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Allegory
- A type of story, film or play in which the objects, characters, and plot
represent a larger idea than that contained in the narrative itself . An
Allegpory is an extended narrative metaphor acheived by the dual representation
of characters eventys or objects. The characters and events are intended
to represent both themselves and the abstract ideas which lead to a greater
thematic significance.The western film High Noon was written so that marshal(Gary
Cooper) might be seen as a personification of individual courage in times
of public threats.
Archetype - A Literary term inspired by psychologist Carl Jung, which
refers to that element in film dramas myth literarture or religon that evokes
in the viewer or reader a stong sense of primative experience. Any image
or arrangement of images which activates such primordial responses to literary
dramatic subject matter is reffered to as archetype. John Ford's Stage Coach
for example can be studied for its archetypal structure as a mythical journey
through the "Heart of Darkness" to light, with the experience bringing to
the vehicles occupants spiritual cleansing and new knowledge of conditions
for survival through human interaction. The mythic revealing journey as
a dramatic framework is as old as story telling itself and its use by Ford
in "Stage coach" or Francis Ford Coppola in "Apocalype Now" becomes Archetypal.
Asynchronous Sound - A Term for flm Sound which has not been synchronised
with the screen image.Asynchronous sound also includes aesthetic use of
sound for expressive purposes. Francis Ford Coppola made extensive use of
combined synchronous-asynchronous sound in the baptism scene of the Godfather.
Near the end of the film shots of a solemn religious ceremony are juxtaposed
with the scenes of a vendetta occuring simultaneously in various parts of
the city. The sounds of the grand church music and priestly intonations
is carried of the baptismal rite continue uninterrupted as the gunmen carry
out their tasks. Through this use of the synchronous-asynchronous sound
with visual crosscutting, an ironic, psychological linking of the past,present
and future occurs.
Auteur - A Critical theoritical term which comes from the French
meaning "author". As a theoretical concept the term Auteur has been used
to describe motion picture directors whose works were said to have been
produced with personal vision. Hence an auteur is a director who authors
a film by a driving personality and individual artistic control of the film
making process.
Chiascuro lighting - A painting term used frequently to describe
a type of motion picture imagery in black-and-white and color films where
the pictorial representations are rendered in terms of light and shade.
The artistic arrangements of lights and darks, without regard for strong
color values, becomes the primary method of visual representation of scenic
elements. The early interior scenes of the Godfather have a chirascuro effet
particularly those involving Don Coreleone in conference at his desk while
the wedding party dances outside. In these interior scenes Don Coreleone,
lit in muted sepia tones is set against a dark limbo background.
Cinematic Temporal and Spatial relationship - The temporal and spatial
relationship in cinema is not real world as in the case of Theatre because
the camera serves as an intermediary in the screen experience.For example
in "Bonnie and Clyde" the moment of recognition by the two killers that
they are about to be ambushed is extended with unusual effects by intercutting
numerous closeups of the gangsters as they glance at one another.
Collage film - A film whose images are created through the overlay
of assorted materials and photographed with the intention of visual and
rhythmic effect. Experimental filmmaker Stan VanDerBeek frequently produced
collage films e.g Breathdeath a film which employed pictures of famous people
, cutouts of objects, newspaper headlines and other material phenomena for
and animated protest against war.
Contrivance - A plotting device or story elements which does not
seem plausible and which detracts from the motion picture's credibility.
The ending of "The last Laugh" in which the old doorman is relieved of his
misery as a washroom attendant through an unexpected inheritance, is a contrivance.
F. W Murnau the films director, intended the contrivance as an ironic commentary
on the differences between real life and life in motion pictures, where
happy endings predominate.
Crosscutting - Cutting between two or more developing concepts or
lines of action in a motion picture. Crosscutting may be used for the purpose
of presenting simultaneously occuring events, or for the thematic construction.
