Film Studies - Area 1

The Key Elements of Film Form

What will I learn about?
The micro elements of film form
including;
Cinematography – camera movement and
techniques
Mise en scene – analysing the content,
lighting and composition of film frames and
shots
Editing – how films are shot and cut to
achieve particular effects
Sound – how sound and music shape our
response to film
Performance – acting techniques and styles
Area 1 - The Key Elements of Film
Form
Cinematography and Lighting Slide 4
Mise en scene Slide 56
Editing Slide 74
Sound Slide 107
Performance Slide 120
The Key Elements of Film Form 1 -
Cinematography
Cinematography, including lighting
Principal elements
 camera shots including point of view shots,
focus including depth of field, expressive and
canted angle shots, handheld camera in contrast
to steadicam technology
 composition, including balanced and
unbalanced shots.
Creative use of cinematography
 camerawork including subjective camera, shifts
in focus and depth of field, mixed camera styles,
filters
 monochrome cinematography

The Main Types of Shot
The three classic shots that make up most films
are; long shots, which have longer takes than
medium shots, and medium shots, which have
longer takes than close up shots
This is because in wider shots the spectator
needs more time to take in details than when
looking at a face - the longer the shot
(distance) the longer the ‘take’ (time)
Long/Wide Shot (LS)
Long shots, also called wide shots,
establish screen space and action and can
create dramatic tension, as shown in the
following example from Lawrence of Arabia;
 http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=lawrence+of+arabia+long+shot&&view=detail&
mid=7DBFD333E7C83C3B0E737DBFD333E7C83C3B0E73&FORM=VRDGAR
Medium Shot (MS)
The medium or mid shot is usually of a
character, or characters, from the waist or
knees upwards allowing us to take in some
of the character’s body, costume and
background. It gives us character
information and allows us to see their
posture and body language.
Close Up Shot (CU)
The close up shot is the face framed from
the shoulders upwards, this shot allows us
to see the actor’s expression, make up,
reactions to events, and any emotions they
reveal as they look and speak.
Some early film producers objected to
close ups because they thought they were
not getting ‘all of the actor’, or the
costumes that they had paid for on the
screen!
Master or Establishing Shot
A master shot is a filmed recording of an
entire dramatized scene, from start to
finish, from an angle that keeps all the
actors in view. It is often a long shot and
can sometimes perform a double function
as an establishing shot.
This is part of a standard industry process
which gives a lot of easily editable material
– first a scene is shot in medium or long
master shot, then shot again in close up
and then again, perhaps as a two shot, and
then edited and cut together.
The master shot often acts as an
establishing shot - a shot which
Two Shot
The two shot - does what it says! These
shots show two characters in relationship to
each other and establishes their position on
screen.
The people in the shot do not need to be
next to, or facing, each other in the shot –
the postioning creates meaning
Here is an example from Pulp Fiction;
Shot - Reverse Shot
Shot/reverse shot – if one shot looks
down one end of the central line between
two characters, the next shot is often from
the other end, this is most commonly used
when characters talk to each other (good
examples - Pulp Fiction or The Wolf of Wall
Street).This shot is often employed as an
‘over the shoulder’ shot.
Over The Shoulder Shot
Over the shoulder shot - OTS - In a
typical ‘two shot’ the camera stays on one
side of the action an appears to be perched
on the camera side shoulder of the
characters in the scene.
Subjective/POV Shot
POV shot - a shot in which we look at
something through a character’s eyes. We
see what they see. It is linked to the
eyeline match in editing.
In the example below we look through the
robotic eyes of The Terminator.
First Person POV Shot Example
See this example from the Hitchcock film
Vertigo;

 http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=point+of+view+shot+film&&view=detail&mid=1
06D88DA8916A534A97C106D88DA8916A534A97C&FORM=VRDGAR

Some film makers have experimented with

a solely first person character point of view
techniques - but these soon become quite
gimmicky.
Long Distance Shots
Crane shots - the camera is placed on a
crane, it allows the shot to ‘sweep’ over the
action of the scene.
Aerial shots - these shots are usually
taken from a helicopter or plane and allow
the audience to enjoy the spectacle of the
landscape in extreme long shot.
A modern variant of this is the drone shot
Cut In/Cut Away Shot
A film maker may often may cut in from
one shot to a close up of a detail, like a
character’s hands, or can also cut away
from a shot to something else nearby, like
children innocently playing – and so making
a link or contrast.

LS

Cut Cut
in Away
A List of the Main Types of Shot
ELS - Extreme Long Shot – a distant view of
a subject
LS - Long Shot – the background dominates
the image
MLS - Medium Long Shot - shots of the
human figure from the knees up
MS - Medium Shot –the human figure shot
from the waist up 
MCU - Medium Close Up – a shot from the
chest up
CU - Close Up – e.g. of head, hands or feet
ECU/BCU – Extreme/Big Close Up – of a
detail e.g. an eye
Examples of Shots

OHS
Camera Styles and Setups
It may be significant if the director chooses
to employ a handheld camera, to recap;
Static shot – from a fixed stable position like
a tripod
Handheld camera – gives a dynamic and
documentary feel to film – used in found
footage movies, or to create the effect that
the film has been made by an amateur film
maker
Dolly/tracking shot – creates smooth
movement following the action
Streadicam (see below) a harness rig which
is more
portable and lighter than a dolly and more
stable
Static or Steadicam?
Film makers may use a static camera
position with the camera fixed on a tripod
for stability
Some film makers opt for a hand held
documentary style with a lot of camera
shake which gives energy and realism
There is also the option to use a
steadicam harness rig to create more
dynamic, but smoother, shot movement
Here is a famous example from Goodfellas;
 http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=copacabana+tracking+shot&&view=detail&mid=
202264D1489516F75C85202264D1489516F75C85&FORM=VRDGAR
Camera Movement
Pan – the camera swivels from left to right,
or right to left
Tilt – the camera swivels up or down, like a
head nodding
Track/follow – the camera follows the
subject from behind, the side or tracks in
front – a long tracking shot which relies on
complex movement and mise en scene is
often called a plan sequence or long
take
Zoom – the lens is adjusted to increase or
decrease the size of the image to make it
more distant, or bring it closer to the
camera
Dolly and Zolly Shots
The camera may need to follow the action
smoothly, to do this the director uses a
tracked, wheeled rig called a dolly
If the camera slowly dollies in towards the
action it is called a push in shot, if it
moves away slowly it is called a push out
shot example;
 https://storyboardclass.wordpress.com/cinema-language/push-inpush-out-shot/

