a basic grammar of film

A BASIC GRAMMAR OF FILM

SEQUENCE

Forms a distinct narrative unit

Unity of action / Unity of purpose

SCENE

Describes an action that takes place in

a single location and continuous time

Screen time = diegetic time

SHOT

A single continuous recording made by the camera

FRAME

A single still image

TYPES OF SHOTS

1. Shot scale (or camera distance)

Extreme Long shot (XLS)

Gone With the Wind, Victor Fleming, MGM, 1939 .

Long shot (LS)

From Roman Holidays, William Wyler, Paramount Pictures, 1953.

Medium long shot (MLS) / three-quarter shot

Medium shot (MS)

The Social Network, David Fincher, Sony Pictures, 2010

Medium close-up (MCU)

Casablanca, Michael Curtiz, Warner Bros, 1942

Two-shot

One subject in MCU in the foreground+

One subject in MS in the background

Close-up (CU)

The Long Goodbye, Robert Altman, Lion’s Gate Films, 1973

Extreme close-up (XCU)

Citizen Kane, Orson Welles, 1941, RKO Pictures

Insert / Cut-in

Covers action already covered in the master shot but emhasizes a different aspect of that action

2. Depth of field, camera angle, and camera movements

DEPTH OF FIELD

Distance between the nearest and farthest objects that appear sharp in a shot

Long depth of field

Citizen Kane

Short depth of field

From The Silence of the Lambs, Jonathan Demme, Orion Pictures Corporation, 1991

CAMERA ANGLES

Guide the audience’s judgement about the objects and characters

in a shot

Bird’s eye view

The Birds, Alfred Hitchcock, Universal, 1963.

High-angle shot

The Shadow of a Doubt, Alfred Hitchcock, 1943.

Eye-level shot

Cleopatra, Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 1963, Twentieth Century Fox

Low-angle shot

Citizen Kane

Canted /oblique / Dutch angle

Pickup on South Street, Samuel Fuller, 20th Century Fox,1953.

CAMERA MOVEMENTS

Give their specificity to cinematic images

DOLLY SHOTS/TRACKING SHOTS

Camera moves forward = tracking in

Camera moves backward = tracking out

Camera moves sideways

PANNING/PAN SHOT

Scans a scene horizontally

When scans a scene vertically: called « tilt »

HAND-HELD SHOTS

Since 1970’s : smooth thanks to the Steadicam

Denote a certain kind of realism

Audience feeling part of the scene

3. Editing

The art of combining shots into a coherent whole

LONG TAKE/SINGLE SHOT/SEQUENCE SHOT

Describes a whole scene (even a whole sequence) without any cut

The Rope, Alfred Hitchcock, 1948, Warner Bros.

CUT

Abrupt change of shot from one viewpoint or location to another

Changes scene, compresses time, varies point of view

MATCHED CUT

Establishes logical relationship between shots

JUMP CUT(When two shots don’t match)

FADE AND DISSOLVE

Gradual transition between shots

Fade-in / Fade-outDissolve = one shot merging into another

MATCH ON ACTION

EYE-LINE MATCH

SHOT / REVERSE SHOT

Deemphasizes transitions beween shots

Very commonly used in dialogues

CROSS-CUTTING

Describes actions occurring at the same time in two different locations

Expresses simultaneity / Creates suspense / Suggests parallels, contrasts, dichotomies…

3 TYPES OF RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN SHOTS

1. Time relationships2. Spatial relationships

3. Thematic relationships

2 BASIC FUNCTIONS4. Ensures continuity

5. Organizes seperate units into discourse6. Creates rhythm

THE KULESHOV EXPERIMENT

Editing changes the viewer’s interpretation of the whole scene