Alain Resnais' antiwar film Night and fog acheives its impact in part by
presenting newsreel footage of concentration camps crosscut with travelogue
like footage of the deserted camps as they appeared 10 years after the war.
Dissolve - A gradual transition in which one scene fades out as the
other fades in.Both the end of the outgoing shot and the beginning of the
incomming shot are briefly seen on the screen simutaneously. The typical
length of dissolves is 2 seconds, although they may be longer or shorter
depending on the desired effect. In traditional filmmaking the dissolve
became the accepted technique for indicating passage of time from one scene
to another and for indicating passage of time within the scene itself or
for indicating substantial geographical leaps from one place to another.
Use of long dissolves is frequenly a device fo r adding a lyric,poetic quality
to a film story. eg "The summer of '42".
A dissolve slowly links 2 seperate moments of time and can therefore can
be utilized for conceptual purposes . In the godfather for instance, the
scene in which the hollywood producer awakens to find a severed horse under
his bedcover ends with a slow dissolve to Don Coreleone sitting at his desk
in his home office. The dissolve connects the horryfied screams of the producer
with Marlon Brando's slight raising before the Don starts a conevrsation
with a visitor. The raising of the eyebrow although part of a new scene
that is unrelated to the one just ending, nevertheles seems also subjective
, knowing signal to the viewer that corleone will has been carried out in
Hollywood.
Docudrama - A term applied primarily to made for television programs
which present semi-fictionalized accounts of historical events. The "Missiles
of October" and the of late "13 days" are examples of drama based on President
John F Kennedy's handling of the 1962 Cuban missile cisis, the watergate
related "All the presidents men" is another. Docudrama utilize material
that is focussed on already familiar events or people and in doing so seek
to combine the interests of the documentary with the structure of the drama.
Dolby Sound - A patented noise reduction sound system which is frequently
used with theatrical motion pictres as an embellishment to the screen imagery.
The Dolby system makes possible high fidelty, stereophonic sound accompaniment
on the optical sound track rather than magnetic soundtrack, Apocalypse Now
for one had Dolby Sound.
Dolly shot - A shot in which the camera, placed on a wheeled mount
moves closer to or away from a scene. An important reaction shot, for example,
seems all the more important and dramatic when combined with a dolly-in
to a close up of the actors face, such as the one occuring in "Rocky " ,
while the boxer was being told that he is to be given a chance to fight
champion.
Dutch Angle - Angled shot in which the horizon and objects in a scene
are canted(slanted). Vertical and horizontal lines within the scene are
photographed so that they are in an oblique relationship to the vertical
and horizontal lines of the film frame.In "Arabesque" for example Gregory
Pecks loss of physical and mental orientation with his environment after
he has been drugged is conveyed in part by a series of canted shots of his
confused actions.
Episodic(Story Development)- A quality attributed to a motion picture
which contains numerous dramatic incidents in the development of the story
line rather than a single line of developing action. Epic or picaresque
films such as Gone with the wind and Barry lyndon are highly episodic whereas
High Noon which follows actual time and moves is not episodic in plot construction.
Film Noir- A type of American film which evolved in the 1940s whose
unusual visual style came to be called film noir or literally black film.
This descriptive label has been applied to motion pictures, often gangster
films and psychological stories, whose lighting schemes were heavily low
key. The use of black and white film stock standard in the 1940s allowed
a wide range of black and white shadings and permitted directors to experiment
with the darker end of the scale in photographing stories and characters
of a sinister, brooding quality Story location in film noir were commonly
the dark streets and dimly lit apartments and hotel rooms of big cities.The
maltese falcon,lady from shangai are examples of film noir.
Fluid camera- A term used to describe the constant movement of the
camera during the filming of a motion picture scene or shot. The camera
dollies,tracks,arcs opr cranes that its use is said to be fluid. The use
of fluid camera techniques marks the camera as an active participant in
the recording process, usually providing a more subjective point of viewthan
that acquired by a stationary camera. Fluid roving camera techniques were
popular with innovative German directors of the 1920s. E A Dupont(Variety)
, F W Murnau(The last laugh)
F-stop - An indicator for the size of the diaphragmatic opening of
teh camera lens, also often reffered to as the f-number. The size of the
diaphragmatic opening controls the amount of light allowed to pass through
the lens to the film emulsion. The larger the f-number the smaller the opening
and the lesser the amount of light that pasess through the lens.
