Cinematic Style

Bringing a story to life in film requires more than strong text. What viewers see makes a huge impact on the viewing experience and ultimately on their opinion of the story. Directors and cinematographers put a lot of work into deciding what will fill the frame. Students evaluate how effectively they have done their jobs. Pay attention to:

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• Camera movement: What is the camera angle (above action, below, straight on)? What is the distance of the camera from the action (far shot, medium shot, close-up, extreme close-up)?

• Framing/composition: What is included in each shot? What is left out? How is the main focus of the shot framed?

• Lighting: What is the source? Is it artificial or natural? What is the level of intensity? What direction is it coming from?

• Editing/montage (length of shots, rhythm, relationship of one shot to the next).

• Transitions (dissolve, fade-in/out, splicing) between scenes and between the flashbacks (from past and present); splicing between two events happening simultaneously.