Studying films
The technical stuff
What makes a film?
There are lots of important techniques used to make films interesting to watch.
We are going to look at how these all come together to create a film.
Techniques
Camera shots Camera angles Sound techniques Lighting Mise-en-scene
Camera shots Extreme close-up
Close-up Medium shot
Long Shot
Establishing Shot
Point of View (POV) shot
Camera angles
High Angle shot- camera looks down on characters/ action
Low Angle shot- camera looks up on characters/ action
Camera Movements
Tracking- camera moves on tracks
Panning- camera stays in one place but follows movement.
Camera Shots Quiz!
Use your show me board and your notes to name the following shots.
Close up
Medium close up
Long shot
Medium Close Up
Sound Techniques
Music Sound effects (SFX)- thunder, car
horns, ringing bells or any other sound
Background noise (people talking, traffic)
Accent (the accent that characters have)
Dialogue (what characters say)
Lighting
HIGH KEY Lighting = bright lights can suggest excitement, happiness, warmth… LOW KEY Lighting = dark and gloomy / low (can
suggest night time, fear, evil… BACKLIT / SILHOUETTE CONTRASTS
Sun/ moon = day/ night = safety/ fearGood/Evil
Shadows- eerie atmosphere, horror
Mise-en-scene
This is a French term meaning “put on stage”
It basically means everything that you see in each scene of a film.
What do we look for?
Setting and props.
Costume and make up.
Lighting and colour.
The way items and people are positioned.
Summary of film
We need to be aware of these techniques, and ask ourselves:
What is the EFFECT?
How do the techniques help us decode the film and its meaning?
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