Pre-U Lens and Time Based Media OCR

This subject is broken down into 40 topics in 8 modules:

  1. Film Language and Technique 5 topics
  2. Film Genres and Aesthetics 5 topics
  3. Film History and Context 5 topics
  4. Representation and Identity in Film 5 topics
  5. Film Theory and Criticism 5 topics
  6. Time-Based Media 5 topics
  7. Documentary and Non-Fiction Film 5 topics
  8. World Cinema 5 topics
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  • 8
    modules
  • 40
    topics
  • 13,766
    words of revision content
  • 1+
    hours of audio lessons

This page was last modified on 28 September 2024.

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Lens and Time Based Media

Film Language and Technique

Mise-en-scène

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Mise-en-scène

#Definition of Mise-en-scène

  • Mise-en-scène is a French term meaning "placing on stage".
  • In film, it refers to everything that is put before the camera, including set design, lighting, costumes, and actor performance.

#Components of Mise-en-scène ##Set Design

  • Set design and props are practical tools to give context to the narrative and characters. An organised office might suggest an organised character; a chaotic home might reflect a chaotic life.
  • Colour and texture in the set props can evoke specific moods and emotions. Warm colours might suggest comfort and safety whereas cold or dark colours might evoke fear.
  • The size and construction of the set can impact how characters are perceived - large grand places might make characters seem small or insignificant.

##Costume and Makeup

  • Costume and makeup provide visual cues about a character’s personality, occupation, or societal status.
  • Costumes and makeup can also help to establish setting, differentiate between characters, or highlight character transformations.

##Lighting

  • Lighting can be used to guide the viewer’s attention, highlight important details, or create mood and atmosphere.
  • Shadows or low-key lighting add tension while high-key/daylight suggests safety or reality.
  • Direction and source of light can be used to create striking effects or highlight particular characters or objects.

##Performance and Blocking

  • Performance refers to the actor's portrayal of their character - their gestures, speech, and movements.
  • Blocking is the arrangement and movement of actors in relation to the camera.

#Effect of Mise-en-scène

  • Mise-en-scène sets the overall look and feel of a film. It creates the film’s visual theme, influencing the audience's perception and interpretation.
  • It contributes to establishing the setting, the mood, and to character development.
  • Through careful mise-en-scène, a director can communicate important details about a film’s plot, themes, or characters.
  • Mise-en-scène is essential to creating believable worlds and engaging narratives in film.

Course material for Lens and Time Based Media, module Film Language and Technique, topic Mise-en-scène

Lens and Time Based Media

Film Theory and Criticism

Formalism and structuralism

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Formalism and structuralism

Formalism

  • Essentially, Formalism is a school of film theory that asserts a film's value and meaning are found in its form, the way it is made.
  • Formalists view the artistic elements within a film - shots, cuts, sound, lighting, composition - as the paramount factor in a film’s value.
  • Formalists believe that these elements are self-reliant, they don't just serve the plot or characters.
  • Often, formalist filmmakers make use of expressionistic or surrealist techniques.
  • Famous formalist filmmakers include Alfred Hitchcock, Stanley Kubrick and Sergei Eisenstein.

Structuralism

  • Structuralism is a theoretical approach that identifies patterns or structures underlying a film's form or content.
  • Stemming from linguistics, it revolves around the idea of binary oppositions, opposing concepts that are fundamental to human thinking.
  • Structuralist theory looks for the deep structure that is common to different movies across different cultures, contexts, and periods.
  • It suggests that the meaning of a film can be found not just in the narrative but in the way filmic elements are structured or arranged.
  • Some structuralists might consider the ways in which genre conventions are used and subverted.
  • Prominent structuralist theorists include Claude Levi-Strauss and Roland Barthes.

Differences and Similarities

  • Both formalism and structuralism are theoretical approaches that focus on how a film's form creates meaning, but they approach this concern from different angles.
  • Formalism cares about the artist's technique in developing the film, while structuralism is interested in larger underlying patterns and systems which construct meaning.
  • Both theories move away from looking singularly at plot or characters but are more concerned with how these elements are constructed and utilized.

Course material for Lens and Time Based Media, module Film Theory and Criticism, topic Formalism and structuralism

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