12 Context and Content

To provide students with something concrete to work with, context can be defined as falling into one of the following categories:

• historic events
• social structures and expectations
• religion
• economics
• politics
• philosophical viewpoints
• scientific developments

That context can then be connected to the making of film. Film elements are divided into the following categories:

This allows students to learn how analysis of the use of film elements can reveal messages related to cultural context. Film elements can be defined by using the following categories:

• narrative (Chapter 4)
• acting (Chapter 8)
• cinematography (Chapter 5)
• editing (Chapter 6)
• sound (Chapter 7)
• mise-en-scene, all that appears in front of the camera (Chapter 3)
  • setting
  • props
  • costumes
  • makeup
  • lighting
  • Composition (staging)
  • Blocking (movement)
  • Special effects

Analysis of the relationship between context and content can lead a student to discover the values of a particular time and place, as reflected in a film.