This document discusses film analysis and how meaning is constructed in films. It introduces key concepts like films being a form of communication where filmmakers encode messages for audiences to decode. It also discusses how films can be interpreted in different ways by different audiences based on their own experiences. Students are instructed to analyze short film clips, looking at micro elements like camera work, mise-en-scene, editing and how these techniques are used to elicit emotional responses and create meaning for the spectator. The goal is to understand how filmmakers manipulate audiences and how the spectator plays a role in interpreting meaning.

1. A2 FILM STUDIES

2. Working in pairs, chose a film that you both know well
and, without discussing our ideas, both write down what
you would see as the central message of the film
Compare your answers. Are they the same or different?
Justify your opinion with examples from the film and
experiences from your life that led to your interpretation
of the films meaning.

3.  Identify Key Terms:
 Film as Communication
 Cinematic Language
 Analyse several short films and film extracts and identify
how meaning has been constructed by the filmmakers
 Evaluate the success of short film ‘Desserts’ in making
meaning for the spectator

4. Film is fundamentally a form of communication, Filmmakers encode meaning
What are the
and as such it can be said to involve the in to their films
limits to this
transmission of messages with senders point of view?
(filmmakers, producers etc) encoding messages
and receivers (audience, spectators) de-coding This view point limits
them. the number of
meanings an
In other words, the filmmakers are attempting to audience member
may take from a film
alter the state of mind of another person
You either ‘get’ the
From this point of view it can be said that a message or you don’t
specific meaning is placed in to a text and it is up
to the receivers to discover the meaning and The spectator ‘de-codes’ the
therefore, share an understanding of the world film and receives the
with the sender meaning of the film

5. Another way of looking at communication would be
to see it as an interactive process
Films could be said to create meaning by interacting
with the spectator to produce a variety of readings
The spectator has now become the most important
factor in the production of meaning
We no longer have to consider the single meaning of
a film but the many meanings and the relationship
between the film and the spectator

6. Watch the following Martin Scorsese short
‘The Big Shave’ (1968)
Make notes on your own personal response
to the film
What do you think this short film ‘means’?
How have the micro elements (camera /
mise-en-scene) been used to elicit
emotional responses?
Why did you respond to the film in this
way?

7. Whichever approach to film we take we should note
that both are dependent on the idea that there is
shared knowledge between the producer and the
spectator
This shared knowledge is the ’Cinematic Language’
Watch the introduction scene from Metropois (1926:
Dir: Fritz Lang)
Analyse the 5 Micro Elements from FM1 and write a short
description of what is happening, who these characters are and
what ever else you can learn about this world

8. We do not need to have the situation explained to us in words
because it has been explained using the cinematic language
It is the combination of :
• the ordered formation of the workers
• the nature of their shared movements
• the uniformity of their dark clothing
• their movement into an enclosed cage-like space
• their transportation in a downward direction that gives us a sense of the
oppressed
• Cutting between the subterranean workers, tightly packed together and
the rich and luxurious environment of the social elites

9. As we have seen film is not ‘the real’ – it does not
show us the real world, instead it is a representation
of ‘the real’ – a construct
Films are built by filmmakers from a series of
component parts that we can identify, (micro
elements etc) and since they have been constructed
we can take them apart and see how they have been
put together
As a result we de-construct films and attempt to
suggest reasons why choices have been made and
explore possible meanings
We may also consider why certain spectators will respond in
certain ways

10. Watch the following trailer in pairs and make notes on
how it has been constructed
Consider the micro elements and themes portrayed
1. On your handout is a list of four possible readings of
the trailer
2. Pick the 1 reading that you feel is the true meaning of
the film
Write a short paragraph analysing the micro elements and The Game
how meaning is constructed. Provide specific Dir; David Fincher
examples to support your points. (1997)
Compare your notes with a partner
Are they different or the same?
What influenced your reading or response to the extract?

11. Watch the following short film and make notes on how it
has been constructed
Write a short paragraph analysing the micro elements and
how meaning is constructed.
Provide specific examples to support your points.
Compare your notes with a partner
Are they different or the same?
What influenced your reading or response to the extract?
You must consider all of the micro elements and HOW
THE SPECTATOR IS POSITIONED

12. Film is a form of communication, a method of
creating meaning and transmitting that
meaning to an audience
A film is a construction that has been
assembled using a wide variety of techniques
Filmmakers can use various techniques to
manipulate an audience and create emotional
responses
To be successful in your exam you must show an awareness of this
and analysis the micro elements of our chosen films to demonstrate
how meaning is made for individual spectators