Elements of Film Structure

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Elements of Film Structure

• SPH 106 Intro. to
• Broadcasting Film

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Elements of Film Structure

• StructureThe audio-visual design of the film and
  the tools needed to create that design camera,
  lighting, set, performance, editing, sound.
• ContentThe story, theme, and characterizations.

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The Film-making Process
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• The directorcoordinates and organizes the work
  of the cast and crew.
• The producerhas administrative control over
  budget and schedule.

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Time components of film

• Running timethe full duration of a film.
  (Feature films are generally 90-120 minutes.)
• Story timethe amount of time the plot covers.
  (Could be hours or centuries.)

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• Internal structural timethe tempo of a film,
  which is affected by length of shots and editing
  of film.
• A shot is the time occurring between the camera
  being turned on and shut off.

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Spatial components

• Framethe projected area on screen, but also an
  individual image on a strip of film.
• Camera positioning
• Long shot (often used as an establishing shot)
• Medium shot
• Close-up (may be used to show expressions)

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• Camera angles
• Low (used to make figures appear to tower)
• Medium (eye-level views)
• High (used to diminish subjects in size)
• Canted angle (gives an off-kilter effect)
• Angles must be used in context with scenes.

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Low angle
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Medium Angle
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High angle
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• Focal lengththe distance between the film and
  optical center of the cameras lens.
• Normal range lens is 50mm
• Telephoto lens has greater focal length
• Wide-angle lens has shorter focal length
• Zoom lens

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• Depth of fieldthe amount of area from near to
  far that will remain in focus. (Wide-angles have
  greater depth of field than telephotos.)

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• Camera Movement
• Pan and tilt
• Dolly or tracking
• Boom or crane
• Steadicam
• Motion perspectivethe changing distances of
  framed objects due to the motion of a moving
  camera, such as one with a zoom lens.

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The Dolly Shot
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The Zoom
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Panning
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Tilting
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Creative choices

• Flashingexposing film to a small amount of prior
  to filming in order to mute color and shadows.
• ENR (Ernesto N. Rico)a developing process that
  makes shadows darker and edges crisper.

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Perception of film

• Perceptual transformationthe ability of the
  camera to show things in a way that differs from
  human visual perception.
• Perceptual correspondencethe camera showing
  things in a way common with visual perception