Basics Film-Making 04: The Language of Film

Basics Film-Making: The Language of Film explores the means by which film communicates meaning to its audience.

Despite the fact that most films are a mosaic of fractured images and fragmented narratives, we have little problem piecing them together into a complete, meaningful sequence. The average audience is capable of following the most labyrinthine plots, feeling genuine emotion for the most improbable characters, and believing that their worlds continue to exist even after the film has ended.

This book examines how films communicate. It discusses the stories they tell, the sign-systems they deploy, the interpretive contexts we are invited to place them in, and the range of aesthetic elements which contribute to the cinematic image. Each of these ‘channels of communication’ has developed its own conventions and standards, which are illustrated with contemporary examples from popular film, low-budget shorts and student work. Each chapter concludes with a case study, in which key ideas are seen in context within a particular film, or a specific scene.

Basics Film-Making: The Language of Film presents complex ideas in a clear and straightforward style, enabling students to apply these ideas to their own analysis or film-making.