According to the seminal book "Film Art" by Bordwell and Thompson, film language refers to the basic techniques of cinema and how they function together to create meaning within a film. The document discusses how understanding film language and genre conventions is essential for students to create their own short films and effectively analyze other films. Students are advised to research the history and techniques associated with the genre they choose and apply some conventions in their own work.

1. Film Language
According to Bordwell and Thompson

2. ‘Film Art’
• A seminal book about film written in
1977 and updated regularly since
then.
• Their purpose in writing was to
describe the basic techniques of
cinema and to show how the separate
techniques of the film functioned in
the film's larger context.

3. You have already
studied this element
at AS

4. Narrative is one element of
‘GLARN’. At A2 you need to
understand how narrative
works, for the auteur and the
audience. Propp and Todorov
are main theorists in this field.

5. This relates to film
language, the techniques
that create meaning. But
there are generic
conventions of which
techniques are associated
with various genres

6. You need to decide quite quickly
what genre of film you wish to
make. You then need to research
that genre, its brief history and
conventions then appropriate
some of those for your own
production.

7. You will need to analyse:
1. films that have influenced
you.
2. As a focus group your
classmates films.
3. The progress and final
outcome of your own film.

8. We have been looking at
some notable films and discussing
how they create our expectations,
enjoyment & understanding of
film.

13. A Midsummer Night’s
Dream 1935

19. "Le Cinema Règne" (Cinema Rules) is how Truffaut
describes the feeling when everything falls into place
during filming.
This is what you are
aiming for in your film!

21. You need to constantly
review your progress
on your blog, treat it as
an online diary and
track the decisions you
make, creative &
technical. This is good
practice in film terms
but don’t forget you will
need to refer to it in
your evaluation & your
Critical Perspectives
exam. Try watching the
directors commentary
on your favourite DVD

22. When researching, keep a note and screen shots of angles,
lighting and techniques that you admire and would like to
incorporate into your own.

23. You will come across lots of
situations where you may be
frustrated by logistical and/or
technical hiccups, even problems
with your location or talent. Again
you should keep a record of when
these incidents occurred and what
you did to get around them.