Let me first tell you why I want to write this series on how to analyze movies. I studied Criminology. At first glance, that may not seem like it has anything to do with movies. But Criminology does concern itself with movies: many criminologists have discussed how exactly movies (and news and books and music and so on) influence people in the way they think about crime. I focused on movies: I wanted to research how dystopian science fiction films depicted developments in law enforcement and punishment in the past 40 years. This meant I had to start learning about how one analyzes a movie, not just for fun like I used to, but also on a level. How can one really say something useful about a film and its depictions?This lead me to learning more about the language of film, which is what I’ll focus on in this introduction. The posts in this series will probably all be longer ones (and I have planned quite a few for you), so bear with me! In the posts coming up in the next few weeks, I’ll discuss semiotics (the study of signs, codes and conventions in film), the analysis of a scene, how camera angles and movement, lighting, special effects and even sound can all tell you more about the message the creator of the movie conveys. You’ll learn how to detect certain subtle hints at ideas or philosophies, hints you previously missed and can have a great influence on how people see the world.So, before I carry on for too long, let’s get started.The Language of FilmThe language of film (or video or TV) can only be detected by analyzing the “moving image texts”. The idea is that every image conveys a meaning, like a photograph would convey a feeling or a message:Photograph by World Photography Finalist Alessandro Grassani/LUZphotoWith a picture, it’s a little easier to distill its message than with a movie. You just have one frame or scene to analyze, the “image text” is the message it is trying to convey. In this case, that would probably be a sense of desperation, sadness, to illustrate the circumstances this person is in. You can tell a lot about this person’s life from just looking at this picture (for what is the actual context and story behind the picture, click on the image).Just like one would read a book, one can “read” a movie – though instead of reading the actual text, you have to distill the “text”, its meaning, from the (moving) images. It’s like they say: a picture is worth a thousand words, and that’s certainly the case with a movie.Meaning of Film and Decoding ItThe film language is how the movie “speaks” to its audience. Those who create the movies (the great coöperation of directors, producers, editors, et cetera) want to tell a certain story, transfer a certain idea. Even if they just aim to entertain, their movie will likely carry some meaning, because the audience can create meaning, even when it’s not there. This is called decoding. We “decode” a story’s meaning, just like we would interpret spoken language or written texts. We take to a movie all our previous experiences and our knowledge and subconsciously apply it to what we see – we interpret the film with pre-existing expectations.We can’t watch a movie in a vacuüm – we will always relate what happens in a movie to things we experienced in our own lives (e.g. you can relate to a mother getting a baby, a pair going through a divorce, a teen going to school, etc.), or even relate the movie to a movie we’ve seen before. On the one hand, film reflects how we think about certain issues (political, social, economical, what have you), but on the other hand, film also molds the way we think about those issues.The