Anatomy of Film Scenes - Essay Example

The anatomy of a scene is what comes in to separate the great film into becoming one that is emended in the collective consciousness of a person. Right from the outside looking in, a film comprises a collection of many scenes that are subject to tie together.

Several things help in elevating a film into becoming memorable. These may include having a great concept, a great cast, and a great screenplay. As a film writer, one requires to look at the collective scenes with objectivity and be able to know how he or she would tie it all together, thus being able to turn what may seem to be a loose connection of scenes into becoming a story. A great scene, from an individual view, has the potential of highlighting itself to become the film’s greatest moment, together with having the ability to implement all the movie-making skills. This may entail employing the use of music, camera movements, acting, and scripting, among many other defining roles. The key ingredient that defines a great film scene is having a striking and cinematically beautiful image.

To look at a movie from a critical perspective, there is a need of learning a little bit about the tools that filmmakers use in creating their products. Compared to the state of studying literature, one would require learning more about the methods of identifying similes, metaphors, and symbols. However, when it comes to studying literature, there is a need of identifying the cinematic techniques and theatrical elements and be able to learn how they may affect the audiences. These cinematic elements may include aspects of framing, angle, and camera movements while taking a shot, together with the sound and editing entailed in a film. The theatrical elements may entail aspects like costumes, props, sets, and acting choices. A filmmaker uses cinematic and theatrical elements for achieving a particular purpose, and upon analyzing the film closely, there is a need of explaining the effect that each has on the audience (Haase, 37).

All through the movie filming, the word “shot” is in use repeatedly. A shot refers to a single, uninterrupted image that the viewer will see in a finished film. The shot will end at the time when the camera ‘cuts’ to another image, which is subject to separation by the tiny split second of the black image. The viewer’s eye may not manage to register a ‘black’ image but it is very similar to the blink of an eye. Framing is the first decision a director will make upon designing a shot. The list of choices on the frame entails a close-up, a medium shot, and a long shot. When an actor is subject to frame in a close-up, the viewer will only see the actor’s head, while objects shot in the close-up take most of the screen.

If the actor were to frame in a long shot, the viewer will see the actor’s entire body, implying that the type of framing would appear to be visible from some distance. If the actor is framed in a medium shot, the viewer will see the image from the waist up. A medium shot shows more details in that it reveals more of the surroundings compared to a close-up or long shot. An angle is another component to consider while choosing a scene. Upon deciding on framing, then the question of the angle will present itself. When the director positions the camera below the subject and looks up, it is a low-angle shot. The angle choice has the effect of making the subject appear to be larger and more powerful than it would normally be. When the camera is placed above the object and looking down at it, the director is employing the use of a high-angle. It has the effect of making a character appear smaller than it normally should, thus emphasizing the character’s weakness and powerlessness.

Another cinematic element to consider when choosing the scene is the camera movement within a shot. Each camera movement has its feature and effects. In most cases, one part of the camera will move, while the camera’s body remains in place. When the head of the camera is moving from left to right, or moving from right to left while staying on the horizontal axis, the director is using a pan. This technique is in use as an indication of the setting (Haase, 89). The final element to include in a screenplay is editing, which connects images that the director shot into making a cohesive and coherent narrative. Imaging techniques may include a cut, a fade, a dissolve, cross-cutting, and point-of-view editing. A combination of these cinematic elements and filming techniques helps in deciding on what scene to film and what shots will be needed to film the scene.