Viewing Films Actively

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Viewing Films Actively
Thinking is skilled work. It is not true that we
are naturally endowed with the ability to think
clearly and logically - without learning how, or
without practicing. -Alfred Mander
Paige Mayhew Oklahoma Writing Project
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As students view a film, we want them to pay
special attention to those areas of the film we
consider important and to draw conclusions from
their experience with the film. Only then does a
passive viewer become active for by thinking
about the films content, the student is
interacting with the film. -Resch and
Schnicker
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According to Corrigan Writing about films can
serve one or several functions. It can help
you

• Understand your own response to a movie better
• Convince others why you like or dislike a film
• Explain or introduce something about a movie,
  filmmaker, or a group of movies that your
  readers may not know
• Make comparisons and contrasts between one movie
  and others, as a way of understanding them better
• Make connections between a movie and other areas
  of culture in order to illuminate both the
  culture and the movies it produces.

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Analyzing Films

• Three ways of looking at a movie

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Literary Aspects of Film

• Those aspects that films share with literature
• plot
• characters
• setting
• themes
• point of view
• recurring images
• symbols

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Questions to ask when viewing on a Literary Level

• Who are the characters?
• What is the setting?
• What is the plot?
• From whose point of view is the story told?
• What is the films theme?
• Are there any symbols or recurring images?

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The Director

• The director is the main artistic force behind a
  film, television show, or play. S/he has the main
  responsibility for choosing locations, setting
  the scene, directing camera angles.
• The thing to remember while watching a film is
  that everything could have been presented
  differently, it is the director who decides how
  you see each
• Scene
• Character
• Item
• Shot

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Dramatic Aspects of Film

• Those elements film shares with live drama
• actors portraying characters through dialogue,
  costumes, and makeup
• sets and/or locations
• directors who leave personal stamp on final
  product

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Questions to ask when viewing on a dramatic level

• How effective is the acting? Why?
• How does the set affect understanding and
  enjoyment of the story?
• How are the costumes and makeup effective in
  establishing a character?

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Cinematic Aspects of Film

• Elements unique to film
• Requires some knowledge of technical terms

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Close Up (CU)

• A shot of one face or object that fills the
  screen completely.
• Gives importance to object
• Allows us to see the emotion of a particular
  character

USUAL SUSPECTS
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High Angle (h/a)

• Angles are defined by where the camera is placed
• Camera looks down on what is being photographed
• Takes away power of the subject of shot

HIGH NOON
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Long Shot (LS)

• A relative term
• A shot taken from a sufficient distance to show a
  landscape, a building, or a large crowd

BULLIT
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Questions to Ask

• Why was this character shot from this angle?
• What feeling is imposed by the movement of the
  camera in this shot?
• What other camera angles could have been used to
  shoot this shot, why was this the best one to
  use?