How to analyse a film: the complete beginners guide

Summary

This video script offers an accessible method for analyzing films, focusing on the five key elements: mise-en-scène, performance, cinematography, editing, and sound. It suggests starting with background research on the director's intent and the film's context. The script uses Kenneth Branagh's 'Belfast' as an example, illustrating how these elements construct meaning and communicate themes, encouraging viewers to notice stylistic decisions and their contributions to the film's narrative.

Takeaways

• 🎥 Film analysis can be approached from various perspectives, including storytelling, director's vision, or cultural context.
• 🌟 The starting point for analysis is understanding how a film communicates its themes and ideas using key elements.
• 🔍 The five key elements of film are mise-en-scène, performance, cinematography, editing, and sound.
• 🏙️ Mise-en-scène refers to the setting and visual aspects of a film, including costumes, props, and overall design.
• 👤 Performance involves how actors use verbal and non-verbal language to convey their roles.
• 📹 Cinematography is about how a film is captured, including shot size, camera movement, and framing.
• ✂️ Editing is the assembly of shots into scenes and the overall film, which can affect the audience's interpretation.
• 🎵 Sound encompasses music, ambient noise, and other auditory elements that contribute to the film's meaning.
• 📚 Before analyzing a film, it's beneficial to do background research to understand the director's intentions and the film's context.
• 👀 Watching a film with full attention before taking notes allows for a more immersive and focused initial viewing.
• 🔎 Analyzing a film involves both a wide-angle view for overall aesthetic and close-up examination of key sequences.

Q & A

What are the five key elements of film analysis mentioned in the script?

The five key elements of film analysis mentioned are mise-en-scène, performance, cinematography, editing, and sound.

What does mise-en-scène refer to in the context of film analysis?

Mise-en-scène refers to the world in which the film takes place and what it looks like, including everything from the characters, their props, the setting, objects within them, and even the weather.

How does performance contribute to the meaning of a film?

Performance contributes to the meaning of a film through the use of verbal and non-verbal language by the actors, which can be over the top or subtle, open or closed, reflecting the infinite ways actors interpret their roles in collaboration with the director.

What is cinematography and how does it affect the viewer's experience?

Cinematography is about how the film's world is captured, including shot size, camera movement, and framing. It affects the viewer's experience by positioning them to view the events within the film in a certain way.

Can you explain the role of editing in film analysis?

Editing is how individual shots are cut and assembled into scenes, and how scenes are assembled into a film. The order of presentation can change how we interpret the film, offering cause and effect and influencing the pace and tension.

What is the significance of sound in film analysis?

Sound, including diegetic or non-diegetic music, score, ambient sound, vocal quality, and sound effects, contributes to the meaning by providing another layer of information and emotional cues to the audience.

How does the script suggest approaching the analysis of a film?

The script suggests approaching film analysis by first understanding the director's motivation, then watching the film attentively, and finally reflecting and analyzing using the five key elements to describe the film's aesthetic broadly and in depth.

What is the importance of background research before analyzing a film?

Background research is important as it helps to identify how the five key elements of film are used to construct meaning and consider the context of when the film is set and when it was made.

How does the script describe the use of mise-en-scène in the film 'Belfast'?

In 'Belfast', mise-en-scène is used to establish a working-class area of the 1960s with historically accurate cars, buildings, and clothing, creating a communal and slightly crowded neighborhood feel.

What role does the cinematography play in depicting the story of 'Belfast'?

The cinematography in 'Belfast' uses realistic and wide-angle static shots with a full depth of field, which places emphasis on the actors' performances and gives an objective view of the film's world.

How is the editing in 'Belfast' described in the script?

The editing in 'Belfast' is described as slow and unintrusive, seamlessly jumping between periods of time, giving a sense of a collection of memories from the childhood of the main character.

What is the significance of the opening sequence of 'Belfast' in terms of film analysis?

The opening sequence of 'Belfast' is significant as it introduces the city as the main character, transitions from color to monochrome to age the footage, and contrasts peaceful community scenes with sudden violence, demonstrating the use of the five key elements to communicate themes.