Analyzing film “First and foremost, a film is visual rather than verbal.” - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

Analyzing film

“First and foremost, a film is visual rather than verbal.”

-Dr. F. Marcus-

Slide2

What is

Mise

-en-Scene?

The dictionary defines

mise

on scene as

:

“the process of setting a stage, with regard to placement of actors, scenery or properties.”

Slide3

Mise

-en-scene...was originally a French theatrical term, meaning

“

placing on stage.” The phrase refers to the arrangement of all the

visual

elements of a theatrical production within a given playing area--

the

stage...

mise

-en-scene in the movies resembles the art of painting in

that

an image of formal patterns and shapes is presented on a flat

surface

and enclosed within a frame. But because of its theatrical

heritage

, cinematic

mise

-en-scene is also a fluid choreographing of

visual

elements that correspond to a dramatic idea, or complex of ideas

Slide4

Movement:

In any film, there are two categories of movement:

Movement created by actors or objects in the film

Movement created by the camera as it films a scene and as the film moves from scene to scene.

Slide5

Movement Cont.

There are 6 basic movements in film:

1. Moving

Frame

or

Reframing:

The composition of the frame changes as the camera alters its position in relation to the object being filmed. A romantic close-up of two lovers whispering may suddenly change its meaning if the camera pulls back to reveal a long shot full of spectators; what was at first romantic becomes comedic.

 

2.

Panning

: The word

pan

is a contraction of the

panoramic

and is used to describe the movement of the camera from side to side

(horizontal movement)

on a vertical axis to follow the action in a scene; if your head were a camera, the movement would be akin to you shaking your head “no.” Pan shots are often used to establish the setting for the

audience

 

Slide6

Movement Cont.

3.

Dollying

or Tracking

: The camera is mounted on a cart or some other vehicle so that it can move alongside the subject, and keep pace with it, forward, backward, or around the subject; the camera can also dolly or track in towards the subject or away from the subject. Unlike

panning

or

tiliting

, the camera itself physically moves rather than merely pivoting on an axis. In car chases the camera is sometimes mounted in a car that travels alongside the car that is the subject of the action; in a party scene, the camera may indicate the roving intimacy of the gathering by following a character through the crowd

.

 

4. Zoom

(in or out):

Through the use of a special lens (named, not surprisingly, a zoom lens), the camera can appear to move towards or away from a subject quite quickly. The sense of movement is usually more rapid with a zoom than with a dolly in or out. Note that the camera does not move, merely the lens

.

 

5. Crane

Shot

: Moving shot taken by the camera on a specially constructed crane which permits the camera to move in and out, up and down, as well as backward and forward; they are generally

Slide7

Transitions

There are 8 commonly used techniques when a change of scene is required.

1. Cut

:

An instantaneous change from one shot to another

.

 

2. Dissolve

: A visual effect created by the gradual disappearance of one shot while another shot gradually appears and comes into clear focus;

Dissolves

are used to suggest a change of setting or a longer lapse of time than in a cut, so it is often used to begin or end flashbacks.

Slide8

Transitions cont.

3. Fade

Out/In

: Ending a scene by underexposing to black or overexposing to white;

beginning a scene in the same manner, moving from black or white to clear focus. The fade out/in is usually used to indicate the passage of time or a change of location in narrative

.

 

4. Freeze

Frame

: As a way of ending a scene, the film appears to stop and the image is “frozen” or held for a few seconds. Used for dramatic effect, usually to suggest a lack of closure

.

 

5. Jump-Cut

: An abrupt transition between shots, usually made to disorient the audience because there is a sudden or illogical transition; the usual “laws” of space and time are violated

.

6. Swish

Pan (a.k.a. Flash Pan or Zip Pan or Whip Pan)

:

A horizontal camera movement where the speed of the camera is so fast that only blurred images are recorded; often used to connect events in different places that are actually connected.

Slide9

Transitions cont.

7. Wipe

: A transition between shots in which a line passes across the screen, eliminating the first shot as it goes and replacing it with the next one; the images

do not

blend, as in a dissolve

.

 

8. Iris-in

or Iris-out

: The new image appears as an expanding circle in the middle of the old image or the old image becomes a contracting circle that disappears into the new image.

Slide10

Lighting

Directors and cinematographers often use the archetypal implications of light and dark to manipulate the mood and feeling of their film; the orchestration of light is key in defining tone, setting and character.

Slide11

Lighting Cont.

The lighting of a subject from above (

top lighting

) creates a romantic halo effect, suggesting purity or romance.

Lighting

a subject from below (

underlighting

) makes the figure sinister and frightening, even if it maintains a neutral expression.

If a figure is illuminated from behind (

backlighting

, also known as

edge lighting

or

rim lighting

), it tends to create silhouettes.

Slide12

Lighting cont.

When a subject is only half-lit, the other half still in darkness (

sidelighting

), the director and cinematographer may be suggesting a certain ambiguity, or perhaps a psychological self-division.

