Powerpoint notes

 Levels of film analysis: 

1. literary analysis - understanding basics of storyline such as: characters, mood, theme etc. 

The plot line: exposition - the pertinent background information for understanding the story as well as the hook or introduction. rising action - the conflicts that move the story forward, these can be actual or psychological conflicts. climax - the point in the movie where nothing else seems to be able to go wrong. Often the characters have to make a choice to move forward or cease to exist. resolution - the loosens are tied up. There may not be a true ending, but it is the ending to the story the filmmaker wants us to interact with.

2. dramatic and cinematic analysis - dramatic choices are choices made by the people in front go the camera such as acting and costuming whereas cinematic choices are choices made by people behind the camera.

basic framing - long shots - can give a sense of time and place, and can show the characters relationship to their surroundings. close ups - brings attention to a tiny detail or clue, and can be intimate or revealing. medium shots - in-between a long shot and close up, and kind of neutral, the most 'comfortable' kind of shot. focus - rack focus, soft focus and duration of shots - how long the camera remains on the subject in a particular distance.

angles - low angle - the camera is below the subject, and the object will often seem huge and powerful. eye-level - the camera is straight on the subject, not too high or too low, and its a 'neutral' shot. high angle - the camera is located high, looking down on the subject. worms eye angle - from the ground, like an insect. dutch/oblique/canted angle - the camera is tilted slightly to create an unbalanced effect. birds eye - an elevated view of an object from above.

lighting - high key lighting - usually used in romances, comedies, and period movies. neutral lighting - general or neutral lighting. bottom/side lighting - has a scary/intimidating effect. front lighting - used often with the here or heroine. back lighting - creates a semi-silhouette of the objects in the frame. 

mise-en-scène - refers to almost everything that goes into the composition of the shot, including the composition itself: framing, moving of the camera, lighting etc.

editing  - cut - when one scene finishes and another begins. transitions - added in post-production as more fluid cuts in the story. special effects - added in post-production and make the film more realistic if need be.

colour - use of colour symbolically 

sound - diegetic sound thats recorded when its happening. non-diegetic sound added in post-production. soundtracks are background music. sound affects, special effects and voiceovers are also added in post-production.

pans - scanning the scene horizontally. tilts - scanning the scene vertically. tracking or dolly shots - camera moves along a scene or follows action. zoom - changing the angle within the camera.

3.critical analysis - when you combine the literary, dramatic, and cinematic analysis to your background knowledge to evaluate the film.