Film Language Lecture 2

In this lecture we recapped what we discussed previously, such as :

• Line
• Colour
• Eye line
• Light
• 2d/3d space
• Splitting the screen
• Movement
• Contrast
• Brightness
• Vanishing point

We then moved onto other aspects of film language, such as the rule of thirds. It is a way of composing a shot to making it more pleasing and have a sense of balance, we generally move our eyes from right to left, meaning what is in the centre of the image is generally more important (though of course this rule can be broken for effect).

This also applies to ‘look space’, the area of the screen our eye is drawn to. For instance if you had a picture of a boat with space in front of it, it would give the illusion that the boat is moving forward. If there is no room we wouldn’t sure where it was going.

We also recapped the uses of cutaway shots and geography shots, and looked at different framing heights. This is how you frame a face or body within the shot, for example this shot from ‘The Shining’ shows the character in a close up, with vertical lines framing his face and the top of his head cut off by the screen. This gives a sense of feeling trapped, which is what the other characters in the scene are feeling. These kind of shots are often used in extreme moments of anger or passion, generally the closer a shot is the more important or intense the moment is. The eye line is also very important, at this moment he is looking out of frame which can sometimes show a sign of being uncomfortable, but in the context of this scene is his manic expression, his eyes darting everywhere. The context is very important to remember when analysing a single still, what happens before and after effects what it means.

The next thing we looked at was the 180 degree rule, something I hadn’t heard of but subconsciously understood as part of film language. It is when you control the movement of a scene so that it makes sense, for example having two people look the right direction when in conversation so it is clear they are talking to each other. It should follow the line of action, the camera needs to stay the same side of the line. ‘Crossing the line’ is the breaking the rule, it can make shots seem jarring and ‘flicking’. The line of action can be changed by using a down the line shot, or having the characters move, but the camera still needs to remain on the same side.

 

Analysing The Incredibles (2004)

The incredible is full of conflicts, both literally and with the characters themselves. It is shot in such a way that represents this.

The first 10 minuets of the film are lit in a warm, nostalgic light, as if these are ‘the good old days’. When the tension builds the scenes get darker, but they are still bright and exciting.

After this explosive introduction we move onto life after super hero’s. The light is muted, dull, and reflects how the characters (mostly Mr.Incredible) are feeling. There are lots of scenes where he shown to be too big for his surroundings, he is trapped in the frame and this shows his frustration. For Elastagirl her feeling of being trapped is created more with her character, she has gone from being a strong, independent superhero to a stay at home mum. In the video above (story structure analysis), the point is made that in one of the opening scenes of their wedding, they vocalise each other characters flaws. They then spend the rest of the film trying to fix them.

When Mr. Incredible has to use his powers once again the palette changes, his new suit is a powerful, vibrant red which suggests his transformation into a strong superhero once more, making it different to his original super suit shows he not only becoming a hero again, but a better person.

 

 

Analysing ‘Monsters Inc’

Me and another animation student watched ‘Monsters inc’ as part of our film analysis practice. It is a 2001 Pixar animated film, and one of my personal favourites.

Here are our notes when watching the film, to give a brief summary most of what we discussed was the use of contrast and juxtaposition, and the irony of monsters being terrified of little children, when their job is to terrify the the children. In the ‘scare floor’ scene they used a lot of spot lighting to suggest the show of it all, their bravery was really just an act, all the monsters are scared of touching the children. The use of diagonal lines is used a lot, to suggest tension and fear, quite often light is shown coming though windows at a diagonal, it almost resonates with the fact the world of the monsters is the same but slightly different to ours.

 

Film I love, I hate, and film no one has seen

Film I love: The film I love is ‘What We do in the Shadows’ (2014). It was made with a really small budget and is one of the funniest films I have ever seen. It is a mockumentary about the lives of vampires in New Zealand by the same team that made ‘Flight of the Concords’.

Film I hate: The film i hate is ‘Cloud Atlas’ (2012). I went to see it in the cinema and found it long, confusing and most of all boring. We left about two thirds of the way through it was so dull. It was made out to be an epic story, but in reality it took itself way too seriously and had some dodgy acting. Not to mention using white actors to play the parts of asian characters.

Film no one has heard of: I chose ‘Harvey Krumpet’ (2003) it is a stop motion film by Adam Elliot, one of my favourite animators. It is only 20 minuets long but manages to make you smile, laugh and cry all at once. It is both childlike and rude at the same time, I highly recommend it.

BA2a Film Language Introduction

25th September 2017

Our first lecture of this unit was an introduction to film language and what it means. It is the way a film speaks to the audience in a visual way, and the medium that is used to express it. We began to analyse short clips, breaking them down shot by shot. We discussed the establishing shot, or geography shot, which puts the film in a location and helps give it a sense of context. The exposition is telling the audience what they need to know for the story, this is done best when it is clear and simple, for example in ‘Wallace and Gromit’ we were shown on a calendar that it was Gromit’s birthday. It was shown in an easy, simple way, rather than having to be told it with unnatural dialogue.

We then looked at analysing composition, looking at the different shots and lines used. For example a diagonal line creates an intense, unnatural, dramatic shot. A horizontal straight line creates a feeling of stability and landscape. A vertical line can be used to make a character look small, by drawing the scene upwards. For example this still from Pan’s Labyrinth shows her with two lines drawn up above her like the entrance to a pointed cave. It makes her seem vulnerable.

Another important thing to consider in composition is light, the above image also uses this to its advantage, drawing the eye to the centre, and showing her leaving the light and heading towards the dark, a symbol of fear and the unknown. Other things to consider were eye lines, focus, shapes, colour, movement, angles and contrast.