The Elements of Cinema

Cinema, or motion picture, is the art of moving images; a visual medium that tells stories and exposes
reality. It is also, by far, the world’s most complex, collaborative, and costly artistic expression.
Nowadays, cinema can be defined as the art of colorful moving images enhanced by voices, sounds,
and music.

TIME

Time is the most important element of the cinema. In the cinema, it is subject to contraction,
expansion, breaks or leaps through the manipulation of the director. The three aspects of time in the
cinema are physical, psychological, and dramatic time.

Physical time. Physical time is the time taken by an action as it is being filmed and as it is being
projected on the screen. A film may actually show what is happening in real life – a man walking, a
horse running, or a car in pursuit of another. But the film does not capture these events in actual
motion. In the cinema, a series of still photographs are projected on the screen, each frame visible
only for one forty-eight of a second. While one image is being replaced by another, the screen is dark
for another forty-eight of a second. Physical time in the cinema can be distorted through slow motion,
accelerated motion, reverse motion, and stop motion. Slow motion happens when the camera takes
pictures faster than the projector can show them on the on screen. Accelerated motion occurs when
the camera takes pictures slower than the projector can run them on the screen. Reverse motion
conveys an undoing of time. The end of an action is shown first then the motion is retraced to its
beginning. It is used for magic or comic effects. Stop motion is a filming technique in which successive
positions of objects (such as clay models) are photographed to produce the appearance of movement.

Psychological time. Psychological time is our emotional impression of the duration of the action that
we experience as we watch a film. In real life, our mental state affects the way time passes for us.
Time seems to move fast when we are happy. Boredom, idleness, or tragedy makes time lag. In the
cinema, time also affects our mental state. Rapid action or loud, lively music makes time go quickly
and induces in us a feeling of exhilaration and excitement, while a slow pace can induce a melancholy
mood or grief and slow down time.

Dramatic time. Dramatic time refers to the time taken up by the events which are depicted in the film.
The cinema may use a storyline that covers a single day in the life of a character or the whole history
of a civilization. A story that embraces a long period of time may utilize flashbacks, include a prologue
or an epilogue, or exclude the inessential since it can be controlled from shot to shot.

SPACE

The three-dimensionality and realness of objects are achieved through the use of scale, shooting
angle, and lighting – the rudiments of the art of the film.

Scale. Scale refers to the size of objects on the screen and their relation to the surrounding area. Three
different sizes of shots may be taken: long shot, medium shot, and close -up. A long shot is taken when
the camera is positioned very far from the object and therefore there is a wide view on a small scale.
A medium shot is taken from tan average distance and is the view of medium extent on a medium
scale. A close-up results from the camera which is situated so close to the object that we can
distinguish the smallest features of the object.
Shooting Angle. The camera may record scenes from different angles. Angles are varied to allow the
director to show his concept of the object or the character in the film. Shooting angles can express
subjectively what things are like as they are seen from the point of view of a character. The director
may take pictures from several angles: vertically upwards, vertically downwards, and horizontally.

Lighting. This is another means used to give the illusion of depth in the film. By the position of lights,
a filmmaker can create areas of light and dark, and increase or decrease depth.

The Elements of Theatre

Theatre, also spelled theater, in dramatic arts, an art concerned almost exclusively with live
performances in which the action is precisely planned to create a coherent and significant sense of
drama.

Performers

People onstage presenting characters in dramatic action. They entertain an audience by acting, singing
or dancing. They play characters on stage or screen and work with the direction of the creative team
to bring a piece of theatre to life. The audience is coming to see a performer pretend to be someone
else. When the actor/actress is on stage, they must be believable as the character they are portraying.
If they are not believable, then the audience will be less interested in the production.

Audience

The essence of theater is the interaction between the performer and audience. Theater needs to be
experienced live. There is a "call and response" atmosphere that cannot be witnessed in a movie
theater. In a live theater experience, when the audience laughs out loud, or cries, then the actors
respond to that energy. In a movie, there is no connection between the actors and audience, only
reactions from the audience. Theatres must see audiences as collaborators. Theatre can't happen
without an audience.

Director

The director is an instructor in the theatre field who oversees and orchestrates the mounting of a
theatre production (a play, opera, musical, or devised piece of work) by unifying various endeavours
and aspects of production. The director makes certain that the performers understand the text and
deliver the script excitingly and appropriately. The director also makes sure the blocking, costume
designs, set designs and other aspects of the show blend together to make a production that works
together. All the aspects of theater should complement each other, and the director oversees all these
things.

Space

Another necessary element of theater is the space in which performers or audiences come together.
It is essential to have a stage, or some equivalent area, where actors and actresses can perform. It is
also essential to have a place for audience members to sit or stand.

Visual Aspects

These refer to costumes, lighting, and some form of scenic background.

Nonvisual Aspects

These refer to sound and background music.

Script

A final element essential to theater is the text that is performed, and it must be present for theater to
occur. Another name for the text is script. One key element for writing is conflict The characters should
have a goal to reach, but to reach that goal they must go through a series of conflicts. Without conflict
the story would be bland and boring. When writing your script, how can you make your story more
interesting?

References

https://www.scribd.com/doc/21873801/Elements-of-Cinema

https://www.slideshare.net/RS016/elements-of-theater

https://www.britannica.com/art/theatre-art