How to Analyse a Film - Cinematic Techniques
Summary
TLDRLeila from Ignite offers a comprehensive guide on film analysis, focusing on five key techniques: shot angles, shot duration, mise-en-scène, symbolism and metonymy, and sound analysis. She explains the significance of each aspect, providing examples to illustrate their impact on tone and narrative. The video aims to build viewers' confidence in dissecting cinematic form, especially for high school students preparing for exams.
Takeaways
- 📚 Leila from Ignite provides an overview of film analysis techniques for educational purposes.
- 🔍 The first technique is analyzing shot angles, which includes close-up, mid-range, bird's eye, extreme close-up, and long shots.
- ⏱ The second technique is considering the duration of shots, which can affect the tone and pacing of a film scene.
- 🎨 The third technique involves breaking down mise-en-scène, which includes settings, lighting, costuming, and props within a scene.
- 🌐 Mise-en-scène also considers the symbolic and metonymic elements that contribute to the scene's meaning.
- 🔍🔊 The fourth technique is exploring the symbolic and metonymic values within a film, beyond just the visual elements.
- 🎵 The fifth technique is analyzing sound, distinguishing between diegetic sounds that come from within the scene and non-diegetic sounds that come from outside.
- 📉 The use of leitmotifs in sound, recurring throughout a film, can build suspense and signify certain themes or events.
- 📝 When analyzing film, start sentences with the shot angle used to provide a clear structure for the analysis.
- 🎬 The video provides examples from the film 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind' to illustrate the discussed techniques.
- 🔗 Ignite offers an online resource database with materials created by state rank achievers and heads of English for further study.
Q & A
What is the main topic of Leila's video from Ignite?
-The main topic of Leila's video is an overview of how to analyze film, covering five key techniques for film analysis.
What are the five go-to techniques Leila mentions for analyzing film?
-The five techniques are: 1) Analyzing shot angles, 2) Considering the duration of shots, 3) Breaking down mise-en-scène, 4) Considering symbolism or metonymy within scenes, and 5) Analyzing diegetic and non-diegetic sounds.
What does Leila suggest as a starting point for film analysis sentences?
-Leila suggests starting sentences with the shot angle being used as a way to introduce the analysis.
What is the significance of shot angles in film analysis according to the video?
-Shot angles provide insight into the emotions or key aspects of a scene, and they can influence the audience's perception and understanding of the narrative.
Can you explain the difference between diegetic and non-diegetic sounds in film?
-Diegetic sounds come from within the frame of the film, such as characters' voices or sounds made by objects in the scene. Non-diegetic sounds are external to the scene, like background music, which can contribute to or alter the tone of the film.
What is mise-en-scène and why is it important in film analysis?
-Mise-en-scène is the composition of everything within the frame, including settings, lighting, costumes, and props. It's important because it helps convey the mood, context, and meaning of a scene.
How does the duration of a shot affect the tone of a film sequence?
-The duration of a shot can heighten tension in action sequences with frequent cuts or calm the audience with longer, less frequent cuts, thus influencing the emotional impact of the scene.
What is an example of a symbolic element in a film scene according to the video?
-An example of a symbolic element is a crack in the ice between two characters, which could symbolize the cracks in their relationship.
What is a leitmotif in film and how does it function?
-A leitmotif is the repetition of certain sounds or themes within a film that hold symbolic value, often used to build suspense or signal the arrival of a character or event.
How does the video suggest using the online resource database from Ignite?
-The video suggests checking out the online resource database at ignitehse.com.edu for additional materials on essay structures, writing craft, and comprehension skills.
What is the purpose of the video's final example using the film 'Jaws'?
-The purpose of the 'Jaws' example is to illustrate how diegetic and non-diegetic sounds function in film, particularly how a leitmotif can build suspense and affect the audience's emotional response.
