You’re watching a movie with your family and in the movie the main character has a little brother. The little brother is not the main character but you can see him in a lot of the shots with little to no attention focused on him. You know he is in the background and know that…

Crane Shots are mostly common in the beginning of a film and at the end. These shots are taken by a camera on a moving crane or jib.  A crane enables the camera to travel the distances up and down, forward and backward and from side to side, while flying high in the air. Cranes also have both an operator and a…

A Leitmotif is a specific theme that stands out in a film and eventually becomes highly recognizable. Leitmotifs are most commonly iconic sounds and “theme-songs” that are known for only being in that movie or series of movies. Leitmotifs are typically found in famous movies and have a huge impact on the audience. Basically, if…

For this week’s film analysis I selected the topic of the “swashbuckler” genre of film. This type of film can best be described as high action, adventure, romance and taking place in a historical setting. When I hear the term swashbuckler, I think of a pirate movie.  When I think pirate movie, I think Johnny…

    Leitmotif is a tool used in the making of a film that you can see in movies from today to as far back as the 1930’s. It is a melody that is used to associate a character, a place, a person, object, place, or emotion to what you are seeing on screen. Leitmotif’s…

A film always needs to have a set, even if it’s just an open field, it’s still considered a set. A set what gives a film life and attracts the eyes of the audience. Most of the sets used in Hollywood are built just for the movie being filmed, then it gets demolished or you…

There is a rule in cinema called the 180 degree rule. This rule refers to that once the spacial relationship has been established in the scene, no close-up will cross the imaginary line drawn between the two actors until a new line has been established in the shot. The main reason for this rule is…

Music in movies is extremely important; It sets the tone, pace, and mood of the film.  Without music, a movie would seem bland and its scenes wouldn’t affect the audience as much. Music usually plays in the background of a scene and most of the time the audience doesn’t even realize that the music is…

Rashomon is a legend in film. It was a low-budget movie that tells a narrative of a murder in the perspective of four witnesses. It was received well, winning awards for Best Foreign Film and Best Directed Film. What made Rashomon so great was not only the unique style of telling different sides to the…