IB Film HL/SL
Complete IB Film guide covering film language, theory, world cinema movements, and assessment preparation. Develops critical analysis skills for comparative essay, textual analysis, and the film portfolio.
Topics Covered
What you get
1. Film Language & Cinematic Technique
1. WHAT IS "FILM LANGUAGE"? Film is a language of moving images and sound — not a recording of reality. Every choice on screen is a deliberate communication: a camera angle, a costume, a piece of music, a cut. IB Film expects you to read these choices like sentences in a paragraph — identify the technique, name its effect, and link it to the filmmaker's intention. Film language has four core elements: • Mise-en-scène — what is in the frame. • Cinematography — how the camera captures the frame. • Editing — how shots are connected over time. • Sound — what we hear, diegetic and non-diegetic. Master these four and you can analyse any sequence with confidence.
Sample Flashcards
Define mise-en-scène and list its six main components.
Mise-en-scène — French for "putting on stage" — refers to everything visible within the film frame that the director controls. Six components: 1. Setting / location: establishes time, place, mood. Real location vs studio set. **2.
Name and describe the standard cinema shot sizes from closest to widest.
• Extreme Close-Up (ECU) — eye, mouth, single object detail. Emotional intensity, suspicion. • Close-Up (CU) — face or object. Emotion, importance, identification with the subject. • Medium Close-Up (MCU) — head and shoulders. Most dialogue scenes. • Medium Shot (MS) — waist up.
Sample Key Terms
Mise-en-scène
French for "putting on stage" — everything within the film frame: setting, lighting, costume, props, actor blocking, colour. The director controls all of these visual elements.
Cinematography
The art and technique of photographing motion pictures: shot size, angle, movement, framing, focus, lighting, lens choice. The cinematographer (DP) collaborates with the director.
Three-Point Lighting
Standard cinema lighting: a key light (main), fill light (softens shadows), and back light (separates subject from background). Adjusting ratios changes mood (low-key vs high-key).
What's Covered
- 1. Film Language & Cinematic Technique
- 2. Film Theory & Critical Frameworks
- 3. Film Movements & World Cinema
- 4. Production Roles & The Filmmaking Process
- 5. IB Film Assessments — Strategy & Skills
5 topics · 59+ flashcards · quizzes & matching games included
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