Literary Film Techniques

General Techniques

Angles: The main angles are:

• Low – Establishes the power of the character or object.
• Eye-Level – Allows the audience to get personal with the character(s)
• High – Presents the subject as vulnerable or lacking in power.
• Worm's Eye – Presents the figure as very large and/or powerful.

Bridging Shot:
A bridging shot connects two different, disconnected moments in a film. Bridging shots are commonly used to bridge the gap between two different locations. They are also used to transition to a different point in time. The purpose of the bridging shot in a film is to maintain clarity and geography for the audience. In that way the audience understands when and where they are in the story.

Colour/ Tone: In filmmaking, color is used to set the tone of a scene before any of the actors have even uttered a word.
Red is used to denote passion, danger or power.

Pink signifies innocence, femininity and beauty.

Yellow is associated with joy, naivety and insanity.

Blue symbolises isolation, passivity and calmness.

Cucoloris: The cucoloris was created to give artificial lighting a more natural look. Cookies break up the light from a light source to create various patterns. In film, theatre and still photography, they are used to imply the presence of objects like trees or Venetian blinds — think Film Noir — or to add drama to an otherwise flat lighting setup. A cucoloris can also be used to make it look like there’s moving shadows or light passing over the scene. 

Cross-Cutting:
The cross-cutting technique, a mainstay of film and video editing, is a method by which film editors cut back and forth between scenes taking place in different spaces or settings. You can cross-cut between two scenes in two locations, or you can cross-cut among multiple scenes in multiple locations. You can even cross-cut between two events taking place in the same physical space and on the same timeline.
When well-executed, cross-cutting in film editing, allows viewers to suspend disbelief and process multiple scenes as though they are taking place concurrently. In some cases, the scenes really do occur simultaneously—like two fight scenes occurring in different parts of the same room. Other times, these scenes take place far apart from one another, but masterful editing techniques make it seem as though they occupy the same time and space.
Dialogue: Dialogue is a written or spoken exchange of words between one or more characters. Most narrative stories feature this verbal communication, which is often easily identifiable by either quotations in literature or dedicated spaces in scripts. Dialogue has various uses, though it is most often for the purposes of advancing the plot and building the character. For example it lets the audience learn more about the character, their history, feelings and viewpoints.

Establishing Shots: An “establishing shot” prefaces a scene in a movie with a wide shot of the scene's location. It is meant to help viewers process a shift to a new location. Establishing shots can depict the actors in the space in which they will be acting, the exterior of a building, or the larger geographic context of the scene.

Jump-Cuts: A jump cut is a cut in film editing that breaks a single continuous sequential shot of a subject into two parts, with a piece of footage removed to create the effect of jumping forward in time. Camera positioning on the subject across the sequence should vary only slightly to achieve the effect.

Lighting effects:
 
Lighting is a quintessential part of filmmaking in visually setting the mood and atmosphere of a film, which oftentimes define the genre of the film. It’s a powerful tool that can direct the audience’s eye to a part of a scene, a specific actor or prop and even reflect the emotions and personality of a character.
The key lighting effects are:
Three point lighting,

Soft light vs hard light,
High key vs low key lighting
Chiaroscuro lighting – is a high contrast lighting technique that utilises a low-key lighting setup to achieve contrast between the subject and a dark background.
Natural Lighting and Golden Hour
Natural lighting in film refers to the use of available light sources such as sunlight or practical lighting to illuminate a scene or capture visuals without the use of artificial lighting equipment.
Golden Hour Lighting
Golden hour lighting refers to a period of time shortly after sunrise and before sunset when the light is optimal for capturing a beautiful aesthetic on camera. This is because the sun is close to the horizon at these times of day, it casts a delicate hue that adds an extra layer of visual beauty to a scene or photograph.

Practical lighting refers to any and all light sources that are visible in a scene. This includes candles, tungsten lights, lamps, and even natural light coming in through a window. As you might guess from the name, this type of light serves a practical purpose but doesn't always emit a ton of light on its own.

Mise en scene: (Putting in a scene)
When applied to the cinema, mise-en-scene refers to everything that appears before the camera.  These include the elements help to express a film's vision by generating a sense of time and space, as well as setting a mood.

Mise en abyme: (Putting in the abyss) In film theory and literary theory, it refers to the technique of inserting a story within a story. The term is derived from heraldry and means "placed into abyss". (Abyss – a deep immeasurable space, gulf or cavity).  It is anything that seems to be without end or is impossible to measure, define, or comprehend: the abyss of their grief and sorrow.

