Movies and Meaning- Pearson New International Edition Read online

  Movies and Meaning Prince Sixth Edition

  Movies and Meaning

  ISBN 978-1-29204-129-2

  An Introduction to Film

  Stephen Prince

  Sixth Edition

  9 781292 041292

  Pearson New International Edition

  Movies and Meaning

  An Introduction to Film

  Stephen Prince

  Sixth Edition

  International_PCL_TP.indd 1

  7/29/13 11:23 AM

  ISBN 10: 1-292-04129-3

  ISBN 13: 978-1-292-04129-2

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  ISBN 10: 1-292-04129-3

  ISBN 13: 978-1-292-04129-2

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  A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

  Printed in the United States of America

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  P E A R S O N

  C U S T O M

  L I B R A R Y

  Table of Contents

  Glossary

  Stephen Prince

  1

  1. Film Structure

  Stephen Prince

  13

  2. Cinematography

  Stephen Prince

  57

  3. Production Design

  Stephen Prince

  95

  4. Acting

  Stephen Prince

  121

  5. Editing: Making the Cut

  Stephen Prince

  149

  6. Principles of Sound Design

  Stephen Prince

  187

  7. The Nature of Narrative in Film

  Stephen Prince

  229

  8. Visual Effects

  Stephen Prince

  287

  9. Modes of Screen Reality

  Stephen Prince

  325

  Index

  381

  I

  II

  G L O S S A R Y

  3D digital matte A matte painting that has been camera

  Animation 3D Animation of miniature models or puppets

  mapped onto a 3D geometrical model in computer space.

  or animation inside three-dimensional computer space.

  The digital matte can then be moved or rotated to

  Antinarrative A narrative style that tends, paradoxically,

  simulate the perspective of a moving camera. See also

  toward eliminating narrative by employing lots of digres-

  camera mapping .

  sion, avoiding a clear hierarchy of narrative events, and by

  Additive Color Mixing A system used for creating color

  suppressing the causal connections among events.

  on television where red, blue, and green lights are mixed

  Art Director Working under the production designer, the

  together to create all other hues.

  art director supervises the translation and sketches into sets.

  ADR Automated dialogue replacement (ADR) is a post-

  Art Film Films made by overseas directors in the 1950s

  production practice in which actors re-record lines of dia-

  and 1960s that explored weighty and timeless themes and

  logue or add new ones not present at the point of filming.

  took film style in new, unexplored directions.

  Computer software enables proper synching of these lines

  Aspect Ratio The dimensions of the film frame or screen

  with the performer’s lip movements as recorded on film.

  image. Aspect ratio is typically expressed in units of width

  Aerial Image Printing Method of producing dimensional

  to height.

  effects using matte paintings in an optical printer. An image

  Attributional Errors Mistakes of interpretation that arise

  (such as a matte painting) is projected to a focal plane in space

  when a critic erroneously decides that some effect in a film

  (rather than onto a surface) where it can be photographed by

  has a meaning expressly intended by its creators or incor-

  the process camera in the optical printer. That footage can be

  rectly assigns the creative responsibility for an effect to the

  combined with live action footage and other optical elements.

  wrong member of the production crew. Uncovering these er-

  Aerial Perspective A visual depth cue in which the effects

  rors typically requires documentation of a film’s production

  of the atmosphere make very distant objects appear bluish

  history.

  and hazy.

  Auteur A director whose work is characterized by a dis-

  Alpha Channel In a digital image, this channel of informa-

  tinctive audiovisual design and recurring set of thematic

  tion specifies a pixel’s degree of transparency. The alpha

  issues. Auteurism is a model of film theory and criticism that

  channel is often used for generating male and female mattes.

  searches for film authors or auteurs.

  Ambient Sound The background sound characteristic of an

  Auteurist Film Theory (Auteur Theory) A model of film the-

  environment or location. For a film such as The Last of the

  ory that studies the work of a film auteur (or author). Directors

  Mohicans , set in a forest, ambient sounds include the rustle

  are generally considered to be the prime auteurs in cinema.

  of branches and the cries of distant birds.

