Terminology

Terminology

Genre- classifies things into groups. It tells the potential audience what to expect and a way to judge whether it fits the genre given. Most genres can by hybrids which are a mix of two or more different genres.

Mise en scene- means ‘put in scene’. It is everything that is visible on screen.

Film Noir-

Denotation- the surface meaning, it is what it looks like.

Connotation- the cultural or underline meaning, what is symbolizes.

Iconographic References- a cultural reference that makes the object something more than it really is, for example Effile Tower we relate to France.

Hallmark- is a sign or symbol of a product. For example blood is a symbol of a horror movie and cowboy hat is a symbol of a western.

Representation- what the image shown means, how something is presented to the audience for example a prop.

Editing- improving or changing of the work that is produced, for example moving scenes around and adding in sound.

Match on Action- cutting out the bit not needed for example a hand on a door handle then cut to someone walking out the door.

Sound Terminology

Sound Bridge- music covering two different scenes or locations to connect them together; hearing people talking but not seeing them and cutting to the people talking.

Ambient sound- the background noise

Diegetic Sound- is sound whose source is visible on the screen for example voices of characters. 
Non Diegetic Sound- sound that’s coming from a source outside of the frame, for example a narrator.

Camera Terminology

Camera Angle- the direction of the camera shot, for example tilted up or down.

Camera Shots- different views of a scene or character, for example close up.

Camera Levels- the different heights of which a film is shot, for example high shot.

Camera Movement- the direction or way of which the camera travels in, for example tracking shot.

Depth of field- is where the foreground is in focus and the background is out of focus, and visa versa.

Medium Shot- is from the waist upwards, shows power or importance as the character is in the whole frame, and also shows their location.

Long Shot- where the characters body fits into the frame

Pull Focus- when what is in front of the shot is in focus and the background is out of focus and it changes.

Shot Reverse Shot- is where there is a conversation between two people and the camera switches between seeing them.

Counted Angle- is at 45 degrees, it is used to show disorientation or abnormality.

Point of View Shot- shows the view from the characters prospective.

Close up- is where a certain feature or part of the character takes up the frame, for example the head.

Over the Shoulder Shot- looking from behind the person, looking at the other character

Tracking Shot- is where the camera follows the character or object

Panning Shot- is where the camera moves in a horizontal line and rotates to give a whole view of the location

Film Genre

 

Genre is a way to classify media products into groups. It tells the potential audience what to expect. The definition of genre is type or sort and was used over two thousand years ago by Aristotle and other people in Ancient Greece to put poetry and drama into certain categories. In Ancient Greece the quality of a play was judge on how well it fit the genre. The two types of genres that they classed their plays in were dramas and comedies which are really popular film genres today.

In films early days it was regarded as a mass produced popular entertainment which was not really worthy of the same treatment as other literacy products. The word genre seemed more appropriate to high cultured literature. However as more films were being mass produced as well as the success of cinema meant that some simple form of differentiation between films would be helpful in marketing new releases. Major studios then began to adopt the term genre to help classify their films. By categorizing their films in advance it could help to calculate roughly their budget for the film because they would roughly know how many people would watch the finished product. So by having genre as a form of classification it allowed the film industry to both be distinguished and conform to the same thing from other competitor studios. There are now many types of genres compared to the two genres in Ancient Greek times. Some film studios are now known for specialising in certain film genres, for example MGM became known for Musicals and Universal Studios became known for horror.

Later in about the 1960’s film critics began using the word genre as a way of judging the quality of films; Robert Warshow described the gangster as “a tragic hero”. Films can be classed into genres through the similar types of conventions in visual imagery, plot, character, setting modes of narrative, music and stars. For example a western genre would have a bar setting with swing doors, cowboys, tumble weed and more. The main problem in film genres is repetition, that most films will have familiar setting and story lines. However by having a sufficient difference between each film it can encourage more people to go and watch the new film. As the film industry grows the genre categories have increased to classify the films. As more films are created they can overlap into other genres which can then appeal to more people.

What is an opening sequence

What is an opening sequence?

An opening sequence is a series of important shots which are put together at the beginning of the film. They are used to introduce the film and to help give a small insight into the film and what it may include and its genre; however not giving all the details away. It may hint to the audience what may happen within the film, what the film could be about, what are the genres of the film and much more.
Wikipedia described and opening sequence as: “A title sequence is the method by which cinematic films or television programs present their title, key production and cast members, or both, utilizing conceptual visuals and sound. It usually follows but should not be confused with the opening credits, which are generally nothing more than a series of superimposed text.” The opening sequence as Wikipedia described it is used also to show who the main characters of the film are. By introducing the main characters of the film, it can encourage audience to want to carry on watching the film as they may be able to identify with them or relate with the situations they are in. Key production skills are used as well to introduce the film within the opening sequence; these include the title of the film, the main actors and/or actresses names and institutional references. All of these help to introduce and create the mood of the film. For example the colour, font and positioning of the titles can help to show the genre, if it was a thin font with pointed ends, and a red colour it shows the sense of a horror film.
The main idea of an opening sequence is to make the audience want to carry on watching the film. To do this the media industry must use many techniques to make their opening sequence appealing. They should use different types of camera angles, shots and movements to create an engaging opening series of shots to entice the audience and make them wanting to know what will happen. Also use diegetic sound to help the audience to understand what may be going on and non-diegetic sound to help create the atmosphere of the film. Media industries should also use font, colour and positioning of text to engage the audience’s attention. By using all of techniques mentioned, these well you can entice the audience to want to carry on watching the film.