“An Introduction to Film Studies” by Jill Nelmes

In her article about the cinematic codes, Jill Nelmes (2003) describes eight main elements through which the film director may communicate with the viewers; these elements include props, costumes, sound, editing, performance of the actors, settings, lighting, and the scene in general. The exploration of the communication via editing was particularly interesting and informative to me. Editing includes a variety of elements such as the transition between the scenes, the length of the shots, their mood. Editing enables many different effects and can include sound and image transition. For example, in the initial scene a character may be speaking about their approaching execution, and the next scene may start with an image of a butchered animal. Also, the scene of a character approaching someone’s door may be followed by a scene of knocking on some other person’s door. Such cuts are always made thoughtfully to engage the audience with the film, and add depth to the picture using resources other than words. Long shots may be included to provide the viewers with enough time to comprehend all the attributes of a scene, and very short shots are often added as fast, emotional flashbacks, memories, associations of the characters.

Reference

Nelmes, J. (2003). An Introduction to Film Studies (3^rd ed.). London, United Kingdom: Routledge.