Relationship Between Film Form and Meaning - Essay Example

? Relationship between Film Form and Meaning Relationship between Film Form and Meaning There is a significant influence of the rapidly developing technology on the making of the overall form of a film as well as on the contribution of these technologies in the construction of meaning. This paper seeks to highlight the crucial relationship that exists between the form of a film and the meaning of a film. Film form refers to the elements that make a film exceptional from the types of art like a painting or a short story. On the other hand, meaning has mostly been applied in the explanation of the problem of representation. Meaning tends to elaborate more on how films usually lead to the construction or visualization o certain mental events. Moreover, when talking about the meaning in a film, it also helps in describing the link between mental images. The meaning of a film lies in the interpretation that film evokes as well as the magnitude of the nature of these interpretations, which can be derived from the underlying photographic effects that the film portrays. In most incidences, the meaning of films has frequently stirred a lot of concerns. Sometimes, some films tend to have an obvious meaning owing to their instant accessibility to a wide audience without any difficulty. On the contrary, some films have deeper meanings that are not easy to understand, and are intended for a special group of enlightened audience. Maya (1999) present that the most crucial issue in film depends on how the films are meant to be understood plus the procedure by which they are understood. This issue is often important for film makers especially when they are intending to introduce an unusual element in their product without being noticed by the viewers. Different films with similar content can be serious comedic or frightening, thus understanding how a film communicates or creates meaning requires paying a closer attention to the various film elements that makes up its entire form. The way images are structured, arranged, presented, or performed provides particular meanings to the understanding or reading of a film. This implies that no matter how original the images in a film may be, if the form of the film does not stretch beyond the conventional approach, a film’s meaning cannot be easily understood. The form of a film is usually interceded through the use of various formal elements, which the film makers employ in order to stimulate a certain effect in the audiences. For instance, in a typical Hollywood film, film makers tend to combine certain scenes in their films with flashbacks or even at times crosscutting the scenes so as to provide additional information. This way, an audience may be able to predict what might possibly happen. Therefore, this shows just how the form of a film can influence the meaning or understanding of a film. Similarly, to enhance the form of a film, the actions of a film can be shot from different angles thereby providing the viewers with various points of view. Most films are usually made of numerous shots of different lengths, which are edited to create the rhythm and meaning of a particular scene. One the same note the form also helps to distinguish a film from simple random footage by incorporating certain stylistic elements such as narratives, sound, which create a given logical pattern in a film. In turn, this logical pattern poses a significant impact on the audiences’ feelings, expectation as well as their perceived meaning of the film. Quite often, Maya (1999) presents that it is the nature of a film that normally leads the audience to have certain expectations that are likely to follow. This in turn breeds curiosity, which has quite often been described as the ultimate reason as to why people find themselves immersed and drawn into a film after a few minutes. This is sometimes bound to occur even if an audience has watched the same film before. It is through a film’s form that most film directors tend to manipulate the feelings and expectations of the viewers. They achieve this by either delaying the expected outcome by incorporating suspense or an element of surprise. Therefore, this gives the film a different meaning altogether. Due to the fact that the meaning of a film can somehow describe the conventions that one has about a given film, the important relationship between meaning and form of a film can further be viewed from the perspective that form can significantly change or reinforce the audiences’ conventions.  A person’s convention about a certain object or event in life is usually built from experience. In filmography, a viewer’s convention about a particular film can be as a result of having watched the film before or perhaps as a result of watching another film that might have had almost the same theme. Through the form of a film, such conventions can be broken either by ending the film in an unexpected manner that would again form another convention on the future. In most films, both the implicit and the explicit meaning of a film have usually been linked with the form of the film. This implies that although a film’s meaning tend to establish the sense of connection between the audience and the film itself, form tend strengthen this. Linking the explicit meaning of a film to the main overall formal composition of a film provides sufficient room for figuring out the underlying or the implicit meaning of a film. Dulac (1978) argues that form in which a film is produced has a great influence on how the viewers will interpret the intended meaning of the film. He presents that a film can either be visual or literary. However, in order to improve its understandability, Dulac (1978) suggests that cinematic dramas must be in visual form. Films in visual form have a large capacity to retain a certain impression. They also provide unique creative ideas and unique feelings that enhance the overall meaning. This is evident with the invention of photography, films immensely improved especially in terms of eliminating interpretation errors, in which the industry was previously experiencing. New techniques and discoveries in filmmaking have continued to enhance the meaning of the film. These discoveries include the invention of new powerful lenses that have the ability to enhance form through providing more visual planes that create certain impressions to the viewers. In turn this serves to improve sensitivity and meaning of the film by making it quite easy to depict the tone as well as finer details of color in a film. Through form, images and movement are usually decomposed thereby setting the ideal atmosphere for the viewers to explore the scope of the infinitely small details of a film thereby revealing the implicit meaning that the eyes cannot perceive. Dulac (1978) further presents that a film rich in terms of form, has a high propensity of appealing to the eyes ofthe audience and consequently impress their understanding as well as their sensitivity in the manner in which they approach a particular film. Although one may argue that this case only applies to this audience with the proper eyesight. A film with a good form also has the potential to reach out and appeal audience with eye or ear disability. The form of a film can aid a third party to narrate to this group of special people, how events in a film are unfolding. By so doing, this group of special audience will be able to get the sense of the film, since will be able to follow the story. Another way in which form is expressed in a film is through the titles and subtitles. According to Epstein (1978) the forms in which these elements are presented in a film are of great importance. He presents that watching films without subtitles can be quite disconcerting as it serves to punctuate the mind and helps a viewer to decipher the events and meaning of a film. Similarly, the connection between the form and meaning of a film can also be realized through the manner in which title of a film is presented. A film’s title form may either make the viewers to have a glimpse of the intended meaning or to even make them to lose touch with the film in general. The former case scenario usually occurs when the film maintains a rather a short explication. Epstein (1978) further suggests that the form of presentation of the title of a film is also crucial in complementing its meaning. In a case where the decor and the character of a film are painted and tricked up as the set, thereby portraying more of a still life. To regard meaning as related to effects of a film work can be as misplaced as divorcing meaning from form. A film form and meaning together generate effects. Similarly, themes in a film normally embody the meanings, which structure the significance of the films cultural context. Correspondingly, one may therefore say that themes contain meaning the meaning of a work, but are however structured and given form thereby signifying that there is no formless content just the same way as there is no contentless form. Form in a film is sometimes presented through certain objects that tend to be invisible, however, when visible they are normally perceived through memories or emotions that are attached to such objects. References Dulac, G., 1978. From “Visual and Anti-visual Films”. In: S. P. Adams, ed. The avant-garde film: A reader of theory and criticism. New York: New York University Pres, pp. 31-35. Epstein, J., 1978. For a New Avant-Garde: A reader of theory and criticism. In: S. P. Adams, ed. The avant-garde film. s.l.:New York University Press, pp. 26-31. Maya, D., 1999. Cinematography: The Creative Use of Reality. In: L. Brady, ed. Film theory and criticism : introductory readings. s.l.:Oxford University Press, pp. 59-70. Read More