RAM – Fall 2013

audience members actively construct meaning from the narrative

we negotiate a shared experience:

the filmmaker’s story(the story told / the plot)

the audience member’s story(the story perceived / the total effect)

somebody Character(s) doing something + Conflict /

Action at some place & time +

Setting

= STORY

* The narrative is the centerpiece: shots, dialogue, lighting, acting editing,

sound should serve the story.

Story

Acting

Dialogue

Lighting

Editing

Shots

Sound

Films blur the lines between fantasy & reality

Films utilize mental patterns in order to make sense of a narrative

Films create meaning from cause/effect relationships

Films navigate through conflict & tension

Filmmaking (a.k.a. constructing visualnarratives) is a highly intentional act.

“Nothing in a mainstream narrative is there by accident.”

-- Jill Nelmes(author of Introduction to Film Studies)

“having been put into the scene”“placing in the scene”

A set of variables which the filmmaker manipulates when

creating what we see on the screen

mise en scénesetting

props costume performance

lightingcamera editing

sound

places characters in the film

creates own meaningsignify & clarify

meaning

Enhances setting and characterization

generally the film’s focal point

the acting

can dictate mood

& attention

angle

movement

focus

patterns (and deviations)

guides the viewer

layers of sound images

1. Create the film event.

2. Light it.

3. Film it.

4. Edit it.

5. Add sound.

The Traditional Film-Making Process

As you watch clips Edward Scissorhands next week, you will record what you think are choices that were made intentionally to propel the narrative.