If the cameras zooms and dollies at the

same time – in or out it is called a zolly
shot;
 http://www.brighthub.com/multimedia/video/articles/56112.aspx

 A simultaneous zoom and dolly in or out

is also called a dolly zoom or ‘vertigo
shot’ ;
Head On and Oblique Camera Angles
The direction/angle a subject is shot from
can create an impact
A frontal shot is called a head on shot,
sometimes a character may address the
audience directly, speaking into the camera
– this is called ‘breaking the fourth wall’
Sometimes shooting a subject from behind
(rear view) can create a dramatic or
mysterious effect
An oblique angle is a subject shot from
the side

Head On Rear Oblique

Expressive Camera Angles – High and
Low Angles
 High angle - is when the camera is placed
high/above the subject, it can be used to imply a
character is submissive, insignificant or victimised
as the camera is in a powerful position ‘looking
down on them’. Extreme high angles are called
‘Bird’s Eye View Shots’.
 Low angle shots are when the camera is below the
subject, placing them in a position of power, and
the audience in a lower status, ‘looking up at them’.
Extreme Low Angles are called ‘Worm’s Eye View
Shots’.

High Low
Angle Angle
Expressive and Canted Angle Shots
Film makers also can use techniques such
as Dutch or canted angles, in which the
camera is tilted on its side, which have a
disorientating effect – often used in horror
movies. Here is an example from The Birds;
Subjective Camera – POV Shot
A point of view shot (also known as POV
shot, first-person shot or ‘subjective
camera’) is a short film scene that shows
what a character (the subject) is looking at
(represented through the camera). It is
usually established by being positioned
between a shot of a character looking at
something, and a shot showing the
character's reaction (see shot reverse
shot ). The technique of POV is one of the
foundations of film editing. (wikisource)
Camera Height
The height of the camera in relation to the
action can also be significant or symbolic
Characters are usually shot at eye level
whether standing up or sitting down, the
camera height may adjust for this
The Japanese director Ozu, as part of his
formal style, almost always shot film from a
height of two feet above the ground. A
child’s eye view of the world
Framing and Composition
We have already discussed shot types such
as close up, medium shot and long
shot as framing devices for the director to
frame the action on screen
Natural framing is also used by directors
to draw our attention to subjects such as
using doorways and windows
We can also consider the rule of thirds
as a composition technique that film
maker’s use
Framing and Composition - The Rule
of Thirds
The rule of thirds - think of the cinema
screen as divided into a nine rectangle
(3x3) grid. Putting key objects on the points
at which the grid crosses creates a
harmonious and balanced image – you
have this grid already on your phone
camera. Now watch the video;
 https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Framing+the+rule+of+thirds&&view=detail&mi
d=531481D7FE540F8599F0531481D7FE540F8599F0&FORM=VRDGAR
Balanced and Unbalanced Shots
Shots may be balanced, composed and
symmetrical using the rule of thirds, or
deliberately unbalanced to suggest power,
isolation, loneliness chaos or confusion
Unbalanced shots are also known as 60°
angle shots, or off-centre shots – see
theBalanced
example on the right. What does the
Unbalanced
shot tell you about the character?
Distance from the Subject
Directors also need to judge the distance
in a shot to create impact – the closer we
are to the subject shot the stronger our
relationship to it – close ups give us a sense
of connection to the subject
Consider the impact of cinematography
and distance in these two shots and
consider the use of depth cues in the shot
on the left that show us the distance to the
subject
The Film Colour Palette and Range
Director’s and cinematographers decide a
colour palette (range) for the film that
reflects its theme or mood, happy or tragic,
dark or light. The colour choices reflect the
world they are trying to create
Note the colour palate differences between
the musical and thriller films, Singin’ in the
Rain and Zodiac, below;
Monochrome Cinematography
From its birth in the 1880s, movies were
predominantly monochrome. Contrary to popular
belief, monochrome doesn't always mean black
and white; it means a movie shot in any two-
tone color. Since the cost of colour films was
substantially higher, most movies were
produced in monochrome until the 1970s.
In the 1970s, cinema mostly switched over to
colour films as they became more economical
and viable. Monochrome cinematography is still
used by cinematographers for artistic reasons or
for specific applications e.g. Schindler’s List
Film Lenses and Filters
 In cinematography, a normal lens is a lens that
reproduces a field of view that appears "natural" to a
human observer. In cinematography, a focal
length roughly equivalent to twice the diagonal of the
image projected within the camera is considered normal,
since movies are typically viewed from a distance of
about twice the screen diagonal
 In cinematography, a long-focus lens is a camera
lens which has a focal length that is longer than the
diagonal measure of the film or sensor that receives its
image.  It is used to make distant objects
appear magnified with magnification increasing as
longer focal length lenses are used
 In cinematography, a wide-angle lens refers to
a lens whose focal length is substantially smaller than
the focal length of a normal lens for a given film plane.
This type of lens allows more of the scene to be included
in the shot 
Filters and Special Lenses - Examples
Film makers may use a colour or other
filter to give a particular colour palette or
tone to their film – cold or warm

