The Language of film refers to the communicative aspect of film. In all communication there is a sender, who sends a message to a receiver. The message is in a kind of code which is in some kind of medium. Normally when people communicate by talking, the sender is the speaker, the receiver is the hearer. The message is coded in a language which is transmitted through the medium of speech. It is possible for the language to be sent through other media such as writing.

In film, the film maker is the sender, the viewer is the receiver and the message is coded in film.

. In all communication, there must be some variables which are manipulated. In language certain sounds are used to distinguish words. So for example the letter “p” is different from the letter “b” and words like “pit” and “bit” are distinguished by these two. When two or more “pieces” can be changed to signal a difference, these are called variables.

For Paul Revere, the message whether the British were coming by land or sea was indicated by the number of lanterns: One if by land Two if by sea. One if by land and one if by sea wouldn’t do. Number makes the difference, but other things are also possible.

A green lantern by land and a red one by sea (color is the variable)

A stationary lantern by land and a swinging one by sea (movement and lack of movement are the variables).

Film uses a multitude of variables to send message. How film does this is the subject of this course.

A LITTLE HISTORY

The depiction of objects and events is very old. Cave paintings are our earliest examples. Later there are developments in painting and drawing and finally there arrives on the scene still photography. Painting, drawing and still photography have mush in common in terms of the use of form, lighting composition and so on.

Before the motions picture actually comes into existence there are moving pictures. These occur in the Zoetrope – a kind of toy which is an open topped cylinder which has slits around the sides. A paper with sequential drawings is inserted and the cylinder is rotated. By looking the the slits the sequential drawings take on motion. Similar things happen when one makes a series of pictures on sequential pages on a pad and then flips the pad pages. The figure becomes animated much like “flash” in computers today.

Muyerbridge, a photographer, set up a series of cameras which made sequential or serial photographs to find out whether a horse’s feet were all off the ground at any time when it was running (they were). But these sequential photos when viewed rapidly in sequence also produced motion and this becomes the forerunner of modern motion picture films.

Early films are dealt with pretty much like snapshots. The camera simply records the action taking place by the actors. It isn’t until the “phantom rides” when cameras were placed on trains and other vehicles do we get the start of camera movement. In effect early films document action, but the camera adds little if anything to the art form.

Two rather different schools of film making develop – one which largely documents events (Lumiere brothers) and performances and one which becomes a special effects film maker (Melies). Melies tends to exploit the peculiarities of manipulating time in films. By stopping the camera and changing things and then starting the camera again, the actual time is not apparent in the films so objects and people pop in and out dramatically.

EDITING

Editing is probably the most unique part of film making. It joins the cuts together, it establishes a rhythm to the film and can easily add meaning to sequential shots (montage)

SOME IMPORTANT TERMS

Story: Treatment: Story written out as though the person was watching it on the screen Story boards: a set of pictures (looking something like a comic book, showing action of performers and camera) Script: The text as used by performers etc. which gives dialog and information Frame: