Movies and Meaning- Pearson New International Edition

by Stephen Prince

  Deduction The method by which the critic works, using

  has assembled.

  the general goals of the critical model to guide the search for

  Digital Video An increasingly accepted alternative to cel-

  supporting evidence.

  luloid film, this format captures picture information as an

  Deep-Focus Cinematography A style of cinematography

  electronic signal in binary code. Images captured on digital

  that establishes great depth of field within shots. Gregg

  video look different than those captured on film, but, once

  Toland’s cinematography for Orson Welles’s Citizen Kane is

  in binary format, images can be stored and manipulated by

  a classic example of deep-focus composition.

  computer programs for editing and special effects work.

  Depth of Field The area of distance or separation between

  Direct Cinema A documentary style that emerged in the

  sharply focused foreground and background objects. Depth

  1960s and sought to minimize all appearances that the film-

  of field is determined by the focal length of a lens. Wide-

  maker was shaping or manipulating the materials of the

  angle lenses produce deep focus or great depth of field,

  film.

  whereas telephoto lenses have a shallow depth of field.

  Direct Sound Sound that is captured and recorded directly

  Depth Score The way that stereoscopic (3D) space is cho-

  on location. Direct sound also designates an absence of re-

  reographed on screen in order to express a film’s underlying

  flected components in the final recording.

  themes and story issues.

  Director The member of the production crew who works

  Description A stage in creating criticism wherein the critic

  closely with the cinematographer, editor, production de-

  fully describes those relevant features of narrative or audiovi-

  signer, and sound designer to determine a film’s organizing,

  sual design on which the critical interpretation will be based.

  creative structure. The director is generally the key member

  Design Concept The underlying creative concept that orga-

  of the production team controlling and synthesizing the

  nizes the way in which sets and costumes are built, dressed,

  contributions of other team members. On budgetary issues,

  and photographed on a given production.

  however, the director is answerable to the producer who has

  Deviant Plot Structure A narrative whose design and orga-

  the highest administrative authority on a production.

  nization fails to conform with viewers’ expectations regard-

  Displacement A concept in psychoanalytic film theory

  ing what is proper or permissible.

  whereby repressed ideas, emotions or impulses find a sub-

  Dialogue One of the three basic types of film sound, it in-

  stitute outlet in disguised form as they are projected onto

  cludes speech delivered by characters in a scene and voice-over

  nonthreatening aspects of a scene or situation.

  narration accompanying a scene or film.

  Dissolve A type of visual transition between shots or

  Diegetic Sound Sound that can be heard by characters in a

  scenes, created by the editor. Unlike the cut, the dis-

  scene and by film viewer. See also nondiegetic sound .

  solve is a gradual screen transition with distinct optical

  characteristics. The editor overlaps the end of one shot

  Digital Animation Animation inside three- dimensional com-

  with the beginning of the next shot to produce a brief

  puter space, aided by software to produce many photographic-

  superimposition.

  like effects. Digitally created lighting effects, for example, can

  be very elaborate, and when used with texture mapping of

  Diversification A corporate structure in which a company

  skin and other surfaces, these can create remarkable illusions

  conducts business operations across a range of associated

  of depth.

  markets and product categories.

  3

  Glossary

  Documentary A type of film dealing with a person, situa-

  Extras Incidental characters in a film, often part of the

  tion, or state of affairs that exists independently of the film.

  background of a shot or scene.

  Documentaries can include a poetic, stylized audiovisual

  Eyeline Match The matching of eyelines between two or

  design, but they typically exclude the use of overt fictional

  more characters who are engaged in conversation or are

  elements.

  looking at each other in a scene, in order to establish rela-

  Documentary Realism A subcategory of the realist mode of

  tions of proximity and continuity. The directions in which

  screen reality. The documentary realist filmmaker employs

  the performers look from shot to shot are complementary.

  the camera as a recording instrument to capture events or

  That is, if performer A looks screen right in the first shot,

  situations that are transpiring independently of the filmmaker.

  performer B will look screen left in the next shot.

  Documentary realism is also a stylistic construction in that the

  Fade A visual transition between shots or scenes created by

  filmmaker’s audiovisual design imposes an artistic organiza-

  the editor. Unlike the cut, the fade creates a gradual transi-

  tion on the event that has unfolded before the camera.

  tion with distinct visual characteristics. A fade is visible on

  Dolly A type of movable platform on which the camera is

  screen as a brief interval with no picture. The editor fades

  placed to execute a tracking shot. Tracking shots are some-

  one shot to black and then, after a pause, fades in the next

  times called dollies or dolly shots.

  shot. Editors often use fades to indicate a substantial change

  of time or place in the narrative.