Outlines
🎥 Introduction to Film Analysis Techniques
Leila from Ignite introduces a video on film analysis, encouraging viewers to subscribe and engage with the content. She outlines five key techniques for analyzing films, which include examining shot angles, shot duration, mise-en-scène, symbolism and metonymy, and the use of diegetic and non-diegetic sounds. The goal is to help viewers better understand and navigate the complexities of cinematic form, which differs from traditional written texts in academic studies.
📐 Understanding Shot Angles and Duration
This paragraph delves into the importance of shot angles in film analysis, detailing five common types: close range, mid-range, bird's eye, extreme close-up, and long range. Each shot angle provides a different perspective and emotional insight. The duration of shots, or the length of time each image is displayed before a cut, is also discussed, with快节奏 films often using quick cuts to increase tension and slower-paced films using longer shots to evoke emotion or calmness. The paragraph emphasizes starting analysis with the shot angle as a way to frame the discussion on the film's visual construction.
🎨 Mise-en-Scène and Symbolism in Film
Mise-en-scène is explored as a comprehensive term for the arrangement of elements within a film frame, including setting, lighting, costume, and props. Lighting, particularly chiaroscuro, is highlighted as a way to emphasize focal points and create atmosphere. The paragraph uses 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind' as an example to discuss how mise-en-scène contributes to the film's post-modern narrative and emotional impact. Symbolism and metonymy are introduced as tools for deeper analysis, allowing viewers to interpret the underlying meanings and relationships presented visually in a film.
🔊 The Role of Sound in Cinematic Experience
The final paragraph of the script discusses the critical role of sound in film, distinguishing between diegetic sounds, which originate within the film's world, and non-diegetic sounds, such as background music, that come from outside the film's narrative. The paragraph uses the film 'Jaws' to illustrate how a leitmotif, a recurring musical theme, can build suspense and provide a visceral connection to the film's events. The summary underscores the importance of considering sound as an integral part of the film's overall impact and meaning.
📚 Conclusion and Resource Invitation
In conclusion, the script invites viewers to engage with Ignite's online resource database, which offers a wealth of materials created by state rank achievers and English department heads. These resources cover a range of topics from essay writing to comprehension skills, aiming to support viewers in their academic pursuits. The script ends with a reminder to subscribe for more content and an expression of gratitude for watching the video.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Shot Angle
💡Duration of Shot
💡Mise-en-Scène
💡Symbolism
💡Metonymy
💡Diegetic Sound
💡Non-Diegetic Sound
💡Leitmotif
💡Cinematic Form
💡Post-Modern
Highlights
Leila from Ignite introduces five techniques for analyzing film.
Analyzing film is different from analyzing written text.
First technique: Consider the shot angle used in the film.
Second technique: Analyze the duration of each shot.
Third technique: Break down the mise-en-scène of a scene.
Fourth technique: Look for symbolism or metonymy within the scene.
Fifth technique: Consider the diegetic and non-diegetic sounds.
Shot angles include close range, mid-range, bird's eye, extreme close-up, and broad range.
Shot duration can heighten tension or calm the audience.
Mise-en-scène includes settings, lighting, costuming, and props.
Symbolism and metonymy can convey deeper meanings in a film.
Diegetic sounds come from within the frame, non-diegetic from outside.
Leitmotifs are recurring sounds with symbolic value.
Example from 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind' illustrates mise-en-scène.
Example from 'Jaws' demonstrates the use of leitmotifs.
Encouragement to subscribe for more content on analyzing film.
Mention of online resource database for English studies.
