Film Reels And Visions (Erin Mc Neice's Moving Image Arts Blog)

Composition and focus Framing Framing is a technique used in both film and photography meant to give shots context, draw eyes towards the primary focal point and giving shots a sense of depth- which, of course, immerses an audience into the movie. Example: Rule of thirds The rule of thirds is the rule of aligning a subject with guidelines and their intersection points of a grid. Example(s): A variety of examples from movie trailers Depth of field  Depth of field is the distance between the nearest images and the furthest images that appear visably sharp in a shot or image. Example of shallow depth: Example of deep depth: Focus pulls/rack focus Racking focus is the act of switching the focal point from one subject to another by sharpening its image; for example, if the subject is in the background then the foreground image becomes sharper, and if the subject is in the foreground the opposite occurs. Example: ...

Sound Analysis Diegetic sound Diegetic sound is sound that comes from a source inside the film's world- for example, music coming from a record player in the film, or the voice of characters. Example: The opening of Wayne's World. Non diegetic sound Non-diegetic sound is sound that does not exist within the film's world, but that plays in a film anyway, usually to enhance the scene. This can include a film's soundtrack/score being played over a scene. Example: The narration in the beginning of Cinderalla. Synchronous sound/parallel sound Synchronous sound is sound that is synced to actions within a film; for example, footsteps while someone is walking, or even having the actions in a film synced with music. Example: The opening scene of Baby Driver. Asynchronous sound/contrapuntal sound Asynchronous sound is sound that is not synced to actions inside a film, such as the film's soundtrack. Example: The 39 Steps, Hitchc...

Editing Shot/reverse shot A shot-reverse shot is a shot that cuts between one character, who is facing one direction, and another who is facing the other direction. This is meant to make the audience assume that the two characters are facing each-other. Example: Casablanca. The shot-reverse-shot highlights the conversation and, therefore, makes the audience more invested in it- especially the close-ups on the characters faces. Eyeline match An eyeline match is a technique that shows the character looking at something in the first shot, usually with some kind of reaction to the thing shown off-screen (fear, joy, etc), which then cuts to a shot of what the character is looking at. Example: Rear Window uses this kind of cut a lot, as it's from the perspective of someone looking out a window. Graphic match A graphic match is a cut that juxtaposes shots with similar images in order to transition between the two shots- think about a shot where someone eyes c...

Angles:  High angle High angles are angles shot from above the character or subject in a shot. This is most commonly used to express lonliness or isolation. Example: The use of high angle shots in "Scrubs" Canted angle  A canted angle is an angle that is deliberately slanted to one side, usually with the goal of disorientating an audience. This is also known as a 'dutch angle'. Example: The use of canted angle shots in Slumdog Millionaire. Low angle  A low angle is an angle that's 'looking up' at a character or subject. This is usually used to establish heroism or dominance. Example: Darth Vader navigating the corridors of the Death Star in  Star Wars Episode IV A New Hope (1977) . Movement:   Pan  A pan is a shot where the camera continously moves from either left to right or right to left. These are often used to portray movement, and are commonly used in car chase scenes. Example: Brian de Palma's  Bl...

Long Shot Long shots are used to depict an entire object/person from the top to the bottom. They're not as long as wide shots- also known as establishing shots- but they are most commonly used as a way to introduce a new character/object of importance. Example: Omar Sharif approaching the camera on camel in David Lean's  Lawrence Of Arabia (1962) . Close Up Close-ups are used to frame a character's entire face in a shot- usually used to show a character's emotions and especially important to cinematic storytelling. Example: Falconetti's face in  The Passion Of Joan Of Arc (1928) . Medium Shot Medium shots- as the name suggests- are shots in-between a long shot and a close-up. Medium shots utilise the most common framing in movies.  Example: Most John Ford movies feature this- I.E, The Searchers . Arc Shot Arc shots are shots where the camera revolves around the subject. ...