Film language is made up of four different aspects:
1.) CAMERA
FRAME
-6 possible shots (extreme close up, close up, mid shot, medium long shot, long shot and extreme long shot).
ANGLE
- Birdseye, low, level, high, wormseye.
MOVEMENT
- Pan left/right.
- Tilt up/down.
- Tracking
- Static shot
- Zoom in and out
- Crane shot.
2.) SOUND
- Music
- Contrapuntal (when the mustic doesn't go with the images, e.g. a childrens nusery rhyme in a horror film) and Parallel (when the music matches the images).
- Diegetic (all the stuff we hear when being filmed) and Non-Diegetic (all the stuff put on later during editing, e.g. sound effects).
- On Screen (can see what's making sound) and Off Screen (can't see what's making sound).
- Voiceover
- Dialogue (the way people speak).
3.) MISE EN SCENE
- Costume
- Lighting (low-key and high-key)
- Actors
- Make up
- Props
- Setting
4.) EDITING
- Transition (how it cuts, a movement from one scene to another, e.g. straight cut, wipe/slide).
- Order of Narrative (is the order skipped, traditional or does it include flashbacks).
- Pace (how quickly things cut, e.g. action films would be fast paced.
- Special effects
- Graphic Matches (e.g. one door closing and another one opens. One image to another but the same object).
Three Examples of Analysis of Film Language...
1.) Children of Men
Camera:
It begins with a mid-shot taken from above. The camera then shows the tv screen from a high shot. It then follows the man out of the shop, with the camera behind him. It pans left and then follows him until the man stops and it catches up. By then it is a medium-long shot. After the explosion, the camera focuses on the smoke and then starts to move towards it.
Sound:
It begins with off-screen sound with what sounds like the news on in the background. The dialogue is serious which suggests the genre of this film. After these, all the sound is on-screen until the explosion. The music is sad which is parallel to the scene as it is about death.
Mise en Scene:
The people are all dressed normally which suggests that they represent the rest of the population. High-key lighting is used to further emphasise the point that this is supposed to be an ordinary day. The man pushes through the crowd at the beginning of the clip and then the camera focuses on him which suggests that he is the protagonist of this film. The people's facial expressions look sad and shocked which makes us think that the fact that he has died has had a big impact. It is set in London and the coffee shop and the cars all look very ordinary even though they're saying that the youngest person in the world is 18.
Editing:
They are 2 straight cuts and the order of narrative is traditional. The scenes cut at a slow pace as it is supposed to represent a sad time.
2.) Clueless
Camera:
Begins with birdeye long shot of the car. Mostly consists of mid-shots and long shots. Camera tilts down with her father and follows them both in the kitchen.When she begins driving, the camera starts off being birdseye and then goes behind the car.
Sound:
Begins with song which is non-diegetic and parallel to the storyline. Dialogue of girl is quite whiney and typical of a teenager which reflects the genre. Most of the early dialogue is put on as a voiceover and the on-screen conversations doesn't begin until she has a conversation with her father. There is another song played after this and another voiceover and ends with another on-screen conversation.
Mise en Scene:
The characters are dressed in normal, teenager clothes which suggests that this is going to be about 'ordinary' people. High-Key lighting is used to suggest that this is a happy, normal situation and the main actor/actress appears to be this girl who we find out is called Cher. It is set in a wealthy part of America and Cher appears to also be very wealthy as we see her house. This also seems to be the case with her friends as we see her house too. It looks as if it is set in Summer.
Editing:
All of the transitions are straight cuts and they are fast paced as it is supposed show how Cher has a busy lifestyle. The order of narrative seems to be traditional and there are no special effects.
3.) The Notebook
Camera:
It begins with a static exteme long shot and then after about 30 seconds moves to following a man in a boat as a long shot. Most of the shots are static and long shots but there are no close ups.
Sound:
The music is a non-diegetic piano song with no words and is quite calm but neither sad nor happy. It seems parallel to the scene as it is showing a river/lake with a sunset, both of which are calm. There is no dialogue apart from someone who looks like a nurse right at the end.
Mise en Scene:
It seems to be set in America, judging by the nurses accent, in a remote location. At first we could think that this is a house that this woman lives in alone but then we can tell that it is some sort of hospital, perhaps a care home. The main focus is on this elderly woman so presumeably the film is going to be about her/her life.
Editing:
All the transitions are straight cuts and the order of narrative is traditional and the pace is extremely slow which relfects the setting and the music. There are no obvious special effects.