This document provides an overview of key concepts in film language and form for media studies students. It defines common cinematography techniques like shots, camera movements, depth of field, and lighting. It also explains principles of editing, mise-en-scene, sound, and how these micro elements are used to convey meaning and support macro elements like genre and narrative. The document emphasizes practicing identifying these techniques in film clips and relating them to broader aspects of film analysis.

1. Media Language language
Film Form
A Level Media Studies

2. Introduction to film language and film form
 You need to learn the basic tools of analysis that
is required to address the questions in the
exams, in coursework and learn the language
you should get used to using whenever you talk
about films.
 Through the analysis of clips and discussing
each other’s film viewing, aspects of industry
can also be introduced.
 Non-Hollywood films will be used to analyse
micro aspects, a gentle introduction to different
genres of films and film form.
 Watching film clips means you are not really
working – doesn’t it!?

3. Signs
 SIGNIFIER + SIGNIFIED = SIGN.
 The sign is the object
 The signifier is the form which the sign takes.
 The signified is the concept it represents.
 The sign is the total meaning that results from
associating the signifier with the signified.

4. Semiotics
SIGN SIGNIFIER SIGNIFIED
The actual
sign or
object
What it
communicates
The meaning
associated with
communication
‘Cat’ Bad luck, evil, nasty

5. MACRO and MICRO elements of
film language
 MACRO -
 GENRE
 NARRATIVE
 (REPRESENTATION)
 MICRO –
 CINEMATOGRAPHY
 SOUND
 EDITING
 MISE EN SCENE
 LIGHTING

6. Cinematography
Refers to the visual aspects of a film’s
language
Camera shots and movement can give us
clear indications of emotion, motive and
give audiences clues as to things that may
be about to happen.

7. MCU –
medium close up
MLS –
medium long shot
CU - close up
LS – long shot
MS – mid shot
ELS –
extra long shot

8. Camera shots
Close-up (and extreme close-up)
Medium Close Up
Mid-shot
Mid-long shot
Long shot
Wide (long) shot (often establishing shot)
Low angle shot
High angle shot
Birds eye view

9. Camera movement
Pan (side to side)
Tilt (up and down)
Whip pan
Crane shot
Tracking shot
It’s important students practise identifying
these shots and link to their developing
knowledge of genre and narrative.

10. The rule of thirds
A fundamental concept in the art of
cinematography

11. What is the Rule of Thirds?
The rule of thirds is basically to imagine that you break an
image down into thirds (both horizontally and vertically) so that
you have 9 parts.

12. What is the Rule of Thirds?
The rule of thirds is basically to imagine that you break an
image down into thirds (both horizontally and vertically) so that
you have 9 parts.

13. What is the Rule of Thirds?
The rule of thirds is basically to imagine that you break an
image down into thirds (both horizontally and vertically) so that
you have 9 parts.

14. What is the Rule of Thirds?
The rule of thirds is basically to imagine that you break an
image down into thirds (both horizontally and vertically) so that
you have 9 parts.

15. Danny Boyle effectively uses the rule of thirds
when creating the dynamic opening scene of
‘Trainspotting’

16. • using shallow focus to blur the rest of the frame.
Directors have resorted to various stratagems to enable them to use CU in a
widescreen format.
Ralph Fiennes in The Constant Gardener

17. • darkening the rest of the frame.
Rory Culkin, in Mean Creek (2004)

18. • masking part of the frame with curtains.
Terence Howard in Crash (2004)

19. or architecture
Don Cheadle, in Crash

20. or both
Chris Cooper in American Beauty

21. • framing the character with other figures:
Denzel Washington in Remember the Titans

22. Michael Sheen in The Queen (2006)

23. Thora Birch is framed by Kevin Spacey on one side and the verticals of the
stove on the other, in American Beauty.

24. and here by Wes Bentley's out of focus shoulder

25. a camera tilted to one side so the horizon
is on a slant is canted; also called a
'Dutch angle' or a 'Dutch tilt'
[not to be confused with a 'tilt shot' which
involves camera movement.]
canted angle

26. The canted angle helps show how disorientated Peter is after
the spider bite in Spider-Man.

27. Dr Rosen (Christopher Plummer) as seen by the schizophrenic
John Nash in A Beautiful Mind

28. Sam's POV of Gandalf, who has just hauled him in through
the window of Frodo's home, is a more comic image.

29. the combination of a canted angle and an extreme ELS
emphasises the despair and hopelessness of Jamal in this shot
from Slumdog Millionaire.

30. focus

31. depth of field
the distance through which elements in an image are
in sharp focus
Greater depth of field will be obtained in bright rather
than dull light, and with a narrow lens aperture; or with a
wide-angle rather than a long lens.
A shallow depth of field is often used as a technique to
focus audience attention on the most significant aspect of
a scene.

32. Depth of field is directly connected, but not to be confused,
with focus.
focus is the quality – the 'sharpness' of an object as it is
registered in the image
depth of field refers to the extent to which the space
represented is in focus.

33. a shallow depth of field
in this shot of Romola
Garai in Atonement
much greater depth of field in this shot from Shakespeare in Love

34. describes a scene that is kept in sharp focus, from close-up to the furthest
plane
Lester's office in American Beauty
deep focus

35. Deep focus makes appallingly clear the number of people collected for
transportation to the concentration camps in
The Pianist.

37. The camera focuses on objects in the foreground, so the background is blurry,
as in this shot from Pleasantville (1998).
shallow focus

38. Gwyneth Paltrow in Shakespeare in Love (1998)
The purpose is often to ensure the focus of attention will be
the object or person in question

39. Keira Knightley seems as delicate as the flowers she is
arranging in this shot from Atonement.

40. The focus is on the broken fragment of vase – the tension in Robbie is revealed in
his hand – as Cecilia gets out of the fountain in Atonement.

