CONTENTS

1 FILM L A N G U A G E AS A SYSTEM OF VISUAL

C O M M U N IC A T IO N

Beginnings o f film language

Types o f film m aker

Form s of film expression

Defining out aims

2 T H E IM PO R TA N C E O F PA RA LLEL FILM

E D IT IN G

Two basic types

Action and reaction

Peak moments and the understanding

How parallel editing is obtained

A wider perspective

3 D E F IN IN G TH E BASIC TOOLS

Newsreel

D ocum entary

Fiction film

Three types of scene

Elements o f film gram m ar

The shot

M ovement

Distances

Types o f editing

Visual punctuation

Scene matching

Opposed glances

Centre of interest alternates

1

2

3

3

4

66

8

9

10

12

12

13

14

14

15

15

15

16

17

18

19

23

4 THE T R IA N G L E PR IN C IPL E 26

Basic body positions 26

Line of interest 27

Importance of the heads 30

Five basic variations of the triangle principle 32

Emphasis by com position 36

Types of visual emphasis . 39

Triangle principle: One person 46

5 D IA LO G U E BETW EEN TW O PLAYERS 50

Face to face 50

Number contrast 52

Performers side by side 52

Players behind one another 55

W ord of caution 59

Camera distance 61

Camera and actor height 62

Subject lying side by side 66

Telephone conversations 68

Opposed diagonals 69

Translucent density masks 73

Players reflected on m irrors 74

6 THREE-PLA Y ER D IA L O G U E 75

Regular cases 75

Irregular cases 76

External/interna! reverse camera positions 80

Internal reverse camera positions 84

Parallel camera positions 84

Pivoting point 85

Emphasizing the centre of interest 90

Partial emphasis 9 1

Total emphasis 93

A ‘north-south’ to ‘east-west’ change 95

Using only four camera positions 95

Introducing internal shots 98

Eight camera sites are employed 100

A simple method using three camera sites 103

Using a pivoting shot 104

Deliberate omission 105

Summing up 107