Narrative—The Story vs. Narration –how the story is presented (identify the narrator)
Narration :The process by which the plot presents the information to the viewer
-Charater Narrator/Non-charater narrator (omniscient)
-centers around personal, psychological causes-one’s decisions, desire, what does that character desire ? This will lead to their actions, they will develop goals.
Appointment : motivates characters encountering each other at a specific moment, the est. Of their relation
Deadline : makes plot duration dependent on the cause & effect
The creation of expectations from the viewers is VITAL, title, genre conventions, previews
Film is a manipulation of sequences
Chapter 2 Film Art analysis of Narrative &Narration
-Need to be a distinction between what you saw « diagetic » or what you inferred or what was implied « non-diagetic »
Cause & Effect----What are the causes ?
-character traits, a plot event—i.e. natural disaster
-Within mysteries, the causes are suppressed and this creates fear of unknown
Time-order, duration, frequency :
Temporal order: any order of event « manipulation of time » --> With regard to music? Rhythm creates a sense of time, like ticking of clock, beating of heart. Repetition !
Space : Screen space (visibal frame), Plot space, Story space
Openings, Closings, Patterns of development : A Beginning (exposition), development (set-up = opening & development), Plot Patterns : Change in knowledge-goal oriented-investigation, *time & space influence patterns of development, i.e. flashback
--------------------------------------------
Narration : The plots way of distributing story information in order to achieve specific effects. « moment by moment process » guides the viewer in following the plost
1.
Narrative—The Story vs. Narration –how the story is presented (identify the narrator)
Narration :The process by which the plot presents the information to the viewer
-Charater Narrator/Non-charater narrator (omniscient)
-centers around personal, psychological causes-one’s decisions, desire, what does that character desire ? This will lead to their actions, they will develop goals.
Appointment : motivates characters encountering each other at a specific moment, the est. Of their relation
Deadline : makes plot duration dependent on the cause & effect
Sound in Cinema
Sound is difficult to study because you cannot « freeze » sound like you can shots.
-Sound is more of a selling aspect for a movie now than in the past-Sound used to engage a distince sense mode (i.e. in soundless movies, music was still played to highlight the mood of a scene)
« Sound gives new value to silence »
Silence becomes strategic, specifically in mood and with internal subjectivity
Fundamentals : Perceptual Properties and Selection, Alteration, and Combination
1. Loudness(volume manipulation/perceived distance/dynamis=abrupt and extremem shifts in volume)
2. Pitch(perceived highness and lowness of sounds/distinguish music from sound/parodic quality when old man speaks with boys voice/indicative of identity or region and mood)
3. Timbre : harmonic components of sound give it a certain color, or tone quality
-distinguishes different instruments (quality, hollow, heavy)Speech, Music, Noice (sound effects)
-Sound comes before visual (i.e. cartoon, they record the voice-overs then draw the drafts)
-Sounds are a stream of ongoing auditory information (sounds are mixed to create this stream, just like images) i.e. dialogue overlap, smooth visual change of shot.
-Sound manipulation (i.e. person giving a speech to a crowd, the speaker will sound louder and closer to camera than people standing next to camera)
Sound and Film Form:
-Sonic material create patters (i.e. cane hitting the floor, we associate with an older person who might be coming into the scene)
-Melody or musical phrase associated with certain aspects (characters, settings, ideas..etc) MOTIFS are created
-Development of score in film can parallel or represent a progression in the film-once musical associations are est., they can be combined to suggest new associations
Rhythm : sound occupies duration, pule, pace with stronger/weaker beats..speech also has rhythm, differing meters, shots have rhythm and pace.
Rhythm changes shift expectations:
Fidelity : the loyalty of a sound to its objectSpace : sound adds conditions-diegetic sound/nondiegetic sound...sometimes this line is blurred (creating harmonies and unifying the sound with the images)
*Sound can be used to achieve subjectivity, sound can be connected to the whole story or more closely to one character or landscape more directly
-Sound is more of a selling aspect for a movie now than in the past-Sound used to engage a distince sense mode (i.e. in soundless movies, music was still played to highlight the mood of a scene)
« Sound gives new value to silence »
Silence becomes strategic, specifically in mood and with internal subjectivity
Fundamentals : Perceptual Properties and Selection, Alteration, and Combination
1. Loudness(volume manipulation/perceived distance/dynamis=abrupt and extremem shifts in volume)
2. Pitch(perceived highness and lowness of sounds/distinguish music from sound/parodic quality when old man speaks with boys voice/indicative of identity or region and mood)
3. Timbre : harmonic components of sound give it a certain color, or tone quality
-distinguishes different instruments (quality, hollow, heavy)Speech, Music, Noice (sound effects)
-Sound comes before visual (i.e. cartoon, they record the voice-overs then draw the drafts)
-Sounds are a stream of ongoing auditory information (sounds are mixed to create this stream, just like images) i.e. dialogue overlap, smooth visual change of shot.
-Sound manipulation (i.e. person giving a speech to a crowd, the speaker will sound louder and closer to camera than people standing next to camera)
Sound and Film Form:
-Sonic material create patters (i.e. cane hitting the floor, we associate with an older person who might be coming into the scene)
-Melody or musical phrase associated with certain aspects (characters, settings, ideas..etc) MOTIFS are created
-Development of score in film can parallel or represent a progression in the film-once musical associations are est., they can be combined to suggest new associations
Rhythm : sound occupies duration, pule, pace with stronger/weaker beats..speech also has rhythm, differing meters, shots have rhythm and pace.
Rhythm changes shift expectations:
Fidelity : the loyalty of a sound to its objectSpace : sound adds conditions-diegetic sound/nondiegetic sound...sometimes this line is blurred (creating harmonies and unifying the sound with the images)
*Sound can be used to achieve subjectivity, sound can be connected to the whole story or more closely to one character or landscape more directly
