Today we discussed all the aspects of film language, they are categorised into 4 groups; Camera, mise en scene, sound and editing. Each plays a huge part in creating a film and its genre. Each one has an anachronism to help
1) Camera:
F-frame
A- angle
M-movement
There are 6 different types of camera frame:
1- Extreme close up- e.g this could be of just one facial feature
2- Close up- e.g a shot of someone's face
3- Mid-shot- e.g a shot showing someone from the waist up
4- Mid-long shot- e.g a shot showing someone from just below the knees. Just above the knees makes the person look shorter and bigger
5- Long shot- e.g showing a whole body shot
6- Extreme long shot- e.g a shot showing the whole of a city or town, often used at the beginning of a film to set the scene.
Different camera angles are used in different genre's to create the effect of the film. For example in horror films, worms eye shots are often used as the make everything seem bigger than anticipated, therefore creating a scary feel. There are seven types of camera angles;
Low- this is shot from above the scene
Level- shot from eye level
High- shot from a low angle.
Birds eye- exactly as it says, shot from a birds eye view often using a crane with a camera on.
Worms eye- shot from below, looking up at the shot
Tilt up/ down- this is simply tilting the camera either up or down in a continuous motion
Pan left/ right- this is the shot where the camera moves to the left or right in one motion.
There are also four types of camera movement;
A tracking shot- in this shot the camera follows the actor or object in the scene, it tracks them.
Zoom in/ out- the camera will either get closer or further away.
Crane shot- this is where the camera come from above and slowly moves downwards.
Static- in this shot the camera remains completely still.
2) Sound
M- music
C- contrapental/parallel
D- diegetic/ non-diegetic
O-off screen/ on screen
V-voice over
E-emotion
D-dialogue
The music in a film can change the whole mood associated with the scene, The genre, the pitch and tone of the music can effect and add to the viewers emotions.
Contrapental sound is sound that does not match the shot, for example in a horror film they often use soft, relaxing music just before something scary is about to happen.
The opposite of contapental is parallel, this is when the music does match the scene it accompanies.
Diegetic sounds are all sounds that are heard during the film, the natural sound in the shot.
Non-diegetic sounds are the sounds that are put over the scene during editing.
Off screen sound cant be seen on screen, the background noises like the sound of shoes on the floor, muffled voices and telephone rings.
The on-screen sounds can be seen on screen, like the voices of the actors.
Voice overs are put over the scene during editing, they are often sounds that are needed but are not loud enough during filming, like the sound of someone walking.
Emotions are the effect that the music has on the viewer.
The dialogue is how the actors speak, how they sound, the speed, tone and pitch of there speech.
3)Mise en scene
4)Editing
T- transitions
O- order of narrative
P- pace
S-special effects
Transitions are put in between shots to make them flow better, they include; slide, push, and fading.
Order of narrative is the order in which the events of the film occur, The film could have flashbacks from the past, dream sequences or clips of future events, meaning the order of narrative is not structured.
The pace of the film is the speed of the film, for example in an action film events would occur alot faster than in a family drama.