Film grammar

Film grammar

In film, film grammar is defined as follows:

# A frame is a single still image. It is analogous to a letter.
# A shot is a single continuous recording made by a camera. It is analogous to a word.
# A scene is a series of related shots. It is analogous to a sentence. The study of transitions between scenes is described in film punctuation.
# A sequence is a series of scenes which together tell a major part of an entire story, such as that contained in a complete movie. It is analogous to a paragraph.

The term "film grammar" is best understood as a creative metaphor, since the elements of film grammar described above do not stand in any strict relation of analogy to the components of grammar as understood by philology or modern linguistics.

D. W. Griffith has been called the father of film grammar. Few scholars still hold that his "innovations" really began with him, but Griffith was a key figure in establishing the set of codes that have become the universal backbone of film language. He was particularly influential in popularizing "cross-cutting"—using film editing to alternate between different events occurring at the same time—in order to build suspense. That being said, he still used many elements from the "primitive" style of movie-making that predated classical Hollywood's continuity system, such as frontal staging, exaggerated gestures, minimal camera movement, and an absence of point of view shots. Some claim, too, that he "invented" the close-up shot.

Credit for Griffith's cinematic innovations must be shared with his cameraman of many years, Billy Bitzer. In addition, he himself credited the legendary silent star Lillian Gish, who appeared in several of his films, with creating a new style of acting for the cinema.

ee also

*Grammar
* The 'Grammar' of Television and Film http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/short/gramtv.html


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Film editing — is part of the creative post production process of filmmaking. It involves the selection and combining of shots into sequences, and ultimately creating a finished motion picture. It is an art of storytelling. Film editing is the only art that is… …   Wikipedia

  • Film Ireland — is a cultural cinema magazine published on a bimonthly basis by Filmbase (aka Film Base) Centre for Film and Video in Dublin, Ireland. It is Ireland s longest running film publication [Flynn, Roderick and Patrick Brereton. Film Base , Historical… …   Wikipedia

  • Grammar translation — In applied linguistics, the grammar translation method is a foreign language teaching method derived from the classical (sometimes called traditional) method of teaching Greek and Latin. The method requires students to translate whole texts word… …   Wikipedia

  • film(ic) codes (or conventions) —   many elements within a film (the use of music, audio, costuming, scripting, camera angles, framing, shot duration, a character s actions, etc.) speak a language, grammar, or code that when used by the filmmaker help the viewer to understand… …   Glossary of cinematic terms

  • History of film — This article is about the history of cinema. For other uses, see History of photography. Years in film 1870s 1880s 1890s …   Wikipedia

  • Trinity Grammar School (New South Wales) — Infobox Aust school private name = Trinity Grammar School motto = la. Detur Gloria Soli Deo (Latin: Give glory God alone ) established = 1913cite web |url=http://www.seek.com.au/advhomes/deborah xuereb/3501024 1.htm |title=Trinity Grammar School… …   Wikipedia

  • Dutch grammar — series Dutch grammar Dutch verbs Dutch conjugation t kofschip T rules Dutch nouns Dutch declension Gender in Dutch grammar Dutch orthography Dutch dictionary IJ Dutch phonology …   Wikipedia

  • Columbia Grammar & Preparatory School — Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School Address 5 West 93rd Street Town New York, New York, 10025 Established 1764 Community Urban Type Private (Independent) Principal: Dr. Richard Soghoian Religio …   Wikipedia

  • Ipswich Grammar School — Infobox Aust school private name = Ipswich Grammar School motto = Labore et Honore (Latin: Work and Honour ) established = 1863 type = Independent, Single sex, Day Boarding denomination = Non denominationalcite web… …   Wikipedia

  • Dungog Film Festival — The Dungog Film Festival is an annual event held in the Hunter Region town of Dungog. Dungog Film Festival is a not for profit arts organisation that is dedicated to celebrating and promoting Australian screen industry. The festival is committed… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”