3 Ways To Read Film:

LiteraryDramaticCinematic

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Literary

Aspects that film shares with literature: plot, characters, setting, themes, point of view, recurring images, and symbols.

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LiteraryFrequently the reasons we like any given film can be found at this level. We like the story, the genre, the actors and the directors!

At this level, we look at the setting and how it impacts the character, theme, and plot. We are also likely to identify symbols when reading a film this way. The symbols may show up as a visual object, a dialogue reference, a literal meaning, or a metaphorical meaning.

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Dramatic

Aspects the film shares with live drama: dialogue, costumes, makeup (essential in establishing characters), sets.

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DramaticWhen we read a film dramatically, we look at the dialogue (what the actors say and how they say it) and the costumes and make-up. Is it realistic, does it fit the time period in which the story is set? If so, we can get lost in the film; it’s believable!McComb 2013

‘‘Cinematography’’ is literally writing in movement.

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Cinematic

Aspects of film that include types of camera shots, sound editing, and special visual effects.

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Shots: a single, uninterrupted piece of film.

Cinematography involve 3 factors:

1) Photographic aspects of the shot2) Framing of the shot3) Duration of the shot

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This is a still photo from Michael Curtiz’s 1942 Casablanca starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. The movie was shot in black and white.

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1)Photographic aspects of the shot• Black and white films• Hand coloring

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In order to modernize or restore films, black and white films-like Casablanca-were hand colored.

“I think it’s terrible. It’s a shame that they’re doing it….I think it’s an insult to the people who did the movies in black-and-white….In black-and-white, you had to mold not only the people’s faces but also the back-ground and everything, to give it depth and to make it interesting to look at…. “ James Stewart (June 1986)

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1)Photographic aspects of the shot• Black and white films• Hand coloring• Technicolor

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Technicolor

Simply defined, Technicolor is the method of making movies in color. Films sensitive to different primary colors are exposed simultaneously and are later superimposed to produce the full-color print.

When filming, this required many lights. So many that sets could reach 100 degrees!

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1)Photographic aspects of the shot• Black and white films• Hand coloring• Technicolor• Day for Night Filter

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Day for Night Filter

This is really fun! The Day for Night filter is a technique used to simulate a night scene-- to create the illusion of darkness or moonlight. So, the film can be shot during the day but made to look like night.

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2) Framing of the shot: How

the object will be positioned

within the shot, or how much

of the frame of the movie

screen the object will occupy.

The video clip will show you

some examples of this.

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Directors also use the framing and shots to show the audience what they want them to see. There are many different kinds of shots directors can use to accomplish this, but the following examples will focus on the three most common:

•Long shots---full body

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McComb 2013

Directors also use the framing and shots to show the audience what they want them to see. There are many different kinds of shots directors can use to accomplish this, but the following examples will focus on the three most common:

•Long shots•Close shots---face shots

McComb 2013

McComb 2013

Directors also use the framing and shots to show the audience what they want them to see. There are many different kinds of shots directors can use to accomplish this, but the following examples will focus on the three most common:

•Long shots•Close shots•Medium shots ---waist up

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McComb 2013

Other types of shots:Point-of-View: this shows a view from the subject's/actor’s perspective.

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Other types of shots:Weather Shot: the subject is the weather. Can be used for other purposes, e.g. background for graphics.

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McComb 2013

Other types of shots:Cut away: this usually refers to a shot that shows what the subject/ actor is looking at. Also known as a “noddy” shot. Think of it like those interview shows where the camera cuts back and forth between the interviewer and the interviewee.

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3) The duration of the shot, basically, is the length of the shot. How long does the director stay on the subject(s)? The duration is an un-cut, unedited & uninterrupted sequence shot in real-time.

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What’s the difference between a shot, scene and sequence?

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