Lesson 5: Elements of Film
This lesson provides discussion on the elements of cinema/film which help students
comprehend, analyse and appreciate any movie or film.
Learning Outcomes
At the end of the lesson, the students must have:
1. Discussed/explained the elements of film;
2. Analyzed a film based on its elements;
3. Make a short film showing its elements.
Warm Up
Sit back and open this link [Link] to watch the video.
In Focus
Elements of Film
Time. The most important element of film. The film director has a free way to manipulate
time in a motion picture by contraction or expansion, breaks or leaps.
Aspects of Time
Physical Time
• It is the time taken by an action as it is being filmed and as it is being projected on the
screen.
• Viewers may catch what is happening in real life, but the movie camera does not capture
these events in actual movement.
• In the cinema, a series of still photographs are projected in the screen, each frame visible
only for one 48th of a second.
• In a sound film projecting 24 frames per second, there are pictures for half the time and
none at all during the other half.
• However, the viewer does not notice the blank screen anymore because his eyes hold the
images for a longer period of time.
Ways to Distort Physical Time
• Slow motion
• Accelerated motion
• Reversed motion
• Stopped motion
• Stop motion (also known as stop frame) is an animation technique to make a physically
manipulated object or persona appear to move on its own.
• The object is moved in small increments between individually photographed frames,
creating the illusion of movement when the series of frames is played as a continuous
sequence.
Psychological Time
• In the cinema, it is the emotional impression of the duration of the action that a viewer
experiences as he watches a movie. His mental state affects the way time is conceived in
the cinema.
• Slow pace can create a sentimental mood and slows down time while rapid action induces
excited feeling and hurries up time.
Dramatic Time
• It means the time taken up by the events which are suggested in the movie.
• On screen, the viewer’s perception of space—its width and depth—is just an illusion.
• The three-dimensionality of a particular object in cinema is made possible by an adept
handling of scale, shooting angle and lighting.
Space. On screen, the viewer’s perception of space—its width and depth—is just an
illusion. The three-dimensionality of a particular object in cinema is made possible by an adept
handling of scale, shooting angle and lighting.
Scale
• It refers to the size of objects on the screen and its relation to the surrounding area.
Shooting Angle
• It is a consideration given to a particular shot in relation to varied angles in order to make
the director express his idea about a character or an object in the film.
• Pictures meant for the movies can be taken from several angles:
• vertically upwards—vastness, power, force
• vertically downwards—small, insignificant
• horizontal—close, equality
Types of Shots and camera angles
Wide shot close up high angle
Long shot extreme close up Dutch angle
Mid shot low angle
Wide shot. A wide shot conveys contextualising information to the viewer about where
action in a scene is taking place or sets a character in context. For this reason, a wide shot is
often used to establish context and setting at the start of a film or start of a scene (when used
in this context, a wide shot can be described as an ‘establishing shot’). In this instance, the shot
uses typical conventions of a thriller such as chiaroscuro lighting, emphasising the sense of
isolation. The only visible source of light is coming from an upstairs room, drawing our focus
and creating a desire to find out who the room’s occupant is.
Long shot. This generally shows the full length of any featured characters from feet to top
of the head and is used to show a character in relation to their surroundings, setting them in
context. In this instance, we learn more about the main character, the shot enables us to see the
character, her hair, clothes and surroundings, enabling the audience to draw conclusions about
the character, her work place and setting the scene for an important plot point in the story.
Mid shot. The mid shot or medium shot generally shows the character from the waist to
the top of the head. It is used to enable the viewer to see facial expressions in combination with
body language to show emotion and heighten tension. In this instance, Hitchcock employs it
to show the character’s expression as she realises that her boss is starting to figure out that she
has stolen his money. Her rigid persona, hands gripped to the wheel shows the exposed threat,
making the audience share her apprehension.
Close up. The close up is often used to show a character from the top of the shoulders to
the top of the head. It’s used for capturing a character’s facial expression, heightening emotions
and building tension. In this shot, the audience can share the absolute horror that the character
is feeling.
Extreme close up. It is used when an object, item or body part fills the film frame and is
used for emphasis and heightening emotion ([Link]
High angle shot. A high-angle shot is a cinematography technique where the camera
points down on the subject from above. This type of shot is used to make the subject or object
below seem vulnerable, powerless, or weak. This camera angle is most commonly used in
horror movies to indicate a sense of entitlement the camera has over the subject below.
Low angle shot. A low-angle shot is when the camera is positioned low on
the vertical axis, below the level of the eyeline, and looks up at an object or subject above. This
camera angle evokes a psychological effect by making the subject above, which the camera is
angled at, look strong and powerful.
Over the shoulder shot. The over the shoulder shot, is most commonly used in
film when two or more characters are talking to each other in conversation. This type of shot is
used to establish eyeline of where each character in the scene is looking, and is most commonly
framed through a medium or close-up shot. This type of shot can also be used to indicate to the
viewer that a specific character in the film sees something that the other characters might not yet
see.
Bird’s Eye. The bird’s eye view shot, or an aerial view shot, is when the camera is
located up above, overhead, capturing the action going on below. In today’s day and age, these
types of shots are most commonly captured with a drone in order to be able to get the full view of
what is happening down below. In various different types of cinematic works, bird’s eye shots are
used as establishing shots to give context of where the setting of the film is, in addition to being
used as transition shots to show what exactly is going on in a setting from an aerial view. These
types of shots are commonly used in films where the location each scene plays a pivotal role in the
narrative. However, despite being able to capture this type of shot on a drone, it is also possible to
capture a bird’s eye shot from the top of a structure or building, such as a bridge or skyscraper.
Dutch angle/tilt. The Dutch angle/tilt is more of a stylistic approach to cinematography.
In order to execute this, you must tilt your camera to one side, which results in a frame that is not
level. This type of camera angle is used mostly to create a dramatic effect within a film and can
evoke a series of different emotions. The Dutch angle can heighten psychological distress and
tension, which in turn, creates a cinematic environment that creates suspense and a sense of thrill.
Additionally, filming a scene in this angle can make your audience feel disoriented, uneasy, and
sometimes even a sense of drunkenness ([Link]
Lighting
• It is a means used to give the illusion of depth in the film. A movie director can create
areas of light and dark or width and depth by manipulating the position of lights.
Sound. A film artist does not record every bit of sound heard in real life but only those which
he deems relevant to amply express the thoughts and feelings of a particular scene.
• He limits sounds to those he thinks are actually significant to this scene heightening any or
a combination of the sound elements—pitch, volume, texture, intensity.
• These sounds are recorded in their optical equivalent on the strip of negatives parallel to
the images.
• The sound tract is equipped with a special light that shines as the film is projected and turns
these optical variations back into sound waves which we hear through loudspeaker as the
viewer sees the picture on the screen.
• However, unlike in the theater, the cinema makes maximum use of the ‘sound of silence.’
• Thrillers and suspense pictures abound with soundless scene and, if there is any, perhaps
the ticking of the clock, the beating of the heart, or the heavy strides of long steps.
Encore
Discuss the elements in your own words based on your understanding. Your discussion
should not exceed 300 words.
Re Run
Watch a commercial or a music video of your favourite artist. Then, analyse the elements-
-time, space, and sound of that said film/video.
