MODULE Reading Theater and Film as Visual Artworks

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UNIT Analyzing and Evaluating Film as a Visual Art
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LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. Identify the elements of film for an in-depth involvement
with the art.
2. Evaluate the aesthetics of a film using different processes
of evaluation.

The accessibility of film has become easier throughout the

Engage century. Therefore, nowadays, such privilege has allowed us to
enjoy watching various films.

In your opinion, what are the reasons why film is a visual art? Give three
reasons. Use the concepts from the pervious units to give your answers.

1. _________________________________________________________________________
2. _________________________________________________________________________
3. _________________________________________________________________________

Film analysis is one way to give knowledge to the people who

Explore made the film on what aspects should be improved in film.

Before we discuss the ways how to analyze film, let’s first

determine the things we should know about making a film.

Characteristics of Film
1. Films are like novels or short stories. Films tell a story.
2. Film has different genres: romance, historical, detective, thriller, action,
horror, and science fiction.
3. Films can also be sub-grouped: action, comedy, tragedy, dram, western
and war.
4. Films teach more than what we feel to be able to create a special
atmosphere, feeling or emotions.
5. Films give details in sounds, music, lighting, camera angles and editing.

Elements of Film

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 Film analysis involves looking into the film content and film forn.
Film content includes what the film is presenting; film form refers to how
the is presented.

Film Information
Title of the film | Year of the film/ release date | Names of actors and
actresses | Director | Genre

Genre has a huge influence on the film’s content and form. Though,
film genres are ever expanding.
main genre: romance, historical, detective, thriller, war, horror
science fiction
sub-category: action, comedy, tragedy, drama, western and war

1. Literary design consists of the story ideas and the script. The story
ideas include the characters and their actions in the story, the setting of
the story, the setting of the story, and any background story or subtext.

Setting Plot
Where and when does the story How is the plot structured? How
take place? are the events sequenced?
 Is it set in the past, present  Is there more than one plot?
or future?  Is it linear or chronological or is
 Is it set in a realistic or it presented using flashbacks?
fictional environment?  Does it have a clear conclusion
 Is the setting consistent from or an ambiguous (open-ended)
the start to the end of the conclusion?
story?
Conflict
What is the main problem of the protagonist? What is the tension that
is the heart of the film?
 Is the protagonist facing a problem with himself (internal: man vs.
himself)?
 Is the protagonist facing a problem with other characters or the
environment (external: man vs. man; man vs. nature)?
Characterization Images
How are the characters described? What are the visual
 Does the protagonist have a few traits or representation of
many traits? things we see in the
 Does the protagonist undergo change in film?
or does he remain the same till the end?

Theme Point of View

What is the What is the point of view of the film?
universal idea or  Is the story told by the protagonist, an off-
truth that is shown screen narrator, or none of the characters?
in the film?

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2. Visual design consists of what we see on screen/inside the frame, a
very broad category of components: performance, blocking, lighting,
costume, set, and props. Some of the components are the same with
theater; one difference is on lighting. Below are some lighting
techniques used in film.

Lighting: communicates mood, sets the scene and the subject

key lighting
 the brightest light hitting the front or side part of the subject; the
most prominent light in a frame
fill lighting
 the light that counters the key light usually at an angle of 60
degrees; the light that fills in the shadows
back lighting
 the edge light to the rear portion of the subject to add contour; the
light usually shoots down from a high angle

Source: nofilmschool.com

brightness or darkness of lighting

high key/soft lighting
 characterized by heightening the key light and using fill lights
generously to make the scene bright and open
low key/hard lighting
 characterized by having fewer light source and a lot of shadows
with sharp contrasts between dark and light

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 Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, 2019
high key/soft lighting
Source: nofilmschool.com

source of lighting
natural lighting
 using and modifying the natural light such as the sun and the moon
that is already available at the location
motivated lighting
 using lamps, light bulbs, lanterns or flashlights around the set can
be used to light a scene

The Notebook, 2004

natural lighting
Source: nofilmschool.com

3. Cinematography deals with the choices that are made for the camera
– the placement of the camera toward the subject, the lens choice, the
camera movement. The director can choose from a number of shots to
amplify emotions and movements. Listed next are the basics.

