It says about the basics of film reading

1. ‘Language’ of Films
• The great thing about literature is that
you can imagine, the great thing about
film is that you can’t.
James Monaco

2. ‘Language’ of Films
• There is no basic linguistic unit, such as a word.
• There is no formal grammar.

3. • Film does, however, make statements, so it
works like a language.

4. • The closest devices it has to a real language are:
– shots (could be compared to words)
– scenes (like sentences)
– sequences (like paragraphs)
• However, these are often difficult to differentiate from one
another:
• A lengthy shot can be considered a scene.
• Statements can be made within a shot, using movement,
focus, color, proxemics, camera position, etc.).

5. The better a viewer reads an image the
more he/she understands:
• Its physical reality
• What it means based on cultural
references
• Its various sets of meanings

6. • When you look at a frame, one of the first
things to consider is distance.
• How much do you see of the character(s)?
• Is it a close up?
• Is it a full shot?
• Is it a medium shot?
• Can you see the whole body or a part of
the body?

7. What is a shot?
A part of a film between two cuts
Shots are generally filmed with a single camera
and can be of any duration. A shot in
production, defined by the beginning and
end of a capturing process

9. Different types
• Close ups
• Camera angles, close-ups, and editing
techniques contribute to viewers’ feelings
toward a character.
• Viewers do not care much either way about
characters seen at a distance.
• They are more likely to empathize or identify
with a character who is often seen in close-
ups.

10. • Close up

13. Extreme close up shot (ECU)

15. • In general the closer the camera gets to
the characters, the closer the viewer feels
towards the characters.
• This is why close ups are often used for:
 love scenes
 scenes where the character is
suffering or fearful
 any other scene where the viewer is
supposed to understand what the
character is feeling.

16. Medium shot

18. Long Shot

20. Extreme Long Shot (ELS)

23. Bird eye view shot

24. God Eye View Shot

26. • As the camera moves further away
from the character(s), the viewer is
provided more information about them
or about their situation.

27. focus

29. Deep Focus
In deep focus the foreground, middle-
ground and background are all in focus.

30. Deep Focus

31. Establishing Shot
• It lets the audience have a look at the
subject in relation to its
• surroundings. It usually appears at the
beginning of a film or
• scene to establish the setting or to
introduce a film.

33. Establishing Shot

34. ELS as “establishing shot”

35. Point of View Shot

37. Low Angle Shot

39. • A frame shot from a low angle makes
the subject seem larger.

42. • A frame shot from a high angle is often
referred to as God’s eye view because
it suggests that ‘someone’ is observing
the characters. It can suggest danger
and helplessness.

43. High Angle Shot

45. A character that seems larger than another in a frame is usually the
dominant character.
From Double Indemnity 1944
From
Rebecca
1940
From
Gone with the Wind
1939
From Letter from an Unknown Woman
1948

46. The Departed 2006

48. Two shot
• Makes two characters the subject of the
frame. It allows you to
• understand how the characters interact
and react to each other

51. Aura (halo effect)

52. Aura (halo effect)

53. Making a Film, a Poem

54. Simile

58. Metaphor

59. Synecdoche

61. Personification

63. Transferred Epithet

64. Onomatopoeia

65. Montage
• is a technique in film editing in which a series
of short shots are edited into a sequence to
condense space, time, and information. It is
usually used to suggest the passage of time.

67. Syntagmatic statements
• Two images juxtaposed suggest a
third meaning

70. Besides shots and angles, you should also watch for symbols.
Some common symbols are:
Images of entrapment are usually shown through characters framed
by doors, gates, or confined spaces (like closets).
From The Kid 1921
From Carrie 1976

71. Pan’s Labyrinth 2006
Atonement 2007

72. The Hours 2002
The Ring 2002
The Painted Veil 2006

73. A Beautiful Mind 2001
The Departed 2006

74. Images of duality are usually represented by characters reflected
in mirrors , water, glass.
Psycho 1960

75. The Lady from Shanghai,1947
Taxi Driver 1976
The Matrix 2003

76. Mulholland Drive 2001

77. Black Swan 2010

78. Light cutting through a character(s), lines
which divide the frame, usually mark images of characters
that are in turmoil.
From The Usual Suspects
From Blade Runner
From The Awful Truth

79. Sweeney Todd 2007

80. Other Symbols
Christ figures/Biblical References
From Dead Man Walking
Crosses
From The Omen
Pan’s Labyrinth

81. Blood
Destruction or desecration of
symbols
From Planet of the Apes

82. Slumdog Millionaire 2008
Trains

83. The Moon
Water
Roads
From E.T.
From Jaws
From North by Northwest
…and many others
Trees

84. Thank You