  Editing The work of joining together shots to assemble

  the finished film. Editors select the best shots from the large

  Fall-Off The area in a shot where light falls off into

  amount of footage the director and cinematographer have

  shadow. Fast fall-off occurs in a high-contrast image where

  provided and assemble these in the proper narrative order.

  the rate of change between the illuminated and shadowed

  areas is very quick.

  Editor The member of the production crew who, in con-

  Fantasy A basic mode of screen reality in which settings

  sultation with the director, designs the order and arrange-

  and subjects, characters, and narrative time are far removed

  ment of shots as they will appear in the finished film and

  from the conditions of the viewer’s ordinary life. Fantasy

  splices them together to create the final cut.

  characters may have super powers or advanced technology

  Effects (Sound) One of the three basic types of film sound.

  that lends them extraordinary abilities.

  Effects are all of the nonspoken, nonmusical sounds in a

  Feature Film A film typically running between 90 and 120

  film (e.g., footsteps, breaking glass, etc.).

  minutes.

  Em
ulsion The light-sensitive surface of the film. Light

  Female Matte In a matte/counter-matte system, the female

  sensitivity varies among film stocks. Fast films feature emul-

  matte (also known as a cover matte) is an opaque frame in

  sions that are very light sensitive, requiring minimal light for

  which the foreground figure is transparent. The opaque area

  a good exposure. Slow films feature emulsions that are less

  of the female matte blocks light during printing.

  light sensitive, requiring more light on the scene or set for

  proper exposure.

  Feminist Film Theory A model of film theory that ex-

  amines the images of women in film and issues of gender

  ENR Named for Ernesto N. Rico, this method of film

  representation.

  processing retains a portion of the silver in film emulsion,

  which is normally removed during developing. This has the

  Fetishizing Techniques As emphasized in psychoanalytic

  effect of making shadows blacker, de-saturating color, and

  film theory, these are elements of style that concentrate the

  highlighting the texture and edges of surfaces.

  viewer’s attention for extended periods upon erotic imagery

  or material in a way that displaces other components of a

  Errors of Continuity Disruptions in the appropriate flow

  scene or shot.

  of action or in the proper relation of camera perspectives

  from shot to shot. These errors may include the failure to

  Fill Light A light placed opposite the key light and used to

  match action across shots or to maintain consistent screen

  soften the shadows it casts. Along with key and back lights,

  direction.

  fill light is one of the three principal sources of illumination

  in a scene.

  Establishing Shot A type of long shot used to establish the

  setting or location of a scene. In classical continuity editing,

  Film Noir A cycle of crime and detective films popular in

  establishing shots occur at the beginning of a scene and help

  the U.S. cinema of the 1940s. Low-key lighting was a major

  contextualize subsequent close-ups and other partial views

  stylistic attribute of this cycle.

  of the action.

  Film Stock Camera negative identified by manufacturer and

  number. Stocks vary in terms of their sensitivity to light, color

  Explicit Causality The tight chaining of narrative events

  reproduction, amount of grain, contrast, and resolution.

  into a strong causal sequence in which prior events directly

  and clearly cause subsequent events. Characteristic of

  Film Theory A philosophical or aesthetic model that

  Hollywood filmmaking.

  seeks to explain the fundamental characteristics of the me-

  dium of cinema and how it expresses meaning.

  Expressionism A basic mode of screen reality in which film-

  makers use explicit audiovisual distortions to express extreme

  Final Cut The finished edit of a film. The form in which a

  or aberrant emotions or perceptions.

  film is released to and seen by audiences.

  4

  Glossary

  Flashing A technique used to de-saturate color and con-

  Gray Scale A scale used for black-and-white cinematography

  trast from a shot and to create a misty, slightly hazy effect.

  that measures color intensity or brightness. Black-and-white

  Film stock is flashed by exposing it to a small amount of

  film and the black-and-white video camera can differentiate

  light prior to developing.

  colors only if they vary in degrees of brightness. The gray scale

  tells filmmakers which colors will separate naturally in black

  Flicker Fusion Along with persistence of vision and beta

  and white.

  movement, this is one of the perceptual foundations on

  which the illusion of cinema rests. The human eye cannot

  Greenscreening Filming of live actors against a blank and

  distinguish the individual still frames of a motion picture

  colored (green) screen for subsequent compositing with digi-

  because of the speed at which they are projected. Flicker fu-

  tal elements.