  Auteurist theory studies the films of a cinema auteur as works

  Anamorphic Method of producing a widescreen (2.35:1)

  of personal expression.

  image by squeezing the picture information horizontally and

  Back Light The light source illuminating the space between

  stretching it vertically. This method is used for both theatri-

  performers and the rear wall of a set. Along with key and

  cal films and for DVD home video formatted for 16 × 9 (wi-

  fill lights, back light is one of the three principal sources of

  descreen) monitors or projection systems. Unsqueezing the

  illumination in a
scene.

  picture information during projection or viewing produces

  Beta Movement A perceptual illusion in which the hu-

  the widescreen image.

  man eye responds to apparent movement as if it were real.

  Ancillary Market All of the nontheatrical markets from

  Because of this illusion, viewers think they see moving fig-

  which a film distributor derives revenue. These include home

  ures on a film or television screen when, in fact, there is no

  video, cable television, and foreign markets.

  true movement.

  Angle of View The amount of area recorded by a given

  Binocular Disparity Each eye has a different angle of view

  lens. Telephoto lenses have a much smaller angle of view

  on the world, and this difference or disparity provides a

  than wide-angle lenses.

  source of information about depth, distance and spatial lay-

  Animation 2D Traditional form of animation in cinema

  out. Stereoscopic cinema incorporates binocular disparity to

  which involves photographing flat artwork, typically a com-

  create an impression of 3D.

  bination of characters and background. Camera movement

  “Blaxploitation” The cycle of films that emerged in

  and three dimensional depth perspective is fairly limited.

  the early 1970s aimed at African-American audiences.

  Animatronic Model A motorized, moveable miniature

  Most of the “blaxploitation” films were crime and action

  model, often used for creature effects.

  thrillers.

  From Glossary of Movies and Meaning:An Introduction to Film, Sixth Edition. Stephen Prince. Copyright

  © 2013 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

  1

  Glossary

  Blockbuster A hugely profitable film usually featuring a

  Cognitive Film Theory A model of film theory that exam-

  fantasy theme and a narrative heavily dependent on special

  ines how the viewer perceptually processes audiovisual infor-

  effects.

  mation in cinema and cognitively interprets this information.

  Boom Shot A type of moving camera shot in which the

  Composite in a visual effects shot, combining the image

  camera moves up or down through space. Also known as a

  layers to create the finished shot.

  crane shot , it takes its name from the apparatus—a boom or

  Composition The arrangement of characters and objects

  crane—on which the camera is mounted.

  within the frame. Through composition filmmakers arrange

  Camera Mapping Method of projecting a 2D matte paint-

  the visual space on-screen into an artistic design.

  ing onto a 3D geometrical model in computer space. Once

  Computer-Generated Images (CGIs) Images that are

  the image is projected onto the model, it can be treated as a

  created and designed using computer software rather

  3D object and moved or rotated to simulate the perspective

  than originating as a scene before the camera that is pho-

  of a moving camera.

  tographed. Sophisticated software enables digital artists

  “Camera Pen” The term used by Alexandre Astruc to

  to render textures, lighting effects, movement, and other

  designate the use of cinema as a medium of personal expres-

  three-dimensional pictorial information in highly plausible

  sion. The concept was a major influence on French New

  and convincing ways. Bearing this information, CGI can be

  Wave directors and their conviction that cinema was a direc-

  married (composited) with live action photography to stun-

  tor’s medium (see Auteur).

  ning effect, as the exciting interaction of real actors and CGI

  dinosaurs in The Lost World demonstrates.

  Camera Position The distance between the camera and the

  subject it is photographing. Camera positions are usually

  Condensation A concept in psychoanalytic film theory that

  classified as variations of three basic setups: the long shot,

  denotes the concentration of meaning found in images that

  the medium shot, and the close-up.

  are highly charged with emotional or dramatic significance.

