10 Cinematic Techniques You Need to

Know for a Better Film Study Essay

April 26, 2017
Face it. Every time we watch a movie, we turn into movie critics. Lots of times,
though, our critiques aren’t that involved. They’re limited to things like “That sucked!”
or “That movie was awesome!” or “I love him. He’s hot!”

This not-so-detailed analysis is fine if you’re critiquing a movie with your friends, but
it isn’t going to cut it when you have to write a film analysis.

But if you can’t write about how much the movie sucked or how hot the actors are,
what’s left to include in the paper?

Believe me, there are lots of things to include. I can’t possibly discuss them all in this
set of notes, but here are 10 cinematic techniques you need to know for a better
essay.

The purpose of this is to describe 10 cinematic techniques you might use as part of
a film analysis essay.

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Let’s dive into those techniques now.

Cinematic technique #1: Genre

Genre refers to a type of film (or piece of literature) that follows a specific style and
usually focuses on a specific subject. A few examples of genres are western,
romantic comedy (a.k.a. chick flick), sci-fi, and documentary.

Genres can sometimes become formulaic, so if you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them
all. Think of every romantic comedy in existence. They’re all basically light-hearted
comedies, and the characters have to overcome a number of obstacles in order to
find their true love.

Cinematic technique #2: Literary terms

“Literary terms” is not technically a technique exclusive to film, but in many literature
classes you are asked to analyze films. If you are asked to critique a film as a piece
of literature, you better believe your teacher is going to want to see a detailed
discussion of literary devices.
Think about movies like Lord of the Rings and the Christian symbolism involved.
Think about the classic film Citizen Kane and the sled as a symbol of Kane’s
childhood.

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How about theme? The Disney movie Cinderella exemplifies the theme of love
conquers all.

And Luke interacting with Darth Vader in Star Wars? This is clearly a great example
of foreshadowing (even though we may have not realized it until much later in the
movie).

Cinematic technique #3: Music

Don’t tell me you’ve never caught yourself singing one of those catchy Disney tunes.
Like it or not, those songs are earworms.

The fact that you cannot get a song out of your head is evidence of the importance of
music in a movie.

Music, though, is not just used for catchy Disney flicks. Think about the scary music
that plays in every horror movie or the high-energy music that plays in every car
chase.

The music is chosen for a reason, so pay close attention to it as you critique a
movie.

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Cinematic technique #4: Point of view
Point of view is essentially the viewpoint through which a story is told. This is another
term borrowed from literature, but I’ve included it as a separate term here because
the chosen point of view alters the entire movie.

Take, for example, the Planet of the Apes movies. Since 1968 we have been
watching the series about a group of astronauts who realize that Earth is now run by
apes.

Now think about how the story would change if told from different viewpoints.

If told from the point of view of the astronauts, the movie becomes a horror movie,
with humans no longer in control, being forced to live as slaves. If told from the point
of view of the apes, it becomes the story of the uprising of a few trouble-making
humans who are trying to overtake society as they know it. Completely different
movies, right?

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Cinematic technique #5: Shots
Shot simply refers to a series of frames that establishes the scene, emotion, and
story in a movie.

If you have ever watched a western, for example, you have seen long, expansive
shots that seem to encompass the entire desert, with one lone cowboy riding into the
sunset.

A movie might also use close-up shots. As the name implies, these shots zoom in to
a character, generally only showing the character’s face. You have seen lots of these
shots in serious, dramatic movies when characters have important information to
disclose.

Cinematic technique #6: Lighting

Lighting might not be one of the first things you think about when you think film
analysis, but it plays an important part in the overall composition of shots and the
movie itself.

A comedy, for instance, would be more likely to be brightly lit, while a horror movie
may include dark, dreary, and generally scary lighting.

Low-key lighting is also very common in specific types of movies, such as film noir.
This type of low lighting creates dark, moody scenes and strong shadows on actors’
faces.

Check out the scene below from the film Out of the Past. Notice the dark colouring
and shadows on the actors. Also notice how your eye is drawn to the brightest,
lightest point in the shot, the beautiful face of Kathy Moffatt (played by Jane Greer).

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Cinematic technique #7: Camera angles
Camera angles might include eye-level shots, aerial shots, or high or low shots.

Eye-level shots are common as they generally put the viewer at the same level as
the characters.

Aerial shots can be used to show a large, expansive scene (like the western with the
cowboy riding into the sunset).

High camera angles allow the viewer to see the character from a vantage point that
is higher than eye level. In other words, you are looking down on another character.
This type of shot is often used to illustrate superiority or power of one character over
another. (The person looking down has the power.)

Low camera angles, on the other hand, allow the viewer to see the characters from a
vantage point lower than eye level. The character looking up at another character is
the less dominant character.

Remember the scene in A Christmas Story where Ralphie is looking up at Santa and
telling him he wants a Red Ryder BB gun? This is an amazing example of a low
shot. Ralphie is powerless at that moment as he looks up at Santa, and Santa
shoves Ralphie down the slide.

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Cinematic technique #8: Sound
Sound does not necessarily refer to the dialogue or music in a movie. Instead, it
refers to all of the other sounds you hear in the film. These might be background
sounds, such as sounds of a room or the noise of a city.

The sounds might also be amplified to create an effect. Ever watch a horror movie
where you could suddenly hear every footstep, every creaking floorboard, and even
the faintest sound of a wolf howling in the background?

Those sounds are there for a reason. Take note of them, and consider what effect
they have on the viewer.

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Cinematic technique #9: Special effects or computer-
generated imagery (CGI)

“Does this explosion make me look fat?” by Scott Swigart, Flickr.com (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Moviegoers love a good car chase ending in a fiery explosion. This type of special
effect is, of course, common in many movies. While older movies had no choice but
to actually blow up cars if they wanted to create such a scene, modern filmmakers
can use CGI to virtually create an explosion.

Special effects are not all about explosions, though. Special effects might refer to the
makeup worn by actors, to the tornado created on the set, or to digitally placing
characters in different scenes.

Some people now argue that movies are overwhelmed with CGI (such as superhero
movies like Batman or X-Men). Your analysis might include a discussion of the
effectiveness of special effects, whether the effects are realistic, or whether the
movie contains too many effects.

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Cinematic technique #10: Mise-en-scène
This is a big one, so I have saved it for last. Mise-en-scène refers to the arrangement
of everything you see in the shot. This includes the actors, costumes,
set/background, lighting, props, and camera work and angles.

Essentially, mise-en-scène is the world in which the characters live and is the result
of everything coming together to form the movie’s overall feel and look.

If you are analysing a film, you might use mise-en-scène to help describe the mood,
the goals, or the themes of the film.

Rita Maharaj

My film Study Files

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