Fish eye, telescopic and distorting

lenses may also be used to create
particular effects
Deep and Shallow Planes of Focus
This technique relates to the camera lens’s
plane of focus being set on different
things –narrow/shallow or deep
Deep focus – we can see everything in the
shot from front to back, including depth cues
and every detail
Shallow plane of focus – only certain
objects in the shot are in focus and
everything else is blurred, we focus on single
parts
Racking focus - when the focus changes
within a shot foregrounding and then
backgrounding different things
Here are some examples;
 http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Film+Depth+of+Field&&view=de
tail&mid=4138B66920EB0B4DCCC94138B66920EB0B4DCCC9&FORM=VRDGAR
Soft and Sharp Focus
Soft focus photography is sometimes
used to create a retro or romantic feel, in
the old days aging movie stars asked for a
gauze veil or a big dollop of Vaseline on the
lens to hide their wrinkles, nowadays we
have photoshop airbrushing and CGI to
keep actors forever young. See an example
of soft focus below;
Film Formats
Most film is now shot digitally, so things like
grain, texture, contrast and exposure can
be altered digitally
The film format and screen shape can alter
our perception of the film – the film is
meant to be shown in a certain format
This can be anything from the old school’
35mm ‘academy ratio’ beloved of
‘serious’ film makers to action movies
which tend to use wider screen formats,
or even 3D and imax formats – see the
35mm and widescreen examples
below;
The Imax Format
Film Exposure and Contrast
The amount of time a piece of film is
exposed to light is called exposure, film
makers can use exposure to create effects
such as harsh sunlight, or a dreamlike
atmosphere
The longer a piece of film is exposed to
light the more harshly bleached and
grainy it becomes and the lower the
contrast between light and shade and
colour
Lighting
We can also discuss lighting as an aspect of
cinematography
Source – natural, artificial
Strength - high key or low key
Direction – side, top, under, back
Colour – symbolism
See this slideshare presentation for
more examples
 https://www.slideshare.net/shanovitz/lighting-in-film
Source - Natural Lighting
Sunlight is the most common natural light
of all and is the reason Hollywood is in
California
Time of day is important in suggesting
mood, musicals and comedies use sun,
horror films and thrillers prefer the dark,
moonlight and starlight
Weather and lighting are examples of
pathetic fallacy, the link between light,
weather and the moods of the character
and audience
Source - Artificial Lighting
Artificial lighting is man made light,
source lights visible in the scene such as
lamps, bulbs, matches and candles can be
manipulated much more effectively for
dramatic effect and to suggest character –
some examples from films;
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DlWhZ45k5w
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWHYmNrAFlI
Studio Lighting Sources - The Three
Point Lighting System
Three point lighting system– where
objects are lit using back, key and fill
lighting
Key light – the main light in the scene
primary source of light and shadow
Fill light – this softens and fills in shadowy
areas
Backlight – obviously lighting from behind
This system is designed to remove all
shadows from the shot
Lighting Strength
Hard or soft lighting – is the image harsh
and glaring or soft and romantic?
High key lighting – this is bright lighting
with little contrast between light and
shadow which creates a sunny mood e.g. in
a musical (see The Wizard of Oz below) or a
romantic comedy
Low key lighting – creates a dark
shadowy and atmospheric feel e.g. in a
thriller or a horror movie
More on lighting terms;
 http://www.filmeducation.org/resources/secondary/sequence_analysis/a_boy_called_dad/key_ter
ms_lighting.php
Direction - Side Lighting
Side lighting – a self explanatory term – it
shapes the characters’ faces and creates
shadow - suggesting a character is not all
that they appear to be, or has a hidden
side
Here is an example from Inception;
Direction - Back Lighting
Back lighting, edge or rim lighting –
creates dramatic silhouette shapes, hides
facial expressions and is quite suspenseful
A very effective technique in Horror and
Science Fiction,
See the examples below from Nightmare on
Elm Street and Close Encounters of the
Third Kind
Direction - Under Lighting
Under lighting – can be quite sinister and
is another favourite horror film technique
e.g. under a face to create a gaunt
appearance
Here are two examples from the horror
genre, The Sixth Sense and Frankenstein;
Direction - Top Lighting
Top lighting – the subject is lit from above
casting shadows on the floor, this can be
quite glamorous and mysterious
A technique used for lighting old school
movie stars and a style much copied in the
fashion industry, see Marlene Dietrich,
below;
Shadow Effects
Shadow – Can create dramatic effects
visually and can be used to suggest mood,
character, create suspense or hide objects
from the viewer
Chiaroscuro Lighting Effects
Chiaroscuro (Italian; light & shadow)
lighting another expressive lighting effect
– a brightly lit or white subject is set
against a dark background, a technique
borrowed from painting that can also create
a powerful dramatic effect – the opposite of
back lighting. See an example from The
Godfather Part 2;
Lighting - Colour – from Film
Education
Colour temperature Warm colours such as red and
Combined with the quality of amber often provide an image
The
light in the scene, colour or shot with a sense of warmth,
temperature can establish a with blues and greys used to
tone of either warmth or create a sense of coldness. The
coldness. This is done by using colour temperature will not
light filters, diffusers and always be consciously noticed
different coloured gels fixed by viewers making it an
over the camera lens. effective tool for creating mood,
atmosphere and to code a story
so that it has greater dramatic
clarity.
Colour palette Colours are often used for their
The predominant colour associations. Darker colours like
scheme. Used for dramatic and red and black suggest passion,
emotional effect as well as danger and evil; lighter colours
story and character definition. like white suggest purity and
innocence, while historical films
might use a brown, yellow or
sepia colour palette. The colour
palette will be emphasised
Film Lighting & Cinematography
Videos;
http://on.aol.com/video/the-difference-bet
ween-high-and-low-key-lighting-342874969
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFUKRT
FhoiA
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q
=Film+Cinematogrphy+techniques&&view