Genre - A term for any group of motion pictures which express similar
stylistic,thematic and structural inetrests.There are numerous narrative
film genres like gangster films musicals, comedy etc
Independent Production (Indie)- A term used to describe an american
film that has been produced without sponsorship of the hollywood studios
or produced outside an organized production house that is regularly engaged
in the making of motion pictures and television pictures.Distribution of
independently produced films is handled by the major studios because of
the costs involved in promoting a film and the uncertainities of film exhibtion.
Juxtaposition- A term which refers to the expressive arrangement
in film of any number of cinematic elements: visual and aural images within
a shot; the editorial arrangement through montage of individual shots; time
elements; and various color, sound and musical elements a sthey come in
contact with one other.A juxtaposition of the past and the present occurs
in The Godfather Part II as the stories of Michael and his father are set
some fifty years apart are told in the same film.
Kinestasis - A filmaking technique in which still photographs rather
than moving images are used as the source of visual information.The movement
of the images through a projector gives the still photographs a rhythmic
flow, hence the orgin of the term kinestasis. The technique of kinestasis
was employed in the boat sequences of the Butch Cassidy and the Sundance
kid.
Limbo lighting - A type of motion picture lighting where light falls
only upon the actors within the set area. Space surrounding the actors remains
in the total darkness. Limbo lighting removes all visual references to a
physical setting and hence is a means of emphasizing characters exclusively.The
public figures who serve as witnesses in Warren Beatty Reds are stylistically
seperated from the fictionalized elements of the story through interviews
with these people who are filmed "in limbo".
MacGuffin - A term whose origin is attributed to Alfred Hitchcock
and one used to describe a plotting device for setting the story into motion.The
term is frequently applied to that object or person in a mystery film which
at the beginning of the plot provides an element of dramatic curiosity.
The MacGuffin can be something that all the characters are trying to get
their hands on. eg in The Maltese falcon or a gem in the pink panther.The
search for the meaning of Rosebud in Citizen Kane has been described by
some critics as a plotting device like that of a MacGuffin. "Rosebud" becomes
an element of dramatic curiosity which motivates the mosaic invetigation
that helps explain the meaning of Kanes life.
Master shot/Triple-take filming- The technique of filming a single
long take of a piece of dramatic action and then repeating the action for
closer views.The long take or the master shot provides the basic unit of
action into which the medium shots and closeups are inserted.The process
of filming a master shot of an action and then repeating elements of the
shot for medium and close-up views is often referred to as triple take filming
or the master scene technique.
Metaphor- A term describing the use of imagery by which an anology
can be drawn between one object and an abstract idea so that the two are
imaginatively linked.The initial idea is reinforced by its association with
a concrete object.In the Batleship Potemkin the battleship serves as a metaphor
for the entire Russian state under the czarist regime.The oppression, rebellion,
and ultimate effeciency of the sailors abroad the Potemkin together represent
a metaphorical account
Method Actor- A popular term used to describe actors who have
studied the Stanislavsky method of naturalistic acting.Popularised in
the United States in the 1930's by Richard Boleslavski andStella Adler,
and eventually a pricipal approach at teh actors studio under the Lee
Strasberg and Elia Kazan, Method acting sought to combine the logical
attitude with learned technical skills. The ultimate goal was greater
realism in character interpretation.Method acting began making an
impact in Hollywood with teh arraival of Actors studio graduates
(Marlon Brando,James Dean,Karl Malden etc) in the early 1950s. This new
acting style coincided appropriately with the partial move in American
film making toward more psychological, introspective stories: A
streetcar named desire, East of Eden, and the Goddess.
