This document provides an overview of key concepts for analyzing media texts, specifically moving images. It defines a text as any media product that can be analyzed for its meanings, such as films, TV shows, magazines, and websites. Textual analysis involves breaking down a text into its component parts and arrangements to understand why creators chose those elements. For moving images, this includes analyzing the narrative or non-narrative form, visual style through techniques like mise-en-scène, cinematography, and editing, as well as sound elements.

1. Media Analysis and Criticism (moving image media)

2. What is a text ? A text is: any media product that we can analyze in terms of its meanings . E.g., film, television show, magazine, newspaper, book, radio program, music recording, website (or a portion of these things).

3. What is textual analysis ? To analyze : to break something down into its components/parts To analyze a text : to consider its parts, to ask why creators chose those parts and arrangements rather than other parts and other arrangements

4. What is textual analysis ? In an audiovisual medium, we can analyze: Arrangement of parts as images and sounds through audiovisual techniques= style Arrangement of parts into a narrative (story) or non-narrative form

5. Narrative Form How are parts combined? Narrative : representation of events linked by causality A causes B; B causes C; C causes D, etc.

6. Narrative Form Narrative elements: beginning (exposition), middle and end (conclusion) plot vs. story : plot is the story as presented in the narrative (some stories begin in the middle -- in medias res conflict is central to most narratives, and the way the conflict is framed and resolved usually is central to a story’s meanings diegesis : the story world. What is outside of the diegesis?

7. Non-Narrative Form Other ways of combining events/images E.g., a series of images set to music might be non-narrative E.g., commercials might be non-narrative Still images are typically non-narrative (print ads, photographs, etc.)

8. Style audio-visual techniques (images & sounds) All media texts have style, i.e., their distinctive way of combining elements

9. 3 aspects of visual style mise en scène cinematography editing

10. Mise en scène literally, “put into the scene” a/k/a staging sets, costumes and makeup, acting, lighting

11. e.g., high-key vs. low-key lighting

12. Depth staging--shallow space

13. Depth staging--deep space

14. Depth staging--deep vs. shallow

15. Cinematography photographic properties of the image depth of field: what is in focus? focal length: short/normal/long lens?

16. Cinematography photographic properties of the image depth of field: what is in focus? focal length: short/normal/long lens?

17. Cinematography positioning of the camera, aka “framing” shot scale camera angle camera movement

18. Shot scale: extreme long shot (ELS)

19. Shot scale: long shot (LS)

20. Shot scale: medium shot (MS)

21. Shot scale: medium close-up (MCU)

22. Shot scale: close-up (CU)

23. Shot scale: extreme close-up (ECU)

24. Angle: Straight

25. Angle: Low

26. Angle: High

27. Angle: Canted

28. Camera movement Panning/tilting Tracking/craning

29. Editing relations between shots temporal relations spatial relations editing may maintain spatio-temporal continuity (presenting a scene in a single space/time) editing may create spatio-temporal discontinuity , e.g., flashback

30. Continuity Editing maintains spatio-temporal continuity by matching shots “ transparent” or “invisible” editing--you’re not supposed to notice it

31. Continuity Editing One matching technique: shot/reverse-shot (typically used in conversation scenes, maintains continuity of screen direction)

32. Discontinuity Editing In Veronica , flashbacks. How are these shifts in time marked?

33. Discontinuity Editing

34. Eyeline match/POV

76. Sound Elements of the soundtrack: Dialogue (includes onscreen/offscreen, voice-over) Music “ Noise” (e.g., doors closing, cars running, footsteps) Always consider sound in relation to image