Cinema is an art form that tells visual stories through moving images. Various elements of film like camera angles, shots, scenes, and editing techniques can be used to convey meaning and affect interpretation. Proper use of techniques like the rule of thirds, camera movements, and respecting the 180-degree rule can enhance storytelling and guide the audience's understanding. Through editing and the Kuleshov effect, the meaning derived from individual shots can change based on how they are assembled together into a narrative. Sound is also an important element that, along with images, establishes mood and helps interpret what is seen on screen.
Cinema is an art form that tells visual stories through moving images. Various elements of film like camera angles, shots, scenes, and editing techniques can be used to convey meaning and affect interpretation. Proper use of techniques like the rule of thirds, camera movements, and respecting the 180-degree rule can enhance storytelling and guide the audience's understanding. Through editing and the Kuleshov effect, the meaning derived from individual shots can change based on how they are assembled together into a narrative. Sound is also an important element that, along with images, establishes mood and helps interpret what is seen on screen.
Cinema is an art form that tells visual stories through moving images. Various elements of film like camera angles, shots, scenes, and editing techniques can be used to convey meaning and affect interpretation. Proper use of techniques like the rule of thirds, camera movements, and respecting the 180-degree rule can enhance storytelling and guide the audience's understanding. Through editing and the Kuleshov effect, the meaning derived from individual shots can change based on how they are assembled together into a narrative. Sound is also an important element that, along with images, establishes mood and helps interpret what is seen on screen.
images, a visual medium that tells stories. BUT CINEMA IS A LANGUAGE • Every element of a visual image can carry meaning, • Visual images can be « read » like other texts texts, • The position of elements within the image, the h colours l used d and d the h lilighting h i can allll affect ff interpretation, • Camera distance (eg close-up, long shot, etc), camera angleg and camera movement all affect meaning, • The number and order of shots affect meaning. Einführung “SIGNS” (2008), Australian short film directed by Patrick Hugues 7 minutes “SIGNS” • Thi This short h t fil film relies li on actor’s t ’ expressions i and actions, not the dialogue. • A good story always relies on strong visuals to tell the story story. • When you write a screenplay, always ask yourself: « Can I show the information instead of giving it through the use of dialogue? » Video 1 TYPES OF SHOT 1 minute BASIC FILM GRAMMAR • A frame is a single g still image, g , it’s like an alphabet letter, • A shot is a single continuous recording made by a camera, it’s like a word, • A scene is a series of related shots, shots it’s like a sentence, • The transitions between the scenes (cut, dissove…) are like punctuation, • A sequence is a series of scenes which together tell a part of the story, it’s it s like a paragraph. RULE OF THIRDS • Composition rules and conventions are older than cinema and photography, p g p y, • Most of them have been used for thousands of years in painting painting, • The rule of thirds is a basic composition principle that adds dynamism to your image. Video 3 CAMERA MOVEMENTS 5 minutes CAMERA MOVEMENTS • Camera movements can add dynamism to your shots,, y • It is better to use camera movements to reveal new informations informations, • However, camera movements can be distracting or even annoying when overused or used without a reason. Video 2 RULE OF THIRDS 2 minutes CAMERA ANGLES • Low angle is captured from a camera placed below the actor’s t ’ eyes, llooking ki up att th them. L Low anglel makes k characters look dominant, aggressive, or ominous. • IIn a high hi h angle, l theth camera iis above b th the subject, bj t llooking ki down. This position makes characters look weak, submissive or frightened submissive, frightened. They are also good POVs of an adult looking at a child. Video 4 180 DEGREE RULE 2 minutes 180 DEGREE RULE • S Sett the th scene and d establish t bli h your characters in space in order for the viewer to follow the action, • Two characters in a scene should always y have the same left/right relationship to each ot eac other, e, • If you don’t follow the rule or break it intentionally it disrupts the scene and intentionally, disorients the audience. ABOUT EDITING: KULESHOV EFFECT The Kuleshov effect is a film editing effect demonstrated by Russian filmmaker Lev Kuleshov in the 1910’s 1910 s and 1920’s 1920 s. • We have a close-up of a man then we shows what he sees. • Let’s assume he sees a flower, • Now we cut back to his reaction to what he sees, • He smiles…
• What does he look like as a character?...
… He looks kind. He looks sympathetic.
• Now let’s take the middle piece away and let’s replace it by a man falling down down.
• What does he look like as a character?...
… He looks like a bad person.
• Those 2 examples illustrate the power of
editors as storytellers,
• Depending on how shots are assembled,
we attach a special meaning or emotion to it,
• In other words, the meaning g of each shot
is different from the meaning of the shots g combined together. Video 5 SETTING THE PACE 2 minutes 30 • Film editing determines pace and structure, p it is a vital component to tell stories efficiently,
• Each frame counts: the addition or removal
of one frame may break or make a scene scene. It’s like notes for a composer or a musician, ABOUT EDITING: ELLIPSIS • Alfred Hitchcock said: « what is drama but life with the dulls bits cut out »,
• In other words filmmaking is the representation of
life with the boring parts eliminated,
• So ellipsis is the omission of a part of a story that
can be understood without showing it.
• But it is also the omission of a part of a story for a
narrative purpose purpose, such as suspense or mysterym
• Remember: don’t show everything!
Soundtrack 1 IMPORTANCE OF SOUND 6 minutes 30 IMPORTANCE OF SOUND • The importance of sound should not be understimated, • Moving image soundtracks can have four elements: music, sound effects, voice and silence. All of these contribute to meaning, meaning • Sound effects are two types: « atmosphere » (ie continuous sound)) and « spotp effects » ((ie short sounds), ), • Sound – particularly music – can set the mood of a film and establish its generic identity (eg comedy, thriller), • Sound can affect not only the way viewers interpret the images but also what they actually think they can see, • Off-screen Off screen sounds can help to create the impression of three-dimensional space, • Silence can also have a p powerful effect on the interpretation of a sequence. End of “SIGNS” (2008), Australian short film directed by Patrick Hugues 4 minutes Questions & Answers