How Technical Codes Create Meaning
How Technical Codes Create Meaning
SoundThere are two types of sound; diegetic and non-diegetic.
Diegetic sound exists within the world of the film, for example a
phone ringing. Non-diegetic sound emerges from outside the world of
the film, this means that the sound the viewer is hearing the
characters cannot hear, for example a sound track. Non-diegetic
sound can be used to generate a sense of character whilst diegetic
sound can change the mood in the scene.
Film sound can be either: Synchronous; caused by some event on
screen so that the sound matches the actionAsynchronous; separate
from the visuals voiceover/dialogue from another sceneAmbient
sound; natural sounds of the room that both the audience and actors
can hearContrapuntal; sounds that contrast or contradict the action
on the screen
Mise-en-SceneDefinition = everything that is within the
sceneThis includes:Costume & Make-up this can act as an instant
indicator to us of a characters personality, it tells the audience
immediately whether the film is set in the present and what society
or culture it will centre aroundFor example if the director wanted
to show a character to be a vampire they might make them wear a
black cloak and put blood on their faceLighting this is used to
highlight who the important characters are or the objects within
the frameFor example when making a character look mysterious a
director may use lighting by shading sections of the face and
bodyBright lighting = happy Dark lighting = disturbed/depressed
Strobe effect = confused Actor this has become one of the most
important elements in films today, actors can make or break a movie
regardless of how engaging the story is or how well the editing was
done, it is the actors duty to bring his/her character to life
within the story of the filmSetting this can manipulate an audience
by building certain expectations and then taking a different
turn
CameraCan be used to: Show the locationShow detail/emotionShow
body languageShow which character is more powerfulCapture the
movement of a characterShow a scene from a characters
perspective
EditingTo show a very time amount of time passingTo show an
intensity in a conversation To show the characters importanceTo
show action to build up suspenseTo show how two shots are linked by
an action
