Cinematic Storytelling Read online

  “Here is a uniquely fresh, accessible, and truly original contribution to the field. Jennifer van Sijll takes her readers in a wholly new direction, integrating aspects of screenwriting with all the film crafts in a way I’ve never before seen. She underscores cinema’s collaborative nature, and celebrates the collective family of film artists who struggle together in the creation of worthy movies. It is essential reading not only for screenwriters but also for filmmakers of every stripe.”

  — Prof. Richard Walter, UCLA Screenwriting Chairman

  “A powerful and evocative guide for screenwriters and filmmakers alike.”

  — Frank Beddor, Producer, There’s Something About Mary

  “After taking Jennifer’s class I rewrote the first thirty pages of my screenplay like a madman, without lifting the pen from the paper. Her book and lectures have had a profound effect on me as a filmmaker and as a screenwriting teacher. Her concepts of cinematic storytelling are brilliantly laid out and will be a source of inspiration for future screenwriters and filmmakers.”

  — Michael Tierno, author of Aristotle’s Poetics for Screenwriters and award winning writer-director of feature films

  “Wow! A screenwriting book with an original and insightful approach. Jennifer van Sijll takes you step by step through the complex transfer from blank page to motion picture. I can finally show a book to my mother and say ’This is what I do for a living.’”

  — Larry Karaszewski, Golden Globe-winning screenwriter of Ed Wood and The People vs Larry Flynt

  “Ms. Van Sijll breaks down years of film school into one magnificent book. Three cheers for this clear-cut and extraordinary work.”

  — Libby Hinson, two-time Emmy winner, Humanitas nominee, winner of the 2004 New York Film Festival Award

  “A valuable contribution to the art of storytelling. A must read.”

  —Michael MacMillan, Producer CSI: Miami, CSI:NY, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation; CEO Alliance Atlantis Communications

  “For anyone serious about writing and directing.”

  —P.J. Haarsma, writer of The Softwire Series

  “Cinematic Storytelling, as its name implies, conveys, in visual images, the most essential, most effective cinematic techniques directors and cinematographers use to tell stories. Employing classic images and accompanying text from some of the most memorable scenes in some of the most innovative films in recent times, the book is an instructive visual feast for everyone who aspires to effectively tell great stories with compelling images. Highly recommended.”

  —Jeffrey M. Freedman, Screenwriter, Author

  “This is the preeminent text for any screenwriter who is seriously thinking about directing their own screenplay. By blending classic and contemporary references, Van Sijll plants the seeds for a new generation of auteurs.”

  —Catherine Clinch, Creative Screenwriting

  “Jennifer van Sijll’s book makes a direct hit in terms of concise information and perfectly chosen visuals, but it also searches out an emotional core that many books of this nature either miss or are afraid of… this book finds it.”

  — Kirsten Sheridan, co-writer, In America, director, Disco Pigs

  “A smart, analytical guide. Van Sijll truly understands what makes great movies work. A first-rate roadmap and a veritable tour de force of succinct writing.”

  — Jake Eberts, Executive Producer, The Name of the Rose, Hope and Glory, Driving Miss Daisy, Dances with Wolves, A River Runs Through It, Chicken Run

  “Jennifer van Sijll tackles with brio the difficult task of explaining cinematic language which, in its broad acceptance, has become today’s most powerful means of communication. The force of this excellent educational tool, with its pertinent and crystalline examples, lies in its ability to convey the specific way in which this singular medium produces meaning.”

  — Bruno Toussaint, author of Le Langage des Images et des Sons and professor at the Université de Marne la Vallée and ESRA, Paris.

  “Cinematic Storytelling shows you how a story idea is realized in script form and then transformed again when it moves from script to screen. It underscores how this process necessitates the collaborative relationship between writers and directors. Van Sijll has written an essential guide for aspiring writers and directors.”

  — Mardik Martin, Screenwriter, Raging Bull, Mean Streets, New York, New York, Senior Lecturer of Screenwriting at USC.