=detail&mid=5B7F853FE67066B690685B7F
853FE67066B69068&FORM=VRDGAR
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q
=Best+Cinematography+Films&&view=det
ail&mid=E7AB916B34978A80956DE7AB916B
34978A80956D&FORM=VRDGAR
CGI and Special Effects
Film can also be doctored in post
production to create special effect using
CGI (Computer generated imagery) or
Photoshop type techniques
George Lucas’s Industrial Light and Magic
were a pioneer company in this field
Green screen technology is increasingly
used nowadays -
actors act against the screen and the mise
en scene is created later by the CGI
department
Recap
What is an ECU/BCU?
What are the four types of camera
movement?
When might you use each of them?
What is the difference in impact between
high and low angle shots?
What is the difference between deep and
narrow plane of focus photography?
What are the four qualities of lighting that
we can analyse?
The Key Elements of Film Form 2 –
Mise en Scene
Mise-en-scène
Principal elements
 setting, props, costume and make-up
 staging, movement and off-screen space
 how cinematography impacts on mise-en-
scène, in particular through variation in
depth of field, focus and framing (a
significant area of overlap with
cinematography see the Cinematography
section above)
Key Elements of Film Form 2 – Mise
en Scene
Creative use of mise-en-scène
 how mise-en-scène can be used both
naturalistically and expressively
 how the principal elements of mise-en-
scène can generate multiple connotations
and suggest a range of interpretations
 how changes in mise-en-scène contribute
to character and narrative development.
Mise en Scene
When applied to the cinema, mise-en-scène
(‘placing on stage’) refers to everything
that appears before the camera and its
arrangement—composition, sets, props,
actors, costumes, and lighting (see also
the cinematography section). The “mise-
en-scène”, along with the cinematography
and editing of a film, influence the
verisimilitude (realism or naturalism) or
believability of a film in the eyes of its
viewers.
The various elements of design help express
a film’s vision by generating a sense of time
and space, as well as setting a mood, and
sometimes suggesting a character’s state of
Actors and Staging
There is enormous historical and cultural
variation in performance styles in the
cinema. In the early years of cinema, stage
acting and film acting were difficult to
differentiate, as most film actors had
previously been stage actors and therefore
knew no other method of acting.
Eventually, early melodramatic acting
styles, clearly indebted to the 19th century
theater, gave way in Western cinema to a
relatively naturalistic style.
This more naturalistic style of acting is
largely influenced by Stanislavski’s theory
of acting, which involves the actor fully
Casting
Casting actors in a role is an important
aspect of staging.
The film’s producers and directors seek to
cast the most appropriate actors in a role
through an interview and audition process
which may involve reading or acting a part
The producers have to think about who the
audience will accept or see in a particular
role
Some actors are associated with particular
roles and types – this is called typecasting
or stereotyping.
Sometimes a director will cast an actor in
role that is different from their usual
Composition and Blocking
This is the organization of objects, actors
and space within the frame. One of the
most important concepts with the regard to
the composition of a film is maintaining a
balance of symmetry. This refers to having
an equal distribution of light, colour, and
objects and/or figures in a shot.
Unbalanced composition can be used to
emphasize certain elements of a film that
the director wishes to be given particular
attention to. This tool works because
audiences are more inclined to pay
attention to something off balance, as it
may seem abnormal. Where the director
places a character can also vary depending
Example; Wes Anderson
Wes Anderson is a modern director famous
for his painterly screen composition and
balance - notice the narrow depth of this
shot and the red background in this shot
from The Grand Budapest Hotel, which
make it look even more like a painting,
despite the various depth cues in the shot
Sets and Settings
An important element of "putting in the scene"
is set design—the setting of a scene and the
objects (props) visible in a scene. Set design
can be used to amplify character emotion or
the dominant mood, which has physical, social,
psychological, emotional, economic and
cultural significance in the film.
One of the most important decisions made by
the production designer and director is deciding
whether to shoot on location or on set. The
main distinction between the two is that décor
and props must be taken into consideration
when shooting on set. However, shooting on
set is more commonly done than shooting on
location as a result of it proving to be more cost
Props
Props are visual aids used to enhance
storytelling, or clues to help develop the plot.
Props include a variety of things so they can be
categorised as follows:
Hand props: items that are handled by the
actor. Examples might be a cup of tea, or a gun.
Costume props: items that are handled by the
actor associated with their costume. Examples of
costume props are hats, bags and umbrellas.
Set props: items used to dress the set.
Examples of set props are furniture, pictures and
curtains.
 Genre - props may provide genre iconography
(an image associated with a genre) e.g.
Connotation
s?
Costume
Costume simply refers to the clothes that
characters wear. Using certain colors or
designs, costumes in narrative cinema are
used to signify and symbolize and
connote characters or to make clear
distinctions between characters.
Costume may be realistic or stylized, it
may be part of the iconography (visual
imagery) of the genre
Masks are another important part of
constructing
a character
Make Up
Make up alters appearance and therefore
influences our perception of a character
Is the makeup used in a film
natural/theatrical/special e.g. sci-fi, horror?
Shadowy eye make up may be important
for instance in a horror movie to create a
Gothic feel
Pancake makeup alters characters
colouring – the pallor of a character may be
sinister, or indicate illness
Unusual makeup made be needed for
special projects e.g. The Grinch
Make Up - Prosthetics
Prosthetic make up may be used to create
character? e.g. disfigurement and
prosthetics in David Lynch’s The Elephant
Man or Laughton as The Hunchback of
Notre Dame
Make Up - Changing Perceptions
Two different made up images of Cameron
Diaz change our perceptions of her
character in a comedy and in an indie film

