UNIT V

1) Semiotics
Signs are all around us. A sign can be anything. Derived from
the Greek word “semeiotikos” meaning, an interpreter of signs.
Briefly put, semiotics (or better known as semiology) is the
study, or science, of signs. Its founders, Ferdinand de Saussure,
Roland Barthes and Charles Sander Pierce, raised many theories
for this field.

As discussed earlier, a sign can be anything with a meaning.

From colours of items, to items themselves. From wording to
the physical object, anything can be a sign. Filmmakers have
taken this study and applied it to their storytelling, enhancing
subtle details that in turn, add more information to either the
develop of the character/s or to the story itself.

Filmmakers use film language or techniques to bring out this

representation. Be it in the characters wardrobe, the setting of
the story, the colour of the set, actor movement etc. These subtle
particulars can (and often do) represent society or a relay a
message. A location in the story or setting could represent a
certain part of society or a certain religion so on and so forth. It
all depends on the filmmaker’s intention.

2) Aesthetics of films
Aesthetics, which can be pronounced “Eh-steh-tics,” is a big and
fancy word that is used to describe a complex topic. Aesthetics
is the philosophy of art.

Thus, aesthetics in film is the study of film art and the role that
various aesthetic perspectives have in the development of film
as an art form.
 Perhaps you’ve heard someone say, “the film has great visual
aesthetics”. But you didn’t know exactly what they meant? You
smiled, and nodded. Because that’s what we do when someone
says something fancy that we don’t understand. But, what DID
they mean?
 Colour
 Shape
 Pattern
 Lines
 Texture
 Balance
 Scale
 Proximity
 Movement
Aesthetics in film is important for a variety of reasons, just as
aesthetics is evident in other forms of art and creative elements.
Filmmakers incorporate various aesthetics in defining the style,
subject and tone of the film.
For example, a filmmaker might eliminate colour, opting instead for
black and white film, in order to portray a bleak, hopeless style that
closely aligns with the subject of his or her story.

Film aesthetics covers a number of disciplines from cinematography

to sound recording, from makeup to costume design.
Various aesthetics involved in each of these can range from camera
movements, lighting, placement, and colours to digital special effects,
presentation, set design, or hair and makeup components.
The elements that go into the production of a film or video can be
incredibly complex. Yet they all come together as a result of the
aesthetic understanding of the director.
3) Mis-en-scene analysis
Mise en scène is the arrangement of scenery and stage properties
in a play. Translated from French, it means "setting the stage"
but, in film analysis, the term mise en scene refers to everything
in front of the camera, including the set design, lighting, and
actors. Mise en scene in film is the overall effect of how it all
comes together for the audience.

Elements of mis-en-scene;
 Sets
 Props
 Lighting
 Costumes
 Actor blocking
 Shot composition

There’s no denying the importance of mise en scene in film.

When properly used, it elevates film from a series moving
pictures to an art form with purpose. Something bursting with
atmosphere and emotion that pulls viewers in and doesn’t let go.

4) Film review
A movie review is written with the basic goal of informing the
readers about the movie and its concept. Although it seems easy
to report all the events happening in the movie and state your
opinion, this is a frequent blunder that a lot of students make.
While you can express your opinions in a movie review about a
film or a documentary, you should do so with a creative and
unbiased approach.
To a great extent, it depends on the review whether the reader
would want to go and see the movie. Whenever a teacher
assigns a specific film to review, you should take advantage of
this perfect opportunity to showcase your art of film making to
 your teacher. It would be helpful if you imagine that the teacher
hasn’t seen the movie before (even though he/she is the one who
assigned it in the first place). This will make it easier for you to
evaluate events that took place in the film.

Film review should present an in-depth analysis so that it helps

the readers to form an honest opinion and whether they would
like it and want to see it. This type of assignment is common in
schools as it gives teachers a deeper insight into students’
objective analysis skills and the capability to report an event in a
way that is easier for others to understand.
Here are the steps to organize your film review:

 Introduction: Include the name of the movie/documentary, its

release date, and background information.
 Summary: Provide a brief overview of the story.
 Analysis of the events: Analyse the plot and important events
like action, climax.
 Creative elements: Describe the characters, dialogues, camera
work, costumes, use of colours genre, tone, symbols, or
anything that adds to or misses from the overall story.
 Opinion: Support your opinion with facts and examples from the
story
 Conclusion: Announce whether the filmmaker succeeded in
his/her goal, paraphrase your evidence. Also, explain how the
film helped in developing a deeper understanding of the course
topic.