The Key Elements of Film Form

Film Form Basics

Film form denotes the manner in which the constituent elements of a film come together and interact.
Form is the complete arrangement and connection of all the filmic techniques and components.

Narrative Structure

One primary aspect of film form is the narrative structure. This entails the plotline, progression from scene to scene, and the film’s conclusion.
Linear narratives follow characters and events in a chronological order.
Non-linear narratives will mix up the sequence of events, using techniques such as flashbacks and jumps in time.

Cinematic Language

Cinematic language involves the techniques and methods used to convey a story visually.
Some of these techniques include shot composition, camera angles, movement, colour, sound, and editing.
For instance, a close-up can highlight a character’s emotions, while a long shot can establish the setting or highlight a character’s isolation.

Visual Style

The visual style of a film is a key part of its form. It’s how a film looks and feels.
This depends on elements like set design, costume, makeup, lighting, colour grading, and more.
Mise-en-scene is an umbrella term that includes all these visual components that appear before the camera and their arrangement.

Sound and Music

Sound design and music are incredibly important to the overall film form.
Diegetic sounds are part of the film’s world — such as dialogue, sound effects directly relating to the action, or music coming from a radio.
Non-diegetic sounds are heard by the audience but not by the characters — this usually covers the film’s score or atmospheric sounds.

Editing and Pace

Editing techniques also contribute to the film form by establishing pace and rhythm, and shaping how one shot transitions to the next.
Cross-cutting involves cutting between two different scenes to establish a connection or build suspense.
Montage is a series of short shots edited into a sequence to condense time, space, or information.

Theme and Representation

Film form also incorporates the overarching theme and the representation of characters, places, and ideas.
Themes can range from broad concepts like love, loss, or transformation, to more specific social or political messages.
Representation relates to how different cultures, identities, genders, social classes, and more are portrayed.

Vital in understanding film form is the consideration of how all these elements work together to shape the meaning and emotional impact of the film. The same story told with different cinematic techniques can have an entirely different impression on viewers.