Window on the WorldWhat makes a movie so infinitely compelling to us – curious creatures as we are – is that it offers a “window on the world” – it creates a (appearance of) reality. It’s like peeking through the window when you hear commotion in your street, or (collectively) slowing down on the high way to watch when an accident happened. The guessing what the commotion will lead to is what fascinates us.In the 1920s and 30s, movies were considered “truth machines”, able to reveal certain social and political truths. In the 1960s, famous French philosopher Jean Baudrillard said that fiction as well as non-fiction are merely simulations. Today, though, it’s understood that film should not be compared to reality, either to measure the gap between reality and deption, or to measure the accuracy of the depiction. Instead, we should look at how movie and reality are related to each other: movie draws from real life, but also influences it. It’s not so much about the gap between movie and reality, but the interaction between them. Lines between reality and fiction have blurred (and not just in film!).The Book Thief (2013) – Behind the ScenesNo depiction in a movie is objective or neutral. This is why we can’t speak about a movie’s “truth”, “reality” or “authenticity”: film is in the eye of the beholder.And on a final note…Not only does film entertain, it also informs us and even educates us about the world around us, and most importantly, persuades us to see the world in a certain way. Most are not aware of this persuasion, but if you are, trust me, it’s so much fun to encounter, analyze and criticize the way the movies persuade us into thinking about things in a certain way. It gives watching a movie a whole new dimension, which is what I enjoy about film most of all. Although, I have to admit that some movies carry meaning I do so absolutely not agree with that it can be a tad frustrating that people are not aware of the way they’re being influenced. Nevertheless, the deeper understanding of the world that film analysis can offer is, in my opinion, definitely worth it!Tuesday next week, I’ll publish the next article in this series on how to analyze a film, which is when we’ll get started with the actual analyzing. I’ll discuss semiotics, the study of meaning in a film through decoding symbols and conventions.Do you enjoy thinking about or discussing the meanings of a movie after you’ve watching it?How do you go about “reading” a movie’s meaning? Can you think about any movies that have made you understand the world better, even fiction?P.S. if you liked this article, I’d really appreciate it if you’d share it! Also, if you want to be notified when new articles in this series are published, please follow me on Facebook or Twitter. See you there!Some books and articles I used for this article and can heartily recommendBen-Shaul, N.S. (2006). Film: The Key Concepts. Oxford: Berg Publishers.Campbell, E. (2010). The Future(s) of Risk: Barthes and Baudrillard go to Hollywood. Crime Media Culture, 6(1), 7-26.Dowler, K., Fleming, T. & Muzzatti, S. L. (2006). Constructing Crime: Media, Crime, and Popular Culture. Canadian Journal of Criminology & Criminal Justice, 48(6), 837-850.Kohm, S. A. (2009). Naming, shaming and criminal justice: Mass-mediated humiliation as entertainment and punishment. Crime Media Culture, 5(2), 188-205.Rafter, N. (2006). Shots in the Mirror: Crime Films and Society. New York: Oxford University Press.
