Scope: Film... 2 Film analysis...5 Template: Film...8

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1 Film Scope: Film... 2 Film analysis...5 Template: Film...8 Outline This document is the film study section of the resource Viewing & Re-viewing which is designed to develop visual literacy skills through a series of texts and activities associated with Dracula; the myth and the iconography. Issue Date: 15/06/2002 Page 1

2 Scope: Film Purpose This document outlines the scope of an integrated visual literacy study in English in Years 7 10 (Stages 4 and 5). It is important to integrate this study into the teaching and learning program, ensuring that this study is sequenced by the needs of the individual learners and the dynamics of the classroom. It is also important to realise that the teaching of English is recursive. Concepts recur, skills are re-used and developed, knowledge is extended and understanding deepened. Hence teaching and learning programs need to reflect this recursive nature of English. Multi-sequence The following elements for learning are presented in list form. This is not to imply sequence. It is simply to cover the scope of study. The sequence will be determined by the nature of the individual learners in the classroom. To highlight this point, the content of this project has been constructed on a multisequenced model. Any section can be viewed at any time and, in terms of the activities associated with the Dracula texts, theoretical perspectives and visual literacy elements are embedded in the activities, with no sequence of texts suggested. The sequence that is right for the individual classroom can be chosen, keeping in mind that concepts and the skills will recur. Elements & techniques When students are analysing film or film on video/dvd, the following elements can be considered. Elements 1 Auteur and directorial style 2 Cinematography 3 Frames and compositions 4 Shots and sequences 5 Scene 6 Camera work: 7 Lighting: shot sizes and types: long, medium, close-up, iris shot, pixilation shot; shot-reverse shots angles: overhead, high, eye level, low, undershot movement: panning, tracking, tilting, zooming, freeze-frame, steadycam, handheld camera speed: slow/fast motion; freeze-frames. black and white, colours, sepia shadows, shades, contrasts filters, lenses, washes backlit, sidelit, key lighting, spot lighting. Issue Date: 15/06/2002 Page 2

3 Elements 8 Soundtrack: dialogue silence/no dialogue or sounds voices and voice-over, volume, pitch and pace sound cues sound effects music diegetic or synchronous sound non-diegetic or asynchronous sound. 9 Mise-en-scene: setting/the set props costumes make-up and hairstyles coding of colours acting style, positioning and body gestures, appearance lighting. 10 Images, iconography, symbolism Narrative construction When analysing narrative construction, consider the elements listed above as well as the additional ones below. Elements 1 Screenplay, script. 2 Storyboard 3 Establishing shot 4 Dialogue 5 Intertitles (for silent films) 6 Intertextuality, appropriation, adaptation 7 Editing: montage cut, crosscutting, intercutting insert shot dissolve wipe and/or fade washout pace and rhythm aural/visual cues and pullovers juxtaposition. Issue Date: 15/06/2002 Page 3

4 Elements 8 Characterisation, stereotype, caricature 9 Genre and genre conventions Issue Date: 15/06/2002 Page 4

5 Film analysis Introduction To respond to a film or film on video/dvd, students should give careful consideration to the following ideas and questions. General questions When students are analysing film, the following general questions can be considered. 1 What are the overall impressions of the text? 2 What is the purpose of the text? 3 Who is the intended audience for this text? What evidence is there to support your conclusion? 4 What is the context of the text? 5 What are the messages in the text? 6 How do the messages of the images and words relate to each other? Satisfactorily, or is one element of the message more powerful than another? 7 What messages or alternative interpretations could different people take from the text? 8 Are there any intertextual messages? i.e., intertextual references that further shape meaning. 9 Where does this text appear? Medium? Type? When does it appear? 10 What elements are the most significant in making meaning in the text? 11 What are the effects of words, still images, moving images, and sound? 12 What evidence from the texts do you have to support your responses? 13 How does your response relate to the author s purpose? Purpose & audience When students are analysing the purpose and audience, the following aspects can be considered. 1 Who is the film aimed at in terms of content, subject, genre, themes and values? Is the film aimed at a particular market (country, age, gender etc.) or does it have more universal appeal? 2 What does the classification of the film tell us about the target audience and expected content? 3 How does the promotional material for the film highlight the purpose and target audience of the film? Consider advertisements, posters, trailers and reviews. In what ways do these set up our expectations for the film? What can we predict about the film? Issue Date: 15/06/2002 Page 5

