Film Techniques

Film Techniques
Structure
Editing
Genre
Mise-en-scene
Sound
Cinematography
Learning Intentions
• What is the POINT of films? Why make them?
• To entertain people
• To inform people
• To make money
• To tell a story/express the author’s vision
• Films are pieces of art – like a novel or a painting. They are considered to be ‘texts’
• Every tiny aspect of the film, each technique used, is chosen deliberately by the
filmmaker to create a certain effect
• By looking at all the techniques and thinking about WHY they were chosen, we can
understand more about the film’s meaning, point or purpose
1. “A picture is Film can show &
explain things
worth a thousand quickly, especially
words” speedy action
Why use film Audience sees it

2. Creator has more
(as opposed to
exactly the way
the director
control/power wants them to
see it
writing)?
Visual medium
works well for
3. Visual nature of modern
modern life audiences who
are used to visual
messages
Structure
Orientation – establish setting & characters
Complication – problem arises
Linear Structure Climax – key scene where problem is faced
Resolution – return to order
Non-linear Structure
• Start in the middle or even at the end (“in
medias res”)
• Use flashbacks or switch between multiple
different timelines
• Creates suspense or engagement – viewers
are curious to find out how we got to this
point
• Look out for structural breaks & think
about how they impact the film
Editing
Editing
Editing = the way shots are pieced
together
• Order – which happens first

• Transitions – how the film
switches between shots
• Length – how long we spend
on each shot
Types of Transitions
• Cut – Switch to new scene immediately. Suggests no
time has passed
• Cutaway – Switch to a new scene & then back to
first. Gives new information
• Cut-in – Switch to a zoomed-in portion of the same
scene. Draws attention to a new aspect of the scene
• Cross-cutting – Switching back and forth between
two scenes. Shows they’re linked
• Dissolve – Slow transition between scenes. Implies
time has passed or the new scene is a dream or
memory
Long &
Short Takes
Short takes – camera switches rapidly
between many quick shots
• Fast-paced action
• Create tension
• Mashup of many short takes is called a
montage
Long takes - camera keeps filming without
jumping to any other scene
• Allows time for conversations, character
development
• Can seem relaxed, unhurried, peaceful
• Can linger too long on painful scenes to
create feeling of discomfort
Short takes often used during the Long takes often used in orientation
Editing is linked climactic scenes of a film
• Make it seem more tense &
scenes of a film
• Seem more calm and relaxed
to structure dramatic
• Reach the conclusion more swiftly
• Help establish the setting and
characters
Genre
Genre
• Category or type of film, e.g. comedy, drama, action,
thriller, horror
• Genres have conventions – certain characters, themes,
or styles that are nearly always seen in films of that
type
• Sci-fi films often about the dangers of new
technology
• Westerns often about revenge, often have an ‘anti-
hero’
• Knowing a film’s genre can help you figure out the big
ideas: theme, overall message
Cinematography = Camera work
• Angle
Cinematograph • Movement
y • Shots
• Focus
• Long shot – gives information about the setting. Where are
3 Basic we? How does the character relate to this place?
• Mid shot – gives information about relationships between
Shots characters e.g. body language, how do they react to each
other?
• Close-up – gives information about one character – subtle
expressions are easier to see. Creates intimacy, helps
audience relate to them & share their emotions.
Mid shot Close-up
Long shot
Extreme Close-up
More Complex Shots

POV shot
• Extreme Close-up – intense, can create extreme

intimacy or discomfort. Sometimes make it feel
surreal, or can point out symbolism
• Point-of-view shot – help us empathise with the
character, you are in their shoes, can feel other
people’s reactions to them as if to you Aerial shot
• Aerial (bird’s eye) – shows the setting, creates
feeling of omniscience (all-seeing)
Mid/eye level angle Low angle High angle Canted Angle
• Eye level angle – natural, realistic, immersive. See things from normal characters’
point of view.
• Low angle – Makes subject seem scary or powerful, looming above
Camera Angles • High angle – Makes subject seem smaller, vulnerable/weak
• Canted angle (Dutch tilt) – creates disorder, imbalance. Feels unsettling, stressful,
something is wrong.
Basic Camera Movement
Dollying – camera moves along ground
• Follows characters as they move, keep pace with action
• Fast dollying creates frantic pace, slow can create sense of peace, gently
drifting through scenery
Tilting – movement upwards or downwards.

