Features of Texts: Film (VCE SSCE English): Revision Notes

Features of Texts: Film

Introduction to film as a text

Films are narrative texts that tell stories through moving images combined with sound. Like novels or short stories, films present fictional narratives using characters and settings, arranging events to create rising and falling tension. However, films also use unique visual and auditory techniques to convey meaning and emotion.

The four elements of film style

Every film is created using four key technical elements that work together seamlessly to tell a story. These elements are:

1. Cinematography - the camera techniques used to capture images
2. Mise en scène - everything visible within the frame
3. Editing - how shots are selected and combined
4. Sound - the audio elements that accompany the visuals

When analysing a film, you need to examine how these elements combine to create meaning, mood and narrative impact. Most of the time, these elements work so smoothly together that audiences don't notice them individually. Close analysis reveals how they contribute to the film's overall effect.

Cinematography

Cinematography refers to the art and technique of film photography. The cinematographer, working under the director's guidance, sets up all the shots in the film. Different camera distances and angles create different effects and convey different meanings.

Camera distances and shot types

Understanding shot types is essential for analysing how films direct audience attention and create emotional responses.

Extreme close-up

• Creates a highly magnified image of an object or part of an object
• Brings the viewer very close to the subject
• Often used to show intense emotion or important details
• Can create feelings of intimacy or discomfort

Close-up

• Shows the subject in detail
• Frequently used for faces to reveal emotions
• Can focus on significant objects or important text
• Helps audiences connect emotionally with characters

Medium shot (or mid shot)

• Shows most or all of one or two people
• Includes some background, placing characters in context
• Commonly used for dialogue scenes
• Balances character focus with environmental information

Long shot

• Shows the physical environment with people appearing further from the camera
• Establishes setting and spatial relationships
• Can make characters appear small or vulnerable
• Provides context for the action

Aerial shot

• Captures the setting from far above
• Establishes a broad sense of place
• Can make subjects appear small or insignificant
• Often used to begin or end sequences

Tilt-down shot (or high-angle shot)

• Camera looks down at the subject from above
• Can make characters appear vulnerable, weak or powerless
• Creates a sense of the audience looking down on the action
• May suggest dominance or judgement

Tilt-up shot (or low-angle shot)

• Camera looks up at the subject from below
• Can make characters appear powerful, threatening or important
• Creates a sense of the audience looking up to the subject
• May suggest authority or heroism

Panning shot

• Camera rotates horizontally from left to right or right to left
• Follows action across a scene
• Reveals the breadth of a setting
• Can create a sense of surveying or searching

Zoom shot

• The camera lens focal length changes continuously
• Creates the effect of moving towards or away from the subject
• Can intensify focus on a particular element
• Often used to heighten dramatic moments

Mise en scène

Mise en scène is a French term meaning 'putting on stage'. It refers to everything that can be seen within the frame at any given point in a film. This includes four key visual elements: setting, acting style, costumes and lighting.

Setting

Setting is the physical location of any scene. It provides essential context for the story and characters.

When analysing setting, consider:

• Outdoor settings: Is the environment vast and intimidating, or attractive and welcoming?
• Indoor settings: Are rooms large and comfortable, or small and constricting?
• Cultural context: Does the setting establish a particular country or region?

Acting style

Acting style encompasses facial expressions, body language and the overall approach actors take to their roles.

When analysing acting, consider:

• Is the performance natural, exaggerated, understated or measured?
• How do facial expressions and gestures reveal character traits?
• What do physical movements suggest about social status, personality and attitudes?

Costumes

Costumes include all clothing, hairstyles, makeup and personal props worn by characters.

When analysing costumes, consider:

• How do costumes reflect the historical period and cultural context?
• What do specific items reveal about individual characters?
• How do colour choices contribute to meaning?

Lighting

Lighting involves the colour, intensity, source and direction of light in each shot.

When analysing lighting, consider:

• What colour is the lighting? (warm/cool tones)
• How intense is the lighting? (bright/dim)
• Is the scene evenly lit, or are there areas of bright light and shadow?
• Where does the light come from?

Editing

Film editing is the process of selecting and combining individual shots to tell a coherent story. Editing shapes the pace, rhythm and emotional impact of a film.

Types of edits

Most editing is designed to be invisible - audiences experience a smooth flow without noticing individual cuts. However, understanding editing techniques helps reveal how filmmakers control narrative and meaning.

Cuts

• One shot ends and the next begins immediately
• The most common type of edit
• Creates a sense of continuous action
• Can be jarring if used to create deliberate disruption

Dissolves

• One shot briefly overlaps with the next
• Creates a softer transition than a cut
• Often suggests the passage of time
• Can link related images or ideas

Fades

• One shot dissolves into black before the next shot begins
• Creates a clear break between scenes
• Often marks the end of a sequence or chapter
• Can suggest finality or conclusion

Editing techniques

Shot/reverse-shot

• Film cuts back and forth between two points of view
• Commonly used to show conversations
• Creates a sense of connection between characters
• Helps audience follow dialogue exchanges

Crosscutting (or parallel editing)

• Uses cuts to link shots showing action in different locations
• Moves back and forth between related or simultaneous events
• Rapid crosscuts can quickly increase tension and suspense
• Can link events at different times (present and flashback)
• Creates connections between apparently separate storylines

Sound

Sound is a crucial element of film that works with visual elements to create meaning and emotion. Sound consists of dialogue, music and sound effects, and sometimes includes narrative voice-over.

Diegetic vs non-diegetic sound

Understanding the source of sound is important for analysis:

Diegetic sound

• Sound that comes from within the world of the film
• Can be heard by the characters themselves
• Examples: dialogue, footsteps, music from a radio the characters can hear
• Grounds the audience in the film's reality

Non-diegetic sound

• Sound that can only be heard by the audience
• Does not exist within the film's world
• Most common example: the musical soundtrack
• Used to guide audience emotional responses

Types of sound

Narrative voice-over

• The voice of a narrator speaking directly to the audience
• The narrator is often also a character in the film
• Provides extra information that might be difficult to show visually
• Can offer insight into character thoughts and motivations
• May provide context or explanation

Music

• One of the most powerful elements in film
• Builds suspense and heightens emotion
• Can express sadness, triumph, joy or fear
• Sudden changes in musical style create tension or relief
• Helps establish social or cultural context
• Guides audience emotional responses

Sound effects

• Sounds that match the visuals
• Examples: footsteps, door slams, gunshots, weather sounds
• Create realism and immersion
• Can be exaggerated for dramatic effect
• Draw attention to significant actions

Silence

• Absence of sound is a significant element that should always be analysed
• Silence in a jungle or battlefield signals impending danger
• A character standing alone in silence may indicate reflection or understanding
• Creates tension through absence
• Can emphasise isolation or contemplation

How sound works with visuals

Sound shapes our understanding of visual meaning.

Studying your film text

To study a film effectively, follow these key steps:

1. Watch the film in full at least twice - Initial viewings help you understand the plot and characters.

2. Revisit key scenes several times, including:

   • Opening and closing scenes
   • Introduction of main characters
   • Turning points in the narrative
   • Crisis points
   • The film's climax

3. Shift focus from 'what' to 'how' - Initially focus on what happens, but as you watch repeatedly, start noticing how filmmakers have created and combined shots.

4. Analyse the four elements of film style - Examine how cinematography, mise en scène, editing and sound work together in specific scenes.

5. Consider the film's 'look and feel' - The combination of technical elements creates the distinctive film style.

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