Introduction to Film Analysis

(DELC)

Dr David Sorfa (Film Studies)

The Very Basics

Image / Music / Text

Methodologies• Formal Analysis • Historical Analysis

• Film as representation of history • Film as symptom of history

• Theoretical Approaches • Economic / Political (Marxist, Industrial) • Identity

• Feminist / Sexualities and Gender • Race and Ethnicity

• Semiotic / Structuralist • Psychological

• Psychoanalysis • Cognitive Science

• Philosophy

Les Parapluies de Cherbourg (Jacques Demy, 1964)

The Elements of Film Language

• Mise-en-scène

• Cinematography

• Editing

• Sound

• Narrative and Narration

Two Elements of Film Writing

• Description of the form, content and texture of the film sequence

• Analysis of the meaning of the film as a whole

Et Dieu... créa la femme (Roger Vadim, 1956)

Three (Different) Aims• Evaluation

Is it good?

• Analysis How does it work?

• Interpretation What does it mean?

Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis (Dany Boon, 2008)

Cinematography (Distance)• Extreme Long Shot (ELS)

• Long Shot (LS) – figures discernible

• Medium Long Shot (American Shot) - (MLS)

• Medium Shot (MS) – Gesture and expression

• Medium Close-Up (MCU) – Chest and up

• Close-Up (CU) – Head, small object

• Extreme Close-Up – Lips, eye, etc.

L'Heure d’été (Olivier Essayas, 2008) / Der siebente Kontinent (Michael Haneke, 1989)

L'Heure d’été (Olivier Essayas, 2008)

• Extreme Long Shot (ELS)

Cinematography (Distance)• Extreme Long Shot (ELS)

• Long Shot (LS) – figures discernible

• Medium Long Shot (American Shot) - (MLS)

• Medium Shot (MS) – Gesture and expression

• Medium Close-Up (MCU) – Chest and up

• Close-Up (CU) – Head, small object

• Extreme Close-Up – Lips, eye, etc.

L'Heure d’été (Olivier Essayas, 2008) / Der siebente Kontinent (Michael Haneke, 1989)

L'Heure d’été (Olivier Essayas, 2008)

• Long Shot (LS) – figures discernible

Cinematography (Distance)• Extreme Long Shot (ELS)

• Long Shot (LS) – figures discernible

• Medium Long Shot (American Shot) - (MLS)

• Medium Shot (MS) – Gesture and expression

• Medium Close-Up (MCU) – Chest and up

• Close-Up (CU) – Head, small object

• Extreme Close-Up – Lips, eye, etc.

L'Heure d’été (Olivier Essayas, 2008) / Der siebente Kontinent (Michael Haneke, 1989)

• Medium Long Shot (American Shot) - (MLS)

L'Heure d’été (Olivier Essayas, 2008)

Cinematography (Distance)• Extreme Long Shot (ELS)

• Long Shot (LS) – figures discernible

• Medium Long Shot (American Shot) - (MLS)

• Medium Shot (MS) – Gesture and expression

• Medium Close-Up (MCU) – Chest and up

• Close-Up (CU) – Head, small object

• Extreme Close-Up – Lips, eye, etc.

L'Heure d’été (Olivier Essayas, 2008) / Der siebente Kontinent (Michael Haneke, 1989)

• Medium Shot (MS) – Gesture and expression

L'Heure d’été (Olivier Essayas, 2008)

Cinematography (Distance)• Extreme Long Shot (ELS)

• Long Shot (LS) – figures discernible

• Medium Long Shot (American Shot) - (MLS)

• Medium Shot (MS) – Gesture and expression

• Medium Close-Up (MCU) – Chest and up

• Close-Up (CU) – Head, small object

• Extreme Close-Up – Lips, eye, etc.

L'Heure d’été (Olivier Essayas, 2008) / Der siebente Kontinent (Michael Haneke, 1989)

• Medium Close-Up (MCU) – Chest and up

L'Heure d’été (Olivier Essayas, 2008)

Cinematography (Distance)• Extreme Long Shot (ELS)

• Long Shot (LS) – figures discernible

• Medium Long Shot (American Shot) - (MLS)

• Medium Shot (MS) – Gesture and expression

• Medium Close-Up (MCU) – Chest and up

• Close-Up (CU) – Head, small object

• Extreme Close-Up – Lips, eye, etc.

L'Heure d’été (Olivier Essayas, 2008) / Der siebente Kontinent (Michael Haneke, 1989)

• Close-Up (CU) – Head, small object

L'Heure d’été (Olivier Essayas, 2008)

Cinematography (Distance)• Extreme Long Shot (ELS)

• Long Shot (LS) – figures discernible

• Medium Long Shot (American Shot) - (MLS)

• Medium Shot (MS) – Gesture and expression

• Medium Close-Up (MCU) – Chest and up

• Close-Up (CU) – Head, small object

• Extreme Close-Up – Lips, eye, etc.

L'Heure d’été (Olivier Essayas, 2008) / Der siebente Kontinent (Michael Haneke, 1989)

• Extreme Close-Up – Lips, eye, etc.

Der siebente Kontinent (Michael Haneke, 1989)

Mobile Framing• Pan (panorama): camera pivots horizontally

• Tilt: camera pivots vertically

• Track (dolly): camera as a whole changes position

• Crane shot: camera moves above ground level (sometimes: helicopter shot)

• Overhead/Bird’s Eye-view shot

• Steadicam

• Hand-held

• Zoom in/out

• The ‘story’ of a text.

• A series of cause and effect relationships.

• Minimal narratives:

• The queen died. Then the king died.

• The queen died. Then the king died of grief.

Defining Narrative

Cause

Effect Cause

Effect Cause

Effect Cause

Effect

• The way that the narrative is presented. The way the story is told.

• Flashbacks / Flashforwards

• Ellipses

• Mise en scène, Cinematography, Sound, Editing

Defining Narration

Classical Film NarrativeStrict cause and effect narrative logic:

• Causes planted early in the film will always have an effect later.

Character motivation clearly defined:• Characters have set goals (revenge, love, etc), and often

deadlines.

Narrative goes through clear stages:• Equilibrium

• Disruption

• Restoration of equilibrium

TransformationDual focus

Damsels in Distress (Whit Stillman, 2011)

Les Parapluies de Cherbourg (Jacques Demy, 1964)