The Mask Being John Malkovich

Off-Screen Space
Off screen space is the imaginary space
surrounding the action/or space looked at
by the characters off screen. The spectator
has to imagine what the characters are
looking at
Off screen space may also be suggested by
sound
In this shot from Titanic we have to imagine
the ship, the sky and the ocean around the
characters;
CGI
In the last 25 years CGI – computer
generated imagery designed and created
in pre and post film production has
become increasingly important as an
aspect of mise en scene
Many actors now spend as much time
acting in front of a green screen as on set
with the other actors
The enormous growth in the scope,
complexity and realism of CGI effects has
had an enormous effect on animated and
fantasy films from Disney Pixar, to Jurassic
Park, to Harry Potter, to the Marvel
universe. Anything that can be written and
imagined by a writer can now be made
Recap
What are the four elements of mise en
scene?
What are the three types of props?
What is blocking?
What is countertyping?
Homework
Choose a clip from a film that you enjoy
Use the theories and techniques you have
learned to develop the analysis of your
chosen clip in more detail adding analysis
of mise en scene and cinematography
Write about 200 words
The Key Elements of Film Form 3 -
Editing
Editing
Principal elements
 the shot to shot relationships of
continuity editing including match editing,
the 180° rule
 the role of editing in creating meaning,
including the Kuleshov effect
 montage editing and stylised forms of
editing including jump cuts.
The Key Elements of Film Form 3 -
Editing
Creative use of editing
 how editing implies relationships between
characters and contributes to narrative
development including through editing motifs
and their patterned repetition
 how the principal elements of editing can
generate multiple connotations and suggest a
range of interpretations
 how visual effects created in post-
production are used, including the way they
are designed to engage the spectator and
create an emotional response
 the use of visual effects created in post-
production including the tension between the
Editing
Editing is the ‘invisible art’ of cutting the
pieces of film together to create a coherent
film
The length and ordering of a film’s different
shots, scenes and clips is an important
element in shaping the film’s meaning for
the spectator
Some film editing is intended to be smooth
and unobtrusive, it gives the spectator
continuity, but some film makers try to
draw our attention to the fact that we are
watching a film, and not real life, by more
stylised editing - for example;
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQtkbQkURCI
Continuity Editing Techniques
Continuity editing evolved in early 20th
century Hollywood including the main
classic shot types – establishing shot, close
up, medium and long shots
The system was designed to edit these
types of shot together as smoothly as
possible to create a seamless, easy to
watch film experience for the audience
A film whose events may take place over
many weeks, months and years still makes
coherent sense to the spectator when
continuity edited
Cut/Fade/Dissolve/Wipe
How do film makers get from one shot or
scene to another.
The most obvious film technique is the cut
from one scene or shot to another. If you
have ever tried to make a film you may
have found such cuts abrupt.
Another common film technique is the
fade, or dissolve, in or out from one shot
to another.
Some directors might use a wipe – a line
that goes across the screen as we move
from one shot to another.
Film makers have evolved a number of
techniques to make these cuts smoother
Match Cutting; 1. Graphic Match
One common editing techniques is the
graphic match, cutting the shape of an
object in one shot so that it matches the
size and shape of an object in the next
shot;
 http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=graphic+match+cut&&view=detail&mid=A567451
AB00443FA6727A567451AB00443FA6727&FORM=VRDGAR
Match Cutting; 2. Eyeline Match
One of the most common match techniques
used is the eyeline match. We see the
actor looking at, or towards, something and
then we see in the next shot what they are
supposed to be looking at or looking for.
Some examples;
 http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=eyeline+match+editing&&view=detail&mid=5E2
D23D51FBCDC12D3825E2D23D51FBCDC12D382&FORM=VRDGAR
 http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=eyeline+match+cut&&view=detail&mid=5E2D23
D51FBCDC12D3825E2D23D51FBCDC12D382&FORM=VRDGAR
Match Cutting; 3. Match On Action
Another common technique is the match
on action
A character starts a movement in one shot
and that movement is completed in the
next shot, either by themselves or by
another character
This also works with inanimate objects such
as a collapsing building. Not all of the
action needs to be shown;
 http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=+Match+on+action+Example&&view=detail&mid=
1039319105638F68A5A61039319105638F68A5A6&FORM=VRDGAR
Cross Cutting or Parallel Editing
Sometimes a film might involve different
scenes, actions and characters in different
locations, but all of which are somehow
connected together by parallel editing.
The film maker may ‘cross cut’ between
these different scenes of action to generate
audience suspense and excitement, for
instance events inside and outside a
spaceship. Some examples;
 http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=+cross+cutting+Example&&view=detail&mid=57
845A21A43E79C0404057845A21A43E79C04040&FORM=VRDGAR
Sound Bridges
Sound ‘bridges’ may be used to
transition from one scene to another, for
example the sound from one scene might
carry over from that scene to another one
for a few seconds or the sound from a new
scene might start up a few seconds before
we see the next scene.
A soundtrack also acts as bridging device
tying the different scenes of the film
together. Here is an example from The
Matrix
 http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=sound%20bridge%20Example&qs=n&
form=QBVDMH&sp=-1&pq=sound%20bridge%20example&sc=1-20&sk=&cvid=7C7
44499E55B475FA8AEB568072A97D6
Two Invisible Editing Rules
There are two rules of continuity editing
that we only notice when someone breaks
them;
1. The 180 degree rule – crossing the
line
2. The 30 degree rule – the jump cut
180 Degree Rule – ‘The Line’
Any film scene of action has an invisible
line running though the middle of it, an arc
of 180 degrees
Generally, the camera does not cross
this line without warning as this confuses
and disorientates the audience, for
example;
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTNUq-stj6M
30 Degree Rule - Jump Cutting
If you are filming a subject and need to
change angle when you are shooting them,
generally you change the angle by more
than 30 degrees to avoid a jump cut, it
is called a jump cut because it makes it
look as if the person being shot has
‘jumped’. For example;
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YSPQGZmnIw
The Long Take/Plan Sequence
Modern audiences are used to a faster pace of
cutting and more shots per minute than
previous generations of film goers, who
expected a shot or a take to last more than 10
seconds – this why older films often seem
slow to modern audiences
Some film makers have experimented with
very long take (plan sequence in French)
sequences in which only the camera may
move and there is no cutting, some of them
may be several minutes long. It creates the
immersive effect of the audience following the
action as a spectator or eavesdropper
Two modern films, Russian Ark and the recent
Non Continuity Editing
Temporal Ellipsis
Elliptical editing is a technique used in
film editing that allows an event's duration
on-screen to be shorter than its duration in
the story or in real life. The simplest type of
elliptical edit is a cut between two shots,
both of which show part of the same event
with the boring bits left out.
Here is an example from Batman Begins;
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpJGC13TG6k
Montage Sequences
Many films use a montage sequence –
this is not necessarily linked to Soviet
montage theory (see below)
A montage sequence in a Hollywood film
might be a collection of images of
newspapers or news footage from TV to fill
in historical and cultural context in a film or
images and photos of a character’s past,
their first birthday, going to school,
adulthood to show you their life up until
today
See examples;
 http://elementsofcinema.com/editing/montage.html
Flashback and Flashforward
Film makers often choose to incorporate
flashback and flashforward in time
sequences into a film to give more depth
and structure to the storytelling and to
prevent the confusion of constantly cutting
backwards and forwards from the past to
the present day
Typically the film starts in the present then
a character starts to think and talk about
the past then an obvious editing transition,
such as wavy lines on the screen or music
signals to the audience that we have
moved into the past, a switch to black and
white can also be a signal. An example;