Music: Music in movies has a significant impact on the viewer's perception of what is happening by providing musical cues about characters, moods and plot foreshadowing. Movie communication occurs not only through watching the story but, also, by hearing it.

Over The Shoulder Shot: The over-the-shoulder shot (OTS or short over) is a camera angle used in film and television, where the camera is placed above the back of the shoulder and head of a subject. This shot is most commonly used to present conversations back and forth between two subjects.

Panning Shot: Are sometimes referred to as ‘panning’, are an extremely effective camera technique in which you move the camera horizontally from a fixed point to capture a panorama. To create a pan shot, you change turn the camera to the left of right without altering its position. Use a tripod for this. There’s no such thing as panning up or down, which is referred to as a tilt, or in or out, which can be done with shots like a dolly shot (see below) or by zooming. Because of panning’s ability to be used for a wide range of situations and scenarios, it’s an important move for any aspiring photographer or cinematographer to master.

(A dolly shot is a certain type of tracking shot where the camera is mounted on a wheeled cart (a dolly), which in turn set on tracks. The camera moves along smoothly on the dolly to create a steady and controlled shot).

Point Of View: Point of view is the writer’s way of showing who is telling the story to whom. Establishing a clear point of view is important because it dictates how your reader interprets characters, events, and other important details. There are three kinds of point of view: first person, second person, and third person.

Rack Shot:   Is where one subject in a scene (foreground or background) is in focus and gradually the focus changes to another subject in the scene.

Sequence Shot: Sequence shooting is a method used to capture a scene from various distances. Sequence shots ensure that the editor ends up with plenty of shot sizes to tell the story and keep the audience's attention. At a minimum, you should get a wide, medium, and close view of the scene.

Shot Types: There are seven main types of shot sizes include the close-up, the extreme close-up, the medium shot, the establishing shot, the wide shot, the extreme wide shot, and the Point-of-View (POV) shot. The extreme close-up and wide shot are one of the different shot types, which is an amplified version of a basic camera shot.

Sound: There are many different types of sound including:
Audible, inaudible, unpleasant pleasant, soft, loud noise and music..

Motif: A recurring object or emotion throughout the sequence of the film to bring a deeper meaning. What is a motif in film? A motif is a repeated narrative element that supports the theme of a story. A motif in film can be presented in a number of ways like physical items, sound design, lines of dialogue, music, colours, and symbols. Any motif used will vastly improve a story if it has narrative significance.

Symbolism: An item that symbolises a deeper meaning, however symbolism can be found within all aspects of film including lighting. Symbolism is a powerful device used across various forms of art, including literature, paintings, and music. In the world of film and television, symbolism has the potential to make a significant impact on the audience's understanding and interpretation of the story.

Steady Cam: A Steadicam is a camera stabilizing system used to capture tracking shots with motion picture cameras. It isolates the camera operator's movement and makes the shot look smooth and controlled, capturing the action without any wobbles.

Transition: Conceptually, transitions convey a passage of time, character movement, pauses, storylines, and silence. They structure the film from first shot to last. There are several common forms — the wipe, the dissolve, the split-cut, and many more. Cuts, fades, zooming, tilts, flashback, flashforward,  wipes etc.

Tracking/ Dolly Shot: “following alongside a subject as they move, usually filming profile to the character.” Instead of moving the camera forward or backward, the dolly track follows the subject on a horizontal plane, moving left or right to track the A shot that follows a figure as they move (opposite of static shot.)

Two-shot: A scene where two characters are alone to establish/ develop their relationship.

Open Frame: A shot where setting continues beyond frame.

Close Frame: Where a character is closed by vertical or horizontal lines.

Rule of Thirds: Figure is placed either centre frame or one side.

Costuming: All characters represent a certain personality, time, and or perspective through the choice of their clothing (eg. contemporary, vintage, stereotypical.)

Focus: Sharp focus (clear image,) soft focus (subject is highlighted, but not highly defined.)

Medium Shot: Is the most common shot, captured at waist shot with a medium distance between. A medium shot, also called a mid-shot or waist shot, is a type of camera shot in film and television that shows an actor approximately from the waist up. A medium shot is used to emphasize both the actor and their surroundings by giving them an equal presence on screen. The director of photography uses a medium shot to clearly show the actor's face and emotions while still informing the audience of what’s going on in the world around them.

Word Expressions: English expressions are phrases or groups of words that communicate a specific meaning when employed in a specific way such as slang, accent, voice-over, narration.

Archival Footage: Utilising real footage, and or photographs.

