ABSTRACT
The screenplay represents content while form is how that content appears on the screen. Form should never be approached as something merely functional because any film that delivers a memorable and intriguing impact usually has a form special to the story’s purpose and themes. Possibilities in form, seemingly unlimited, are largely circumscribed by the narrative requirements, logic, and tone suggested by the story in hand. The elements of cinematic form by which film directors tell their stories are contained within four broad areas: visual design, sound design, performance style, and editorial style. The extremes of the performance style spectrum are often expressed as naturalistic and stylized. Naturalistic performances are those in which the actor inhabits their role in a thoroughly natural manner so that audiences accept him or her as a real person. Stylized performances, on the other hand, highlight the act of performance and feature mannerisms that are deliberately exaggerated or surreal.
