RAM – Fall 2013
audience members actively construct meaning from the narrative
we negotiate a shared experience:
the filmmaker’s story(the story told / the plot)
the audience member’s story(the story perceived / the total effect)
somebody Character(s) doing something + Conflict /
Action at some place & time +
Setting
= STORY
* The narrative is the centerpiece: shots, dialogue, lighting, acting editing,
sound should serve the story.
Story
Acting
Dialogue
Lighting
Editing
Shots
Sound
Films blur the lines between fantasy & reality
Films utilize mental patterns in order to make sense of a narrative
Films create meaning from cause/effect relationships
Films navigate through conflict & tension
Filmmaking (a.k.a. constructing visualnarratives) is a highly intentional act.
“Nothing in a mainstream narrative is there by accident.”
-- Jill Nelmes(author of Introduction to Film Studies)
“having been put into the scene”“placing in the scene”
A set of variables which the filmmaker manipulates when
creating what we see on the screen
mise en scénesetting
props costume performance
lightingcamera editing
sound
places characters in the film
creates own meaningsignify & clarify
meaning
Enhances setting and characterization
generally the film’s focal point
the acting
can dictate mood
& attention
angle
movement
focus
patterns (and deviations)
guides the viewer
layers of sound images
1. Create the film event.
2. Light it.
3. Film it.
4. Edit it.
5. Add sound.
The Traditional Film-Making Process
As you watch clips Edward Scissorhands next week, you will record what you think are choices that were made intentionally to propel the narrative.
