{"id":8095,"date":"2014-06-08T06:37:53","date_gmt":"2014-06-08T10:37:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.frankwbaker.com\/mlc\/filmlanguage\/"},"modified":"2023-12-07T10:08:52","modified_gmt":"2023-12-07T15:08:52","slug":"mockingbird-film-language","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.frankwbaker.com\/mlc\/mockingbird-film-language\/","title":{"rendered":"To Kill A Mockingbird: Film Language"},"content":{"rendered":"

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD:\u00a0SEEING THE FILM THROUGH THE\u00a0LENS OF MEDIA LITERACY<\/h3>\n

\u00a9 2006 Frank Baker<\/em><\/p>\n

download this page<\/a> as an Adobe (pdf) document
\n
\n<\/strong>\u201dWhen we ask students about films they have seen and films they like,
\nthey almost invariably talk about the narrative or action, with little sense
\nof how the visual composition conveyed the story. In teaching them to \u2018read\u2019 film,\u00a0we have to draw their attention to the various elements of film language\u201d\u00a01<\/p>\n

It is essential that students understand how a film director uses thecamera<\/strong>,\u00a0lighting<\/strong>, and sound<\/strong> to create a mood and to communicate his vision. Once students\u00a0understand these elements, it will be easier for them to understand and appreciate\u00a0how director Robert Mulligan approached each scene and how he made certain decisions\u00a0about how to portray it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Language of Film: To Kill A Mockingbird: pages 7 -11
\nhttp:\/\/www.filmeducation.org\/printpacks\/secdocs\/classics.pdf<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Consider this published 1963 movie review:
\n\u201c\u2026director Robert Mulligan has paced his picture so that it can affect us. He has perceived\u00a0that the relationship of the children to their widower father is the central theme of the film,\u00a0not the more volatile ingredients of an attempted lynching, the trial for rape, nor a red-necked\u00a0farmer\u2019s foul revenge against Atticus for defending the Negro he had accused. Each of these\u00a0would lend themselves to the kind of excitement that pleases audiences easily, but which would
\nhave been completely inappropriate- if not indeed antagonistic- to the mood andpurpose of his\u00a0picture. Instead, Mulligan permits us to look with a child\u2019s lingering curiosity at a broken swing\u00a0on the porch of a ramshackle house, at the galleries of a courthouse where Negroes rise in\u00a0silent homage to a white man who had defended one of theirs, at faces filled with gentleness,\u00a0or hatred, or love.\u201d\u00a02<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Read the complete original NEW YORK TIMES movie review<\/a>.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Questions to consider:<\/strong><\/p>\n

–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 What is pace or pacing?<\/p>\n

–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 How does a director achieve pace in a film?<\/p>\n

–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 What elements can he use?
\n(Consider: camera movement, lighting, editing, selection of music, etc.)<\/p>\n

–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 What is mood?<\/p>\n

–\u00a0\u00a0 What is purpose?<\/p>\n

Mise<\/strong> en sc\u00e8ne<\/strong>
\nThis French term comes originally from the theatre where it refers to\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 ‘putting the scene together.’
\nIn film language it refers to
\n– setting and props (including architecture and interior design)
\n– costume, hairstyles and make-up
\n– body language and facial expressions of the characters
\n– the use of colour and design 3<\/p>\n

After studying the language of film, students may wish to consider these questions<\/strong>:
\n1. Why do you think the film was shot in black and white and not color?
\n2. Does the fact that it was shot in B&W have an impact on you?
\n3. Where is the camera placed during the very first scene, after the credits? Would you agree\u00a0that this is an effective establishing shot? Why do you think the director chose that perspective?
\nHow does this \u201ctell\u201d the audience about the historical time period (Depression)?
\n4. How does the director introduce us to the main characters?
\n5. How do camera angles, lighting and music contribute to the overall success of what the\u00a0director is trying to communicate?<\/p>\n

Suggested Links:
\n<\/strong>Film Language<\/a> (UK produced resource)
\nCinematographer speaks the language of images<\/a>
\n<\/a>Other websites on understanding films and film language <\/a>
\nLooking Closely at the Film<\/a>, by William Costanzo
\nRecommended books<\/a> about motion pictures\/films<\/p>\n

Recommended Resources:
\n<\/strong>Reading Films\u00a0 Key Concepts for Analysing Film and Television <\/a>(BFI)
\nHow to Read A Film<\/a>
\nScreen Language: From Film Writing to Film Making<\/a>
\nA Movie Lover’s Guide to Film Language: Classic Scenes from Timeless Films
\n<\/a><\/p>\n

See bibliography <\/a>for all source material cited here<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD: SEEING THE FILM THROUGH THE LENS OF MEDIA…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[202],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-8095","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-to-kill-a-mockingbird-popular"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.frankwbaker.com\/mlc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8095","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.frankwbaker.com\/mlc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.frankwbaker.com\/mlc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.frankwbaker.com\/mlc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.frankwbaker.com\/mlc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8095"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.frankwbaker.com\/mlc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8095\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36916,"href":"https:\/\/www.frankwbaker.com\/mlc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8095\/revisions\/36916"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.frankwbaker.com\/mlc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8095"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.frankwbaker.com\/mlc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8095"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.frankwbaker.com\/mlc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8095"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}