Cinéma vérité: Characterised by combining naturalistic techniques with cinematic editing (eg. hand-held camera, voice-over commentary, interviews.)

Brechtian Distanciation (Distancing): Where characters acknowledge the audience, instead of the usual imagined wall between the film and viewer (eg. A breaking in fourth-world realism.)

Montage: Short shots edited into a sequence.

Parallel Editing: Two characters compared in two shots through alternation.

Plan Sequence: Movement through various locations.

Negative Space: Plain white background, with the figure at centre.

Depth of Field: Blurring the background to emphasise characters or objects.

‘The Castle’ Techniques

Angles: Low, eye-level, high, worms eye, canted (develops psychological unease/tension through being tilted,) and birds eye.

• Scene: When we’re looking at the aeroplanes in the sky in the first scene, that's a low angle to reflect the large importance of setting.

Colour/ Tone: Warm, saturated, grey-scale, light or dark prominent colours, low-key lighting (poor lighting,) high-key lighting (bright unobstructed view of a figure,) back lighting (lit background causing the figure to be a silhouette.)

• Everything is well lit and typically has warm colours to reflect an anecdote of the Australian sun (the target audience is Australians, so it shows familitary and further tugs on a preexisting relationship with our nationalism/ home,) as well as eliciting a warm emotion from the audience.

Dialogue: Communication that brings out characterisation between two figures.

• Dialogue is common in most films, but scenes talking about family, or a scene attached to the question almost always has dialogue.
• Scenes: The youngest son is talking to the eldest son in jail, a repetition of “my home” to other characters, and tone in the theatrical display of Darryls words after they lost the court case.

Establishing Shot: A long shot of a setting that establishes the time and context of a clip.

• Scene: Where the viewer is presented with a long shot of the aeroplanes.

Mise en scene: the arrangement of the scenery, props, etc. on the stage of a  production or on the set of a film. Refers to the composition of a scene, including placement of characters, costuming etc.

• Scene: Where Darryl and the other lawyers are seated in the courthouse represents a universal extent of family importance and a home. The use of a courthouse regarding a personal matter reveals a displacement in morals within Australia’s justice system, while simultaneously provoking the overall argument that “A man's home is his castle” which argues that someone's safety net/land cannot be ethically ripped from them due to another’s opinion.
• Additionally, the costuming of serious white-collar clothing suggests a disconnection with Darryls personality, and therefore shows an internal juxtaposition regarding the composition of a scene.

Music: Diegetic (music heard by characters and audience,) Extra/Non-Diegetic music (music heard by audience and not characters.)

• Non-Diegetic music can be seen throughout the film, to elicit certain emotions from the audience. Broad types of music include  art, folk, and popular.
• Additionally, music aids to soliloquy a character, and represent a hidden deeper meaning.

Over The Shoulder Shot: Imitate scene where the audience is placed as a bystander or the perspective of the character.

• Scene: When Darryl goes to the council, which also includes a juxtaposing tone (place or deal with close together for contrasting effect – tone). The audience has a clear view over the shoulder of Darryl who is talking to the woman representing the council.

Panning Shot: Where the camera pans a view, or follows the characters.

• Panning allows for the audience to gather contextual clues that has been normalised by the characters, such as other houses or frequent locations. It allows for us to see a perspective of a location the same time a character passes.
• Scene: Darryl jumping over the fence to reach his neighbours home, who fervently responds with “They’re going to take my house, Darryl.” Panning reveals the interconnections within the community’s established close-knit neighbourhood.

Rack Shot: Where the camera shifts focus between two characters or situations.

• Scene: Changes between the family enjoying life, and the eldest son in a jail cell is an example of a rack shot.

Motif: A recurring object or emotion throughout the sequence of the film to bring a deeper meaning (eg. Balloon in IT.)

• The recurrence of aeroplanes and electricity hold a deep meaning of interconnectedness throughout communities, as the motif of connection reveals this.
• Additionally, motifs can foreshadow the ending as it prevails how communities can combine together as a means of a common goal (Individuals vs. Collective.)

Symbolism: An item that symbolises a deeper meaning, however symbolism can be found within all aspects of film including lighting.

• Scene: Darryls reference of  “It's not a house it's a home, a man's home is his castle” symbolises his perseverance against adversity. Consequently, the use of ‘castle’ symbolically reveals his admiration and pride of his house, as the term ‘castle’ has connotations of safety and power.

Steady Cam: A steady camera position throughout an emotional or action scene.

• Various scenes involve Steadicam, so it’s best to utilise it when you forget your technique which can happen to the best videographer.