ELEMENTS OF FILM ANALYSIS
Although there is no set definition for “tone” within the trade, it is generally thought to be the story’s relationship to reality. Another definition is “A certain quality, mood or atmosphere that the writer establishes through the careful manipulation of the pace, texture and selected images….Tone can be understood as the way a movie makes you feel as you watch it.”
Themes concern the focus of a film. It is the vessel by which the director communicates all that he/she offers the viewers. The theme may be found through a plot or series of sub-plots, characters and their traits, ideas espoused directly or implicitly and perhaps even through the emotions expressed.
The plot is a series of events deliberately arranged to reveal their dramatic, thematic, and emotional significance. It is the specific actions and events selected by the filmmakers and arranged in a specific order so those events and actions will effectively convey the movie’s narrative to a viewer. The movie’s narrative is the story as a series of events recorded in chronological order. A good plot is necessary to tell a good story; however, the reverse is not true. A good story will not necessarily lead to a good plot.
1. What are the themes?
a. Issues, Ideological Conflicts, Lessons Learned
2. Setting – Geographical, Historical, Social Milieu)
3. Cinematography (Camera Placement and Movement; Lighting; Color; Focus; Frame Composition, etc.)
a. Lighting (Realist; Romantic; Expressive; “Dark”; “Surreal”)
4. Point of View
a. This should be influenced by both the story and the cinematography.
b. From whose point of view are you watching any given scene?
5. Music (Soundtrack vs. Source)
a. What was its purpose?
b. Did you even notice it?
c. Did it help or take away from the scene?
6. Editing:
a. An ideal cut/fade
i. Is true to the emotion of the moment;
ii. Advances the story;
iii. Occurs at a moment that is rhythmically interesting and ‘right’;
iv. Acknowledges what you might call ‘eye-trace’ – the concern with the location and movement of the audience’s focus of interest within the frame;
v. Requires ‘planarity,’ the grammar of three dimensions transposed by photography to two;
vi. Respects the three-dimensional continuity of the actual space (where people are in the room and in relation to one another).
b. Cutting for Continuity;
c. Cutting Within a Scene;
d. Cross Cutting (Parallel Editing);
e. Metaphorical/Symbolic Cutting
f. Is the editing smooth or is it too staccato? Does it make you feel uncomfortable?
7. Acting (Professional/Non Professional; Realistic; Stylized/Symbolic)
a. Does the actor assume the role or can you tell they are acting?
8. Character (Complexity, Development, Believability)
a. If not believable is this because of script or acting?
9. Directing
When analyzing the art of a movie’s director, consider its composition, lighting, camera placement and movement, and types of shots, then ask yourself the following questions:
a. Does the director appear to have a particular style?
b. How does he/she reveal that?
c. Is there a consistency to the film?
d. Is the director’s vision communicated to you? Is the message clear?
e. Was the director able to get the best performances from the actors?
f. Was the interaction between actors well choreographed?
10. Plot (Story, Subplots, Drama)
a. Narrative Structure (Straightforward vs. Complex; Flashbacks)
b. Conflict
c. Pace
d. Atmosphere (Mood)
11. Genre
12. Sound (Realistic; Expressive; Simple vs. Multi Layered)
a. Did it fit the scene?
b. Where was it coming from? Could characters hear it?
13. Decor and Clothing
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