Fiction vs. Fact

1. Fiction vs. Fact “Fiction…can convey a true emotion more effectively than facts.” -Simon Beaufoy Screen-writer (Slumdog, The Full Monty) • Consider the statement above. • Why is it true?

2. Film Devices How the sights and sounds in film make us respond emotionally.

3. Film Devices • A device is an element of film making • Some examples include: • camera shot sizes and angles • sound effects • background music • props • costume and make-up • lighting • setting

4. Film Devices • Every device has a purpose in a film • All devices help emphasize the emotion the director wants you to feel: the audience must cheer for the hero and fear the villain • Nothing in film is accidental • It’s not the story, but how you tell the story that moves the audience.

5. Part One: The Camera • Shot Sizes • Camera Angles • Camera Movement

6. Extreme Long ShotEstablishes setting

7. Long ShotShows relationship between character and environment

8. Medium Shot Captures essential body language

9. Close-upIncreases tension, raises emotion

10. Extreme Close-upProvides emotional jolt / close detail

11. High AngleShows defeat

12. Low AngleShows Dominance and Power

13. Low AngleShows hero victorious

14. Dutch AngleOff-kilter angle.Adds excitement or tension

15. Dutch AngleMakes the familiar seem unfamiliar

16. Bird’s Eye ViewUsed for a profound moment

17. Shot Size Activity • Use magazines or newspapers to locate examples of each of the different shot sizes and angles. One picture can cover both a size and angle. • Cut them out and put them in your notebook. Beside each example, give a detailed explanation as to why each shot size and angle was effective.

18. Part One: The Camera • Camera Movement • ex: zoom, pan, trolley, jiggle, tilt • tone: playful movement or serious stillness • tone affects mood (i.e. viewers emotional reaction) • Pace (i.e. fast or slow) affects mood • quick cuts, fades • titles and credits • create tone and mood • think of the headings for a serious drama, a horror movie, a comedy

19. Part Two: Audio • Music • Has powerful effect on emotions • Works on a sub-conscious level • Makes viewer accept the mood of the film • The death of a character can be sad or irrelevant depending on the music • Pleonastic music: fits the visual • Interactive music: contrasts the visual

20. Part Two: Audio • Dialogue, Voice-over and narration • Dialogue advances the plot or reveals something about a character • Minimal repetition or chit-chat • Voice-over narration slows down the action and gives film a reflective feel

21. Part Two: Audio • Sound effects • Highlight an action • Ex. Punch, car door slamming • Highlights a mood • Ex. Heat, tension

22. Part Two: Audio • Listen to the section of film. • What music and sound effects do you hear? • What do you imagine is happening? • What is the genre? • What is the mood? • What is the director’s attitude about the film? (Tone)

23. Storyboard ActivityIncorporating sights and sounds • Select an event in your own life and transform it from memory to storyboard. Do this by drawing a sequence of images. • Use speech bubbles for dialogue. • You will need to carefully consider shot sizes, camera angles, dialogue, and background music. • Use no more than four long shots or extreme long shots. • When finished, justify the framing decisions you have made. • Create 10 squares.

24. Part Three: Symbolism • Setting and Location • Condition our assumptions and expectations to the following • Genre • Mood • Plot • Characters • Pace • Theme

25. Setting and Location Imagine that the following descriptions are of main settings in a series of different films. For each location, consider what assumptions and expectations you may have for the following: • a) what is the genre of the film • b) what kind of story are we about to see • c) what overall conflict may we see • d) what personal, inner conflicts may we see • e) what will be the theme of the story

26. Three settings • A large mansion in the Hollywood Hills. The external gates and exterior of the house are dramatically ornate. Several gates and intercoms suggest maximum security. Inside, the house is mostly white, sparsely furnished, with marble floors and the occasional stone statue. • An old house in disrepair in rural Ontario. It backs onto an apple orchard. The furniture inside varies in styles. Each nook and cranny is taken up with memorabilia, ornaments, and other frequently used items. • A large military-style tent pitched in a desert location. Externally, there are few signs of life. Within the tent are only basic necessities. It is neat and orderly.

27. Part Three: Symbolism • Costume and Make-up • Conditions our assumptions and expectations in the same way setting does • Distinguishes characters • Costume change indicates character change: • As character becomes more confident, more in debt, more independent, more evil the costumes and make-up will change. • Less important character dress in stereotypical ways Is a character in a period piece dressed more elaborately than others? Is the high-school student as hip-looking as the others

28. Part Three: Symbolism • Body Language • Conveys much more than words • Shot size must match body language

29. Part Three: Symbolism • Lighting • Highly symbolic • Stark blacks, whites, shadows, coloured lenses, and degree of light are all mean- ing makers

30. Part Three: Symbolism • Symbols • Conventional symbols • Personal symbols • Visual codes

31. Juxtaposition • Placing two opposite things side by side with the purpose of highlighting the contrast. • Caring vs. sociopathic • Loving vs. hating • Peaceful vs. Chaotic • Hero vs. Villain