Montage-
A french word meaning 'mounting' frequently used to describe the
assemblage of a film through editing.Numerous subcategories of montage
have developed to denote particular methods of editing. Among them are
the following categories
Accelerated montage
American montage
Conceptual montage
Narrative montage
Russian montage
Montage of attraction
Montage of collision
Neorealism- A film movement which began in Italy near th ened
of the Wold War II. Roberto Rosellini, Vittorio de Sica and Luchino
Visconti were among those Italian directors of the time
who produced films described as neorealist. Their approach to technique
and theme rejected the well made studio film and the happy ending
story.Neorealism was characterised by social consiousness, simple
stories of the common worker and location shooting. The neorealist
directors often used non actors as performers and took their cameras
into the streets and into the real settings for visual authenticity and
thematic credibility. Among the outstanding films produced during the
height of neorealism between 1945 and 1952 were Open city , Paisan and
the Bicycle Thief.
Nickelodeon-
A popular name for the american theatre in the early period of the
motion picture exhibition. The name came ino use after the turn of the
century when the conversion of the shops and stores into makeshift film
theatres were widespread. Nickelodeon was derived form the combining
the cost of the admission with the greek word for theatre Odeon. Two
business men in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Harry Davis and John P. Harris
-opened a converted store theatre in 1905 which they called the
Nickelodeon. The financial and popular success of this specially
decorated movie house which showed regularly scheduled film
presentations from morning to night resulted in proliferation of
niceloldeons throughout the United States.
Obscured frame-
Compositional treatment within a film frame so that part of the
picture is obscured by an object, an actor or by soft focus
photography. Obscured frame composition is a device employed to direct
visual emphasis to specific areas of the frame, to add visual variety
and a sense of depth to the composition and to block from view parts of
the screen image.
Protagonist-
The principal hero of the motion picture or a play; that individual or
group of individuals with who the audience empathisis. Dramatic
conflict and empathy occur when another character
or force (war,narure etc) challenges the protagonist driving the hero
into crisis or series of crisis. The challenging opponent is refferred
as the antagonist.
Rear Screen Projection-
The use of projecte images within a motion picture scene to suggest
back ground location. Rear screen projection allows the semblence of
location shooting within the film studio. Edwin Porter incorporated two
rear screen projections in the great train robbery, one of the train
arraiving at a depot and the other of a passing landscape, visible
through the open door of a train mail room.
Rembrandt lighting-
A somewhat obscure term for a type of special effect backlighting used
in motion pictures and still photography. Vivid contrast of light on a
figure including a soft light comming from behind the person were used
by Rembrandt the artist to highlight to a character mood in a
strikingly sympathetic manner. D.W Griffith experimented with the
expressive possibilities of Rembrandt backlighting in close up shots
where he wanted to enhance character or add a romantic ethereal quality
to a figure usually one of the leading actresses.
Ripple Dissolve-
A type of transition characterized by a wavering image, that is
usually employed to indicate a change to flashback material commonly a
characters memory of an event. Sometimes the ripple dissolve is used as
a transition to the imagined event or action.
Rough Cut-
An early version of an edited film in which shots and sequences have
been placed in general order. Precise cutting shots have not yet been
made. Whe the latter step has been completed the edited film is
reffered to as the final cut . The rough cut is an important phase of
the film editing process since it gives the editor, director, producer
and musical composer a sense of how the final version will
look.
Running gag-
A repetitive comic element in the motion picture. The running gag has
been long recognized as a standard ingredient of slapstick comedy.
and may either be repeated comic line of dialog or a repeated comic
action. In silent movie Mel Brooks repeats the gag of a newspaper
vendor being constantly knocked down by a bundle of newspapers that are
thrown from a delivery truck. Each time one of this slapstick incidents
occur a close up of newspapers also reveals through the headline a new
development in the films zany plot. Thus a repetition serves as a
running gag and a informational device.
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