Kwanza, hebu tuone ni kwa nini tunataka kuandika mfululizo huu wa makala kuhusu jinsi ya kuchunguza filamu. Nimesoma Uhalifu. Kwa mtazamo wa kwanza, huenda ikaonekana kwamba hilo halina uhusiano wowote na sinema. Lakini Criminology inajishughulisha na filamu: wataalamu wengi wa uhalifu wamejadili jinsi filamu (na habari na vitabu na muziki na kadhalika) zinavyoathiri watu katika njia wanayofikiria uhalifu. "Kama vile, ""Nilikuwa na hamu ya kuchunguza jinsi filamu za uwongo za sayansi za dystopian zilivyoonyesha maendeleo katika utekelezaji wa sheria na adhabu katika miaka 40 iliyopita.""" Hii ilimaanisha kwamba nililazimika kuanza kujifunza jinsi mtu anavyochambua filamu, sio kwa ajili ya kujifurahisha kama nilivyotumia, lakini pia kwa kiwango. Jinsi gani mtu anaweza kweli kusema kitu muhimu kuhusu filamu na picha zake?Hii kuniongoza kujifunza zaidi kuhusu lugha ya filamu, ambayo ni nini mimi itabidi kuzingatia katika utangulizi huu. Machapisho katika mfululizo huu pengine yote yatakuwa marefu (na nimepanga kadhaa kwa ajili yenu), kwa hiyo subiri na mimi! Katika makala za wiki zijazo, nitazungumzia semiotics (mafunzo ya ishara, kanuni na mikataba katika filamu), uchambuzi wa eneo, jinsi pembe za kamera na harakati, taa, athari maalum na hata sauti inaweza kukuambia zaidi kuhusu ujumbe wa muundaji wa filamu. Utajifunza jinsi ya kugundua baadhi ya vidokezo subtle katika mawazo au falsafa, vidokezo wewe hapo awali amekosa na inaweza kuwa na ushawishi mkubwa juu ya jinsi watu kuona dunia.Kwa hiyo, kabla ya mimi kuendelea kwa muda mrefu sana, hebu kupata kuanza.Language ya FilamuLanguage ya filamu (au video au TV) inaweza tu kugunduliwa kwa kuchambua <unk>mwendo picha maandishi<unk>. "Kila picha ina maana, kama picha inavyotoa hisia au ujumbe: ""Picha na World Photography Finalist Alessandro Grassani"" - LUZPhoto" Una tu frame moja au eneo kuchambua, <unk>image maandishi<unk> ni ujumbe ni kujaribu kufikisha. Katika hali hii, labda itakuwa hisia ya kukata tamaa, huzuni, kuelezea hali mtu huyu yuko. Unaweza kusema mengi kuhusu maisha ya mtu huyu kwa kuangalia tu picha hii (kwa nini ni muktadha halisi na hadithi nyuma ya picha, bonyeza picha).Kama vile mtu angesoma kitabu, mtu anaweza "kusoma" filamu <unk> ingawa badala ya kusoma maandishi halisi, lazima uchanganue <unk> maandishi, maana yake, kutoka kwa picha (zinazozunguka). Ni kama wanasema: picha ni thamani ya maneno elfu, na kwamba ni hakika kesi na filamu. Maana ya Filamu na Decoding ItLugha ya filamu ni jinsi filamu <unk> huzungumza <unk> kwa watazamaji wake. Wale ambao huunda filamu (ushirikiano mkubwa wa wakurugenzi, wazalishaji, wahariri, et cetera) wanataka kuelezea hadithi fulani, kuhamisha wazo fulani. Hata kama wanakusudia tu kufurahisha, filamu yao yaweza kuwa na maana fulani, kwa sababu watazamaji wanaweza kuunda maana, hata wakati haipo. Hilo huitwa kufuta nambari. Sisi "kufichua" maana ya hadithi, kama vile sisi kutafsiri lugha ya kuongea au maandishi yaliyoandikwa. Tunachukua kwenye filamu uzoefu wetu wote wa awali na maarifa yetu na kwa ufahamu kuitumia kwa kile tunachoona <unk> tunafafanua filamu na matarajio yaliyopo hapo awali.Hatuwezi kutazama filamu katika utupu <unk> daima tutahusiana kile kinachotokea katika filamu na mambo tuliyojionea katika maisha yetu wenyewe (kwa mfano. Unaweza kuhusiana na mama kupata mtoto, wanandoa kupitia talaka, kijana kwenda shule, nk. ), au hata kuhusiana filamu kwa filamu tumeona kabla. Kwa upande mmoja, filamu huonyesha jinsi tunavyofikiria masuala fulani (siasa, kijamii, kiuchumi, nini unacho), lakini kwa upande mwingine, filamu pia huunda njia tunayofikiria masuala hayo. - The Window on the World - Nini hufanya filamu kuwa ya kuvutia sana kwetu - viumbe wa ajabu kama sisi - ni kwamba inatoa "dirisha la