Sight, Sound, Motion: Applied Media Aesthetics (Wadsworth Series in Broadcast and Production)

Media aesthetics have gained prominence with the dramatic advances in the digital technology of video and electronic cinema, making Herb Zettl's SIGHT SOUND MOTION: APPLIED MEDIA AESTHETICS more applicable than ever. The Sixth Edition of SIGHT SOUND MOTION continues to be the most comprehensive book on the market, not only describing the major aesthetic image elements—light and color, space, time-motion, and sound—but also presenting in-depth coverage on how they are creatively used in television and film. Zettl's thorough coverage of aesthetic theory and the application of that theory place this contemporary and highly relevant text in a class by itself. Richly illustrated, this edition features strong visuals that often draw on traditional art forms, such as painting, sculpture, and dance. Front Cover......Page 1 Title Page......Page 2 Copyright......Page 5 Contents......Page 10 About the Author......Page 26 Preface......Page 28 Prologue......Page 32 1 Applied Media Aesthetics......Page 34 Art and Experience......Page 35 APPLIED AESTHETICS AND CONTEXTUAL PERCEPTION......Page 36 Selective Seeing and Selective Perception......Page 37 Associative Context......Page 39 Aesthetic Context......Page 40 THE MEDIUM AS STRUCTURAL AGENT......Page 42 APPLIED MEDIA AESTHETICS: METHOD......Page 43 Analysis and Synthesis......Page 44 Content......Page 11 RESPONSIBILITY......Page 45 SUMMARY......Page 46 NOTES......Page 47 THE NATURE OF LIGHT......Page 50 LIGHTING PURPOSES AND FUNCTIONS......Page 51 THE NATURE OF SHADOWS......Page 52 Attached and Cast Shadows......Page 53 Falloff......Page 56 Tactile Orientation......Page 57 Time Orientation......Page 59 Establishing Mood and Atmosphere......Page 61 Above- and Below-eye-level Key-light Position......Page 62 Predictive Lighting......Page 63 Light and Lighting Instruments as Dramatic Agents......Page 64 SUMMARY......Page 65 NOTES......Page 66 STANDARD LIGHTING TECHNIQUES......Page 68 Analysis of Chiaroscuro Lighting......Page 69 Functions of Chiaroscuro Lighting......Page 71 Cameo Lighting......Page 73 Functions of Flat Lighting......Page 75 SILHOUETTE LIGHTING......Page 77 MEDIA-ENHANCED AND MEDIA-GENERATED LIGHTING......Page 78 Single-camera Lighting......Page 79 THE AESTHETIC EDGE: UNUSUAL LIGHTING......Page 80 SUMMARY......Page 81 NOTES......Page 82 WHAT IS COLOR?......Page 84 Basic Physiological Factors......Page 85 Basic Aesthetic Perception Factors......Page 94 Color Models......Page 95 HOW WE MIX COLOR......Page 96 Additive Color Mixing......Page 97 Subtractive Color Mixing......Page 98 Light Environment......Page 99 Color Temperature......Page 101 Surrounding Colors......Page 102 Brightness and Color Constancy......Page 103 COLOR ENERGY......Page 104 SUMMARY......Page 105 NOTES......Page 107 INFORMATIONAL FUNCTION OF COLOR......Page 110 Color Symbolism......Page 111 Color Energy......Page 112 Expressing the Essential Quality of an Event......Page 113 Adding Excitement and Drama......Page 114 Desaturation Theory......Page 115 Colorizing Film......Page 116 SUMMARY......Page 117 NOTES......Page 118 Horizontal Orientation......Page 120 Standard Aspect Ratios......Page 121 Framing in the 4 × 3 Aspect Ratio......Page 123 Framing in the 16 × 9 Aspect Ratio......Page 124 FLEXIBLE ASPECT RATIO......Page 126 Matching Aspect Ratios......Page 127 Aspect Ratios of Mobile Video Media......Page 129 Secondary Frames......Page 130 Screens Within the Screen......Page 131 OBJECT SIZE......Page 132 Relation to Screen Area......Page 133 Scale......Page 134 IMAGE SIZE......Page 136 Mobile Video Media as Companion......Page 137 SUMMARY......Page 138 NOTES......Page 140 MAIN DIRECTIONS: HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL......Page 142 Tilting the Horizontal