Film analysis

Film analysis is the process through which a film's mise-en-scène, cinematography, sound, and editing are examined and critiqued in terms of their effectiveness. Shot-by-shot analysis is one method of studying films, albeit it is often utilised only for short snippets or scenes rather than for whole films. There is a strong connection between cinema analysis and film theory.

Many different writers propose diverse techniques to cinema analysis, each with its own set of advantages and disadvantages. Jacques Aumont and Michel Marie, in their book Analysis of Film, make some important observations about film analysis that are worth considering. While there is a broad approach of film analysis, there is no such thing as a finished film analysis since there is always something new to discover, and it is required to have knowledge of cinema history in order to execute a film analysis. These methodologies are classified as follows: text-based film analysis (structural approach), topic-based film analysis (narrative approach), image and sound analysis (iconic analysis), psychoanalytical approach, historical approach, and a combination of the above approaches.

In their work Introduction to cinema, Thomas and Vivian Sobchack provide another another technique of approaching the subject of film. In their opinion, the following aspects may be seen by the viewer: an analysis of film space, an analysis of film time, and an analysis of film sound. Because they are primarily concerned with iconic qualities of cinema, they also offer the following other elements: image, tone, composition, and movement.