Film Study - Film Aspects - English Year 11 Activity (Slidedeck 4)

How does tone in film work?

-What else can we call tone in film? It can also be called brightness.

-What are the 3 main elements of tone? Lighting, Exposure and Art Direction.

-How and why does Coppola use tone in the classic film "The Godfather"? They used exposure and turned the scenes darker to show us that don and his family are not the best of people.

-How can directors control the feelings of the scene? They can control the scene by changing the lighting too dark or bright and creating a happy or sad tone to the film.

How does over-the-shoulder shot work?

-What is the effect of an over-the-shoulder shot? The shot is used to show a connection between characters.

-What film aspect shows a disconnection between characters? When a single shot is used it disconnects a character.

-How does the director of this scene show the disconnect of the characters? He could have used a single shot but did a dolly shot and pushed in so it is not an over-the-shoulder shot anymore.

-What eventually totally isolates the female character? They completely isolated here by removing any other actors in her shots. Unlike the male character who still had someone on his shot.


How does film blocking work in film?
-What are the 3 ways directors use blocking in film? Space, Shapes, Lines.
-What are the 3 basic shapes for film blocking? Circles, Squares, Triangles.
-What are the emotions associated with these shapes? Circles mean safer and inclusive, Squares creates limited space, blocking someone in, trapping them and Triangles are sharp so they are aggressive.
-What 2 things can blocking help with? Blocking helps with filling in space and the use of subtext.


How does camera movement work in film?
-What is the purpose of the whip and the slow pan? what fast whip pan creates a jolt of energy while the slow one is used so we can take in the scenery/background.
-What is the purpose of the tilt shot? To reveal something.
-What does the reverse dolly zoom help show? To show that a character is having an intense external experience.
-What the difference between Steadicam and dolly shot? Unlike the dolly shot the use of Steadicam shot lets the camera glide gracefully through the scene.
-What can hand help shot help create for the viewer? Creates anxiety for the viewer.
-What should directors ask themselves with their camera movement? How it supports the story and does it fit with the scene your doing.
-Camera movement should be doing what? It should be getting the audience to look at something.


How is contrast used in film?
-What are the ways a director can contrast in film? They can contrast in tone, art direction, blocking, camera movement and colour.
-What is contrasted in Spike Jonze's ad? The dark world outside where most of the colours are desaturated and there is minimal lighting whereas inside the house there is a lot of colours and more lighting to see her face better.
-Why did he contrast these things? To tell a story. 

How is the Dutch angle used in film?
-The Dutch angle does what? The Dutch angle signals the viewers that something is unsettling. It used to create an uneasy feeling inside the viewer.
-What is a Dutch angle? A Dutch angle is a camera technique that has a tilt on its x-axis.
-Who created the Dutch angle and when was it created? It was used by German expressionist and was used in the early 1900s.
-What 3 things do directors need to consider for the Dutch angle? Identifying the moment, Consider the moment then Enhance the moment.
-What 4 things can enhance a Dutch angle? The degree of tilt, the camera height, lens choice and the depth of field.


How do visual motifs work in film?
-What is a motif? A recurring idea in a film that has a symbolic meaning to it.
-Why are they important? To put a deeper meaning to the story.
-What makes a great work of art? Being able to come back to a film or story and find more meaning.


How does a POV or POT shot work?
-What is a POV shot? A 'POV' shot is a shot where we get to see from the eyes of a character. POV is also called Point of View shot.
-What is a 'point of thought' shot? A point of thought shot is a shot that is used for us, the audience, to see the characters mind.
-Why are they important? To make the audience relate more to the story you are telling in the film.


How does the insert shot work in film?
-Wha is an insert shot? It's a shot that focuses on specific detail within a scene.
-What is the purpose of an insert shot? It is used to show us a narrative point.
-What are the 3 main aspects of an insert shot? Composition, colour and timing.
-What 3 things help the audience feel about the insert shot?  Composition, colour and timing.
-Composition of the insert shot helps with what in film? The shot size, shot angle and camera movement helps the viewer feel about a scene.
-Colour in insert shot helps with what in film? The colour helps draw attention to a specific point in an insert shot.
-How long you dwell on the insert shot helps show what? How long you dwell on shots and how you change shots will change the shots meaning.


How does production design work in film?
-What is production design? It's the overall look of the production.
-What makes up production design? Set design, prompts and wardrobes.
-What are the 3 main things production design can help reveal? Mood, characters and themes.


How does colour work in film?
-How does colour in film affect people? Colours in film help draw out emotions in people.
-What are the 3 factors in determining colour? Hue, Saturation and Brightness.
-Why is hue in "The Matrix" mostly green? Because the movie is about a guy being in a digital Matrix and we correlate green with codes.
-Why do some films desaturate? It makes the scenes gritty and shows us that the world in it is not the best place to be in.
-What can brightness and a lack of brightness show in film? Brightness can show a brighter and better place in the film while the lack of brightness can show a darker side of things. It is used to show two different points of view.


How do establishing shots work in film?
-What is an establishing shot? An establishing shot is a long shot used usually at the start of a scene. You will also notice that it is shot as an aerial shot.
-Why is it used? It is to help identify to the viewers where the characters are in the located and what time it is.
-Why are establishing shot usually the most expensive? Establishing shots are expensive because its a wide shot that shows everything in the area.


What is film theory?
Film theory is a way of breaking down movies or tv shows and getting more finding more in-depth meaning on the film. Basically, it's looking at a movie and digging through the scenes to find meanings and why they did what they did in the film.

What is film criticism?
Film Criticism is kinda like film theory, we analyse the film's story, meaning, performance, technique, purpose and historical importance.