Camera Frame: how much of the subject is seen in the frame

close up shot
 subject’s face and/or neck is seen; facial expressions are
emphasized
long shot
 entire subject and set is shown; actor’s space in the setting is
focused on

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medium shot
 actor can be seen from the waist up; gestures are emphasized

The Martian, 2015

long shot
Source: studiobinder.com

Camera Angle: where the camera is positioned in reference to the

subject
low/superior angle shot
 subject is filmed from below; subject seems larger and more
powerful
high/inferior angle shot
 subject is filmed from above; subject seems smaller and weaker
eye level angle shot
 camera is positioned evenly with the subject; neutral perspective

The Empire Strikes Back, 1980

low/superior angle shot
Source: studiobinder.com

Camera Movement: how the camera follows the subject

pan
 camera stays stationary, but moves left to right on a fixed point
tilt
 camera stays stationary, but moves up and down on a fixed point
zoom
 focus of a stationary camera changes within a shot; making the
object appear closer or farther away

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 dolly
 camera moves on a dolly, in a person’s hands, in a helicopter or in
whatever way to follow the subject

Visit this link to see some examples:

https://youtu.be/GbnYBmqBbKA

4. Sound design deals with the sound components, what we hear in the
film. Dialogue editing, sound effects and music contribute to the story.

Sound: where the source of the sound is

diegetic
 source of the sound is seen within the frame
example: tweeting sound from a bird; the bird is seen in the
frame
non-diegetic
 source of the sound is not seen within the frame
example: tick-tocking sound from a clock; no clock is seen in the frame

5. Editing is the sequencing of the shots in the film. Editors decide on the
order and the duration of the shots, the visual transitions from scene to
scene, and visual effects. Listed below are some of the basics.

Duration: how long a single take is

long take
 a take wherein the camera rolls for 90 seconds of more depending
on the film
 gives more time for the audience to take in the scene

short take
 a take that is fast-paced; a take that shifts to the next quickly
 creates rapid, energetic feel and can be used to create suspense

Visit this link to see an example of a long take:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9AEYFYPYTM

Transition: how a single take is linked to another

cut
 joining two shots together without any transition effect
fade
 (out) when the shot on a screen shifts to black, white, or some
other color or (in) when a color shifts to a shot
dissolve

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  when a shot slowly fades away while the next shot fades in

These elements contribute to the creation of film and each of them is

valuable to the totally of film.

Tools for Reading Film

Film as a visual artwork contains various features that can bring more
value to the film. Below are tools or technique to take a closer look at film by
Bill Boyd.

 making predictions  looking for patterns

 freeze frame  generic translation
 shots in sequence  evaluating
 making comparisons

© Bill Boyd, The Literary Adviser

Making predictions

One of the things we do as readers of any kind of text, is that we immediately

start making predictions about the content, the message, the audience, the
writer’s aims and so on, and we do this by making inferences from the
evidence in front of us. If you are reading a poem, short story or a novel, you
might talk about the title, the cover, the blurb and the illustrations if there are
any. We discuss the sort of text we are about to read.

We can use the same kinds of activities before viewing a film, and at various
points in the text. This can be done using the cover of the DVD, or a trailer, or
the opening of the film. At key points in the text the Freeze Frame or Shots-in-
Sequence tools can be used to discuss what might happen next, or how it
might end. As we improve their skills, and become more aware of the
conventions of genre and narrative, we become more confident in weighing
up likely and unlikely outcomes, and in identifying the textual evidence for our
predictions.
Typical Questions
 What do you think this might be about?
 What kind of film do you think this might be?
 What do you think will the characters do next?
 How do you think this will end?
 What do you think might happen in the sequel?

Freeze frame Typical Questions

 What or who can you see in this shot?
Using the pause button on the What difference would it make if it were
media player allows us to composed differently?
focus on particular shots in the  Where is the camera in this shot?

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text (and also to appreciate
that each shot is made up of a
 Does it move or is it fixed?
series of still images). By
 What impression does that create?
examining such things as the
 What can you tell about the time and
angle, distance and movement
setting from the colour in this shot?
of the camera, and the use of
 What can you tell about the characters
lighting and colour, we can
from the background or setting?
learn how every element of a
 What can you tell about the relationship
visual image can carry
between the characters from the camera
meaning, and how visual
angles in this sequence?
images can be ‘read’ like any
other text.

Shots in sequence

This tool is used along with Freeze Frame to focus on a particular sequence of
shots in a moving image text. We may estimate the number of shots after
viewing a short sequence, or to note each change in shot, location or sound.
We can come to appreciate that the number, sequence and duration of shots
in a moving image text are created in the editing process, and that screen
time and story time are usually different.

This tool can also be used to examine shot transitions (e.g. cut, dissolve, fade)
and how the type of transition affects the meaning. The types of transitions
used and the length of shots help determine pace, and contribute to the
meaning. Sound transitions do not always coincide with shot transitions: in
dramatic texts they often anticipate them to create suspense or alter the
mood.

Typical Questions
 What does each shot tell you? What doesn’t it tell you? What questions
does it make you ask, what does it make you want to know?
 Do we follow continuous time through the sequence? Or do we miss bits
out, and shorten the timescale? Or do we stretch it even?
 What differences in camera angle, camera distance from subject, camera
movement are there between one shot and the next?
 Do the sound transitions coincide with the shot transitions or are they
different? What effect does this have?