41. Editing
 Analysing editing is about:
 How it changes the pace of the narrative
 What the editing technique used tells us about
where the narrative is.
 Lots of techniques to use but most common –
 STRAIGHT CUT
 FADE
 DISSOLVE
 Others – wipe, jump cut

42. The 4 transition types
Cut
Dissolve
Fade
Wipe

43. Cut
Most common type of transition
Cut from a MCU to a CU of James McAvoy as Robbie in
Atonement – (Joe Wright, 2007)

44. Why do we use it?
Most invisible, looks realistic
Does not break the viewer’s suspension of
disbelief
change the scene
compress time
vary the point of view
build up an image or idea

45. Dissolve or Cross Dissolve
Mixes one shot out as another mixes in
At the mid point the audience will be able to
see both shots on the screen.
Communicates a physical or emotional link
between the two shots.

46. Why do we use it?
This shows the connection between
characters, objects or places.

47. The 2 types of editing
Continuity
Montage

48. Continuity Editing
The usual style of Hollywood realist feature
films. Cuts are unobtrusive, supporting rather
than dominating the narrative. It takes the film
from one shot to the next, moving forward in
time.
The editing isn’t really invisible but the
conventions have become so familiar to visual
literates that we don’t notice them.

49. How it’s done
Match cuts, not jump cuts
Motivated cuts- Shot-reverse-shot
Change of camera position –Outside – In-
reads as continuous action
The use of the sound bridge-fluid
Parallel development – an intercut sequence
of shots - chase sequences
Casino Royale – (Martin Campbell, 2006)

50. Montage Editing
The juxtaposition of shots to represent action
or ideas, using conspicuous techniques.
It creates impact as the viewer is forced to
make connections between the images shown.

51. Montage Editing
What is this child feeling?
Why?

52. How it’s done
Relatively frequent cuts
Use of close ups
Dissolves
Fades
Jump cuts

53. MISE EN SCENE
MISE EN SCENE
Lighting & Colour Facial expressions and
body language
Costume, hair
& make-up
positioning of
characters &
objects within
the frame

54. Trance – Danny Boyle (2012)

55. Setting
Where is it?
What props are used?
Was a set created or did they shoot on
location? Can you tell?
What kind of mood is being conveyed
through this setting?
The overall design of a setting can significantly shape how we
understand story action. In manipulating a shot’s setting, the director
may create props. Props may be functional or become a motif – have
another meaning assigned to them.

56. Costume and Makeup
Should instill the proper mood.
Represent the characters personality, social
status, and the time period in which they
exist.
Costume often coordinates with setting.
Like setting, costume can have specific functions in the total film,
and the range of possibilities is huge. Costumes may be realistic or
stylised and can also form motifs. Make-up is also necessary and
useful in denoting character.

57. Lighting
Lighting can be manipulated in many ways to create highlights and
shadows. Highlights provide important cues to the texture of the
surface. There are two basic types of shadow : attached and shading
or cast shadows. An attached shadow occurs when light fails to
illuminate part of an object because of the object’s shape or surface
features. Cast shadows are caused by an object being between the
light source and the camera. Types of lighting also include :
• Sidelight/ crosslight
• Backlighting
• Underlighting
• Top lighting
• Key light
• Fill light
• Low-key illumination

58. LIGHTING & COLOUR
 Is used to create mood and atmosphere
 Positioning of lights creates different effects
 High key lighting
 Low key lighting

59. Sound
 The world of the film as we see it on the cinema
screen is known as the DIEGETIC world.
 When we watch a film the sound we hear can be
DIEGETIC OR NON-DIEGETIC.
 DIEGETIC SOUND is sound that is part of the
film world.
 NON-DIEGETIC sound is sound that is not
recognised as part of the film world – e.g. voice
over, background music
 PARALLEL SOUND – sound which compliments
the visual image.
 CONTRAPUNTAL SOUND – sound which does
not fit with the image but helps to create new
meanings.

60. Diegetic Sound
Sound whose source is visible on the screen or
whose source is implied to be present by the
action of the film
Eg. radio on in kitchen, characters talking to
each other, natural sound effects

61. The Powers of Sound
In addition, sound gives a new value to
silence.
For example, a quiet passage in a film can
create almost unbearable tension, forcing the
viewer to concentrate on the screen and wait
in anticipation for whatever sound will
emerge.

62. Contrapuntal Sound
Sound used in counterpoint or contrast to the
image
Eg. in horror films a children’s nursery rhyme
playing as suspense builds

63. Hyperbolic Sound
Sound which is exaggerated beyond what is
expected within the scene for dramatic effect
Eg. Swooshing sounds of blades or fists
Eg. hearing breathing in a long shot

64. Sound & Genre
Elements of sound reveal key aspects of
genre to an audience
 Sound is important in informing us about
the time in which a film is set or the kind of
action we can expect
 Certain types of music have become
synonymous with particular genres

65. Sound & Narrative
Voice overs allow us to see things from a
particular character’s point of view
They are often used to introduce and
‘round up’ the narrative
SOUND BRIDGES aid continuity as sound
from one sequence carries on into the next

66. SUMMARY
 Understanding and applying film language is key
to your student’s success on this course
 Give them plenty of time to apply knowledge
through analysing clips as a class or in groups
but also consider- individual presentations if you
have confident students.
 Putting knowledge into practise also re-enforces
learning and gives you an opportunity to start
them on some coursework ( i.e. make some film
clips of your own!)