Hidden Figures: Day 2; A Short Film Dictionary; Film Critique Notes

Some brief film terms to watch for:

• Auteur (French for "author") - literally the director, who is regarded as the "author" of a film because he/she has primary control and responsibility for the final product. The Auteur theory insists that a film be considered in terms of the entire canon of a director and that each Auteur earns that title by displaying a unique cinematic style.
• Background Music- Music accompanying action on the screen, but coming from no discernible source within the film.
• Composition - The placement of people or objects within the frame and the arrangements for actual movements within the frame or by the camera.
• Continuity - The narrative growth of a film created through a combination of visuals and sound (resembling the "story" in print literature).
• Crane Shot - A shot taken from a boom that can move both horizontally and vertically.
• Depth of Field - The area within which objects are in focus; a large depth of field allows a great range of objects to be in focus simultaneously, while a shallow depth of field offers a very limited area in focus. Depth of field normally depends on how far "open" a lens is (a lens works much like an eye, with the pupil opening or contracting to control light). An "open" lens  creates a shallow depth of field while a contracted lens creates a large depth of field.
• Dolly Shot - A moving shot taken from a dolly. A Dolly-In moves the camera toward the subject, while a Dolly-Out moves the camera away from the subject. A dolly shot creates a sense of movement through space by capturing changes in perspective.
• Fade - A transitional device in which either an image gradually dims until the viewer sees only a black screen (Fade-Out) or an image slowly emerges from a black screen to a clear and bright picture (Fade-In). A fade provides a strong break in continuity, usually setting off sequences.
• Flashback - A segment of film that breaks normal chronological order by shifting directly to time past. Flashback may be subjective (showing the thoughts and memory of a character) or objective (returning to earlier events to show their relationship to the present).
• Flash Forward - A segment of film that breaks normal chronological order by shifting directly to a future time. Flash forward, like flashback, may be subjective (showing precognition or fears of what might happen) or objective (suggesting what will eventually happen and thus setting up relationships for an audience to perceive).
• Frame - A single photographic image imprinted on a length of film; also the perimeter of an image as seen when projected on a screen (a filmmaker sees the frame as the boundaries of his camera's view-finder). 
• Frequency - the repetition of a scene or action throughout the film. Some actions are repeated by the same or sometimes different characters to suggest meaning. 
• High-Angle Shot - A shot taken from above a subject, creating a sense of "looking down" upon whatever is photographed.
• Intercutting - The alternation between actions taking place at two distinct locations to make one composite scene. For example, cutting between two people involved in the same telephone conversation. The distinction between this and cross cutting is one of compression of time. The intercut can be used to speed up a scene and eliminate large pieces of time that would slow a story down.
• Key Light - The primary source of illumination; High-Key - light brilliantly illuminates a set; Low-Key - light provides dim lighting, usually with heavy, dark shadows.
• Match Cut - A cut intended to blend two shots together unobtrusively
• Mise-En-Scene - The aura emanating from details of setting, scenery, and staging.
• Narrative - How a story is told (what is included and excluded in the film).
• Objective Camera - The attempt to suggest that the camera acts only as a passive recorder of what happens in front of it. The use of objective camera relies on de-emphasis of technique, involving minimal camera movement and editing
• Pan - A shot in which a stationary camera turns horizontally, revealing new areas.
• Reaction Shot - A shot showing one or more characters reacting to an action or statement. 
• Reverse Angle Shot - A shot of an object or person taken in the direction opposite that of the preceding shot (for example, a shot of the gates of a prison from within followed by a reverse angle shot showing the gates from outside). 
• Scene - A series of shots taken at one basic time and place. A scene is one of the basic structural units of film, with each scene contributing to the next largest unit of film, the sequence.
• Script - (scenario, shooting script) - A written description of the action, dialogue, and camera placements for a film.
• Sequence - A structural unit of a film using time, location, or some pattern to link together a number of scenes.
• Story - The general subject matter and dramatic action or narrative meaning of a film (or story...)
• Trucking Shot - Any moving shot with the camera on a mobile mounting, but chiefly a moving shot taken with a camera mounted on a truck.
• Two Shot - A shot of two people, usually from the waist up.
• Wide-Angle Lens - Any lens with a focal length shorter than normal, thus allowing a greater area to be photographed. A wide-angle lens alters perspective by making nearby objects seem relatively larger than those far away and by increasing the apparent distance between objects both laterally and in depth.

Watch the film: Hidden Figures. As you view the film, take notes of what you notice happening in the film (both narratively--what happens in the story of the film--as well as how the film is put together, shot, and edited to make meaning.) You will use your notes to discuss the quality and effectiveness of the film when we complete it. This will be part of our critique of the film.

Lab: Comment (on my blog post below!) on any part of chapter 4-6 and critique how a passage, idea, or section of one of the chapters made you think, connect, or empathize with the subject matter.

Work on YOUR blog: Specifically, write a post about your coming-out story about being a geek or a nerd; OR classify the different kinds of nerds and geeks that exist. Make sure you describe each type.

& Internet surfing exercise:

• After writing the previous two blog posts, surf the internet. Can you find:
• A helpful academic resource for writers?
• A biased source for news? (bias can be any political or ideological prejudice)
• A reliable source for news?
• A good site for online games
• A good site for reviews or critiques of pop culture: games, music, food, fashion, film, books, tv, or other mass media products, etc.
• An online social media site
• A popular meme (a humorous image, video, or text that is copied and shared through social media)
• Share your findings on your blog. Provide a short (2-3 sentences, for example) review of each site you find as your 3rd blog post.

If you have nothing else to do, surf the internet or start reading that homework!

HOMEWORK: Please read chapters 7-9 of Geeks for Wednesday's class.