6 4 To what extent do the classification and promotional material establish the genre of the film? What conventions of different genres are viewers aware of? What are viewers expectations for different genres? Consider how the starring actor or the director alone can signal the genre to the audience. Narrative & meaning When students are analysing the narrative and meaning, the following aspects can be considered. 1 Analyse the film s opening or establishing shot. What does it actually establish? Consider genre, plot, setting (time and place) and any other relevant aspects. What predictions can the audience make from the establishing shot? 2 Is the narrative linear? i.e., are the events in chronological or sequential order? If not, how is the story presented to us? Is there only a single narrative or are there parallel or multiple narratives? Are the events in the film predictable? What is the conclusion? Are all strands of the narrative resolved? 3 From whose point of view is the narrative given? Does the point of view change? 4 Are there any repetitions or patterns in the narrative? 5 How does the editing of the film impact on the narrative construction? 6 How are the characters represented in the film? With whom do the audience sympathise or empathise and why? Are the characters credible? Which characters tend to dominate the shots they are in (and why)? 7 How do we learn about the different characters? Consider dialogue, action, relationships with other characters, framing and composition, and any costume or film techniques that establish or highlight their character. Did the casting of a character affect the audience s response? If a character is played by a well-known star what image might he or she bring to the role? 8 What are the dominant ideas and messages in the film? Are there any possible alternative readings to the film? 9 What values or attitudes are being supported in the film? Are any values or attitudes being challenged or criticised in the film? What views of the world and human behaviour are being presented? 10 In what way might the film influence viewers thinking? How might the conclusion affect the way the audience may think about the ideas and messages in the film? Aesthetics & design When students are analysing the aesthetics and design, the following aspects can be considered. Issue Date: 15/06/2002 Page 6

7 1 Analyse the mise-en-scene for the film. How do the visual elements and general design of the film reflect the genre and shape meaning in the film? How do the different elements combine to give an overall impression on the viewer of time, place and predicted action? 2 Is there an obvious directorial style in the film? Does the film seem to have a particular visual style, e.g., the use of panoramic exterior shots or predominantly dark lighting as in film noir etc.? 3 The cinematography and camera work in a film are essential in creating meaning and manipulating viewer response. What particular features of filming are evident in the film? Identify significant shots and sequences and analyse how specific camera work and other film techniques are used in them for effect. Consider, in particular, camera angles, shot size and type and camera movement and speed. What, for example, is the effect of an extreme close-up on an object or person? Or how, for example, might an extreme high-angle shot suggest the vulnerability or isolation of a character? 4 Analyse the editing processes used to create particular effects and impact on the viewer. Consider in particular the juxtaposition of shots, cuts and the use of dissolves, wipes or fades and crosscutting. How does the editing affect the pace and rhythm of the film? 5 In what ways has lighting been used to create mood and atmosphere, suspense, emphasise characterisation and enhance meaning? What specific lighting effects have been used for significant shots? 6 Are special effects (SFX) used in the film to support the genre of the film, such as in science fiction films, or for other purposes? Are the special effects computer generated or done through different film techniques? Do the special effects enhance meaning or are they used for the purpose of adding spectacle to the film? 7 In what ways is the soundtrack used to enhance the meaning and manipulate the audience? Consider in particular the music soundtrack, and diegetic and non-diegetic sound. Soundtracks from films are now usually released on CD-ROM and are a valuable marketing product for a film. What does this suggest about the changing nature of the music used in films? Issue Date: 15/06/2002 Page 7

8 Template: Film Introduction Students can use this template to respond to examples of film, or film on video/dvd. Purpose & audience What is the purpose of the film? Who is the target audience for the film? What is the film s genre? Context What is the name of the text? What is the name of the director? What is the name of the producer? What is the name of the distributor? What is the film s classification? What is the year of release? What is the country of origin? Narrative & meaning What is the basic plot of the film? In what order or sequence have the events been presented to us? How are the main characters represented in the film? What central ideas or messages are presented in the film? Aesthetics & design How do the design features of the film and the cinematography shape meaning and impact on the viewer? What specific filming techniques have been used to shape meaning in the film and for what effect? Personal response What did you like or dislike about the film? Were you continuously engaged with the film? What were its strengths and weaknesses? Who would you recommend to see the film and why? Issue Date: 15/06/2002 Page 8