This week’s chapter is about cinematography. In conjunction with this chapter, see Citizen Kane (Welles) and Sunrise (Murnau). Both are black and white movies. I have picked them to go along with this chapter because it is sometimes easier to detect technical elements of film such as cinematography when color is removed from the equation. Pick a scene from ONE of these films that you think conveys expressive meaning through lighting and lens focus. Identify and discuss what makes the scene “work,” taking care to identify specific shots and/or frames that convey the expressive meaning best. Remember that film is nothing more than a series of still photographs (frames) taken and projected one after another to create the illusion of movement. You can discuss specific shots in the scene or just specific frames or both, but make it clear to yourself and your reader which you are doing and why. Be selective. Only discuss that which makes your point best.
Regarding structure: Orient your reader to your analysis by first providing an overview of what you are going to analyze and then leading into your thesis (the answer to the question in boldface). Follow with paragraphs that support your thesis. Remember to make your primary claim(s) at the beginnings of paragraphs, not the ends of them. Make your point, then follow it up with the details that back it up. Often this means revising your topic sentences after you have written the paragraph.
Regarding focus: Sikov explains deep focus, but he doesn’t explore the term “shallow” or “selective” focus, which is the opposite, meaning one plane of the image is more focused than another. Consider whether the foreground, middle ground, and background are equally in focus and whether that changes over the course of a shot, or from one shot to the next. If a shot is not in deep focus (much of Citizen Kane is deep focus), it is in shallow focus (most of Sunrise is shallow, or selective, focus). If shallow focus, your job is to explain where in the frame the image is sharpest vs. most blurry.
Regarding lighting: on a film set, lighting is usually placed offscreen. It is rare that a shot would be lit entirely by lighting sources in the story space (diegesis). You can gauge where an offstage light is placed by what parts of the frame are lit up vs. what parts are cast in shadow. E.g. if the right side of Ben’s face is in shadow (in film terms, this would be left side of the frame since we don’t describe film images from the character’s perspective), this would mean that the main lighting source must be offscreen to the viewer’s right. Keep in mind that as the camera moves or an actor moves, different parts of the frame may be lit.
***The chapter the instructions are referring to can be found in the attached file on pages 38-53.
I also attached an example photo of a good discussion post response.
Clips from the 2 movies mentioned can be found on youtube, so watching an entire movie isn’t necessary