This document discusses cinematic language, which refers to the methods and conventions used in filmmaking to communicate with audiences. It covers various elements of cinematic language like shot types, camera movements, depth of field, framing, and performance. These techniques can be used in both live-action and animated films, though animation also allows for more creative approaches. The document explains how different cinematic elements like shot size and camera angles can impact viewers. It concludes by assigning students a task to study film stills to better understand these cinematic techniques.

1. Cinematic Language

2. What we’re covering today
• What is Cinematic Language?
• How the scene is shot – shot types and camera movement
• What’s in the scene – Performance, design (costume, set, etc.)
• How the scenes are edited together
• Audio
• Does animation involve cinematic language?
• Task

3. What is Cinematic Language?
• Cinematic language are the methods and conventions of cinema, that
are used to communicate with the audience.
• These include performance, audio, shot type, set design.. Basically,
everything you see and hear when you watch a film.

4. Camera Framing
• Camera framing is the placement and position of elements in your
shots.
How does framing affect your viewer?
•Size — the size of your subject has a direct
relationship to the importance of that subject
•Relationships — when we see more than one
character in a shot, we assume there’s a
relationship between them. Or the
relationship could be between the character
and the landscape.

5. Depth of Field
• Depth of field is the term used to describe the size of the area in your
image where objects appear sharp.
How does DOF affect
your viewer?
• It draws the
audience’s attention
to the part of the
shot that is in focus.

6. Camera Movements
• Camera movement is how we move the camera through the
space.
How can camera movement affect your
viewer?
• It can shift the audiences view
without a cut.
• It can change the pace/ momentum
of a scene .
• It can have an emotional effect on
the audience.

7. Shot size
• Shot size is how much of the setting or subject is displayed within a
frame.
How can shot size affect your viewer?
• Different shot sizes reveal different
amounts of information.
• For example, in a wide shot you get a
sense of the landscape and setting.
• In a close up you may get a sense of
the characters emotional state.

8. What’s in the scene
• This includes the actor’s/ character’s performance…
• …And the design of the scene. In live action this can be everything
from the set design, to the costumes, to hair and makeup and the
lighting. In animation this includes character design and background
design.

9. Do the same rules apply for animations?
Yes and No…

11. Do the same rules apply in animation?
• Animation can follow
live action
conventions, and
sometimes it does!
• But the nature of animation allows for a wide
range of approaches to storytelling. Which
means animators can have more varied
approaches to components of filmmaking
such as; ‘set’ design, character performance
etc….

12. Do the same rules apply in animation?
• Animation is both a filmmaking technique, as well as its own unique
medium.
• It’s important both to understand the conventions of film making and
the ways in which animation can transcend those conventions.

13. Do the same rules apply in animation?
• Side Notes: Some live action films don’t even follow live action conventions.
Filmmakers will always try and push the limits of the medium and make new
things!
• Cinematic conventions change over time and can be culturally specific (meaning;
in different cultures cinema is understood and made in different ways).
• And finally, cinema is a broad and diverse medium in which many different styles
and approaches exist.

14. Task
• The best way to learn about cinematic language is by watching lots of
films.
• Another great way to understand cinematic language is to make film
still studies, which is what we’re doing today.
• You can draw digitally or traditionally in whatever medium you like.
• Spend no more than 30 minutes per study!

15. Task

17. Want to know more about cinematic
language?
• Watch:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEzQZpmbzckV0_a2QCO2qF
9Yfe-LKSDha

18. What we’re doing next time:
We’ll be looking at
storyboards and start
making our own.