Moving Images, Understanding Media

26 Moving Images: Making Movies, Understanding Media

this book, you will consistently return to these concepts. Th ink about the

following elements:

• Composition of the frame

° How are people, objects, and places presented, and how do

they move around?

° Where is the camera positioned and how does it move?

• Use of light, dark, and color in photography.

° Are there ways in which you can describe the “look” of the fi lm?

° What is typically sharp or blurry?

° How would you describe light and dark or color in the fi lm?

• Use of editing of shots.

° What rhythms are established by the edits?

° What are some typical juxtapositions of shots as they line up

in a sequence? How do they reveal or hide information?

• Stylistic choices in the approach to acting; sound design and use of
  music; production design (sets, costumes, props, and so forth); and
  visual eff ects.

° Is there a particular tradition and context in which the actors

are working? Do the performances in the movie fi t together

well and follow an approach that refl ects a cultural, social, or

historical context?

° How does sound aff ect the impact of the images? How does

sound work to add to, contradict, or comment on the events

of the motion picture?

° How are production design and visual eff ects used to create

a believable or artistically cohesive world on the screen? In

what ways do production design and visual eff ects add to the

story being told or the impact of the images on the screen?

To n e can sometimes derive from the type or genre of a particular movie

and is expressed through the emotional qualities, ambiance, and mood of a

motion picture. You can apply this to any format, whether a feature fi lm, a

television program, a commercial, or an instructional video. Th ere are many

ways in which we can describe the tone of motion pictures:

• Is it quiet and refl ective, or is it brash and aggressive?


• Is it dramatic but with a slightly comic tone (like some James Bond
  fi lms), or is it brooding and menacing?


• Does it tell its story or relate information in a straightforward way
  (such as in a clear tone), or does it establish a sarcastic attitude about
  characters or other aspects of the story or message?


• Does it follow a certain format that you are familiar with, such as romantic
  comedy, action adventure, horror, or other recognizable type?

VIEWFINDER

“There is a certain

momentum that you need

for a fi lm in the same way

that your car needs an

engine.”

–Kimberly Peirce–

Director of Boys

Don’t Cry (1999) and

Stop-Loss (2008)

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