  “Van Sijll challenges the notion of writing as limited to the Aristotelian staples of character, structure, and plot. Her book Cinematic Storytelling delivers a foundation for the understanding of a new form of literacy, as important as reading and writing with words. Every writing class should add this book to their assigned reading list.”

  — David Tamés, Program Director, Digital Filmmaking, The Center for Digital Imaging Arts at Boston University

  Published by Michael Wiese Productions

  3940 Laurel Canyon Blvd, #1111

  Studio City, CA 91604

  (818) 379-8799, (818) 986-3408 (FAX).

  [email protected]

  www.mwp.com

  Cover design by MWP

  Interior design by William Morosi

  Copyedited by Paul Norlen

  Printed by McNaughton & Gunn

  Manufactured in the United States of America

  Copyright 2005 Jennifer Van Sijll

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without

  permission in writing from the author, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Van Sijll, Jennifer, 1954-

  Cinematic storytelling : the 100 most powerful film

  conventions every filmmaker must know / Jennifer Van Sijll.

  p. cm.

  ISBN 1-932907-05-X

  1. Cinematography. 2. Motion pictures–Production and direction. I.

  Title.

  TR850.V36 2005

  791.4302’33–dc22

  2004024722

  CONTENTS

  Acknowledgments

  Preface: Cinematic Storytelling

  Introduction

  Cinematic Storytelling: The Screenwriter

  The Problem

  What Does This Mean for the Screenwriter?

  Script Excerpts

  Cinematic Storytelling: The Director

  The Problem

  What Does This Mean for the Director?

  1. Space: 2-D & 3-D Screen Direction

  Introduction

  1. X-Axis (Horizontal) Strangers on a Train

  2. Y-Axis (Vertical) Strangers on a Train

  3. XY-Axes (Diagonals) Metropolis, The Piano

  4. Z-Axis (Depth-of-Field) Citizen Kane

  5. Z-Axis (Planes of Action) Dolores Claiborne

  6. Z-Axis (Rack Focus) The Graduate

  2. Frame: Composition

  Introduction

  7. Directing the Eye Citizen Kane

  8. Imbalance Disco Pigs

  9. Balance Disco Pigs

  10. Orientation Apocalypse Now, Barton Fink

  11. Size Metropolis

  3. Shape Within the Frame

  Introduction

  12. Circular The Conversation

  13. Linear Fargo

  14. Triangular Witness

  15. Rectangular The Searchers

  16. Organic versus Geometric Witness

  4. Editing: Pudovkin’s Five Editing Techniques

  Introduction: A Little Theory

  Five Editing Principles

  “On Editing”

