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Intro to Film Analysis and Theory (but first, a brief overview of Cultural Studies). o verview of the “Introduction” from Film Analysis , edited by Jeffrey Geiger, 2005, Norton Press, NYC. Standard Cultural Studies Critical Approaches. Content Analysis Semiotics Ideological Critique
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Intro to Film Analysis and Theory(but first, a brief overview of Cultural Studies) overview of the “Introduction” from Film Analysis, edited by Jeffrey Geiger, 2005, Norton Press, NYC
Standard Cultural StudiesCritical Approaches • Content Analysis • Semiotics • Ideological Critique • Discourse Analysis/Theory
Approach: Content Analysis • Quantitative (counting!) technique measuring specific frequency of various occurrences • Produces raw data • Limited in application
Approach: Semiotics Sign = Signifier + Signified Signifier = the word or speech sound (rain) Signified = mental concept (the concept of water droplets falling from the sky)
Semiotics: Types of Signs Iconic: (physically resembles what it “stands for”) Indexical: (“A” points to “B”) Symbolic: (arbitrary connection)
Semiotics: Levels of Signification Denotation = Literal Meaning (1st level of signification) -- that ring is literally compressed carbon encased in platinum. Connotation = Cultural Meaning (2nd level of signification) – that ring represents love, engagement, commitment
Semiotics: Culture Bound • Signs are arbitrary cultural constructions • Myth = transformation of historical into natural • Meanings change
Approach: Ideological Critique Ideology = a system of ideas and ideals Ideological Critique looks at cultural power and is focused on how meaning maintains the social order
Ideological Critique: Marx Social relationships are based on domination and injustice and these are seen as natural and inevitable by those who benefit least.
Ideological Critique: Gramsci Hegemony = process through which a group is able to claim, through consent, leadership or power throughout a society – it is not domination.
Approach: Discourse Analysis Discourse = all forms of talk and texts Discourse analysis interested in texts themselves, rather than seeing texts as a way of “getting at” some reality behind the discourse
It’s not just a movie • Films are not simply entertainment. They are meaningful cultural and historical documents. • Film criticism isn’t simply a matter of opinion; instead, film analysis examines the narrative, thematic, and stylistic choices with the goal of deeper understanding.
Getting started . . . • Analysis doesn’t kill the pleasure of watching the film, it enhances the discussion. • Analysis examines assumptions and situates the film in particular historical, cultural, and aesthetic contexts. • Reading the film requires more than a surface viewing. It requires an understanding of sign systems (semiotics), including the denotation and connotation of words and images.
Reading a film • Consider the film a text with meaning that has obvious as well as complex and even contradictory connotations. • Films/texts have multiple meanings and interpretations • Reading between the lines to get to the layers of meaning – the more cultural, historical, and technical understanding you have, the deeper you can read.
Interpretation • There isn’t a “true” or “right” meaning • Interpretations aren’t purely subjective and they aren’t equally valid. • Some interpretations are more relevant, enlightened, and thought out than others • Interpretation strives to provide insight and uses persuasive language and solid evidence to support it
Freud: Latent Content • Connotations, ideas, and beliefs that lie unnoticed within the text of a film could be seen as “subconscious” or “unconscious” • Freudian approach looks as uncovering the latent content to analyze meaning (making the implicit explicit)
Connotations and Ideology • Connotations and meaning are culturally and historically determined • Ideology is the broadly held cultural or social beliefs of the time (ideology in the film analysis sense is a set or system of ideas so widely accepted they are only rarely examined in a conscious way – it’s culture’s unconscious) • Ideological beliefs are “the way things are supposed to be” – and those change
Context is crucial • Context includes anything that has an influence or bearing on a particular film. • Films are never culturally or ideologically neutral, but are informed by their contexts.
Approaches to Film Analysis • First things first: Opinion is not Analysis (analysis requires that we question our own opinions and stay focused on the text/context) • Starting out: Formulate a thesis or argument that uses a particular point of interest or a particular theoretical approach to focus you • Context: Learn about (research!) the cultural and historical period
Types of Contexts • Production Context of a Film: the situation in which it is financed and produced (which will subject it to a range of influences and pressures) • Filmic Context: consider the film in comparison to others of its type or genre (and the critical context) • Historical and Cultural Context: what was going on at the time? What version of the world does the film give us, and why?
Examining Major Themes • What is the film about? (not the plot, but what are the latent meanings, the main ideas, issues and themes at an implicit level) • What are the major conflicts? • Don’t oversimplify.
Role of Narrative • Narrative analysis breaks the film into its narrative segments and then looks for patterns of repetition and difference (and compared to genre considerations) • Narrative analysis considers what is excludedand withheld as well as what’s included
Style Considerations • Style = all the elements of how the film is constructed: cinematography, editing, mise-en-scene, and sound • Stylistic analysis considers the stylistic choices and what they mean or communicate
Theoretical Approaches to Film • Film History: investigates the film according to their place within a historical context • National Cinemas: discuss films in terms of their cultural or national character • Genre: examines how a film organizes its story and its audience’s expectations (genre is a category for classifying films in terms of common patterns of form and content)
More Theoretical Approaches • Auteur Theory: identifies a movie by a director and analyzes common themes and stylistic traits of the filmmaker • Formalism: confined to the film itself and the matters of structure and style • Ideological Approach: analysis of the ideological messages of the film