Cinematic Level

• The items that make a movie a movie!

• What you see on film cannot be seen anywhere else!

Shot• A single, uninterrupted piece of film• The image that is seen on-screen until it is

replaced by another image through editing

• If the camera moves while still filming, but without breaks, that is still one shot

• Practice: Snap every time you see a new shot in these clips.

Rope

Mise en Scene• Pronounced: meez en sen

• Visual arrangement of all visual elements within an area

• Used to be “stage”

• Now….the screen

Armageddon

American Beauty

Framing• How the object in the shot will be

positioned and filmed.• How much of the frame of the screen

the object will occupy• Similar to cropping in photography• 3 main types

Long Shot• Object on screen appears small or far

away• Oftentimes used as an “establishing

shot”• To show where the film takes place• Location, time

• Objects and characters may seem unclear or indistinct because of a lack of detail

Long Shot

Enemy of the State

Effects of a Long Shot?

• Show where the action will take place.• Force the viewer to focus on one or

two things in focus • Those must be important

• To show that something is weak or powerless • It’s so small physically and power-ly!

The Graduate

O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Close-Up • Object in focus takes up about 80% of

the screen space• Object appears very large• Forces viewer to look at ONLY what the

director intends

Close-Up

The Graduate

Effects of a Close Up?

• Object in frame is to be seen as important.• Often used as foreshadowing.• Can show characters’ reactions.• Can show emotions.• Can create tension since only a small

portion of “the real world” is on screen (while other stuff must be happening!)

Mission Impossible

Cool Hand Luke

Psycho

Medium Shot• From about the waist up• The most common and most

naturalistic framing choice• A “neutral framing”• Seems comfortable and unobtrusive

• What does unobtrusive mean?

Medium Shot

• Effects? Dodgeball

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

Camera Angles• Where the camera will be placed in

relation to the subject• There are 4 main angles directors use

Low Angle• Camera is below the subject being

filmed

The Graduate

Effects of a Low Angle?

• Framed item is seen “from below.”• Item looks large = powerful• Item can be seen as

• Powerful• Dominant• Important

• Could just be about location – looking UP at something!

O Brother, Where Art Thou?

O Brother, Where Art Thou?

High Angle• Camera is above the subject being

filmed

Fargo

Effects of a High Angle?

• Framed item is seen “from above.”• Item looks small = weak• Item can be seen as

• Weak• Powerless• Inferior

• Could just be about location – looking DOWN at something.

Psycho

Mission Impossible

The Graduate

Psycho

Pirates of the Caribbean 3: At World’s End

Eye Level• Camera is at the same level as the

subject being shot.• This is a “neutral camera angle”

Dutch Angle• Object in the frame is “canted” or

angled

The Shining

Effects of a Dutch Angle

• Object in frame is “tilted.”• Object is literally “off kilter”

• Could imply that the scene is emotionally off kilter or imbalanced.

• Situation is unstable

Do the Right Thing

Do the Right Thing

The Departed

Camera Movement • Pan

• When a camera pivots on a horizontal axis• Side to side!

• Tilt• When a camera pivots on a vertical axis• Up and down!

• Zoom• Focal length of a camera changes• More or less of an object is “framed”

• Tracking / Dolly Shots• Camera actually moves!• Could be around, into, above, or through a subject

Lighting• The principle source of light for filming• 3 main types

Low-Key Lighting• Much darkness• Many shadows

Double Indemnity

Effects of Low-Key Lighting

• Many shadows are created• Ohhh….scary!• Suspense• Uncertainty• Doubt

Shakespeare in Love

High-Key Lighting• Brightness• Openness• Lack of shadows

Yankee Doodle Dandy

Yankee Doodle Dandy

Effects of High-Key Lighting

• No shadows• Everything is washed in full light

• Excitement• “On the level” - honest

Bottom / Side / Back Lighting

• When the light source is either from the bottom, side, or back of the subject.

• Certain features are highlighted (no pun intended)

The Graduate

Frost / Nixon

Effects of Bottom / Side / Back Lighting

• Certain features are highlighted.• Creates suspense• Could signify that a character is multi

faceted• “Two-faced”• Complex

Front Lighting• From directly in front of the subject• Creates a bit of a “halo effect”

Yankee Doodle Dandy

Sound• An integral component of the film

experience.• Imagine a scary movie with the sound

turned down; it just seems silly!

Diegetic Sound• Pronounced - die-uh-je-tik• Any sound that could be logically

heard by a character within the film.• If a character speaks or a cat growls• The characters in the film and the

audience hear roughly the same thing• (Or could hear the same thing)

Nondiegetic Sound• Sound that cannot be logically heard

by a character.• Soundtrack!• Intended only for the audience• Voice-over narration is included in this

categoryTrack 1

Track 2

Track 3

Track 4

Editing• Methods by which a director chooses to

move from one shot to another.

• The point is to make cuts but for them to be SUBTLE!

Fade• When the on-screen image slowly fades away to

white or black• Slow transition• Not realistic

• Effects?• Time has passed. • Amount depends on the length of time in black

Dissolve• Image slowly fades out• Before fading completely out – new image fades in• Slow transition

• Effects?• The first scene leads to the next.• The two are connected in some way.

Crosscut• Parallel editing• Cut from one scene immediately to another

• Effects?• Scenes are happening at the same time.• Can create suspense!

Eye-Line Match• Also called a point of view shot• Camera cuts to what the person is looking at

as if through their eyes

• Effects?• Puts viewer in the shoes of a character.