1. The Language of Film Prof. Myrna Monllor Jiménez English 124 © copyright Myrna Monllor Jiménez 2013

2. The great thing about literature is that you can imagine, the great thing about film is that you can’t. James Monaco, How to Read a Film

3. The Theater VS. The Cinema In plays, the audience always observes the entire stage and all the actors within that stage. In film, the filmmaker controls what the audience sees and how by choosing the information that viewer will see.

4. Mise-en-Scène/ Placing on Stage How everything that appears on the screen is arranged Actors Lighting Décor Props

5. Mise-en-Scène Blancanieves 2012

6. Mise-en-Scène Blancanieves 2012

7. The better a viewer reads an image the more he/she understands it. Their physical reality What they refer to based on cultural references Their various sets of meanings

8. When you look at a frame, one of the first things to consider is distance. How much do you see of the character (s)? Is it a close up? Is it a full shot? Is it a medium shot? Can you see the whole body or a part of the body? Spiderman 3

9. In general the closer the camera gets to the characters, the closer the viewer feels towards the characters. This is why close ups are often used for:  love scenes  scenes where the character is suffering or fearful  any other scene where the viewer is supposed to understand what the character is feeling.

10. The Great Gatsby 2013

11. As the camera moves further away from the character(s), the viewer is provided more information about them or about their situation. From Rosemary’s Baby 1968 From Babel 2006

12. The further the camera is from the subject, the more distant you will feel from what is happening in the scene or to the character(s). Wall-E 2008

13. Another thing you should consider when observing A frame is the angle or camera position.  Was the frame shot from high above? (a high angle)  Was it shot at eye level?  Was it shot from a low angle?

14. A frame shot from a high angle is often referred to as God’s eye view because it suggests that ‘someone’ is observing the characters. It can suggest danger and helplessness. 300 2006 Anna Karenina 2013

15. Paranorman, 2012

16. Apocalypto 2007

17. A frame shot from a low angle makes the subject seem larger. The Postman Always Rings Twice 1946 The Wolf of Wall Street 2013

18. Django Unchained 2013 The Lone Ranger 2013

19. Black Swan 2011

20. The Dark Knight 2008

21. Inglorious Basterds 2009

22. Paranorman, 2012

23. Looper, 2012

24. A character that seems larger than another in a frame is usually the dominant character. Elysium 2013

25. The Departed 2006

26. A canted angle suggests that something is wrong either in the character or the story’s situation. Citizen Kane 1941

27. Artificial Intelligence 2001

28. Besides shots and angles, you should also watch for symbols. Some common symbols are: Images of entrapment are usually shown through characters framed by doors, gates, or confined spaces (like closets). From The Kid 1921 From Carrie 1976

29. Pan’s Labyrinth 2006 Atonement 2007

30. The Hours 2002 Drive 2010 The Painted Veil 2006

31. Inception 2010

32. Coraline, 2009

33. Alice in Wonderland, 2010

34. A Beautiful Mind 2001 The Departed 2006

35. Images of duality are usually represented by characters reflected in mirrors, water, glass. Psycho 1960

36. The Lady from Shanghai,1947 Taxi Driver 1976 The Matrix 2003

37. Black Swan 2010

39. Stairs, dark alleys, canted angles, darkness enveloping a character, seeing only part of a character are some images of imminent danger. From Silence of the Lambs From Kiss Me Deadly From Halloween From American Psycho

40. Light cutting through a character(s), lines which divide the frame, usually mark images of characters that are in turmoil. From The Usual Suspects 1995 From Blade Runner 1982 From The Awful Truth 1937

41. Sweeney Todd 2007

42. Other Symbols Christ figures or Messianic figures/Biblical References From Dead Man Walking 1995 Crosses From The Omen 1976 Pan’s Labyrinth 2006

44. From Hell 2001

45. Inception 2010 Shadows The top

46. From Schindler’s List 1993 Color Rebirth 2006 1968

47. Eyes From Un Perro Andaluz 1929 From Spellbound 1945 From The Blair Witch Project 1999 From Psycho 1960

48. Phallic symbols From King Kong 1933 From Blade 1998 From Rear Window 1954

49. Blood Destruction or desecration of symbols From Planet of the Apes 1968 1976

50. Slumdog Millionaire 2008 Trains

51. The Moon Water Roads From E.T. 1982 From Jaws 1975 From North by Northwest 1959 …and many others Trees

52. From Alexander 2004 From Taken 2008 From The Ring 2002 The Black Dahlia 2006

53. The Power of the Editor The editor as storyteller –Cuts the film for transition purposes and to provide information to the viewer –Omits/eliminates the sections of the story that are too obvious or unnecessary (ellipsis) –Alternates two or more scenes usually happening simultaneously that culminate in a place where the characters face each other (cross cutting/parallel cutting)

54. Cross Cutting/Parallel Cutting Example: Quantum of Solace 2008 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OD0h7WcgJ5w

55. Crosscutting: The Godfather http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_I82117oAw

56. The Kuleshov Effect http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCK53Lb4-pI

57. Other definitions Cliché- overuse of situations, symbols Voice over-a narrator whose voice is heard throughout a film Restricted narration-limited to one character Omniscient narration-changes from one character to another, the viewer receives information from many sources.

58. Auteurs/genre An auteur is a director who manifests a consistency of style and theme across his/her films. Auteur films are inventive and creative. Auteur films emphasize their uniqueness. Genre refers to a mass produced product of the Hollywood film industry.It studies the conventions of certain kinds of films. Genre categorizes films according to their thematic and visual similarities.Genres are not static, they evolve. They also create certain expectations in the viewer.

59. Bibliography Buckland, Warren. Teach Yourself Film studies. Hodder & Stoughton, 1998. Monaco James, How to Read a Film. Oxford University Press, 3rd edition, 2000. Elements of Cinema.com http://www.elementsofcinema.com Copyright2013 ©Myrna Monllor Jiménez