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65 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Narrative |
An account of a string of events occurring in space and time. Not merely a cluster of random elements, a narrative presents an ordered series of events connected by the logic of cause and effect. Narrative is how a story is told |
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Plot |
The main storyline of a film; explicitly presents certain story events including discourse (dialogue/conversation) The abbreviated version of events that play out on the screen for the audience |
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Story |
The chronological narrative in its entirety thay explicitly stands behind the events depicted. Story goes beyond the plot and suggests diegetic events. The fabula includes events that take place during the span and time of the syuzhet that are implied but not overtly represented |
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Diegesis |
The implied world of the films story including characters, settings, sounds, and events |
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Diegetic events |
Occurs within the films world |
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Non diegetic events |
Elements outside the diegesis such as credits, titles, music, sound, and even certain images. May affect the viewers understanding of the story. The audience is aware of these components of a film but the characters are not |
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Chase |
Every movie has this whether physical or psychological This helps establish the story/plot |
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Film |
The child of photography and theatre |
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Back story |
The formative experiences before the beginning of the plot |
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Flashback |
Scenes from the past |
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Flash forward |
Sense from the future |
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Exposition |
The opening sequence of a film filled with narrative details |
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Rising action |
Events leading to the climax |
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Climax |
The high point of a plot/story |
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Denouement |
A series of events that resolve the arisen conflicts; the falling action |
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Resolution |
The ending of a story/film |
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Anti-climatic |
Open-ended or unresolved endings |
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Protagonist |
Main character |
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Antagonist |
Central figure who opposes protagonist |
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Motif |
Any narrative, visual or sound elements that is repeated and thereby acquires and reflects it's significance to the story, characters and/ or themes of a film |
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Lines of action |
The plot lines |
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Frame narration |
Allows for the possibility of two distinct diegesis and complications interactions may occur between the two. The narrator may or may not be a character within the embedded tale and may or may not appraise the events with objectivity (ex. Caligaris opening) |
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Episodic narrative |
Events are not tightly connected in a cause and effect sequence and characters do not focus on a single goal |
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In media res |
"In the middle of things" When a plot presents a series of events that have already started |
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Perceptual subjectivity |
Point of view shot When the audience sees shots through a characters point of view or heard sounds a character hears |
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Mental subjectivity |
Is when the viewer plunges into the characters mind and heard and internal voice reporting the characters thoughts or inner images like a hallucination, memory, dream and/or fantasy |
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The three-act structure |
Act one: introduces characters, goals and conflicts. Exposition leads to a turning point. Act two: usually when the protagonist (main character) modifies the methods by which he/she plans to attain his/her goals, or perhaps change them. The protagonist will meet obstacles, often originating from the antagonist (central figure opposing the protagonist). Conflicts (rising action) increase in numbrt and complexity, leading to a major turning point, called the climax. Act three: leads to resolution. The denouement (falling action) is a series of events that resolves the conflicts that have arisen. |
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The four-part structure |
1.) Exposition leads to a turning point 2.) Complicating action leads to a major turning point near the halfway mark 3.) Development: the struggle toward the goal leads to the climax 4.) Epilogue |
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Perspective and meaning |
1.) First person: uses "I" and generally limits the readers/viewers to single characters knowledge and understanding of the events presented 2.) Third-person refers to a story conveyed from a position outside any single characters experience. Limited Third-person allows the reader/viewer to access information that is limited to a few characters 3.) Omniscient ("all-knowing") the reader/viewer has more information than any character |
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Restricted narration |
A narrative approach that limits the audiences views of events to that of the main characters |
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True restricted narration |
The viewer does not see or hear information that the main character cannot see or hear |
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Unrestricted narration |
The audience sees and hears more than any of the characters can; often called omniscient narration |
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Range of narration |
A continuum between restricted and unrestricted on each end |
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Form |
The general system of relationships among the parts of a film. It is the central importance to any artwork, regardless the medium, because the human mind craves it; artwork is patterned and structured |
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Form and feeling |
Emotion plays the largest role in our experience of form. There are two types of emotion regarding film 1.) The emotions represented in the movie (an actor crying) & 2.) The emotional response felt by the audience. There isn't a correct emotional response by an audience, however, a filmmaker may attempt to create a response from his/her audience. |
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Mise-en-scene |
