Film Analysis: Production and Story Elements

Story Elements

• Opening Sequence
• Character
• Setting
• Storyline
• Structuring of Time
• Cause and Effect
• Point of View (From Which the Narrative is Presented)
• Closure or Closing Sequence

Production Elements

• Camera and Film:

1. Camera Angle
2. Eye-level
3. High Angle
4. Low Angle
5. Birds Eye
6. Unusual

• Camera Movement:

1. Panning
2. Zooming
3. Tilting
4. Camera Shot
5. Close-up
6. Extreme Close-up
7. Mid Shot
8. Long Shot
9. Extreme Long Shot
10. Point of View / Subjective
11. Reaction Shot

• Lighting:

1. Soft Lighting
2. Hard Lighting
3. High Key lighting
4. Low Key Lighting

• Visual Composition (mise-en-scene)
• Acting
• Editing
• Sound:

1. Diegectic
2. Non-Diegectic
3. Dialogue
4. Music / Score
5. Sound Effects
6. Voice Over

~ Story Elements ~

Opening Sequence

The opening of a film introduces the audience to the world of time and space in which the narrative takes place. Opening sequences provide a platform from which the narrative is launched and are often called ‘set ups’.

During the opening sequence the filmmaker introduces the characters and begins to develop these characters for the audience who is also orientated into both the physical settings and the historical settings.

Character

Character development is the relation to the audience of a character’s personality, beliefs, strengths, weaknesses and emotions. We are normally introduced to the main protagonist at the start of the narrative. From this point onwards, we learn more about who they really are.

Character development can be done through various narrative devices. The simplest is the traditional ‘Once upon a time…’ fairytale format, which we are immediately introduce to the main character and then told their story.

Another technique is to look back on the character’s life or part of it.

Setting

The setting of a fictional film narrative refers to the location and the historical period in which the story takes place.

Location refers to the physical geography of the story.

The setting of a narrative helps to tell the story because the audience already has an understanding of settings and their context within film genres.

In genres such as western, film noir, comedy, romantic comedy, science fiction and fantasy, the audience also understands the codes and conventions that apply to specific genres.

Storyline

Story lines, including

• Central and concurrent story lines and the motivations, conflicts or narrative issues raised in them.
• Ways in which story lines comment upon, contrast or interrelate with other story lines in the text.

Structuring of Time

Film narratives operate within codes and conventions, and as the audience we view them with an understanding of these conventions. The structuring of time within a narrative is an example of these conventions. Film uses convention top help the audiences overcome the limitations of real time. Occasionally, a film narrative presents the story in real time, in other words, screen time and story time are the same.

Audiences accept the convention that films compress time so that the events of a character’s lifetime can occur for us within 2 hours we have set aside to watch the film.

Time can also be manipulated in a film narrative though such devices as time-lapse photography, slow motion, fast motion, flashback and flash forward.

Cause and Effect

Cause and effect is a narrative function. Everything that happens in a story must happen for a reason. There must be a cause for there to be an effect. The cause and effect chain is a foundation of story telling.

Point of View (From Which the Narrative is Presented)

In presenting the narrative, the filmmaker decides from whose point of view the story will be told. In a conventionally plotted narrative, the point of view that one or two main protagonists. Point of view does not need to be limited to only one character.

Point of View in which the narrative is presented, including

• Character, or other viewpoint
• Story information given or withheld at different points of the narrative

Closure or Closing Sequence

The closing sequence brings the plot of climax both in a story and emotional sense; it is the point at where the audience reaches an understanding about unanswered questions relating to the story and characters.

~ Production Elements ~

Camera/Film:

Camera is the most obvious of the production elements. Camera techniques develop the plot, narrative possibilities and characters. The camera angle affects how viewers will perceive that subject. Angles can establish relationships, create moods and develop story lines. Camera movement can also be used to create emotion or draw the audience’s attention to a subject. Camera shots are used in context to a situation in the film.

There are 5 basic camera angles:

• Eye-level
• High Angle
• Low Angle
• Birds Eye
• Unusual

There are 3 basic camera movements:

• Panning
• Zooming
• Tilting

There are 7 basic camera shots:

• Close-up
• Extreme Close-up
• Medium Shot
• Long Shot
• Extreme Long Shot
• Point of View or Subjective
• Reaction Shot

Additionally the film format will affect the mood and look of a film. Some format options available are black and white, colour film, digital video and animation.

Lighting:

Lighting allows objects and characters to be seen by the audience. This can be the most creative elements of film making. It can also help with character development. Characters can be made to look friendly or evil through the use of lighting. The background of a shot is lit up to create a broad depth of field. Additionally lighting can describe a relationship or set a mood.

Lighting can be described in four categories: Soft, Hard, High-key and Low-key.

• Soft Lighting: wraps around an object, casting shadows with soft edges. This creates a soft, warm feeling.
• Hard Lighting: Consists of bright whites and dark blacks and creates harder edged shadows. This creates a cruel, cold feeling.
• High-key Lighting: Creates little shadow. Set tends to be flooded with light. This is often used to create a normal “Happy” scene. The use of strong key lights mean that only parts of the set are lit other parts remain in shadow. This can create a very dramatic effect with only some object being high-lighted.
• Low-key Lighting: If key lights are set at a Low point very strong shadows are thrown on surfaces. This can create an eerie effect.

Lighting also helps convey the point of view of a character.

Visual Composition (Mise – en – Scene):

Visual composition refers to everything within the frame. It determines how the shot develops the characters and storyline. It can also incite responses and emotions within the audience.

Questions that need to be considered for visual composition are:

• How will the shot be lit?
• How will the shot be arranged?
• Where will the actors be placed?
• What props will be placed in the shot?

In the movie Psycho, Alfred Hitchcock left nothing to chance with the visual composition of his movie. Three examples of this are:

Acting:

This refers to the work of an actor or actress who tells the story by portraying a character. Through the use of body language, tone of voice, posture and delivery of lines develops the character and creates a relationship between the character and audience. In some cases the qualities of the character are due to the reputation of the character.

Editing:

Editing is the process of placing images and sound in an order to tell a story and create emotion. Editing is the process of looking at the footage shot and selecting the most appropriate shots which then are assembled in a sequence that conveys a narrative to the audience. It can establish setting, develop character, restructure time and express point of view.

Editing serves three major purposes:

• Narrative: allows the audience to follow the character throughout the narrative and can also express a character’s thoughts.
• Emotional: the way in which a film is cut can produce an emotional response from the audience.
• Intellectual Editing: the director is able to plant a thought or concept in the audience’s mind.

Additionally editors often combine visual images and sounds to develop narratives.

Sound:

Sound can be divided into two categories:

• Diegetic
• Non – Diegetic

Diegetic sound is where the narrator tells the story. The narrator presents the actions and thoughts of the character. Also the sound of glass breaking as a character smashes a mirror is referred to as diegetic sound.

Non – Diegetic sound comes from the outside world of the story. This can include the sound of a characters heart beat as a character runs or music playing in the background of a scene.

Other types of sound include:

• Dialogue
• Music/Score
• Sound-effects
• Voice over