ONLINE ACT created by jen l.
a short study in cinematography.
chungking express (1994) dir. wong kar wai
PLOT & STRUCTURE CHARACTERISATION IMAGERY & SYMBOLISM USE OF COLOUR & LIGHTING CAMERA & EDITING
“A MOVIE IS MADE FOR AN AUDIENCE AND A FILM IS MADE FOR BOTH THE AUDIENCE AND THE FILMMAKERS.” — david finch.
FILMS FEATURED. MAURICE (1987) dir. james ivory MIDSOMMAR (2019) dir. ari aster POTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE (2019) dir. céline sciamma THE KING (2019) dir. david michôd BLADE RUNNER 2049 (2017) dir. denis villeneuve EMMA (2020) dir. autumn de wilde SHADOW (2018) dir. zhang yimou PARASITE (2019) dir. bong joon ho LOST IN TRANSLATION (2003) dir. sofia coppola THE FAREWELL (2019) dir. lulu wang
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04. THE IMPORTANCE OF PLOT & STORY STRUCTURE. WHY IS PLOT IMPORTANT IN FILMS? — PLOT IS THE FRAMEWORK ON WHICH EVERYTHING ELSE IS BUILT. + WHAT ABOUT STORY STRUCTURE? — STORY STRUCTURE IN FILMS IS ESSENTIAL. IT IS USED TO ARRANGE STORY ELEMENTS INTO A SPECIFIC CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER TO EVOKE AN EMOTIONAL RESPONSE FROM THE AUDIENCE.
THE THREE-ACT STRUCTURE. THE THREE-ACT STRUCTURE IS A NARRATIVE MODEL THAT DIVIDES STORIES INTO THREE PARTS: a beginning, middle & end. ACT ONE: SET-UP ACT TWO: CONFRONTATION ACT THREE: RESOLUTION
PLOT & STRUCTURE.
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CHARACTER/ ISATION SO, WHAT IS CHARACTERISATION? IT’S HOW A FILM REVEALS THE PERSONALITY AND DESCRIPTION OF A CHARACTER / CHARACTERS.
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THIS CAN BE IMPLEMENTED THROUGH: + dialogue + the manner of how they speak + physical appearance + thoughts & feelings + interaction (w. other characters) + whether they develop throughout the story (static characters, or not?) + qualities (personality, mannerisms) + representative of stereotypes, or not?
— CHARACTERS SUCH AS: protagonists & antagonists RELY HEAVILY ON CHARACTERISATION WHEN INTRODUCED + THEIR DEVELOPMENT THROUGHOUT THE FILM.
IMAGERY. — VISUAL IMAGERY IS USED IN FILMS TO SHOWCASE CERTAIN THEMES AND SYMBOLS, HIGHLIGHTING EMOTIONAL POINTS OF A SCENE.
IMAGERY & SYMBOLISM.
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SYMBOLISM. — THE ART OF HIDING MEANING BEHIND SOMETHING APPARENTLY NON-RELATED. CONSISTING OF TWO MAJOR ELEMENTS: content (representation) & form (symbol). [u/Kashiss] 2015
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COLOUR
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LIGHTING.
COLOUR. — COLOUR IN FILM CAN BUILD HARMONY OR TENSION WITHIN A SCENE. WHEN TELLING A STORY, COLOURS: elicit psychological responses + draw focus to significant details + set the tone of the film + represent character traits + show changes / arcs in the story +
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LIGHTING. LIGHTING IS INCREDIBLY FUNDAMENTAL — IN FILM PRODUCTION. THE APPROPRIATE LIGHTING HELPS: + establish the mood of a scene + evoke a more dramatic / subtle palette for the film + creates a visual mood, atmosphere and sense of meaning for the audience + reflects the genre of the film
CINEMA/ TOGRAPHY. 12.
eg. medium shots: establish a connection between the characters & plot
CAMERA. — CAMERA ANGLES AND SHOTS PLAY MAJOR ROLES IN SHAPING THE VISUAL ASPECT OF FILM.
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eg. close-up shots: act as a catalyst to invoke emotional responses from the viewer
REFERENCES. https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/three-act-structure/ https://scriptmag.com/page/screenplay-story-structure https://courses.lumenlearning.com/introliterature/chapter/howto-analyze-a-film/ https://www.slideshare.net/indiamcknight/characterisation-question-1 https://www.reddit.com/r/TrueFilm/comments/2d9an2/an_ analysis_of_symbolism_on_films/ https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/how-to-use-color-in-film-50examples-of-movie-color-palettes/ https://www.polarprofilters.com/blogs/polarpro/filmmaking-101types-of-camera-shots-and-angles