Temporal Expansion - Slow Motion,
Freeze Frame, and Multiple Viewpoints
Slow motion is one of the most commonly
used temporal expansion editing techniques
utilised by film makers, by slowing the film
down dramatic tension is built in the audience
and we can also take in details of action more
easily
Sometimes a director may choose top hold, or
freeze a single frame of the film on the
screen for effect
As well as shooting action from start to finish
directors and cinematographers may also
repeat the same action showing it to us from
multiple camera angles and points of view;
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEuZgK669zY
Split Screen Effects
Some film makers, like the British film
maker Mike Figgis in his film Timecode,
have experimented with split screen
techniques in which viewers have to
respond to and understand the relationship
between the multiple images on the
screen, we are actually watching four film’s
at once, like a security guard looking at
CCTV footage;
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQidFlpYlDw
Non Continuity Editing - Film
Movements
1. Soviet Montage Editing
2. New Wave Editing
Soviet Montage Cinema – The 1920s
After the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 the
new Russian Communist state and its
supporters saw the power of film as a
propaganda and educational medium
As well as the content and stories of film
they saw the possibility of edited film
images (montage) being used to influence
audiences psychologically
A lot of the film techniques they
experimented with are still used as
inspiration by modern filmmakers
The Kuleshov Effect
The Russian filmmaker Lev Kuleshov discovered
that we have a natural psychological tendency
to link images together and interpret them, we
project our own meanings onto the visual ‘clues’
we see, we make up a ‘story.’ For instance, if we
see a shot of a man's face and then a shot of a
woman we assume he is looking at her or even
is, perhaps, in love (this is called the
Kuleshov effect). We interpret them according
to our mental ‘perceptual set’ – what we ‘see’
first in an image.
This juxtaposition of these edited images is
called montage. We can either link shots
obviously, or more subtly, to make the audience
The Kuleshov Experiment
 The Kuleshov effect experiment –The Russian film maker Lev
Kuleshov made a short film containing the images above cut
together. When audiences saw the face on the left followed by
one of the right hand images above they automatically ‘read’
the emotions on the far right into the man’s expression
Montage Editing
Knowing we have this psychological tendency
allows film makers to plant images and ideas in
the audiences mind (like Inception!)
What Soviet Russian Communist film makers
like Sergei Eisenstein, came up with was an
alternative to Hollywood continuity editing
based on a ‘dialectic’ – putting two visual
images, possibly very different, conflicting
images, together – juxtaposing them to
create new meanings and connections in the
audience’s mind, just as in Marxism the conflict
between the ruling and working classes was
supposed to lead to a new, classless
communist society
Montage Editing - anti continuity –
the clash and contrast of images
coming together produces
meaning
In his later writings, the Russian Director
Sergei Eisenstein argues that montage,
especially intellectual montage, is an
alternative system to continuity editing. He
argued that "Montage (editing) is
conflict" where new ideas, emerge from
the collision of the montage sequence and
where the new emerging ideas are not
innate in any of the images of the edited
sequence. A new concept explodes into
being.
Example; The Battleship Potemkin
In this famous sequence we can analyse
how the different images work to produce
feelings of pity, anger and empathy in the
audience;
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ps-v-kZzfec

Modern action and dramatic films still use

these techniques to manipulate audience
emotions
New Wave Editing
The Italian Neo Realist movement and The
French New Wave cinema of the 1950s also
sought to challenge Hollywood continuity
editing by using visible editing techniques
and breaking the classical rules to create a
unique and individual style of auteur film
making in which the director is not bound
by rules, but only their own imagination
and vision
Editing is used in a poetic free form way
rather than seen as a set of unbreakable
rules
New Wave Editing – 1950s
New wave editing is about experimentation
and breaking the rules of classical
Hollywood cinema such as the 30 degree
rule – Jump cuts are used for effect
New wave film is deliberately
unprofessional, DIY, amateurish and
spontaneous in style
Embracing Jump Cuts
One technique associated with the new
wave is the free use of jump cuts to add
rhythm style and freshness to film
Jump cuts are now a tool of the director
rather than the director’s enemy
The New Wave went on to influences
Hollywood film making in the 1960s and
70s and the still controversial perception
that the director is the film’s auteur
(author), the main creative force behind the
film
Here is an example of speech and jump
cuts in harmony from Godard’s film
Breathless;
Non Diegetic Inserts
A non diegetic insert is a piece of film
which is not part of the film’s narrative but
is inserted to create a message or effect, it
could include animation, news footage e.g.
of an atomic bomb going off to express a
character’s rage, like an old Warner
Brothers cartoon
Here is an example from Eisenstein -
workers are massacred by soldiers whilst
we cross cut to images of a cow being
slaughtered, or the title sequence of a Bond
film;
Recap
Can you remember 5 different techniques
associated with classical Hollywood editing?
How is Soviet Montage editing different
from Classical Hollywood editing?
Why could a jump cut be good?
When analysing a film look out for repeated
editing motifs and patterns which may be
typical of this film or this director’s style
Storyboard Exercise
Storyboard with a partner
Create 6 images showing a student’s
journey to college
Start with them waking up and conclude
with them arriving at their first lesson
Hint; think about what is the obvious
image you could use, then try to come up
with a less obvious one which tells us
something more about the character
Use a mix of shot types
Think about revealing details in the shot
Think about how one shot links to the next
– editing
The Key Elements of Film Form 4 -
Sound
Principal elements
 vocal sounds (dialogue and narration),
environmental sounds (ambient, sound
effects, Foley), music, silence
 diegetic or non-diegetic sound
 parallel and contrapuntal sound and the
distinction between them
 multitrack sound mixing and layering,
asynchronous sound, sound design.
Creative use of sound
 how sound is used expressively
 how sound relates to characters and
narrative development including the use of
sound motifs.
Sound
Sound is an enormously important component
in shaping and creating an audience’s
response to a film – as important as the visual
elements. Try watching a film without any
sound or music! Early movies often had a
pianist or organist accompanying them with a
mood appropriate soundtrack
The sound era is said to date from 1927 and
the recording of Al Jolson’s film The Jazz Singer
– as he famously said in that film, ‘You ain’t
heard nothing yet’ – in that scene the talking
picture was born. Watch the The Jazz Singer
Clip;
 http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=the+jazz+singer+clip+you+aint+heard+nothing+yet&view=detail&mid=9DD
0B7F6F6EC71BEAEBF9DD0B7F6F6EC71BEAEBF&FORM=VIRE
Diegetic and Non Diegetic Sound
Film sound can be divided into two types
diegetic and non diegetic
Diegetic sound is sound which occurs
realistically in the text of the film as part of
the plot or mise en scene such as dialogue,
effects, or music from a visible source within
the film
Non-diegetic sound is post production
music and sound added to the films
soundtrack afterwards, such as voiceovers,
which are not part of the story on the screen
Please get your spell checker to learn the
word diegetic – it is the most misspelled word
in film studies
Analyse the Deliverance Clip – Diegetic or
 Types of Sound
 In the context of motion pictures and television, sound effects
refers to an entire hierarchy of sound elements, whose
production encompasses many different disciplines, including:
 Hard sound effects are common sounds that appear on screen,
such as door alarms, weapons firing, and cars driving by.
 Background (or BG) sound effects are sounds that do not
explicitly synchronize with the picture, but indicate setting to
the audience, such as forest sounds, the buzzing of fluorescent
lights, and car interiors. The sound of people talking in the
background is also considered a "BG," but only if the speaker is
unintelligible and the language is unrecognizable (this is known
as walla). These background noises are also called ambience or
atmos ("atmosphere").
 Foley sound effects are sounds that synchronize on screen, and
require the expertise of a foley artist to record properly.
Footsteps, the movement of hand props (e.g., a tea cup and
saucer), and the rustling of cloth are common foley units.
 Design sound effects are sounds that do not normally occur in
nature, or are impossible to record in nature. These sounds are
used to suggest futuristic technology in a science fiction film,
Creating Sound; Sound Mixing and Layerin
Most films have a composer or music
director who is responsible for the score in
conjunction with the director
The dubbing mixer assembles and mixes
the film’s sound from the recorded score,
dialogue tapes and sound effects created by
the Foley artist using multi track
technology
Sound designers and the sound effects
team create the soundscape of the movie
and the effects needed
Dolby systems and digital sound systems
which allow for the recording and mixing and
layering of multiple soundtracks have
Analysing Sound and Music
We can analyse sound in a number of ways;
Loudness or volume – loud and soft/quiet sounds
and their effect on the audience and pace and
tempo, the speed of the music
Pitch – high pitched or low pitched – is the sound
treble or bass and what is the effect?
Timbre and tone – the same note sounds
differently played on a guitar or on a piano, like
different voices shouting the same words
Use of silence – symbolic silences or silent plot
devices
Fidelity – the realism and accuracy of the
sound related to the action
Think about why the director chooses to use or
Uses of Music in Film
 Parallel sound is used to mirror and convey the mood
of the action on screen and signpost the audience’s
emotional response – a music style linked to specific
genre might be used, for instance dramatic action music
 Contrapuntal sound is used to contradict or contrast
with the mood of the action on screen. See an example
from Reservoir Dogs;
 http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=reservoir+dogs+ear&&view=detail&mid=BB7DD36C9F276A51ACA5BB7DD36C9
F276A51ACA5&rvsmid=165EECEE7C8C504F92F1165EECEE7C8C504F92F1&FORM=VDQVAP

