Grade 8 | Film Analysis Resource

I.                     Semiotic Analysis: the study of signs and symbols and their interpretation, typically involving metaphors, analogies, and symbolism.

Think about the deeper meaning behind objects or actions.

o    What might you be able to infer about characters from small hints?

o    How are these hints (signs) used to construct characters?

§  How do they relate to the relative role of those characters, or the relationships between multiple characters?

o    What objects or images are repeated in multiple instances?

§  In what context do they appear?

§  What might they represent?

II.                   Narrative Structure Analysis: the analysis of the story elements, including plot structure, character motivations, and theme. Film has what is known as the Three-Act Structure: “Act One: Setup, Act Two: Confrontation, and Act Three: Resolution.”

Think about the implications of a film’s narrative elements.

o    How does the story follow or deviate from typical structures?

o    What is the effect of following or deviating from this structure?

o    What is the theme of the film, and how is that theme constructed?

III.                  Contextual Analysis: the analysis of the film as part of a broader context.

Think about the culture, time, and place of the film’s creation.

o    What might the film say about the culture that created it?

o    What were/are the social and political concerns of the time period?

o    Or, like researching the author of a novel, you might consider the director, producer, and other people vital to the making of the film.

o    What is the place of this film in the director’s career?

o    Does it align with his usual style of directing, or does it move in a new direction?

o    How does the meaning of the film change when seen outside of its culture?

o    What characteristics distinguishes the film as being of its particular culture?

IV.                Mise-en-scene Analysis: the analysis of the arrangement of compositional elements in film. *Mise-en-scene is the most foreign part of film analysis because, while all of the components above are common to literary analysis, mise-en-scene deals with elements unique to film: set design, costume, makeup, lighting, space, composition, acting, aspect ratio, camera angles, special effects, sound, color.

                  Think identifying the elements of a scene and the significance behind them.

o    What effects are created in a scene, and what is their purpose?

o    How does the film attempt to achieve its goal by the way it looks, and does it succeed?

o    How is the lighting used to construct mood?

§  Does the mood shift at any point during the film, and how is that shift in mood created?

o    What does the setting say about certain characters?

§  How are props used to reveal aspects of their personality?

o    What songs were used, and why were they chosen?

§  Are there any messages in the lyrics that pertain to the theme?