We began reviewing lighting but quickly moved into acting and editing. Acting becomes design element

unique body language choreographing expression

histrionic – precise & exaggerated gestures in silent film

typage – actors and performances are visually stylized, suggest that character embodies a particular social or psychological type

social typage – actors expected to portray a typical representative of a social class or historical movement psychological typage – portray typical representative of mental state

visual mediation of performance – use of visual elements top affect how viewer understands a character (one way is using lighting)

approaches and methods method acting (Lee Strasberg) – actor seeks to portray a character by using personal experience & emotion as foundation for the portrayel technical approach – detached intellectual perspective, what seems right for the character characters have function and motivation – what is their purpose in the film and why do they act the way they do Star Image and Theory pre-classical Hollywood – actors recieved no credit classical Hollywood – films soln on star image star - a performer in a particular medium whose figure enters into subsidiary forms of circulation & then feeds back into future performances 4 components

what the industry puts out what the media says what the star says & does what the audience or spectator selects

Editing work of joining shots to assemble finished film, editor selects best shots nonlinear editing - digital access to any scene or shot, highly dependent on computer linear editing - older, only search for one shot at a time montage - scene composed of rapid series of shots, based on Soviet model, invoke emotions or ideas from seemingly unlinked images Types of Transitions

cut – most commonly used, one shot instantaneously replaced on screen by another, cut is invisible jump cut – editing transition that’s confusing in terms of time & space dissolve – change in place or time, gradual screen transition with distinct optical characteristics, editor overlaps end of one shot with beginning of next shot to produce a brief superimposition fade – substantial change of time & place, visible on screen as brief interval with no picture, fades one shot to black & after pause, fades in next shot other transitions

iris – circular black opening in or out, silent era wipes – vertical or horizontal line bringing in new scene to push out old scene, 1930’s-1940’s

Types of Shot Relationships

graphic (esp. dissolves) – aesthetic or symbolic comparisons or contrasts rhythmic – pacing changes or parallels spatial – manipulating space that doesn’t really exist – action and reaction temporal – manipulating (condensing or expanding) time – showing different actions occurring

Functions of editing

continuity – fundamental principle in narrative filmmaking

move along story in orderly & organized fashion

continuity of movement continuity only exists on screen not in filming flashback - technique which takes the narrative back in time from the point the story has reached, to recount events that happened before flash-forward – suggests predestination dramatic focus – find or emphasize dramatic focus on scene tempo & mood – establish rhythm & pacing, brief shots produce fast pace, horror uses for suspense narration & POV – orientation of viewers, helps tell of parallel action cross-cutting – back & forth between 2 or more lines of action

Principles of Continuity Editing spatial continuity

continuous flow of action – viewers are supposed to be unaware of the film’s technical side matching to master shot – ms defines layout of scene establishing shot – beginning of a new scene, establishes time & space reestablishing shot – reorient viewer with time & space after many cuts constant screen direction eyeline match – characters looking at each other shot – reverse – shot series – used for dialogue, cameras over shoulder of characters 30° rule – between shots camera position must change by at least 30° in order to avoid a jump cut 180º rule – nothing is sacred, used to stabilize space of playing area so spectator isn’t confused or disoriented

temporal continuity

order frequency duration

Editing is seen as not only a technical aspect of film but also creative. It takes art to assemble a film.