  This concentration is symptomatic of repressed content that

  Canted Angle A camera angle in which the camera leans

  find expression in a condensed, indirect manner.

  toward screen right or screen left, producing an imbalanced,

  off-center look to the image. Filmmakers often use canted

  Continuity Editing As its name implies, continuity editing

  angles to capture a character’s subjective feelings of stress or

  maximizes principles of continuity from shot to shot so that

  disorientation.

  the action seems to flow smoothly across shot and scene

  transitions. Continuity editing facilitates narrative compre-

  Cells Transparent sheets of cellulose on which an ani-

  hension by the viewer.

  mator draws and paints. A completed scene may be com-

  posed of numerous cells photographed one behind the

  Contrast The differences of light intensity across a scene. A

  other.

  high-contrast scene features brightly illuminated and deeply

  shadowed areas.

  Cinematic Self-Reflexivity A basic mode of screen reality in

  which the filmmaker establishes a self-referential audiovisual

  Convention A familiar, customary way of representing char-

  design. A self-reflexive film calls attention to its own artificially

  acters, story situations, or images. Conventions result from

  constructed nature.

  agreements between filmmakers and viewers to accept certain

  representations as valid.

  Cinematography The planning and execution of light and

  color design, camera position, and angle by the cinematogra-

  Convergence Movement of the eyes toward each other that

  pher in collaboration with the director.

  occurs when viewing near objects. Stereoscopic cinema uses

  convergence information to elicit 3D effects.

  Cinephilia Love for cinema. This designates a deep passion

  for the medium of cinema, not merely a fondness for this or

  Costume Designer Individual who designs costuming worn

  that individual film.

  by actors.

  Classic Hollywood Narrative Type of narrative prevalent

  Costumes The clothing worn by performers in a film.

  in Hollywood films of the 1930s to 1950s and still popular

  Costumes help establish locale and period as well as a given

  today. The plot features a clear, main line of action (with

  film’s color design.

  subordinate subplots), marked by a main character’s pur-

  Counter-Matte A counter-matte masks the frame in an in-

  suit of a goal, in which the story events are chained in tight

  verse manner to a matte. Used in combination with a matte,

  causal relationships. The conclusion cleanly resolves all

  the matte/counter-matte system provides a means of creating

  major story issues.

  composite images. See also Traveling Matte.

  Close-Up One of the basic camera positions. The cam-

  Coverage The shots an editor uses to bridge continuity

  era is set up in close proximity to an a
ctor’s face or other

  problems in the editing of a scene. By cutting to coverage,

  significant dramatic object that fills the frame. Close-ups

  rather than relying on the master shot, an editor can finesse

  tend to isolate objects or faces from their immediate sur-

  many problems of scene construction and can improve an

  roundings.

  actor’s performance.

  2

  Glossary

  Crane Shot See Boom Shot.

  Digital Backlot Practice of simulating locations using digi-

  tal tools as an alternative to location shooting.

  Criticism The activity of searching for meaning in an art-

  work. The critic seeks to develop an original interpretation

  Digital Composite A composited shot produced digitally,

  by uncovering novel meanings inside

  rather than using an optical printer, by adding, substracting

  a film.

  or otherwise transforming pixels.

  Cross-Cutting A method of editing used to establish si-

  Digital Effects The computer-designed components of a

  multaneous, ongoing lines of action in a film narrative. By

  shot that may be composited with live action elements.

  rapidly cutting back and forth between two or more lines of

  Digital Grading Method of digitally altering image ele-

  action, the editor establishes that they are happening simul-

  ments, such as color balance and saturation, contrast,

  taneously. By decreasing the length of the shots, editors can

  gamma, and filtration. O Brother, Where Art Thou? was the

  accelerate the pace of the editing and imply an approaching

  first feature, shot on film, to be entirely digitized and then

  climax.

  color-corrected in this fashion. Also called digital timing.

  Cue Sheet A breakdown of a scene’s action, listing and

  Digital Intermediate The version of a film on digital video

  timing all sections requiring musical cues.

  that is subjected to digital grading or the computer correc-

  Cut A type of visual transition created in editing in which

  tion of color, contrast, and other image qualities. After these

  one shot is instantaneously replaced on screen by another.

  corrections are made, the footage on digital video is then

  Because the change is instantaneous, the cut itself is invis-

  scanned back onto film.

  ible. The viewer sees only the change from one shot to the

  Digital Rendering The process during which a synthetic

  next.

  digital image is created from the files and data that an artist