Exam prep instructions
EXAM PREP BLOG INSTRUCTIONS
Each week I will post 5 terms that have been discussed in our course. You are responsible for writing responses for 2 of them (ie. 2 per week). Write your responses as if you were writing the answers for an exam. Post your responses in the comments section under the appropriate term. Please try to have your responses posted before your tutorial begins on Monday/Tuesday.
If you cannot access the comments section to post your response, you must email me and I will send you an invite to the blog.
Participating in this exercise will account for 30% of your final participation grade. I will be posting 5 terms/week over the next 6 weeks, so by posting an adequate response for 2 terms will earn you 5%/week.
If you have any questions, please email me at jhandreae@gmail.com
This exam prep exercise in no way guarantees that all or any of these terms will appear on the final exam. You are responsible for familiarizing yourself will all of the terms relevant to this course.
The term frames/framing appeared in our media unit when we were taught about film discourse. To frame is to in a sense capture a moment. When we look in a frame we see things and only the things in the frame that are never there by accident. A frame is set up for the viewer to analyze and view different elements that it has to offer. The term frame is an element of film discourse. We watched Casa Blanca in lecture and noted the different elements in frame and the framing of the scene. When we really used film discourse was when we had to get into groups and watch movies then use the language of film to break the film down and really look at all its elements. For instance when a film has stopped and the viewer views the frame they can tell many different things from the camera angle, to the lighting, and facial expressions. The main elements of film discourse are lighting, motion, framing, editing, sound, and colour. If in a frame there is a lot of shadows and silhouettes it suggests secrets, suspense, sadness, and maybe even seduction. The motion of the camera can also give insight into characters. If the camera is below and looking up at a character the character appears to have more power and if the camera zooms in this is a signal of importance. To bring it all together framing defines the viewer’s vision. What is in the frame is a visual narrative and the composition of a frame conveys ideas without dialogue.
ReplyDeleteFrames are referred to in multiple ways, including film, comics and context. In a comic, a frame is a certain image in the comic that suggests an event with words, where as in film it is just a still image. A comic has gutters – the spaces around the box – that suggests the passing of time, the bigger the gap, the more time that has gone by. For example, in one frame we could have a person flipping a pancake in a frying pan, in the next we could see the pan set down on the stove. In between those two frames we see the gutter – or the space, and we easily assume that in that time the person had done normal humanly actions, including finish flipping the pancake and set down the frying pan. Maus is a comic book that represents the perfect example of frame in comics. In context, a frame is formed by other texts, not just by the readers and as a “frame of reference” or a set of expectations, the cat’s table is an example of frame in context.
ReplyDeleteFrames are very important in illustrated novels, movies and television. A frame is how one singular image is set up, with intention. If you pause a movie that image is one frame and everything within that image is put there for a reason. What objects are in the background, what angle we see the subject at, how much of the background we see, where the subject is standing in the frame etc. are some of the more obvious setups. Consider Maus I: A Survivor’s Tale: My Father Bleeds History by Art Spiegelman, each frame shows only what Spiegelman wanted us to see; he didn’t draw every detail of the room where the story is told, he only drew what was important to the story or necessary to show the setting. Though this is a visual technique it can easily be applied to writing. When writing you have to describe a scene or a person; you have to pick which features to mention and which to leave out. You cannot describe every last detail of a room as that is unnecessary and boring so you chose the aspects that are most important to the story and the character; something that will be mentioned later or is a necessary to show the setting. How you describe a person or scene can shape the readers interpretation of the person/moment. Describing or showing a room as dark or a person as in shadow leaves the reader to believe they are hiding something, they are not a ‘good’ character or this is scary room to stay in. Frames help control how each scene is interpreted.
ReplyDeleteFrames are very important in illustrated novels, movies and television. A frame is how one singular image is set up, with intention. If you pause a movie that image is one frame and everything within that image is put there for a reason. What objects are in the background, what angle we see the subject at, how much of the background we see, where the subject is standing in the frame etc. are some of the more obvious setups. Consider Maus I: A Survivor’s Tale: My Father Bleeds History by Art Spiegelman, each frame shows only what Spiegelman wanted us to see; he didn’t draw every detail of the room where the story is told, he only drew what was important to the story or necessary to show the setting. Though this is a visual technique it can easily be applied to writing. When writing you have to describe a scene or a person; you have to pick which features to mention and which to leave out. You cannot describe every last detail of a room as that is unnecessary and boring so you chose the aspects that are most important to the story and the character; something that will be mentioned later or is a necessary to show the setting. How you describe a person or scene can shape the readers interpretation of the person/moment. Describing or showing a room as dark or a person as in shadow leaves the reader to believe they are hiding something, they are not a ‘good’ character or this is scary room to stay in. Frames help control how each scene is interpreted.
ReplyDeleteFrames/framing can be seen in two very different contexts. Frames are seen in films and also comic books. In film, in every scene, there is a different frame. When a movie is paused, you see a frame. Everything in that particular picture or to say more correctly “frame” is placed for a reason. When examining the frame we take into consideration what’s placed in the background, what angle the frame is shown in and where the subject is located in the frame. Comic books also have frames, and every new “square” is a new frame. Maus by Art Spiegelman is a comic book where a lot of conversations take place. In one frame you can see two mice exchanging some words, but if you want to read the entire conversation, you have to read about six frames. This goes to show how important each individual frame is to a story. Without understanding each frame, the context of the story might be lost.
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