  Editing: Additional Techniques

  17. Montage Citizen Kane

  18. Montage Adaptation

/>   19. Assembly Psycho

  20. Mise-en-Scène Psycho

  21. Intercutting Cabaret

  22. Split Screen Kill Bill Vol. 1

  23. Dissolves Citizen Kane

  24. Dissolves Barton Fink

  25. Smash Cut American Beauty

  5. Time

  Introduction

  26. Expanding Time through Pacing Barton Fink

  27. Contrast of Time (Pacing and Intercutting) Pulp Fiction

  28. Expanding Time — Overlapping Action Pulp Fiction

  29. Slo-Motion Raging Bull

  30. Fast-Motion (Time Compression) Amélie

  31. Flashback Sunset Boulevard

  32. Flashforward The People vs. Larry Flynt

  33. Freeze-Frame Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Thelma and Louise, The 400 Blows

  34. Visual Foreshadowing The Piano

  6. Sound Effects

  Introduction

  35. Realistic Sound (Diegetic) (Character) Klute

  36. Realistic Sound (Diegetic) (Emotional Response) ET

  37. Expressive Sound (Diegetic) (Outer World) Barton Fink

  38. Surreal Sound (Meta-Diegetic) (Inner World) Barton Fink

  7. Music

  39. Lyrics as Narrator Apocalypse Now

  40. Symbolic Use of Music Shawshank Redemption

  41. Music as a Moveable Prop Out of Africa

  8. Scene Transitions (Audio and Visual)

  Introduction

  42. Matching Audio Segue Sorry, Wrong Number, Fatal Attraction

  43. Audio Bridge (Dialog) Citizen Kane

  44. Audio Bridge (Sound Effects) Barton Fink

  45. Visual Match-Cut (Graphic Similarity) Single White Female

  46. Visual Match-Cut (Pattern and Color) Citizen Kane

  47. Visual Match-Cut (Action) 2001: A Space Odyssey

  48. Visual Match-Cut (Idea) Requiem for a Dream

  49. Visual Match-Cut (Idea) Harold and Maude

  50. Extended Match Dissolve (Time Transition) Titanic

  51. Disrupted Match-Cut Bound

  9. Camera Lenses

  52. Wide-Angle Citizen Kane

  53. Wide-Angle (Vistas and Establishing Shots) The Piano

  54. Telephoto The Graduate

  55. Fisheye Requiem for a Dream

  56. Prop Lenses within the Scene (Fisheye) Citizen Kane

  57. Objects Dances with Wolves

  10. Camera Position

  58. Close-up (CU) The Piano

  59. Extreme Close-up (ECU) Kill Bill Vol. 1

  60. Two-Shot The Piano

  61. Over-the-Shoulder Shot (OTS) Chinatown, The Piano

  62. Point-of-View (POV) Halloween

  63. Point-of-View (POV) Jaws

  64. High-Angle Citizen Kane

  65. Low-Angle ET

  66. Hi-Lo Combined Psycho

  11. Camera Motion

  67. Static Shot Klute

  68. Pan Dances with Wolves

  69. Tilt-Up (Character) The Professional

  70. Tilt-Down Fargo

  71. Rotation Bound, Apocalypse Now

  72. Tracking Shot Fatal Attraction

  73. Circular Reservoir Dogs

  74. Push In — Push Out Fargo

  75. Crane Touch of Evil

  76. Handheld Touch of Evil

  77. Handheld Pulp Fiction

  78. Steadicam Goodfellas

  79. Aerial The Piano

  12. Lighting

  80. Rembrandt Lighting (Light versus Dark) Apocalypse Now

  81. TV Lighting Natural Born Killers

  82. Candlelight American Beauty

  83. Motivated Lighting Fatal Attraction

  84. Unmotivated Light The Professional

  85. Motion ET

  13. Color

  86. Coding Character Three Women

  14. Props

  87. Props (Externalizing Character) Barton Fink

  88. Props (Externalizing Character) Raging Bull

  89. Repurposing Props Bound

  90. Contrast Harold and Maude

  15. Wardrobe

  91. Wardrobe Ed Wood

  92. Repurposing Wardrobe Out of Africa

  93. Contrast of Wardrobe Bound

  16. Locations

  94. Defining Character Hedwig and the Angry Inch

  95. Location as Unifying Element The Sweet Hereafter

  96. Location as Theme Blue Velvet

  97. Moving Locations Dead Man

  17. Natural Environment

  Introduction

  98. Climate The Sixth Sense

  99. Seasons and the Passage of Time Amélie

  100. Physical Phenomena Dolores Claiborne

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  I would like to thank my students at San Francisco State and Berkeley Extension for their contribution to the book. They have given me new knowledge and delivered it with great fun and passion. I also want to thank Bill Nichols and Jim Kitses at San Francisco State who gave me my first job teaching film, and Liz McDonough at Berkeley Extension for so warmly embracing my input.

  My warmest gratitude goes to my teachers at USC, especially Les Novros, Frank Daniel, Mardik Martin, Mel Sloan, Gene Coe, Mort Zarkoff, Pam Douglas, Trevor Greenwood, Duke Underwood, Herb Pearl, Ken Muira, Bob Miller, Ken Evans, Marsha Kinder, Drew Casper, and Eddie Dmytryk. The inspiration for the book is theirs.

  I am especially grateful for the course taught by Les Novros wherein we explored what Les called “the dynamics of the frame.” From Les I learned that the subject of the frame was only part of what was messaged to the audience. There were hundreds of elements combining to express ideas, which, when used purposefully, could deliver shadings as subtle as the written text. From Les’ teaching I came to realize that to master the craft of filmmaking, one had to understand the relationship between the idea and the full complement of film tools.

