A Basic Grammar of Film

This presentation illustrates basic shot scales and camera angles.

1. A BASIC GRAMMAR OF FILM

2. SEQUENCE Forms a distinct narrative unit Unity of action / Unity of purpose

3. SCENE Describes an action that takes place in a single location and continuous time Screen time = diegetic time

4. SHOT A single continuous recording made by the camera

5. FRAME A single still image

6. TYPES OF SHOTS

7. Shot scale (or camera distance)

8. Extreme Long shot (XLS) Gone With the Wind, Victor Fleming, MGM, 1939 .

9. Long shot (LS) From Roman Holidays , William Wyler , Paramount Pictures, 1953.

10. Medium long shot (MLS) / three -quarter shot

11. Medium shot ( MS) The Social Network , David Fincher , Sony Pictures , 2010

12. Medium close-up (MCU) Casablanca , Michael Curtiz , Warner Bros, 1942

13. Two - shot One subject in MCU in the foreground + One subject in MS in the background

14. Close-up (CU) The Long Goodbye , Robert Altman, Lion’s Gate Films, 1973

15. Extreme close-up (XCU) Citizen Kane , Orson Welles, 1941, RKO P ictures

16. Insert / Cut -in Covers action already covered in the master shot but emhasizes a different aspect of that action

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

18. DEPTH OF FIELD Distance between the nearest and farthest objects that appear sharp in a shot Long depth of field Citizen Kane

19. Short depth of field From The Silence of the Lambs , Jonathan Demme , Orion Pictures Corporation, 1991

20. CAMERA ANGLES Guide the audience’s judgement about the objects and characters in a shot

21. Bird’s eye view The Birds , Alfred Hitchcock, Universal, 1963.

22. High-angle shot The Shadow of a Doubt , Alfred Hitchcock, 1943.

23. Eye - level shot Cleopatra , Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 1963, Twentieth Century Fox

24. Low -angle shot Citizen Kane

25. Canted /oblique / Dutch angle Pickup on South Street , Samuel Fuller, 20 th Century Fox,1953.

26. CAMERA MOVEMENTS Give their specificity to cinematic images

27. DOLLY SHOTS/TRACKING SHOTS Camera moves forward = tracking in Camera moves backward = tracking out Camera moves sideways

28. PANNING/PAN SHOT Scans a scene horizontally W hen scans a scene vertically : called « tilt »

29. HAND-HELD SHOTS Since 1970’s : smooth thanks to the Steadicam Denote a certain kind of realism Audience feeling part of the scene

30. 3. Editing The art of combining shots into a coherent whole

31. LONG TAKE/SINGLE SHOT/SEQUENCE SHOT Describes a whole scene ( even a whole sequence ) without any cut The Rope , Alfred Hitchcock, 1948, Warner Bros.

32. CUT Abrupt change of shot from one viewpoint or location to another Changes scene , compresses time, varies point of view

33. MATCHED CUT Establishes logical relationship between shots JUMP CUT ( When two shots don’t match)

34. FADE AND DISSOLVE Gradual transition between shots Fade-in / Fade-out Dissolve = one shot merging into another

35. MATCH ON ACTION

36. EYE-LINE MATCH

37. SHOT / REVERSE SHOT Deemphasizes transitions beween shots Very commonly used in dialogues

38. CROSS-CUTTING Describes actions occurring at the same time in two different locations Expresses simultaneity / Creates suspense / Suggests parallels , contrasts , dichotomies…

39. 3 TYPES OF RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN SHOTS Time relationships Spatial relationships Thematic relationships 2 BASIC FUNCTIONS Ensures continuity Organizes seperate units into discourse Creates rhythm

40. THE KULESHOV EXPERIMENT Editing changes the viewer’s interpretation of the whole scene