 To add realistic diegetic mise en scene e.g. at a

concert or in a nightclub
 To suggest a specific time or place or theme e.g. the
1960s or the 1990s
 To suggest a theme or mood, such as mental illness,
like the use of the Pixies ‘Where is my Mind’ in Fight
Club ;
http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=fight+club+the+pixies&view=detail&mid=B9C5532897530C734AA7B9C55328975
30C734AA7&FORM=VIRE

 Character related themes and motifs e.g. the James

Dialogue, Narration and Voiceover
Characters may speak in monologue,
dialogue, or multilogue if there are more
than two of them
Clarity of speech is a technical decision, in some
films every line is enunciated, but other
directors may go for a more mumbly, messy
improvised dialogue style appropriate to the
characters on the screen, relying more on the
visual element of the films than sound
We can analyse an actor’s paralanguage and
style of delivery
Narration; Many films employ a voiceover,
usually a non diegetic monologue, used to
convey extra information about the film’s plot
Sound Effects and Ambient Sound
Sound effects, often added post
production, are sometimes called Foley
work and are made in some very curious
ways! See below;
 http:Googlevideos/search?q=Foley+Artist+Behind+the+Scenes&&view=detail&mid=4372B85B4978
BE06A0494372B85B4978BE06A049&FORM=VRDGAR
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHAIgJsMoXw

They need to be synchronised with the

action and can create a very graphic impact
on the audience
Sound effects have to convey space and
create a sound perspective – the muffled
sounds heard coming from inside a wardrobe
are very different from the sound of The
Hogwarts Great Hall at Christmas, also note
echo/reverb effects
Synchronous and Asynchronous
Sound
Synchronous - definition: Synchronous
sound is sound that is matched to certain
movements occurring in the scene e.g.
when footsteps correspond to feet walking.
Synchronous sound can be recorded on a
tape or magnetic film.
Sometimes a film maker may choose to
make the sound ‘out of sync’
(asynchronous) with the visual image to
create a particular effect on the spectator
such as hallucination or mental breakdown.
See the examples;
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mhp5SpTxQw8
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5T77JVoRYlM
Sound Bridges
A sound bridge is a continuity feature
which occurs when sound continues from
one scene to another without a break, even
when the scene cuts and the image on the
screen changes, it helps to make scene
transitions smooth, this could be dialogue
or music which starts a few seconds before
a scene starts, or finishes a few seconds
after it ends e.g.;
 https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=film+sound+bridge&&view=detail&mid=5535D715DD61
D6C5082A5535D715DD61D6C5082A&FORM=VRDGAR

Music can also act as a kind of sound

bridge linking a group of scenes and shots
together
Analyse this Apocalypse Now Clip;
 http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=apocalypse+now+opening+scene&view=detail&mid=48EF29E96CB5E2
Silence
Using periods of silence, or near silence,
can be very effective in creating suspense
and tension in the audience, or making
them concentrate on the visual image, for
example Mission Impossible;
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ar0xLps7WSY
Recap
What is the difference between diegetic
and non diegetic sound?
What is the difference between parallel and
contrapuntal sound?
What is the role of a Foley artist?
What is ambient sound?
What is asynchronous sound?
When might a director use silence in a film?
Key Elements of Film Form 5 -
Performance
Performance
Principal elements
 the use of non-verbal communication
including physical expression and vocal
delivery
 the significance of the interaction
between actors
 performance styles in cinema including
method and improvisatory styles
 the significance of casting.
Performance as a creative collaboration
 the role of directing as a 'choreography'
of stage movement

Performance
To understand film acting and performance and
the ways in which it has evolved we need to
understand a number of factors
1. Film was initially a silent, black and white
medium - which meant that early film acting
was highly physical and mime based. Watch
some early acting from Dracula 1931
2. basedhttp://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Dracula+1931+Full+Movie&&view=detail&mid=B120DE9F4BF11092FC
4BB120DE9F4BF11092FC4B&FORM=VRDGAR

