Readings

Further notes

Preferred readings. Eg: Wizard of Oz is a family/children’s film about an innocent girl who battles against an evil witch with the help of her unusual friends

E.g.:
Battleship Potemkin is a story about how the evil Bolsheviks persecuted the poor Russian people and how the people stood up to this oppression and brought about their freedom

Deviant or Subversive readings E.g.: Wizard of Oz is an allegory for homosexuality. The film has a sub text of promoting homosexuality and gay pride.
E.g.: The British government considered Battleship Potemkin as a propaganda film promoting communist ideology as a solution to equalities brought by Democracy and capitalism

RECEPTION THEORY
Interface: The mode of exhibition - Where and what you absorb/consume the film on: Cinema, Blu-ray, DVD, Projector, TV, Internet could have an impact on the viewing experience as a spectator
Ÿ Universal responses: Think about how you respond to a film and how does it compare to the wider public - How do filmmakers attempt to make audiences react to their narratives
Ÿ RECEPTION THEORY
Ÿ Think about what happens to you when you watch the sequence?
Ÿ What micro features are responsible for your reactions/responses
Ÿ Your ONE MICRO analysis (lighting, sound, editing, performance & movement) must be OBVIOUS within the clip
Ÿ Ideally it should be a self contained clip (3 to 5 min’s) or if it is part of a sequence it should have a clear beginning and end.
Ÿ REMEMBER to ANALYSE - DON’T just identify and describe in formal/technical terms. Ie: always give CONNOTATIONS (meanings), not just DENOTATIONS

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How to storyboard a film sequence

·        The purpose of a storyboard is to photograph (draw/digitalise) each and every shot of a film with a list of key information written underneath it.

·        Storyboards allow a director to visualise the whole film before filming and also allows the cameraperson to understand how the film is to be shot

·        Storyboards also allow you to change elements if they don’t work visually before the expensive filmmaking process

Each frame of the storyboard should contain the following information:

1.    Shot number: Each shot of the storyboard must be numbered so that the intended sequence of shots can be followed

2.    Framing: Is the shot a Close up? Medium shot? Long shot?

3.    Drawing: A drawing visualisation of what is happening in the shot

4.    Action: A brief description of what is happening in the shot

5.    Dialogue: Single lines of dialogue may be written

6.    Sound effects: Are there any specific sounds, diegetic, and non-diegetic?

·        Each frame on the storyboard must have a shot descriptors such as FRAMING: MLS, ECU, LS etc

·        Also information on movement and position such as the following abbreviations could be added:

·        H/A = High Angle

·        L/A = Low Angle

·        POV = Point of view

·        2-SHOT = Two people in a shot

·        OTS = Over the shoulder

·        Track/dolly = move camera on wheeled platform

·        Crab = sideways move

·        Pull focus = change what is focused on

·        Students will also need to think about:

·        Location

·        Props

·        Logistics – where and when will you create your sequence (Create Production Schedule)

SOUND: An analysis of the use of Sound in Scarface (1983)

SOUND
Scarface (1983) Brian De Palma

• Diegetic (ambient, dialogue) Non-diegetic (incidental, voice over, soundtrack)


• Analyze the use of sound in Scarface, in particular the “chainsaw” sequence

• Also discuss the use of the following forms of sound:

• INCIDENTAL
• AMBIENT
• SOUNDTRACK (Songs)
• DIALOGUE – (paralinguistic codes)