ulimwengu" - inaunda (kuonekana) ukweli. Ni kama peeking kupitia dirisha wakati wewe kusikia msukosuko katika mitaani yako, au (kwa pamoja) kupunguza kasi juu ya njia ya juu ya kuangalia wakati ajali ilitokea. "Kama vile ilivyokuwa katika miaka ya 1920 na 1930, filamu zilionwa kama "" mashine za ukweli "" ambazo zilikuwa na uwezo wa kufunua ukweli fulani wa kijamii na kisiasa." "Mwanzoni mwa miaka ya 1960, mwanafalsafa maarufu wa Ufaransa Jean Baudrillard alisema: ""Fiktion na non-fiction ni simulations tu.""" Leo, ingawa, ni kueleweka kwamba filamu haipaswi kulinganishwa na ukweli, ama kupima pengo kati ya ukweli na uwakilishi, au kupima usahihi wa uwakilishi. Badala yake, tunapaswa kuangalia jinsi filamu na ukweli unavyohusiana: filamu huchukua kutoka kwa maisha halisi, lakini pia huathiri. Si sana kuhusu pengo kati ya filamu na ukweli, lakini mwingiliano kati yao. Mipaka kati ya ukweli na uwongo imefadhaika (na si tu katika filamu! The Book Thief (2013) <unk> Behind the ScenesHakuna picha katika filamu ni lengo au neutral. "Hii ndiyo sababu hatuwezi kusema juu ya ""kweli"" ya filamu, ""halisi"" au ""halisi"": filamu iko katika jicho la mtazamaji. na kwa kumbuka ya mwisho, filamu haifanyi tu burudani, pia inatuarifu na hata kutufundisha juu ya ulimwengu unaotuzunguka, na muhimu zaidi, inatufanya tuone ulimwengu kwa njia fulani." Wengi hawajui ya ushawishi huu, lakini kama wewe ni, niamini mimi, ni furaha sana kukutana, kuchambua na kukosoa njia filamu kushawishi sisi katika kufikiri kuhusu mambo katika njia fulani. Inawapa watazamaji wa filamu kipimo kipya kabisa, ambayo ni nini ninafurahia kuhusu filamu zaidi ya yote. Ingawa, ni lazima nikiri kwamba baadhi ya filamu kubeba maana mimi kufanya hivyo kabisa si kukubaliana na kwamba inaweza kuwa tad frustrating kwamba watu si ufahamu wa njia wao ni kusukumwa. Hata hivyo, uelewa wa kina wa ulimwengu ambao uchambuzi wa filamu unaweza kutoa ni, kwa maoni yangu, dhahiri thamani yake!Jumanne wiki ijayo, nitachapisha makala inayofuata katika mfululizo huu juu ya jinsi ya kuchambua filamu, ambayo ni wakati tutaanza na uchambuzi halisi. Mimi itabidi kujadili semiotics, utafiti wa maana katika filamu kwa njia ya decoding ishara na mikataba. Je, wewe kufurahia kufikiri juu au kujadili maana ya filamu baada ya wewe umeona ni? Jinsi gani kwenda kuhusu "kusoma" filamu maana? Je, unaweza kufikiria filamu yoyote ambayo imekufanya uelewe ulimwengu vizuri zaidi, hata hadithi za uwongo? kama ulipenda makala hii, ningependa sana kama ungeweza kuishiriki! Ikiwa unataka kujua wakati makala mpya za mfululizo huu zinachapishwa, tafadhali nifuate kwenye Facebook au Twitter. Kwa hivyo, kwa sababu ya kutegemea vitabu na makala ambazo nimezitumia, ninaweza kupendekeza Ben-Shaul. (2006) Utafiti wa Utafiti wa Utafiti Filamu: Dhana Muhimu. Oxford: Berg Publishers.Campbell, E. (2010). The Future (s) ya Hatari: Barthes na Baudrillard kwenda Hollywood. Utamaduni wa Media ya Uhalifu, 6 (1) 7-26.Dowler, K., Fleming, T. & Muzzatti, S. L. (2006). Kujenga Uhalifu: Vyombo vya Habari, Uhalifu, na Utamaduni wa Watu Wote. "Jarida la Canada la Uhalifu na Haki ya Uhalifu, 48: 68, 837-850, Kohm, S. A. ""Uhalifu wa Uhalifu na Haki ya Uhalifu, 48: 68, 837-850, ""Uhalifu wa Uhalifu na Haki ya Uhalifu, 48: 68, 837-850, ""Uhalifu wa Uhalifu na Haki ya Uhalifu, 48: 68, 837-850, ""Uhalifu wa Uhalifu na Haki ya Uhalifu.""" (2009) Kuita jina, aibu na haki ya jinai: Kudhalilisha kwa wingi kama burudani na adhabu. Utamaduni wa Media, 5 (2), 188-205. Shots in the Mirror: Crime Films and Society. (Picha katika Kioo: Sinema za Uhalifu na Jamii). New York: Oxford Chuo Kikuu Press.