Transcripts
hey guys it's leila from ignite
if you like my content in today's video
please do subscribe to our channel
click the bell for notifications and
comment if you'd like anything for us to
get back to you on
in today's video i'm going to do an
overview of how to
analyze film
and in order to do that i'm going to
take you through my five
go-to techniques whenever you're looking
at film and hopefully this will help you
navigate what i think
is quite a difficult form to unpack
because it's unlike any other written
text that you address
in your preliminary or hsc studies
so my five bits of advice in terms of
analyzing film is to consider the
following key aspects of filmic or
cinematic construction
the first one is to take a look at the
shot angle that is being used
the second is consider the duration of
that shot
then you might like to break down the
mison sen of the particular
scene that you're looking at consider
whether there is any symbolism or
metonymy within that scene
and then finally consider sounds the
diegetic
or the non-diegetic sounds that are
being used and if that sound has a
particular continued significance
throughout the film
you might consider whether that's a late
motif so i'm going to go through each of
these in more detail i'm going to give
some
examples to show you and illustrate how
they come into play within film
and hopefully you guys find it useful
and you're a bit more confident whenever
you're addressing cinematic form
incoming texts so shot angles there are
five that you should really know that
are
typically going to come into relevance
when you're doing your studies the first
one is a close range shot when we're
looking quite closely at a particular
object or person within the scene and it
gives us an intimate insight to their
emotions
or the key aspects of the particular
scene that's being conveyed
we may have a mid-range shot which is
establishing in this particular shot the
conversation between these two
characters
it's not as close as the image to the
left but it's mid-range we get you know
half of their body we get an image of
them communicating
and it's close enough to build a sense
of intimacy
but it's not as confronting as the image
here
then we have a bird's eye shot conveyed
from the top of an image looking down
has the effect of establishing what's
going on between certain characters
we can have an extreme close range shot
so you can see there's a slight
difference between this image and this
one here
which is even more intimate in terms of
conveying the very close range emotions
of a particular character
and getting an insight to their psyche
at certain moments in the film
or we may have a broader range shot so
you can see it's slightly different to
the mid-range shot over here
and it's establishing the setting and
the position of the characters within
that setting
to a much broader extent than what's
happening in this image over here
so shot angle when you're doing your
actual analysis it's quite nice to start
off your sentence or start off your
sentence with the shot angle that's
being used so you may say something such
as
within the close range shot the
composer's use of lighting
or within the broad range shot the miz
onsen features
it's a nice way to start off your
sentence and then move into your
analysis
okay so that's your shot angle
the next thing to consider is the
duration of the shot now duration refers
to how long we have a particular image
before there is a change or a
cut so every time there is a change in
camera angle
or a focus that is a shot change
and that implicates the duration of that
particular shot
so i've got here a little contrast in
particular sequences in
film this shot here is taken from bourne
legacy an action sequence
typically when you've got higher pace
films where there's something high
intensity
will have lots of cuts happening within
the particular sequence
it heightens the tension and it may
enhance action as it does in bourne
legacy
whenever we have less frequent cuts and
a longer duration to the shot
that may have the effect of calming down
the audience or vocalizing the emotions
of characters
so it's important to consider yes what
is the actual shot angle that's being
used
then consider the duration of the shot
and how that may implicate the tone of
the particular sequence
duration is almost like the syntax in a
particular written text right
how long are the clauses how many
clauses do we have within a sentence
duration is almost like a cinematic
equivalent of that particular technique
all right then we may consider misonsen
misonsen literally translates to the
composition of everything within the
frame
frame is the right technical term to use
for the border of an image
now miz onsen is kind of like an
umbrella term
and there are different aspects of
cinematic form which sit within
misonsen some of these aspects include
the settings so where are we actually
placed within the film and what's the
significance of that
consider the lighting typically what's
illuminated within the shot
is a focal point if you want to consider
what is salient within the frame what
the focal point is
lighting may also come into that and
another aspect of lighting a sub point
within it is also chiaroscuro
if you have a stark contrast between
lightness and darkness
within the frame that is referred to as
chiaroscuro so these are all within them
is onsen
you might consider the costumings of
what characters are wearing and how that
informs our understanding of the context
of the film
or the mood that has being conveyed of
that particular scene