"Putting into the scene" before the camera. Telling a story, a visual theme The staging of a scene through the artful arrangement of: 1.) Setting (location) & sets (scenery) 2.) Costumes 3.) Makeup 4.) Props 5.) Lighting 6.) Behaviors human figure (arrangement/placement of actors and how they act) 7.) Composition which includes balance and symmetry, lines and diagonals, framing (foreground, middle ground and background) contrast (light and dark), & color to convey information, emotions, and meaning 8.) Sound. Seldom do these components appear in isolation. |
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The 4th wall |
Divides audience from the movie |
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Cinematography |
"Writing in movement" The art it technique of movie photography, including both the shooting and development of the film The roots of cinematography ate found in photography ("writing in light") |
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Persistence of vision |
A phenomenon by which an image lingers on the retina for a fraction of a second after the source has vanished Two factors appear to be involved with the illusion of motion in cinema 1.) Critical flicker fusion and 2.) Apparent motion |
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Critical flicker fusion |
The result of increasing the rate at which light is flashed. In film, if a beam of light is broken more than 50 times per second, the viewer no longer sees bursts or pulses but rather a continuous light. Film is shot and projected at 24 frames per second and a projection shutter breaks the light beam once as the frame is moving into place and again when it is held in place. Each frame is actually projected twice, raising the number of flashes to the threshold of flicker fusion Early silent films were shot and projected at a lower rate (16 to 20) so the projected image had a flicker, and early slang term for the movies was flickers which partially survives today as the term flicks |
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Apparent motion |
Is the tendency of human vision to see movement when in fact there is none Recent studies suggest apparent motion linked to motion analyzers in the visual system; any displacement, real or projected, automatically cause certain cells in the eye and / or brain to attribute movement to the stimuli. Critical flicker fusion or apparent motion are rarely triggered by natural occurring events, rather humans have devised machines to create the conditions for cinema perception |
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Frames |
A single image on a strip of film In order to create the illusion of motion All images must be displayed on a series |
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Cinematographic qualities of a shot |
Are not only what is being filmed but so how it is being filmed There are 3 factors of cinema qualities 1.) The photographic aspects of the shot including movement by or within the frame 2.) The framing of the shot 3.) The duration of the shot |
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Aspect ratio |
The ratio of frame width to frame height. The standard Academy ratio was (rectangle proportion is 3 to 2) 1:33:1 (actually most prints are 1:37:1) until the mid 1950s Many foreign films are still shot with this ratio and television also has this ratio. In the 1950s, wide screen techniques dominated 35mm filmmaking. The most common format in North America is 1:85:1 & 1:66:1 is often used in Europe. 2:2:1 is used for 7pmm projection. Masking or a hard matte is used to create a wide screen image by Masking the film during filming and printing Anamorphic processing also creates a wide screen image by using a special lens to squeeze get image horizontally during filming or printing . Multiple frame imagery (split screen) has 2 or more images, each with its own dimensions and shape, appearing in a larger frame |
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Movement, camera head moves |
1.) Pan (left and right) 2.) Tilt (up and down) 3. Cant (slanted horizon) |
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Zoom |
Moves in and out.. Movement within the frame by actors and objects (blocking) helps define the story |
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Entire camera moves |
1.) Dolly (in and out) 2.) Trucking / tracking (left and right) 3.) Arcade (In between dolly and truck semi circle) |
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Crane moves |
1.) Boom up and down 2. Tongue (left and right) 3.) Crab (sideways) |
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Hand held moves |
The use of streadicam and cinemaverite techniques (cinema of truth) cinema- verite is a style of film making developed by French film directors (French realism) in the 1960s Their production techniques didn't depend on star quality actors, sets, props, casts of thousands, special effects and big budgets which was the trend in Hollywood films then as now The cinema verite directors used.non actors, small hand held cameras, and actual homes and surroundings as their location for a film The filmmakers goal was to show life as it really is using the film as his artistic medium Sets and props were hardly used and everything is shot on location |
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Framing |
The frame makes an image finite. The film image is bound in limited and the frame selects A Slice of Life to show us. in cinema the frame accurately defines the image for us. it is not a neutral border because it produces a certain Vantage Point on to the material within the image. framing can affect the image by means of 1.) the size and shape of the frame 2.) the way the frame defines on-screen and off-screen space 3.) the way framing controls the distance, angle, and height of Vantage Point onto an image and 4.) the way framing can move in relation to mise-en-scene The rule of thirds is an important part of framing. The frame is divided into 9 equal segments by two vertical and two horizontal lines. The rule of thirds says that you should position the most important elements your scene along these lines, or at the points where they intersect. ( lower third, middle 1/3, upper third plus left 3rd, Center 3rd and right 1/3) On-screen and off-screen space implies suggested images to the viewers. Examples if the camera pans away from an object (it goes off screen) the audience still assumes that it is there. Characters, etc enter from somewhere and go off to another place. There are 6 zones of off-screen space: 1-4 the edges of the frame, 5.) The space behind the set and 6.) The space behind the camera. (Nick Burch) |
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Onscreen space |
Is defined by 1.) Angle (high, low etc) 2.) Level (tilted or canted, etc) 3.) Height (close to the ground, not angle but placement) & 4.) Distance (far or close) Distance is defined by extreme long shots, the plan American shot (knee **** or medium long shot for nonhuman objects) medium shot (waist up) close up (head/shoulders) and extreme close up (portion of something-eyeball, lips, etc) a subjective shot (point of view) takes the viewers into the characters vision. Mobile framing means that within the confines of the viewed image, the framing of the object changes; movement by the frame. Placement of objects/people in the foreground, middle ground and background of a frame defines the illusion of depth as well as aesthetically enhances the story through visual information |