  I would also like to acknowledge my debt to Margaret Mehring’s 1990 book, Screenplay, A Blend of Film Form and Content. Mehring was then the Director of USC’s undergraduate program called Filmic Writing. For me, Mehring’s work was a continuation of the lessons learned in Les’ class, but it went further in articulating how the cinematic principles Les had explored could be applied specifically to the screenplay.

  Cinematic Storytelling owes a great deal to both Les Novros and Margaret Mehring. My catalog of film elements borrows much from both Les’ lectures and Mehring’s work as does my approach to screenwriting and filmmaking generally.

  I am also indebted to Betty Bamberg of USC who granted me a three-year academic award that enabled me to finance my studies.

  Deep thanks goes to Michael Wiese, filmmaker and publisher, for giving shape to Cinematic Storytelling and guiding the process with such enthusiasm and warmth. I am indebted to Michael and his team, headed by Ken Lee and assisted by book designer Bill Morosi and editor Paul Norlen. Their talent and dedication gave the book form.

  To my good friend Kalynn Huffman Brower at Indiana University– Bloomington, the warmest thanks for her generosity in reading the material and her insightful contributions to the manuscript.

  To Scott Sapienza, owner of The Movie Groove, the world’s best independent movie rental outlet, thank you for your generosity, knowledgeable counsel and phenomenal collection of films.

  I am also deeply indebted to the writers, directors, and cinematographers whose work is referenced, for sharing their vision and raising the craft of filmmaking to an art.

  And finally I want to thank my husband, David, and daughter, Skylar, as well as my family and friends, for their love, support and encouragement.

  “I can pick up a screenplay and flip through the pages. If all I see is dialog, dialog, dialog, I won’t even read it. I don’t care how good the dialog is — it’s a moving picture. It has to move all the time.

  “Screenwriters do not get the lesson… It’s not the stage. A movie audience doesn’t have the patience to sit and learn a lesson. Their eyes need to be dazzled. The writer is the most import
ant element in the entire film because if it ain’t on the page it ain’t going to be on the screen.”

  — Robert Evans, “The Biggest Mistake Writers Make”

  “In many of the films now being made, there is very little cinema: they are mostly what I call ’photographs of people talking.’ When we tell a story in cinema, we should resort to dialog only when it’s impossible to do otherwise. I always try to tell a story in the cinematic way, through a succession of shots and bits of film in between.

  “It seems unfortunate, that with the arrival of sound, the motion picture, overnight, assumed a theatrical form. The mobility of the camera doesn’t alter this fact. Even though the camera may move along the sidewalk, it’s still theatre.

  “One result of this is the loss of cinematic style, and another is the loss of fantasy. In writing a screenplay, it is essential to separate clearly the dialog from the visual elements and, whenever possible, to rely more on the visual than on the dialog. Whichever way you choose to stage the action, your main concern is to hold the audience’s fullest attention.

  “Summing it up, one might say that the screen rectangle must be charged with emotion.”

  — Alfred Hitchcock (quoted in Hitchcock by François Truffaut)

  “…(E)diting is not merely a method of the junction of separate scenes or pieces, but it is a method that controls the ’psychological guidance’ of the spectator.

  “…(C)onstructional editing, a method specifically and peculiarly filmic, is, in the hands of the scenarist, an important instrument of impression. Careful study of its use in pictures, combined with talent, will undoubtedly lead to the discovery of new possibilities and, in conjunction with them, to the creation of new forms.”

  — Vsevolod Pudovkin, Film Technique (1926)

  CINEMATIC STORYTELLING

  There are hundreds of ways of conveying ideas in movies; dialog is but one. This book has assembled 100 non-dialog techniques, creating a kind of encyclopedia of cinematic storytelling. This “encyclopedia” includes examples from some of the most memorable moments in film history. Although space limits the collection to 100, the hope is that the examples are sufficiently representative to help writers and directors better understand the storytelling potential of the film medium.

  Cinematic Storytelling: What is It?