and you might like to also consider
props that are being used within the
setting
so if you have a look at this particular
shot by the way these images are from a
really great film called eternal
sunshine of the spotless
mind and the director is spike jones
and in this particular shot here the
film is very very post-modern and it
plays around with the construction of
meaning
and it really challenges a sense of
linear progression from the audience
perspective
and this very post-modern shot we can
see a bed is being
inserted onto the beach and the effect
of that is it plays around with the very
non-literal meanings that are conveyed
it's almost like a drain
a dream interpretation of this secrets
but nonetheless key aspects of ms onsen
are the purity the lightness of the
beach how being within the natural
environment informs and reflects the
relationship between the characters
the bed is typically an intimate setting
and yet it's juxtaposed against the
openness
of the natural environment all of these
points that i'm mentioning are part of
the miz onsen
by wave example okay so mison zen is a
useful
aspect of form to consider whenever
you're looking at film
all right then once you've kind of
broken down you know start with the shot
all right consider the duration of the
shots how does that inform tone consider
them is onsen
you may then like to go a bit deeper and
start to think about any symbolic values
we can construe from the film
or any metanimic values so by symbolism
we mean what could the
lighting symbolise within a particular
scene is there an
object which holds symbolic value or is
it potentially
metanimic for an idea metonymy is when a
word
closely or an object closely associated
with another word
is used to substitute that other word
for example if you look at a a crucifix
or a cross that's typically a meta name
for religion more broadly
so metonymy is slightly different to
symbolism in that way it's more literal
we could argue than symbolism but within
these particular shots we've got
the bird's eye view we've got the
characters in eye contact and then
you've got this salient crack in the ice
over here
now the film does trace a problematic
relationship between these two
characters so one could argue within the
context of the film the crack here
foregrounds
or symbolizes the cracks in their
relationship
in terms of miz onsen we can we can
consider the composition of the shot
one could argue that their placement
just right of the crack
perhaps perhaps foregrounds their
ability to navigate the relationship
and scoot beyond the cracks in that
relationship to make this relationship
survive
anyway that's a bit of an example of how
you can construe symbolic meanings or
mechanimic meanings within the text
so that's when you're moving beyond the
simple shot angles what they convey the
duration
and we're starting to go a little bit
deeper in terms of the analysis that you
are performing in the text
okay and finally we'd like to consider
sound
now it's important whenever you're
looking at film to not play
or not pay rather too much attention to
the dialogue between the characters
we're not analyzing the screenplay we're
analyzing the film so it's more
important for you to consider the actual
visual construction of the text however
if you are going to consider
sound we need to consider the importance
of diegetic
versus non-diegetic sounds within the
film so
diegetic sounds are sounds that come
from within the frame so if someone were
filming us while i am being filmed in a
meta sense right now
a diegetic sound is my actual voice that
is doing the talking
if we were to play music in the
background that would be non-diegetic
and it may contribute or alter the tone
that's being conveyed in the film
in some way late motifs are the
repetition of certain sounds within the
film that hold symbolic value
i'd like to give you a classic example
to kind of end the video off with to
help make sense of how you should
interpret sound
in the film let's have a little quick
look at this
brief clip in a very well-known film
jaws
and this will illustrate how sounds
function
so that music we hear there a typical
sound that is attached to the arrival of
the shark jaws
that's a late motif okay so it's
recurring throughout the film
it builds suspense and it makes the
audience know
in a very visceral sense that jaws is
coming to attack
and of course it's a non-diegetic sound
diegetic sounds would be the
the actual sound of the water or of jaws
arriving
within the actual scene this person's
swimming and the noises that makes
that's diegetic but the music overlaid
is non-diegetic and of course as i
mentioned it's a motif it's recurring
throughout the film
and thus is a late motif i think we get
the point
it's actually making me quite nervous
this music
so guys thank you so much for watching i
hope you found this clip useful in terms
of how to tackle film
if you've got any questions please do
comment like subscribe to our channel
and hopefully i'll see you in the next
video
hey guys thank you so much for watching
if you do like the content
subscribe to our channel and we'll have
more videos coming your way
that's right guys thanks for watching
and please make sure you check out our
online resource database
we've had a team of state rank achievers
and heads of english
put these together for you covering
everything from essay structures and
examples
all the way through to craft of writing
and comprehension skills so check them
out at ignitehse.com.edu and we look
forward to seeing you in the next video
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