Film Language

during our media classes we were educated on film language, in order for us to understand and analyze films with greater understanding and to benefit and aid us when it came to producing our own thriller openings.

Lighting- lighting is very important in film and has a massive part to play in terms of the emotion and effect of a scene. on a film set there are only three different types of lights used. these are; the key light, the back light, and filler lights. 

the key light is the main source of light on a film set, it is used to light the front of a scene, casting light on the characters and the mise en scene. this can be positioned in may different places to create different effects and shadows, something that is vitally important when it comes to producing a successful image.

the back light is positioned behind the subject, creating shadows etc. similar to how the key light is used.

the filler lights to eliminate and remove harsh shadows created by the two main lights, the key and back lights, in order to produce a more naturally lit appearance to a scene.

the ways in which lighting is used can be broken down into two main groups, this being low, and high key lighting. low key lighting uses only one or two of the lights, general the key and back light creating harsh shadows etc. that alter the overall feel of a shot to be more dramatic and expressive. this is referred to as Chiaroscuro meaning light and dark in Italian and refers to the large amount of contrast created. this can be broken down further when you look at the positioning of the lights, and the way they are used. for example, the subject could simply be lit from behind (back lighting) creating a silhouette. this is generally used to induce fear or un-trustworthiness within the audience. high key lighting appears to be very natural, it generally uses all three types of light, especially filler lights used to eradicate the shadows created by the larger light sources. an example would be top lighting, where the subject is lighten from above bleaching out any imperfections of the skin so that it appears flawless. this is a very glamorous form of lighting.

Camera Angles-camera angles are also part of film language and they too play a large part in the effectiveness of a shot or film. there are many types of camera angles and shots many of which are combined. tracking shots follow and move with the action within a scene, were as panning shots follow the action from a fixed axis. there are also tit shots, where the camera tilts on a fixed access, and crane shots, where the camera is lifted and maneuvered above the scene.
 

Sound-sound is very important in modern day film, bringing footage to life. sound can be spit into two sections. firstly diagetic and nondiagetic sound. diagetic refers to the sound within the world of the film. in other words sounds and music that the characters can hear. these can be both on or of screen and include dialogue and music.diagetic sound can be split into another two subsections, these are parallel and contrapuntal. parallel sound is sound that corresponds to the mood and feel of the footage or visual that is being shown where as contrapuntal does not. non diagetic is sound that only the audience witnesses, such as a voice over or theme tune.