Plane......Page 143 MAGNETISM OF THE FRAME......Page 145 Headroom......Page 146 Pull of the Side Edges......Page 147 Attraction of Mass......Page 149 Up/Down Diagonals......Page 150 Screen-left and Screen-right Asymmetry......Page 151 Figure/Ground Characteristics......Page 153 PSYCHOLOGICAL CLOSURE......Page 155 Gestalt......Page 156 High- and Low-defi nition Images......Page 157 Facilitating Closure......Page 158 Vector Types......Page 160 Vector Magnitude......Page 162 Vector Directions......Page 163 SUMMARY......Page 164 NOTES......Page 165 8 Structuring the Two-dimensional Field: Interplay of Screen Forces......Page 168 STABILIZING THE FIELD THROUGH DISTRIBUTION OF GRAPHIC MASS AND MAGNETIC FORCE......Page 169 Off -center......Page 170 Counterweighting......Page 171 Noseroom and Leadroom......Page 172 Graphic Vectors......Page 174 Dynamic Balance......Page 175 Pushing Dynamics......Page 178 OBJECT FRAMING......Page 179 Facilitating Closure......Page 180 Premature Closure......Page 181 Illogical Closure......Page 182 THE AESTHETIC EDGE: UNUSUAL COMPOSITIONS......Page 183 MULTIPLE SCREENS......Page 184 Increased Information Density......Page 185 DIVIDING THE SCREEN: GRAPHIC BLOCKS......Page 186 DIVIDING THE SCREEN: SCREENS WITHIN THE SCREEN......Page 187 SUMMARY......Page 191 NOTES......Page 192 THE Z-AXIS......Page 194 GRAPHIC DEPTH FACTORS......Page 196 Overlapping Planes......Page 197 Relative Size......Page 198 Height in Plane......Page 199 Linear Perspective......Page 200 Aerial Perspective......Page 202 Overlapping Planes: Narrow-angle Lens......Page 203 Relative Size: Wide-angle Lens......Page 204 Linear Perspective: Wide-angle Lens......Page 205 Linear Perspective: Narrow-angle Lens......Page 206 Working with Aerial Perspective......Page 207 Stereoscopic 3D Versus Standard 3D: Technical Difference......Page 209 Stereoscopic 3D Versus Standard 3D: Aesthetic Difference......Page 211 SUMMARY......Page 212 NOTES......Page 213 10 Structuring the Three-dimensional Field: Screen Volume and Effects......Page 216 VOLUME DUALITY......Page 217 Dominant Positive Volume......Page 218 Dominant Negative Volume......Page 220 Applications of Volume Duality......Page 221 Z-AXIS ARTICULATION......Page 222 Narrow-angle Lens distortion......Page 223 Wide-angle Lens Distortion......Page 225 Z-AXIS BLOCKING......Page 227 Graphication......Page 231 First- and Second-order Space......Page 232 Personification......Page 233 Topological and Structural Changes......Page 234 Spatial Paradoxes......Page 235 SUMMARY......Page 238 NOTES......Page 239 11 Building Screen Space: Visualization......Page 242 Deductive Approach......Page 243 Inductive Approach......Page 245 WAYS OF LOOKING......Page 246 Creating an Event......Page 247 FIELD OF VIEW......Page 249 POV: Looking Up and Looking Down......Page 251 POV: Objective Viewpoint to Subjective Point of View......Page 253 POV: Subjective Camera......Page 255 Angles for Continuity......Page 258 Angles for Multiple Viewpoints......Page 259 Angles for Event Intensification......Page 261 SUMMARY......Page 263 NOTES......Page 266 THE SIGNIFICANCE OF TIME......Page 268 WHAT IS TIME?......Page 271 TYPES OF TIME......Page 272 Subjective Time......Page 273 Biological Time......Page 276 Past/Present/Future......Page 277 The Present as Subjective Time......Page 279 Event Density......Page 280 Event Intensity......Page 281 Experience Intensity......Page 282 Live Television and Event Time......Page 283 Live Television and Open Future......Page 284 Uninterrupted Video Recording of a Live Event......Page 285 Instant Replays......Page 286 TIME IN EDITED VIDEO AND FILM......Page 287 SUMMARY......Page 288 NOTES......Page 289 FILM MOTION AND ITS BASIC STRUCTURAL UNIT......Page 292 The Film Look......Page 294 LARGE-SCREEN DIGITAL CINEMA......Page 297 MOTION FRAMES OF REFERENCE......Page 298 Motion