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Shot duration |
How long a shot it. There is a tendency to consider the shot as a recording of "real" time. Of course, as mentioned earlier, the duration of an event may be manipulated by adjustments on the camera or in printing. A person drinking a glass of their favorite beverage may take 3 "real" seconds, but they sure can be sped up or slowed down to portray a different intention. A long take is one run of the camera recording a single shot. Often, long takes are broken (edited) into shorter shots. The long take is often used to prevent a complex pattern of events (or reveal unbroken action), in a single chunk of time, moving toward a goal or revelation. The average shot length in a contemporary film is shorter than the average shot length in older films. Evidence is showing that shots are becoming shorter (in the digital age). According to film scholar, Michael Brandt, the average tradition shot length is 5.15 seconds compared to 4.75 seconds in electronically edited films, a difference of about 10%. |
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Editing |
The joining together of 2 shots, connected by a transition |
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Transitions |
1.) cut (most common) 2.) Dissolve (between 2 images) 3.) Fade (always to or from black image) 4.) Others like iris in/put or a wipe |
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Editing |
(Post production) is performed both to the visual and audio information in a film. The final edited version of film guides the thoughts and associations of the viewers. Editing arranges images and sounds to depict a unified story both time wise and content wise; this is part of narrative sequencing. Editing has practical functions such as cutting down the expenses of production or making things easier to choreograph and "shoot". obviously, editing also helps makes the story logical to the viewer and assist in the presentation and development of multiple story lines and lines of action. films are shot (production) to be edited (post-production). Traditionally, films needed to be edited because motion picture camera magazines held less than 15 minutes worth of film stock, thus making a feature film impossible to make without editing. Editing contributes to the aesthetic quality of film. At its core, editing involves the manipulation of 1.) Graphic qualities of two or more shots, 2.) The tempo at which these shots change and 3.) The timing of each shot in relationship to the other elements of the film. Editing is what ultimately determines the "pace and rhythm" of a film. Editing forms a collage, an assortment of images and sounds joined together in a sequence. When the images and sounds are joined together, the audience formulates ideas and derives meaning by comparing the visual and audio details of each shot. Important changes can occur between shots regarding mise-en-scene, change and setting. Directors plan their shots visually for a variety of reasons, some of which are: in order to evoke emotional responses from an audience, to create a dramatic effect through the use of juxtaposition or three.. to make a scene seem less. Editing can condense or expand time. One common element used by directors to do this is the Montage sequence |
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Montage |
A series of related scenes joined through elliptical editing that indicates a passage of time. They indicate the passing of time by using several shots and their transitions to "span" years, months, data and hours in perhaps a few minutes |
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Parallel editing or cross cutting |
When the filmmaker curs back and forth between 2 or more events occurring in different spaces, usually suggesting that these events are occurring simultaneously (at the same time ). Editing allows the filmmaker to rearrange sequences and or the order of events. One common example is "flashback" flash forwards, fantasies, thoughts, etc. Are also examples. Editing also helps draw the viewer to the storys space. Filmmakers cut within the scenes to have characters respond to lines of dialogue, the elements of mise-en-scene, the group dynamics of the scene and the important elements of mise-en-scene that will influence the plot or contribute to important themes. |
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Tableau shot |
A **** used by early filmmakers that resembled the proscenium arch of a stage, giving the audience a perspective of watching a play, usually a long / wide shot that was also long in duration. Tableau shots have been replaced over time by establishing shots. Other sites of interest that manipulates space or the reverse shot ( after a shot ) and the eyeline match ( characters line of sight motivates the cut). Group dynamics are often established by the use of cutaways. The Cutaway shot focuses the viewer's attention on precise details and or reactions to the main action. |
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Continuity editing |
(Invisible editing ) is when the intended flow of a scene as smooth from one shot to the next and the audience may not be aware of the transitions. Continuity editing gives the audience a sense of geography of a scene. Continuity editing relies on a systematic order of shots and maintains consistent screen Direction. Most films use a standard shot pattern which consists of an establishing shot before cutting closer and to different angles with in that scene, and many times will end a sequence with a re establishing shot. Continuity editing often presents information in a logical flow |
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180 degree axis |
Rule dictates that within a scene, once the camera starts filming one side of the action, it will continue to use the same side of the action for the rest of the scene. |
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Jump cuts |
Are an abrupt, inexplicable shift in time and place of action that is not signaled by an appropriate shot transition. |
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Discontinuity editing |
Breaks the Rules of continuity editing |
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Associational editing |
Is editing to articulate abstract feelings and or ideas: editing and metaphor |
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Soviet montage |
Is the style of editing built around the theory that editing should exploit differences between shots to produce meaning |
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Kuleshov effect |
Theoretical principles of editing that the meaning produced by joining two shots together transcends the visual information contained in each individual shot. The meaning of a sequence of shots is more than the sum of its parts. |
