An Approach to Film Analysis Flashcards
The rules of character, setting, and narrative that films belonging to a certain type of film generally obey.
Genre Conventions
Films that are not pursuing commercial success but artistic invention.
Avant-garde Film
A characteristic of conventional narrative form, where the conclusion of the film wraps up all loose ends in a form of resolution.
Closure
The visual arrangement of objects, actors, and space within the frame as well as editing patterns, and sound, will carry great significance, while characters or events are given less importance.
Composition
Any narrative, visual, or sound element that is repeated and thereby acquires and reflects its significance to the story, the characters, or themes of the film. When any detail takes on significance through repetition.
Motif
A direct vocal address to the audience.
Voice-over
A similarity established between two characters or situations that invites comparison.
Parallels
The building block of a scene; an uninterrupted sequence of frames.
Shot
A narrative moment that signals an important shift of some kind in character or situation through the film’s beginning, middle, and end.
Turning Point
A shot transition where shot A slowly disappears as the screen becomes black before shot B appears.
Fade-out
A narrative, visual, or sound element that refers viewers to other films or works of art.
Intertextual References
A film composed entirely of footage/scenes from other films.
Compilation Film
An agreement between filmmakers and those who license the use of commercial products to have those items appear in films.
Product Placement
A neutral account of the basic plot and style of a film, a part of a film, or a group of films.
Descriptive Claim
A brief chronological description of the basic events and characters in a film.
Plot Summary