• Often starts at normal angle & tilts up or down
• Can show scale or add info about the setting
Panning – movement from side to side

• Introduces new information
• Can create humour or suspense, revealing information slowly
More Complex Camera
Movements
Compound motion (dolly zoom)
• Compound Motion – creates unusual

effects e.g. dolly/zoom together creates
head-spinning distorted visual warp
• Shaky cam – creates realism,
authenticity – seems like real footage of
Shaky cam
a real event
• Arc shot (circling) – different effects
depending on context. Sometimes can
seem dreamy & romantic, detailed, or
dizzying.
Arc shot
Focus
Focus
• Shallow focus – only one thing is in Shallow focus
focus, forces you to look at that. Blurs
out unimportant details, can create
romantic or dreamy feel
• Rack focus or pull focus – can direct
your attention e.g. to a specific detail,
or follow a character’s mental process Rack focus
• Deep focus – everything is in sharp
focus. Conveys clarity, objectivity,
realism. Not limited to one viewpoint.
You are impartial, not being told what
to focus on
Deep focus
Mise-en-Scene
Mise-en-Scene
• Mise-en-scene = means “setting the stage”
• Refers to set design & all visual elements
• Involves a combination of things and how they
create the overall look
• Props & costumes
• Set (room or place where scene happens)
• Lighting
• Use of space (proxemics)
Props &
Costumes
Show time & place
• Gives clues where & when it’s set, e.g. typewriter =
historical. Robot = future
Believable
• Even in a fantasy setting, props & costumes make you
feel like it’s a real place
• Suspension of disbelief
Symbolism
• Some objects are associated with ideas or feelings in
people’s minds, e.g. snakes = evil, clue that Slytherin
are baddies
• Director can use repeated shots of a certain prop
throughout a film to symbolise something within the
film
Lighting
3-point light setup:

• Key lights – Front lights, main illumination
• Fill lights – Soft, side-on lights, brighten
shadows
• Back lights – point down from up high,
behind the scene, help figures stand out
from background
Lighting = mood
Adjusting how much each light shines changes the film’s
mood.
• High Key lighting – all 3 lights are on full, creates bright
relaxing mood. We can see everything, no lurking
shadows.
• Low key lighting – high contrast, bright lights and dark
shadows. Often used in thrillers & crime films. Can
symbolise contrast in a character – light & shadow. Can
be used to highlight/draw attention.
• Backlighting – low overall light, stronger backlight,
weak key & fill lights. Shadowy silhouettes, create
mystery, fear. Can’t see faces.
Proxemics – use of space
• How characters & props are arranged in the shot.
Position onscreen in relation to each other.
• Reflects dynamics between characters, how they
feel about each other. Body language.
• Close or far apart?
• Does one loom over the other?
• Clashing head-on?
• Shows how characters feel about or relate to the
setting
• Small and insignificant compared to it, or
hugging the ground in relief
Proxemics
• Deep Space – large spacious set –
shows how far apart the characters are
emotionally, or shows character feels
lost/alone in their environment
• Shallow space – close, intimate,
crowded together. Shows how friendly
the characters are or how connected a
character feels to their environment
• Depends on context – shallow space
could also be used to create a feeling of
claustrophobia or anxiety, deep space
could also be used to create a feeling of
peace and reflection
Sound
Diegetic
• Can be heard by characters in the film. Car driving, radio
playing, insects buzzing etc
• Creates realism, makes us feel like we’re there
Non-diegetic
• Layered on top. Can’t be heard by characters in the film. Only
the audience can hear it. Voice-over narration & movie
soundtrack
• Music builds emotion & creates mood
• Voice-over can help explain what’s happening OR subvert (say
the opposite of what’s on the screen)

Film Techniques

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Film Techniques

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Film Techniques

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Film Techniques

Why use film Audience sees it

• Order – which happens first

Mid shot Close-up

More Complex Shots

• Extreme Close-up – intense, can create extreme

Tilting – movement upwards or downwards.

Panning – movement from side to side

• Compound Motion – creates unusual

3-point light setup:

You might also like