Typical Questions Making comparisons

 Does this remind me When we read a text we are constantly (and sub-
of anything in my own consciously) making associations between what we
life? How did I/would I are reading and other experiences: other things we
behave/react in similar have read/seen/heard/watched, and our own real-
circumstances? life experiences. Or, to put that another way, we are
 Does this remind me

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 drawing on our prior learning.

of anything I have We should develop our skills on linking the explicit

read/seen/heard/watch and explore those aspects of the text which are
ed before? How are most likely to elicit the comparisons. It is also
they similar? How are important to explore the notion that, while viewing
they different? the text will often be a shared experience, our
reactions to it may be quite different, depending on
the associations we make.

Looking for patterns

Typical Questions
By comparing and contrasting texts we
have read, we, as sophisticated readers,  Can you see anything in the
begin to show a deeper understanding of movie which appears more than
genre, or of the work of a particular once?
writer, director, culture or historical  Do you notice any patterns
period. Identifying recurring motifs among the images, or in the
within a text can help illuminate the text way they are filmed? (e.g.
as a whole, and you can look for them in camera angle, distance,
the soundtrack, the images, and in story movement.)
events.  Are there any recurring actions?

Patterns can be found in elements of the  Are there any recurring

plot, or the repeated use of a certain ideas/themes/messages in the
colour or symbol, of types of lighting, of film?
camera angles, shots or movements, of  Did the length of the shots get
shot sequences or transitions. They can shorter or longer at any point in
also be found in the soundtrack of the sequence? Is there a pattern
course, in particular musical motifs or here? If so, what effect does it
instruments, or sound effects. have on the viewer?
 What kind of story is this? How
Using Freeze Frame or Shots in do we know? (Introduce concept
Sequence can also make us more aware of ‘genre’ when appropriate)
of patterns, by separating the shots in a What would you expect to
sequence and looking in detail at happen in this kind of story?
narration.

Generic translation

Visualisation, or the interpretation of a printed text into internal images, is a

natural process for trained readers, but the link needs to be made explicit for
a developing reader. Asking ourselves to draw a character or a scene from a
printed text allows us to present their unique interpretation of the text. Using
graphic organisers such as Mind-Maps can be a very effective way of making
sense of a text, summarising key elements, committing to memory or sharing

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with others, while storyboards or comic-book software make the creation of
narrative easier and more fun.

In the same way, we can often develop a better understanding of moving

image texts by ‘translating’ them into a print genre such as a poem, short
story, diary entry or newspaper item, or by adapting and ‘audio-visualising’ a
short written text into a storyboard.

You may try any of the following activities:

 Take a short written text (story local newspaper the day after the
openings can be good) and ‘audio- events portrayed in the film.
visualise’ it on a storyboard.  Make a PowerPoint presentation to
 Draw a mind-map showing the convey as effectively as possible
main elements of the text. what you have learned from a
 Storyboard the beginning of a moving image text.
sequel to the text.  Make a Podcast radio trailer for a
 Write the front page article for film you have watched.
your
Evaluating

This tool will be used to a greater or lesser extent on every text, and it is one
aspect of reading which rarely has to be encouraged. When engaged in this
strategy, therefore, it is the quality of the discussion and the use of open
questions which will determine the quality of the outcome. It is also important
that in any evaluation, the criteria for success are shared and agreed, and
these will usually be related to audience and purpose. An appropriate
vocabulary needs to be developed over time.

Typical Questions
 What was the author’s purpose here and to what extent did he/she achieve
it?
 What is the writer’s or filmmaker’s (as opposed to the character’s) point of
view?
 Was the ending credible? Satisfying? True to the rest of the story? Why?
 Was this more or less successful than similar texts with the same purpose?
 How could you have made the film better?

Aside from the tools discussed prior, another approach to film

analysis is using film theories which are based or focused the
Explain on philosophical, social and political aspects of a film.

Film Theories for Film Analysis

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 Film theory is a set of scholarly approaches within the academic discipline
of cinema studies that question the essentialism of cinema and provides
conceptual frameworks for understanding film's relationship to reality, the
other arts, individual viewers, and society at large. (The Routledge
Encyclopedia of Film Theory)

The following are some of the major film theories which you might have
encountered in literature and politics:

Psycho- Formalisti
Feminist Marxist
analytic c
Film Film
Film Film
Theory Theory
Theory Theory

Read the description of each film theory. Match each film theory in
Column A with two corresponding guide questions in Column B.

