1. Introduction to Film StudiesKey Terms

2. Basic DefinitionsNarrative is the telling of the story - itinvolves more than just the story itselfGenre is the kind of film SciFi, ActionAdventure, RomCom... 3. NarrativeThinking about narrative means thinking about... Plot (What happens) Setting (In time and place when and where) Characters (Whos involved) Point of view and sympathy/empathy (Who do weidentify with? Whos story do we follow? Time (Flashbacks? Time lapses? Real time?) Themes and Representations (Whats it all about?) 4. GenreGenre means different things in different contexts Cinema is a genre Fictional films are a genre Horror, SciFi, Westerns, Gangster films, Musicals...all genres Slasher horror, monster horror, supernatural horror..all subgenres... I could go on 5. Generic Conventions Conventions are The unwritten rules of genre Iconographic conventions Westerns have horses,six guns, wide brimmed hats... Mise en Scene conventions they take place industy streets, rough saloons, deserted towns, isolatedrailway lines... Sound conventions we hear sparse music, slideguitars, gunshots, horses hooves... 6. Making Meaning Denotation what something is a dictionarydefinition. Red is a colour on the spectrum with awavelength of 700 nanometers Connotation all of the different things thatsomething might mean Red means danger,passion, blood, fire, lust, stop, warmth, love... Most film analysis is about understanding and identifying connotations. 7. Cinematic Terms Cinematography Editing Diagetic and Non-Diagatic Sound Mise en Scene Iconography Performance 8. Cinematography The work of the camera. As photography is to apicture (or photo), so cinematography is to a film. The type of shot Extreme Close Up, High AngleShot, 2-Shot, Establishing Shot, Master Shot The camera movement Pan, Tilt, Track, Cant Light and Shadow Colour and texture 9. Editing The movement from shot to shot, generally achieved in post-production. Types of edit Cut, Fade, Dissolve, Circle Fade,Wipe Editing and storytelling Editing and manipulating time and space Parallel Editing Seamless Editing Montage 10. SoundYou know what sound means. However... Diagetic sound is made within the world of the film(the diagesis) dialogue, traffic, gunshots, aliens intheir flying saucers, music on the radio or at aconcert...If you were there in the film, you wouldhear it. Non-Diagetic sound is voiceover, backgroundmusic and thats about it. It makes meaning for theaudience but you wouldnt hear it if you were therein the film. 11. Mise en Scene Whats on the screen. Everything you see. Locations real ones or sets realistic orfantasy/sci-fi People and their clothes, props, their arrangementon the screen, their movement Colours, shapes, light and shadow 12. Iconography Significant images things with lots ofconnotations An icon was originally an image of a god Different genres have distinctive iconography gunsand cars in gangster films, metal men and spaceships in sci-fi Icons are images loaded with meaning short cuts togetting messages across 13. PerformanceWhat the actor does How do actors create character? How much do they act to make meaning? Or is meaning made by the situations they are in? Does it matter that the actor does their own stunts?Sings the songs? Dances the dance routines?