3. Trained actors were usually ‘stage trained’ to

communicate with audiences who were
distant from them in the theatre – theatrical
acting often looked false to film audiences
when seen in close up – distance from the
camera now became an important factor in
performance. Close ups altered acting style
Questions
How is film acting similar to or different
from acting on a stage to a live audience?
Camera framing and distance
Editing and cutting
Music and sound
Lighting
Costume and makeup
We could argue that film performance is a
product of film technology and ‘movie
magic’ as much as of acting skill – a
director can simply cut out a bad
performance or retake a scene
The Two Main Acting Styles
Personification acting – ‘the perfect fit’
(Dyer) – The most common Hollywood
acting style - the actor usually plays
characters who are close to themselves in
terms of looks, physique and personality –
these hyper charismatic individuals are
what we call ‘movie stars’
Impersonation acting – theatrical or
other skilled actors study and construct a
character in order to ‘become’ them, using
their skills to immerse themselves in the
role. These actors are judged by the
number and scope of their roles and how
they change themselves physically to
Questions
How important is it to the audience that a
performance be ‘realistic’ or convincing?
Can a performance ever be truly realistic?
Can you think of any examples?
Acting Styles
We can divide film actors into a number of
basic types
‘Charismatic’ personality actors who have
screen presence, but who often have a very
limited acting range
‘Impressionistic’ theatrically trained actors
who may bring gravitas and ‘class’ to films
(though they often end up playing the villains!)
‘Realistic’ method actors who create,
construct and ‘inhabit’ the characters they play
on screen – they try to become the character and
sometimes live like the character in order to
understand them
Stylised performances – for instance in
comedy films
 The Film Actors Toolkit 1 - The Face
and Expression

The eyes and

eyebrows are
highly
expressive – The mouth -
actors on smiling or
screen hold frowning – the
eye contact – mouth shape
gazing and may
staring - contradict
longer than what is being
we usually do said
in ordinary Also consider the angle
life (8+ and orientation of the
seconds) head or face – what is
the character’s mood?
The Face - Darwin’s Six Universal Expressions
– Utilised by Actors and Other Humans
The Film Actor’s Toolkit 2 – The Body

The physical posture and Hand and arm

orientation of the character gestures
– indicating energy, interest expressing emotion
and confidence. symbolically
The gait and walk of the including deictic
character can also be self pointing
suggestive of personality
The Film Actor’s Toolkit 3 – Costume
and Makeup
Costume is used to construct and
symbolise character, role, job, age,
sexuality, social class, gender, historical
period, fantasy and many other things
Consider your response to these two
characters based on their costumes;
The Film Actor’s Toolkit 4 – The Voice
The voice and vocalisation are another
important aspect of constructing character
Consider the following paralinguistic
(voice) features
Volume
Depth/pitch
Tone
Speed
Accent
Unusual features or markers
Watch this clip from Forrest Gump (below).
How does the Tom Hank’s use of his voice
shape our response to the character?
 http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=forrest+gump+box+mof+chocolates
Casting and Range
Actors often fit a particular type in the
audience’s mind and a film’s producer tries
to cast the most suitable actor in a role
Actors may be associated with, and thus
offered, particular types of roles – this is
stereotyping or typecasting
Or they may be cast in roles that go against
their typical casting – counter typing –
this is a risk, but can widen an actor’s
range, attract critical and audience favour
(in good films) and extend an actor’s
career. See John Travolta for example –
from Grease to Pulp Fiction;
Personality Acting
Personality actors are usually
charismatic individuals, often working in
the action or comedy genres, sometimes
from areas such as sport, who usually play
a version of themselves in every film that
they star in
Watch this clip of Arnold Schwarzenegger
from Terminator 2
Analyse this performance and make notes
on it using the film actor’s toolkit –
face/body/costume/voice
Is it an effective performance?;
 http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=terminator+2+film+clip&&view=de
tail&mid=7EE1F9D6D8FEA18EAD367EE1F9D6D8FEA18EAD36&FORM=VRDGAR
Character/Method Acting
Method actors seek to inhabit and create
the character that they are playing, often
researching about them and trying to live
life as they do, doing their job, or living
through their physical experiences to get
‘under their skin’. Oscar acting
How does Natalie Portman convey her
character’s insanity in this clip from Black
Swan? Is she a convincing ballerina?
Use the film actor’s toolkit –
face/body/costume/voice - to analyse the
performance;
 http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=black+swan+mirrors&&view=detai
l&mid=E828B51D9CD2A285D4FBE828B51D9CD2A285D4FB&FORM=VRDGAR
Theatrical Acting V. The Method
Watch this clip from ‘A Streetcar Named
Desire’ which contains two contrasted
acting styles, Marlon Brando, the ultimate
Lee Strasberg trained ‘method actor’ as
Stanley Kowalski and the British,
theatrically trained, Vivienne Leigh as
Blanche Dubois. Both are Oscar winners
Use the film actor’s toolkit in your analysis
face/body/costume/voice;
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsVxmk9pq2Y
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plIEcP1Wi8I
Improvisational Acting
Improvisational acting (‘improv’) is
sometimes used by directors to give film a
more spontaneous realistic feel
The director gives the actor a detailed
character outline and ‘motivation’ but the
actor then has to themselves create that
characters dialogue and body language
from the outline given. Some examples
from Taxi Driver;
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjGdsZeJNNA
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=So9iCqdfUF4
Stylised Performance
Watch this clip from The Truman Show – a
film about a man who is adopted as a baby
by a movie studio and who lives his entire
life in a TV show – but he does not know it –
until now
How does Jim Carrey use the ‘toolkit’ to
construct a stylised performance
appropriate to a character whose life is a
‘performance’ and who has only ever
interacted with actors?
Use the toolkit; face/costume/body/voice;
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9lBvg5clr0
The Commutation Test
This is a performance ’test’ in which we
think about what would happen if we
swapped an actor playing a role in a film
with another actor, and whether the
performance would be as effective, or even
whether the audience would accept the
swap, for instance a black or female James
Bond?
The less we can imagine someone else in a
role, the more effective that performance
must be
Can you think of any examples of films
where it would be very hard to visualise
any other actor in that role?
The Significance of the Interactions
Between Actors – ‘Screen Chemistry’
Some actors have an on screen
‘chemistry’ and interact with each other
particularly effectively, this may be a
comedy ‘double act’ like Laurel and Hardy,
or romantic chemistry such as the Twilight
films
Some actors spark off each other very
effectively – even if they dislike ach other in
real life. We all have our favourites
Recap
Identify five things that you have learned
about performance?
Can you rank them in order of importance?
Which do you consider the most effective
acting style of the four styles?
Can you think of any other performers who
fit into these categories?