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?