Faculty of Humanities and Social Science > English

NOTES ON SOME IMPORTANT TERMS FOR FILM STUDIES

<< < (3/15) > >>

Gopa B. Caesar:
Blocking refers to the arrangement and movement of actors on the film set.
    Filmmakers often use blocking to express the psychological and social relationships between characters.
    For example, a shot of two characters in which each shares an equal proportion of the frame, at equal heights and depths suggests a balanced relationship in which neither of the characters has power or advantage over the other.

Gopa B. Caesar:
Framing refers to the placement of people and objects within the rectangular frame of the film image. Typically, the center of the film image contains the most important visual information. Filmmakers who want to make framing as unobtrusive as possible use centered compositions.
    The top of the film image carries more intrinsic weight, so balanced compositions usually keep the horizon line above the middle of the frame. A low horizon line can lead to a top-heavy composition, emphasizing the threatening or oppressive nature of the sky or of figures situated in the top part of the image.
    The edges of the image carry less intrinsic weight optically, so figures placed there can seem insignificant or marginalized.
    Open framing refers to compositions that situate the action depicted in the film within a broader context, suggesting that there is an “outside” to the “inside” of the film narrative.
    Closed framing is used when the filmmaker wants the film image to express the totality of reality, to keep the viewer focused on the action of the film, or to express claustrophobia and entrapment, such as in prison films.
    Framing that creates diagonal lines of composition emphasizes a scene’s anarchic, unsettled, or dynamic nature. Horizontal and vertical lines suggest order, balance, or stability.

Gopa B. Caesar:
Offscreen space is the area outside the confines of the frame.
    Offscreen space often is a crucial component of visual composition, with characters pointing to, moving toward, or looking at something that is outside the frame.
    Filmmakers can use offscreen space to create mystery or to encourage viewers to use their imagination.

Gopa B. Caesar:
Sound and Editing
Sound
Sound design in film involves the arrangement of live sound (primarily the voices of actors), sound effects, and music.
    Sound effects and live sound usually are synchronized with images to achieve a realistic representation of the action.
    Sound effects can also be used to direct the viewer’s attention offscreen or trigger camera or character movement.
    When sound and image do not match, the sound is called contrapuntal or asynchronous.
    Music establishes genre conventions (such as the eerie music in horror films) and has emotional effects on the viewer. It also contributes to the rhythm of narrative and can be used repeatedly to establish motifs.
    Perspective sound regulates sound volume to make it seem as if the sound originates at a certain distance from the camera.
    Dialogue overlaps and sound bridges are used to minimize the disruption caused by visual transitions at the shot level and the scene level, respectively.

Gopa B. Caesar:
Editing
A contiguous scene or segment of a scene shot on film is called a take. The process by which portions of different takes are connected together to organize the film into its final form is called editing. The connections between takes are called cuts.
    A typical Hollywood film contains over 1,000 cuts—a number that has increased steadily over time.
    Realist or art films often contain fewer cuts, such as in Theo Angelopoulos’s Thiassos (only 80 cuts in nearly four hours).

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page

[*] Previous page