Paradox......Page 299 Induced Motion Through Figure/Ground Reversal......Page 300 Lens Choice and Blocking......Page 301 Slow Motion......Page 304 Accelerated Motion......Page 306 SUMMARY......Page 308 NOTES......Page 309 Clock Time......Page 312 Running Time......Page 313 Shot Time......Page 314 Story Time......Page 315 Rhythm......Page 316 Pace......Page 21 PLOT TIME AND CHARACTER TIME......Page 317 PRINCIPAL MOTIONS AND THEIR FUNCTIONS......Page 318 Primary Motion and Functions......Page 319 Secondary Motion and Functions......Page 320 Tertiary Motion and Functions......Page 323 SUMMARY......Page 330 NOTES......Page 332 SOUND AND NOISE......Page 334 Television Sound......Page 335 Film Sound......Page 338 Literal, or Diegetic, Sounds......Page 339 Nonliteral, or Nondiegetic, Sounds......Page 340 Literal and Nonliteral Sound Combinations......Page 341 INFORMATION FUNCTION OF SOUND......Page 342 Dialogue......Page 343 Direct Address......Page 344 Narration......Page 345 Space......Page 346 Situation......Page 348 Mood......Page 349 Energy......Page 350 STRUCTURAL FUNCTIONS OF SOUND......Page 351 Rhythm......Page 22 Figure/Ground......Page 352 Sound Perspective......Page 353 SUMMARY......Page 354 NOTES......Page 355 16 Structuring the Five-dimensional Field: Sound Structures and Sound/Picture Combinations......Page 358 Timbre......Page 359 Loudness (Dynamics)......Page 361 Attack/Decay......Page 362 Melody......Page 364 Harmony......Page 366 Polyphony......Page 367 STRUCTURED IMPROVISATIONS AND NOTATION OF INDETERMINATE MUSIC......Page 375 Homophonic Structures......Page 376 Polyphonic Structures......Page 377 PICTURE/SOUND MATCHING CRITERIA......Page 379 Historical/Geographical......Page 380 STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS......Page 381 SUMMARY......Page 386 NOTES......Page 390 Instantaneous Editing......Page 392 GRAPHIC VECTOR CONTINUITY PRINCIPLES......Page 393 Continuing, Converging, and Diverging Index Vectors......Page 394 Index Vector–Target Object Continuity......Page 397 Successive Z-axis Index Vectors......Page 399 Index Vector Line and Position Continuity......Page 400 Continuing, Converging, and Diverging Motion Vectors......Page 404 Z-axis Motion Vectors and Continuity......Page 407 Motion Vector Line......Page 408 ADDITIONAL CONTINUITY FACTORS......Page 411 Subject Continuity......Page 412 Appearance Continuity......Page 413 Audio Continuity......Page 414 SUMMARY......Page 415 NOTES......Page 416 18 Visual Narrative: The Syntax of Complexity Editing......Page 418 Sequential Analytical Montage......Page 419 Sectional Analytical Montage......Page 421 IDEA-ASSOCIATIVE MONTAGE......Page 423 Comparison Montage......Page 424 Collision Montage......Page 425 METRIC MONTAGE......Page 429 Sequential Analytical A/V montage......Page 430 MEDIA AESTHETICS AND THE HUMAN CONDITION......Page 432 SUMMARY......Page 433 NOTES......Page 434 Glossary......Page 436 Bibliography......Page 444 Photo Credits......Page 448 Index......Page 450 Applied media aesthetics The first aesthetic field : Light Structuring the first aesthetic field : Lighting The extended first field : Color Structuring color : Function and composition The two-dimensional field : Area The two-dimensional field : Forces within the screen Structuring the two-dimensional field : Interplay of screen forces The three-dimensional field : Depth and volume Structuring the three-dimensional field : Screen volume and effects Building screen space : Visualization The four-dimensional field : Time The four-dimensional field : Motion Structuring the four-dimensional field : Timing and principal motions The five-dimensional field : Sound Structuring the five-dimensional field : Sound structures and sound/picture combinations Visual narrative : the syntax of continuity editing Visual narrative : the syntax of complexity editing.