  sion designates the viewer’s inability to perceive the pulsing

  Gross The total box office revenue generated by a film be-

  flashes of light emitted by the projector. These flashes and

  fore expenses are deducted.

  the still pictures they illuminate blend together to produce

  Hand-Held Camera A camera that is physically held by the

  an illusion of movement.

  operator rather than being mounted on a tripod, dolly, or

  Focal length The distance between the optical center of the

  other platform. It permits more freedom of movement and is

  lens and the film inside the camera. Lenses of different fo-

  especially suited for scenes where the action is spontaneous

  cal lengths will “see” the action in front of the camera very

  and unpredictable.

  differently. See Wide-Angle , Telephoto , Normal , and Zoom Hard Light Light that is not scattered or diffused by filters

  Lenses .

  or reflecting screens. Hard light can establish high contrast.

  Foley The creation of sound effects by live performance in

  Hard-Matted Method of producing letterboxed video

  a sound recording studio. Foley artists perform sound effects

  transfers of widescreen films. The widescreen ratio is pre-

  in sync with a scene’s action.

  served for viewing on a 4:3 monitor by masking that part of

  ForcedPerspective Perspective distortion that takes infor-

  the video signal that displays on the top and bottom of the

  mational cues about depth and distance—such as the way

  monitor’s screen and displaying the widescreen image in the

  parallel lines seem to converge in the distance or the way

  unmatted area.

  objects seem to grow smaller as they get farther away—and

  High-Angle A camera angle usually above the eye level of

  exaggerates these to convey on the small scale of a miniature

  performers in a scene.

  model or a matte painting an impression of great size or

  High-Definition Video Compared with standard video,

  distance.

  which has 480 scan lines of picture information, hi-def

  Foreground Miniature A miniature model suspended be-

  video has up to 1080 scan lines. The Sony/CineAlta HD24P

  tween the camera and the set or location and photographed

  format, which George Lucas used to shoot the latest install-

  as part of the dramatic action.

  ments of his Star Wars series, runs at 24 frames per second,

  Frame The borders of a projected image or the individual

  like film, and carries a resolution of 1920 × 1080 pixels.

  still photograph on a strip of film. Frame dimensions are

  High-Key Lighting A lighting design that minimizes con-

  measured by aspect ratio.

  trast and fall-off by creating a bright, even level of illumina-

  Framework of Interpretation The intellectual, social, or

  tion throughout a scene.

  cultural frames of reference that a critic applies to a film

  Historical Realism A subcategory of the r
ealist mode of

  in order to create a novel interpretation. It is the general

  screen reality. Historical realist films aim to recreate in close

  intellectual framework within which an interpretation is

  detail the manners, mores, settings, and costumes of a dis-

  produced.

  tant historical period.

  French New Wave The group of filmmakers that emerged

  Homage A reference in a film to another film or film-

  in France beginning in 1959 and whose films broke with

  maker. The climatic gun battle on the train station steps in

  existing studio style. They were very fond of American films,

  Brian De Palma’s The Untouchables (1987) is an homage to

  and in time their work influenced such Hollywood films as

  Sergei Eisenstein’s The Battleship Potemkin (1925), which

  Bonnie and Clyde and Easy Rider.

  features the famous massacre on the Odessa steps.

  Front Projection Method for simulating locations by

  Hue One of the basic attributes of color. Hue designates

  projecting location footage from a position in front of the

  the color itself. Red, blue, and green are primary hues. They

  actors and set.

  are not mixtures of any other color.

  Genre A type or category of film such as a Western, musi-

  Identification A stage in creating criticism wherein the

  cal, gangster film, or horror film that follows a set of visual

  critic selectively identifies those aspects of the film that are

  and narrative patterns that are unique within the genre.

  relevant for the critical argument being developed. The

  identification of selective film elements enables the critic to

  Glass Shot Often used in early cinema, this was a method

  simplify and reduce the wealth of material in the film.

  for producing a composited image in-camera by filming a

  scene with a matte painting on glass used to represent part

  Ideological Film Theory A model of film theory that exam-

  of the set or location.

  ines the representation of social and political issues in film.

  5

  Glossary

  Ideology A system of beliefs characteristic of a society or

  Letterbox A method of formatting wide-screen motion

  social community. Ideological film theory examines the ways

  pictures for video release. Black bars mask the top and bot-

  in which films represent and express various ideologies.

  tom of the frame, producing a wider ratio picture area in the

  center of the frame. While the aspect ratio of a letterboxed