Cinematic Language

To Do This Week

Read: An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, by Ambrose Bierce

Or listen to the story while reading:

Journal:

Read the An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, by Ambrose Bierce. Take notes on the plot and characterization. What techniques do you see in the storytelling? What are the details that accumulate? What is left out?

In Class

Cinematic Language

Key Terms

• film, video, moving image, cinema
• pixel, frame, shot, sequence

Continuity

• 180 degree rule and screen direction
• match on action
• shot reverse shot
• POV shot
• parallel action (driven by narrative)
• graphic match

Discontinuity

• images juxtaposed based on something other than direct spatial/temporal continuity
• cutting based on time or counted frames in shot
• cutting based on shared theme of each shot
• summary of events over extended time
• subjective experience / thought / dream

Viewing + Discussion

Discuss: An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, by Ambrose Bierce

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge — POV & Subjectivity

Free indirect discourse is a narrative technique that blends third-person narration with a character’s inner thoughts and perceptions without using quotation marks or “he thought/she thought.” The narrator’s voice and the character’s voice merge, so the reader experiences the world as filtered through the character’s mind while the grammar remains third-person.

• POV anchoring: What signals that we are inside Peyton Farquhar’s experience rather than observing him from the outside?
• Objectivity vs subjectivity: Identify one moment in the film where the camera feels “objective” (like an outside witness), and one moment where it feels “subjective” (like we are living the experience). What changes in framing, movement, or sound?
• Sensory detail as POV: The text magnifies small sensations (sound, pressure, light, texture). How does the film translate sensory detail to pull us into Peyton’s inner world?
• Time distortion: Where does time feel stretched or slowed in the story? Where does the film do the same? How does this distortion shape our trust in what we’re seeing (is it “real” time or psychological time)?
• Reality checks: In each version, what are the first hints that the escape may not be objectively real? Are these hints more obvious in the text or the film?
• The ending as viewpoint: How does the ending reframe everything that came before? Does the story’s viewpoint shift feel different from the film’s viewpoint shift? Why?

Workshop

Video/Audio Narrative (15%)

DUE March 26

For this project, you will create a 30–90 second video narrative. The video can be live action, still images, animation, recorded audio, voice-over, text on screen, or any combination of these elements.

The most important requirement is that your video tells a story. The story may be real or fictional, but it must have a clear:

• Beginning – introduce the situation, character, or problem
• Middle – develop the situation, create tension, change, or discovery
• End – resolve the situation or leave the viewer with a meaningful conclusion

You may narrate your story through voice-over, on-screen text, sound design, visuals alone, or a combination. The images do not have to literally illustrate the narration, but they should contribute to the emotional tone, meaning, or progression of the story.

Use editing techniques such as continuity (smooth, logical progression) and/or montage (juxtaposition of images to create meaning). Consider how sequencing, timing, framing, sound, and transitions shape the viewer’s experience.

Media Options

• Live-action video you record
• Still images (photographs, drawings, AI images, archival images)
• Voice-over narration
• Text on screen
• Sound effects and/or music
• Any combination of the above

Ideas

• A personal story or anecdote: Tell a meaningful or memorable moment. Use voice-over, reenactments, or symbolic imagery.
• A story about an object or place: Focus on an object/place and reveal its meaning, history, or emotional significance.
• A sound-driven story: Create a narrative using sound effects and images without spoken language.
• A fictional micro-story: Invent a short narrative with a character, situation, and resolution.
• An experimental or poetic narrative: Use montage, symbolism, and association to suggest a story indirectly.

Goals

• Practice telling a complete story in a short time format
• Use editing to create meaning and emotional impact
• Combine image, sound, and time into a unified narrative
• Explore continuity and/or montage techniques

Submission Requirements

• Length: 30–90 seconds
• Must include image and sound
• Must have a clear beginning, middle, and end
• Export as MP4 (H.264)
• Upload to YouTube or Vimeo (unlisted) and share link on Canvas and Slack
• Generative AI is fine to use for this assignment

Workshop

Work on Visual Narratives DUE March 5