expectations of del Toro’s films would inform an analy-
sis of the elements common to the filmmaker’s seem-
ingly schizophrenic body of work. Such an analysis
could focus on his visual style in terms of production
design, lighting, or special effects, or might instead
examine recurring themes such as oppression, child-
hood trauma, or the role of the outcast.
As you can see, cinematic invisibility is not nec-
essarily an impediment; once you know enough to
acknowledge their existence, these potential blind
spots also offer opportunities for insight and analy-
sis. There are many ways to look at movies and
many possible types of film analysis. We’ll spend
the rest of this chapter discussing the most com-
mon analytical approaches to movies. Since this
book considers an understanding of how film gram-
mar conveys meaning, mood, and information as
the essential foundation for any further study of
cinema, we’ll start with formal analysis—that
analytical approach primarily concerned with film
form, or the means by which a subject is
expressed. Don’t worry if you don’t fully under-
stand the function of the techniques discussed;
that’s what the rest of this book is for.Formal Analysis
Formal analysis dissects the complex synthesis of
cinematography, sound, composition, design, move-
ment, performance, and editing orchestrated by
creative artists like screenwriters, directors, cine-
matographers, actors, editors, sound designers,
and art directors, as well as the many craftspeople
who implement their vision. The movie meaning
expressed through form ranges from narrative
information as straightforward as where and when
a particular scene takes place to more subtle
implied meaning, such as mood, tone, significance,
or what a character is thinking or feeling.
While it is certainly possible for the overeager
analyst to read more meaning into a particular
visual or audio component than the filmmaker
intended, you should realize that cinematic story-
tellers exploit every tool at their disposal and that,
therefore, every element in every frame is there for
a reason. It’s up to the analyst to carefully consider
the narrative intent of the moment, scene, or
sequence before attempting any interpretation of
the formal elements used to communicate that
intended meaning to the spectator.
For example, the simple awareness that Juno’s
opening shot [1] is the first image of the movie
informs the analyst of the moment’s most basic and
explicit intent: to convey setting (contemporary14 CHAPTER 1LOOKING AT MOVIES
12Expectations and character in JunoAudience reac-
tions to Michael Cera’s characterization of Juno’s sort-of
boyfriend, Paulie Bleeker, are colored by expectations based
on the actor’s perpetually embarrassed persona established
in previous roles in the television series Arrested Develop-
mentand films like Superbad[1]. We don’t need the movie to
tell us much of anything about Paulie——we form an almost
instant affection for the character based on our familiarity
with Cera’s earlier performances. But while the character
Paulie meets our expectations of Michael Cera, he defies our
expectations of his character type. Repeated portrayals of
high-school jocks as vain bullies, such as Thomas F. Wilson’s
iconic Biff in Robert Zemeckis’s Back to the Future(1985) [2]
have conditioned viewers to expect such characters to look
and behave very differently than Paulie Bleeker.