What is the’analysis of film ? Is this different from the analysis of film, film theory, or even the filmologie ? Why carries out an analysis of film ? And most importantly, how does one do it ?

If you wish to discover the answers to these questions, read on !

Why scan film ?

First of all, what is that to realize a analysis film (called ” film Theory “) ?

This is to introduce the film, its scenario, its challenges, its scenario, its cutting, its montage, its scope, briefly explain its design.

There is not a single method for doing so. But, in a few moments, you will discover a quite complete and that you will always be able to adapt to the film that you want to analyze.

In the meantime, you ask, why do a analysis film, still called analysis of film or filmologie (a term very old no longer used) ?

It is very simple : if you are or you plan to in the world of cinema and the audiovisual, you need to feed yourself and grasp the meaning, the structure, the technical, the historical or sociological and/or the aesthetics of the films and other films audio-visual that you look at.

This will help you later to participate more effectively in the design, implementation, and production of films or any other audiovisual projects. And nothing to spoil, you might even enjoy it as many others before you.

I would have loved to capture these issues at the time when I was still a student…I would have also liked that it gives me other audiovisual projects, films, more than 70 years to analyze, but also contemporary works, music videos, institutional films and series but hey, that’s another debate !

 

How to perform the analysis cinematic

 As explained above, there are various ways to carry out theanalysis film. Here’s one that you can use as such or adapt them to your movie :

Introduction and presentation

Present a film, it is, of course, give up the title. But it is also provide the name of the director, the screenwriter, possibly by the producer or the production company, or actors.

It is also about the historical context (or sociological) of the film, of its kind.

Do not forget to also provide its release date and speak briefly of his scenario.

If you present a particular scene it will be necessary to recapitulate the scene and its challenges.

 For the rest of the article I offer you a list of items to analyze, which can be interesting and important to note. You will not necessarily to talk all the time, but if they are important to you, I invite you to talk about.

 

Plans

You probably know it because it is a large and basic, within the framework of an analysis film, you will need :

– Detect and speak to the scales of the plans which have been preferred, instead of the wide shot, tight, average ? And that is what it influences the narrative.

– Speaking of the shooting in order to indicate the position and movements of the camera. We have several possible :

• Fixed view
• Panoramic vertical
• Horizontal pan
• Dolly
• Dolly back
• Zoom
• Movement of crane
• Camera shoulder
• Dolly vertical ascending/descending
• Fluid movement (Steadycam /Ronin)

(The movements of the camera and thus of the framework are important, but talk about the movements within the frame may be interesting.)

– The position of the camera can also be interesting, it can be :

• Neutral
• Diving
• In cons-diving

– The position of the character relative to the camera :

• Face
• Profile
• Three-quarter
• Look camera ?

The sound

Thing quite forgotten, talk of the sound, that is to say, to speak of dialogue, ambient sound, voice-overs, offset, noise, silence, music, various noises, etc

You can tell what sound is diégétique, in other words part of the action and can be heard by the characters in the film. You say, also what is extradiégétique, that is to say, out of the narrative, as for example the ambient music produced by orchestras.

Of course raising it will not suffice, it will be necessary to explain the function expressive of its elements, and the function of the soundtrack to the work.

The visual mood with the light and the scenery

Do not forget, in your analysis film to talk about, if it is important :

• Colors : contrasts, dominant, etc

• Of light : is she mixed or not ? Is it realistic or not ? What are the effects of light ? How to vary the light during the action ? What is the exposure, etc

• Sets : elements, artificial or natural, the relationships between these elements, the position of each of them in the depth of field, their geometrical shape, their function dramatic. How does this affect the narrative ?

The mounting

As you probably know, the assembly consists of assembling and connecting, in the order provided by the division, the different plans chosen from among those obtained at the time of the shooting.

In the context of an analysis film, you will process of the alternation of the plans and their succession.

Regarding the alternation of the plans, you will find what kind of mount it is : timeline, editing symbolic, parallel editing, montage, cut, montage alterné. What are the transitions, etc

At the level of rhythm, you should describe the succession of plans according to their duration. You will identify the parts of the film that have a fast or slow pace ; and you will say if there are ellipse, slowdown or, on the contrary acceleration.

You are talking about the length of plans, of their variation, of the processes of articulation and meaning.

 

The conclusion of the scope of the movie

It is the last element of this method ofanalysis film.

Here, I advise you to the conclusion to explain how all the aesthetic elements of the film or movie have managed to recreate the stakes narrative of this/this last.

You can talk about the scope of the movie as they are to success, what he brought to the film theory, its innovative character or not, and why it is part of a movement, if it is indeed the case.

We arrive at the end of this article on how to perform an analysis film. If in reading this article, you have not understood technical terms such as slicing, sequence, plan, etc, You can refer to the Vocabulary of filmmaking : 57 terms explained. For the rest, in a next article, we will tell you about the vocabulary of theanalysis film.

But perhaps have you already done a scan film ? In this case, thank you for sharing your experience with us in the comments below !