CUT! A Beginner’s Guide to Film

Pulse Perspective by Shelby Yonko

Movies have the power to move us in ways we didn't think were possible. Why do you think that is? What makes a movie great? The combination of sound, angles and shots is what can make a movie turn from a film into a classic.

Let's talk sound! 

 Sound is an essential part of any movie. Sound is used to make us feel, or understand what is being portrayed. Now, sound not only includes music which can make us feel what the characters are feeling, it also includes sounds such as a clock ticking which can make us feel that time is passing. If you think of the classic movie Psycho directed by Alfred Hitchcock, and you know the shower scene, you hear the high pitched violins. This gives us the feeling of an eerie and horrifying moment in the movie. You can also think of any rom-com movie at the end when the two people fall in love, although the acting can make us feel, the music can make us live it.

It's all about angles! 

Believe it or not, angles can show us if a person is good or bad. When a person comes on screen and it's a low angle where the camera is pointed up, it shows that they are “devil” like; telling us that the person is an antagonist of the movie. Whereas if it was a high angle it shows that the person is more of a “god” like figure and is more of a protagonist of the movie.

Shots, Shots, Shots! 

Many people don’t know that there are so many different kinds of shots that give so much to a movie. One of my favorite is called a jump cut, and this one is used to show the passing of time. The camera stays in place and the people “jump” around to show that they are waiting.