Column A Column B

H
________ Feminist Film Theory A. What is the relationship
K
________
 discourses about women’s between the characters and
participations and roles in their society?
almost every field in the B. What recurring patterns
community and in the society (repeated or related words,
in general images, etc.) can you find?
 concentrates on the how the What is the effect of these
public scrutinizes how women patterns or motifs?
delivers the attitudes,
scenarios, and characters given C. What do the characters’
to them to portray in a emotions and behaviors reveal
particular film in a television or about their ‘true’ self and their
cinema screens ‘true’ intentions?
D. What forces are motivating the
Psychoanalytic Film Theory characters?
 identifies plot elements to look
________ for sexual symbolisms, the E. What does the work say about
subconscious and the economic or social power? Who
________
representations of the id, ego has it and who doesn’t?
________ and superego F. Is there a relationship between
 works well as a method of the beginning and the end of
analyzing characters’ actions the story?
and motivations
G. What tone and mood are
________ created at various parts of the
Formalistic Film Theory

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  examines how the film employs work?
the various parts of literary H. Is the form and content of the
design to convey meaning to work influenced by the writer’s
the viewer
________ gender?
 concentrates on the effects of
________ the visual design, sound I. Which behaviors of the
design, cinematography, character is known and not
editing and mise en scene on known by the character
the viewers’ perception and himself?
interpretation J. How does the social status of a
character affect his/her
Maxist Film Theory decisions or happiness?
 associates characters and
________
events in a film as K. How do male and female
representative of class characters relate to one
________ struggle, labor vs. another? Are these
management, poor vs. rich, relationships sources of
________
oppressive governments, and conflict?
other sociopolitical concerns
 determines how the film can
also encode political views

Watch the short film Pitaka (The Wallet) directed by Chris

Elaborate Cahilig and answer the questions that follow.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eIB92QmVyo

Looking at the visual design, cinematography, and editing, which particular

element of the short film is the most appealing to you?

a. Specify which element (e.g. the camera frames on the protagonists, the
props of the protagonists, the transition at the beginning and end, etc.)
___________________________________________________________________________

b. Explain why it is the most appealing.

___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

Evaluate the element of film chosen in the previous question.

 Literal description
How do you describe the physical appearance of the element?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

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  Comprehensive feeling
What emotions do you feel when looking at that particular element?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

 Formal analysis
How was the element constructed? What are its components?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

 Interpretation
What do you think do the components of the element signify?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

 Value judgement
Are the construction and/or components of the element appropriate to the
short film?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

Using one film theory, what realization have you gained from the short film?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________

Evaluate Final examination: Create a Radio

Trailer Podcast for a Film

1. Create a radio trailer-style podcast that showcases a film you’ve watched,

highlighting its unique elements and characteristics. Think of this as a
teaser for your audience, capturing the essence of the movie through
voice, sound, and creativity.

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 2. Guidelines:
o Film Selection: Students have the freedom to choose any film
genre or theme they prefer.
o Content:
 Introduce the main plot or conflict without giving away
spoilers.
 Highlight key elements of the film, such as genre, main
characters, and tone (e.g., comedy, suspense, drama).
 Mention notable features like cinematography, music, or
unique storytelling techniques.
o Format:
 The podcast trailer should be approximately 5-10 minutes
long.
 Record the video and edit the audio, but also include it as a
video file with a simple title screen and credits. This can be
done by converting the audio into a video format or using
images related to the film.
 Ou can watch sample podcasts in YouTube or TikTok for
reference.
 All file must be uploaded in the facebook group.
Indicate your full name, course and year, and the
movie you’re reviewing.
3. Criteria for Evaluation:
o Content Relevance (30%) – Does the podcast provide a clear and
accurate portrayal of the film’s plot, genre, and characters?
o Creativity (20%) – How creatively does the student present the
film’s atmosphere and appeal through voice and audio cues?
o Technical Quality (20%) – Is the audio clear, well-edited, and easy
to follow? Does the video format meet the requirements?
o Engagement (15%) – Does the trailer engage the audience and
create interest in watching the film?
o Originality (15%) – Is the approach fresh, and does it showcase the
student’s unique perspective on the film?

General Guidelines:

1. Follow Instructions: If you do not follow the instructions, your paper will not be
checked.
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2. Preparation: Read the material thoroughly before answering the activity.
3. Submission Deadline: Module 3- Unit 2 covers 4 tasks. All tasks must be submitted on
References:
Branigan, E. & Bucklard, W. (2014). The Routledge encyclopedia of film theory.
London; New York: Routledge, Taylor and Francis Group.
Boyd, B. (n.d.). Ten tools for reading film. The Literary Adviser.
https://literacyadviser.wordpress.com/ten-tools-for-reading-film/
Hellerman, J. (2020, September 17). 13 film lighting techniques every filmmaker
should know. No Film School. Retrieved from https://nofilmschool.com/film-
lighting-techniques-and-examples
StudioBinder. (2020, September 14). The ultimate guide to camera shots (50+ types
of shots and angles in film). Retrieved from
https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/ultimate-guide-to-camera-shots/

Image Sources:
https://nofilmschool.com/film-lighting-techniques-and-examples
https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/ultimate-guide-to-camera-shots/

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