mise en scene lectures one and two
DESCRIPTION
This is a combination of the mise en scene lectures. It may be a bit different from the class version but it contains the same information.TRANSCRIPT
Mise en Scène
Journal Question 3
Why is it important to watch films made outside of the U.S.?
Mise en Scène
Arrangement of materials and subjects in front of the camera
-“placing on the stage” in French
Elements of Style (Mise en scene)
Serves to shape the narrative
Shows what the audience needs to see or hear to understand the scene
Including:
set design, costumes,
the blocking of actors, performance,
lighting, camera movement,
composition
THE FRAME
Aspect Ratio: Width and height of image
Aspect Ratio: Width and height of image
filmmakers compose the image to fit the frame
The composition is restricted by the aspect ratio of the film
“Each shot choice a director makes results in mise-en-scene that creates a unique effect”
Bernard F. Dick
The frame
Certain areas can be exploited for symbolic meaning
Center of the frame: reserved for important visual elements
Top of the frame: power, authority, control
Bottom of the frame: vulnerability and powerlessness
Edges of the frame: darkness can suggest fearfulness and the unknown
Composition and Design
The eye can detect 7 or 8 major elements of composition simultaneously
The mise en scène guides the eye through the composition
The dominant is the area that immediately attracts attention
What is the dominant is in this composition?
Composition and Design
After taking in the dominant the eyes moves to the subsidiary contrasts
What are the subsidiary contrasts?
Balanced Composition: places the most important elements in the center of the frame
Placement of people in frame - near center of frame is a “comfortable” place
Closer
Gattica
Edges of frame can create tension
Designs composed of even numbers can appear stable and balanced
The Royal Tenenbaums
Designs with odd numbers can appear off balance
Rosemary’s Baby
Design lines can be vertical
The Shining
Design lines can be horizontal
The Graduate
Design lines can be diagonal
The Big Combo
Territorial Space
5 basic positions each sends a different message
Full frontal: facing the camera is the most intimate
We Need to Talk About Kevin
Addressing the camera: the viewer becomes a confidant
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
Quarter Turn: a favored position with a high degree of intimacy
Volver
Profile: looking off camera left or right
The Killer Inside Me
Minority Report
Profile: more mysterious and less accessible
Three-quarter turn: more anonymous and anti-social,
Black Swan
Back to camera: alienation and mystery
Madadayo
Composition in Depth
Composition in Depth
FOREGROUNDMIDDLE GROUND
BACKGROUND
The distance from the near to the farthest
that objects are in focus
DEPTH OF FIELD
DEPTH OF FIELD
D E E P
S H A L L O W
Deep Depth of Field
Citizen Kane
Shallow Depth of Field
FOREGROUND
The Color Purple
Where important subjects are often placed
MIDDLE GROUND
- often where the actors are placed
The Town
BACKGROUND
Lost in Translation
BACKGROUND
- the location
- info about character
- sometimes background is a character
Lost in Translation
Proxemic Patterns
The relationships of organisms within a given space
The distance between the subject and the camera
Intimate: skin contact to 18” (XCU CU)
City of God
Intimacy between viewer and subject
Breakfast at Tiffany’s
Or an invasionOf personalspace
With strangers with distance is intrusive
Personal: 18” to 4 ft (MCU MS)
Reserved for Friends
and family
The Duchess
Social Distances: 4 ft to 12 ft (LS)
Long Shot (LS)
Rebecca
Public distances: 12ft to 25ft (XLS)
Tends to be formal and detached
Extreme Long Shot
Lighting as an element of mise en scene
Available or natural lighting is often used in realist films for a neutral presentation
High-key lighting is often used in musicals, comedies, romantic comedies to present an bright or glossy finish
• Low-key lighting in color and black and white is used to create high contrast and use light and dark symbolically.
Low-key example from Closer
Available/natural light example Sherrybaby
High-key example Singin in the Rain
• Color can be used to create a dominant, symbolically and to set up a contrast
• What is the dominant color in this composition?
• How is used symbolically here and to what effect?
• Use of contrasting color or foil to draw the eye to an area of the frame
• What is the dominant color and what is the foil of contrasting color?
• Lens have a profound effect of the image
• Wide angle create a deep depth of field and allows for multiple elements of mise en scene
• Telephoto creates a shallow depth of field and shows a limited amount of information
• 50 MM creates a neutral composition and just like eye level angle and available lighting is often a realist tendency
• Film stock can be fast or slow
• Fast film stock works in low light conditions
• Is highly sensitive to light
• Can produce a grainy image
• Fast film stock example for Barry Lyndon
Slow film stock requires more illumination than fast stock
Capable of capturing colors precisely and vividly
Slow film stock example
• Density of the composition
• Texture of the image
• STARK
• MODERATE
• HIGHLY DETAILED
Moderate: The eye can easily take in the elements without being overwhelmed
Highly detailed: The image is packed with visual information and texture
• OPEN AND CLOSED COMPOSITIONS
• OPEN FORM
part of subject is cut off
• Similar to theater: everything is included
What your thesis sentence should do
What your thesis sentence should do
Make a clear and specific statement
What your thesis sentence should do
Make a clear and specific statement
Indicate the direction of your thoughts
What your thesis sentence should do
Make a clear and specific statement
Indicate the direction of your thoughts
Provide structure
What your thesis sentence should do
Make a clear and specific statement
Indicate the direction of your thoughts
Provide structure
Be supported by the body of your paper
Mise-en-scene is French for placing the stage and refers to the arrangement of materials in front of the camera (Kendall).
Remember if you are using my definitions make sure to give me credit by putting my last name in parenthesis at the end of the sentence.
This applies to anything that is not your original idea! If you take concepts from the text be sure to source the author in the same way.
Action in the film
Present Tense!!!!
Example: Benjamin Braddock is a young man with an uncertain future.
Avoid using pronouns
Here’s an example of what NOT to include in your response paper
You can tell that the protagonist is an anti-hero. We can see this by Joe’s behavior.
The Graduate (put film titles in italics)
Type the entire question out at the top of the page
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