CIN105Y1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Diegesis, Slow Motion, Continuity Editing
June 7, 2016
CIN LECTURE 9: STYLE
Style:
• The two large-scale formal systems we have been studying
The narrative system
The stylistic system (we often confuse narrative and style)
• Style is really a culmination of all of the elements of film
• How to do Mise-En-Scène, sound editing, etc. (how the filmmaker chooses to bring them
together)
• All of these elements work together and influence each other
• STYLE ALLOWS THE NARRATIVE TO BE TOLD CLEARLY
• Style is an ecosystem—elements must work together
Style is not unique to film (there is no one definition)
In all things there is style
Interactive working with elements to produce a distinctive pattern (in art, we are
more specific)
Picasso and The Rolling Stones have their own unique styles
What distinguishes paintings from one another is style, how each artist expresses
and represents uniquely
We group artists together if they have a similar style (such as Renaissance) this
is called Group Style
We can say the same thing about cinema style
Even amongst filmmakers, who use the same tools, there are distinctions,
and often patterns of style
This can help us distinguish works stylistically
Einstein, Truffaut, Rossellini—distinguished signature quality, yet can be
grouped as they share common features
• Style in and of itself is neither a good thing or a bad thing
• Style cannot be quantified, it simply is
• Identifying and describing a stylistic system is not a matter of appraisal or evaluation, it is
simply a matter of analysis (What is the significance of…? NOT “Is it good or bad”)
• Every film has style—whenever filmmakers make decisions this always adds up to style
(Ex. Kevin Smith)
HOW TO ANALYZE FILM STYLE
1. What is the Film’s Overall Form?
• The general relationship between that film’s plot and its story
• The means by which the film develops over time
• The ways that it employs devices such as repetition, variation, parallelism, and motifs
over the course of its development and in service of its development
• Plot vs. Story-world/diegesis ***refer back to Lecture 1
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Style: the two large-scale formal systems we have been studying. Style is not unique to film (there is no one definition) Interactive working with elements to produce a distinctive pattern (in art, we are more specific) Picasso and the rolling stones have their own unique styles. What distinguishes paintings from one another is style, how each artist expresses and represents uniquely. We group artists together if they have a similar style (such as renaissance) this is called group style. We can say the same thing about cinema style. Even amongst filmmakers, who use the same tools, there are distinctions, and often patterns of style. This can help us distinguish works stylistically. Einstein, truffaut, rossellini distinguished signature quality, yet can be grouped as they share common features: style in and of itself is neither a good thing or a bad thing, style cannot be quantified, it simply is.