An

obstruction in front of a light source, leaving the figure in shadowy darkness, disrupts the viewer’s sense of safety, inciting fear and apprehension.

Slide13

Lighting

. The most common arrangement in lighting is known as

three-point lighting

, where three directions of light are on a scene: from behind the subjects (backlighting), from one bright source (

key light

), and from a dimmer source opposite the key light (

fill light

).

Slide14

Lighting Cont.

high key lighting

: bright, even illumination and few conspicuous shadows;

comparatively

little contrast between the light and dark

areas

of the shot--used most often in comedies or musicals

low

key lighting

: emphasizes diffused shadows and atmospheric pools of light;

there is a strong contrast between light and dark areas of

the

shot--used often in atmospheric thrillers, horror or noir

high

contrast

:

harsh shafts of light and dramatic streaks of blackness

Slide15

Composition

Composition is the way the audience’s eye is manipulated to look around the screen. The key notion is that of the

dominant

, that area of the film image that compels the viewer’s most immediate attention, usually because of a prominent visual contrast, for instance the contrast between light and dark, or a dominant

colour

.

. After the viewer examines the dominant, his/her eye then scans the

subsidiary contrasts

, acting as counterbalancing devices.

Slide16

Framing

Defined as the amount of open space within the territory of the frame.

tightly framed

: a close shot--often suggests entrapment or confinement

loosely

framed

: a long shot—often suggests freedom

internal

framing

: the suggestion of entrapment by using a neutral object (

such

as a doorway or window frame) to symbolically “confine”

a

figure

Slide17

Film Shots & Angles

Proxemics: the spatial relationships among characters within the

mise

-en-scene, and the apparent distance of the camera from the subject photographed.

There are 7 shots used regularly in film.

Slide18

Film Shots

1. Extreme

Close

Up

-singles

out a portion of the body or isolates a

detail-often

used for symbolic purposes to reinforce the significance of an

object-may

also be used to intensify an emotion--an extreme close-up of an actor

generally

only includes his/her eyes or

mouth-often

used as a

Cut-In

, an instantaneous shift from a distant framing to a

closer

view of some portion of the same space

 

2. Close-Up

-a

detailed shot usually showing just the head or a small, significant

object-used

largely to isolate a character from the setting and from all other

characters

so that the audience will pay attention only to that character; films

with

many close-ups tend to feature characters who are lonely, cut off from

each

other, and isolated from society

Slide19

Film Shots

Medium

Close-Up

-the

figure is framed from the chest up

 

Medium Shot

-the

figure is framed from about the waist up

 

Medium

Long

Shot

-a

balance between figure and background; the figure is usually framed

from above the

knees up

Slide20

Film Shots

Long

Shot

-figures

are more prominent, but the background still dominates; the image

roughly

corresponds to the audience’s view of the area within the proscenium

arch

in live theatre

-

the Long Shot or the Extreme Long Shot are often used as

Establishing

Shots

, ones that orient the audience to location and surroundings, showing

the

spatial relations among the important figures

 

Extreme

Long

Shot

-a

panoramic view of an exterior location, photographed from a great distance,

often

as far as a quarter-mile away; often used to frame landscapes or

bird’s-eye

views of cities

-

the human figure is barely visible or not visible at all

Slide21

Angles

ANGLES

: the camera’s angle of view relative to the subject being photographed

 

High Angle

-”

looks” down on the

subject-the

Angle of Destiny

is a decidedly high angle shot that suggests an

omniscience

, a moment of great contemplation of decision--often held for an

extended

period of time

 

Low Angle

-the

camera “looks” up at the

subject-often

used to give the figure a dominate and powerful presence; the audience

is

made to feel submissive

Slide22

Angles Cont.

Flat

Angle

-the

camera is at eye level and on the same plane as the

subject

The

Canted Camera Shot (also known as Dutch Angle)

-

the central frame seems unbalanced in relation to the space and action

-

often used to suggest a subjective viewpoint, such as that of a person who is

drunk

, or to suggest a symbolic unbalance, such as a world that lacks

harmony

and balance

Slide23

Editing Transitions

Reaction Shot

: This shot is usually employed to show the effect that someone’s words or actions have on another individual, or to show how a character reacts generally to a particular scene. A reaction shot may be a close-up to catch a look of surprise or fear, or a medium shot to show a person’s body language.

Point of View Shot (POV) (

also known as an

eye-line shot):

Any shot that is taken from the perspective of a character in a film; we, as the audience, sees what he sees. It may be a brief insert shot, or a longer shot to make the audience feel complicit in the character’s perspective. Usually in an edited sequence, a character appears to look at something, often in close up; this is followed by a cut to a POV shot from the character’s perspective, followed by a reaction shot.

Slide24

Other Shots

The Hand-Held Shot

: The camera is carried, approximating the actual jerky movement of human progression, by the camera operator; the shot may be, in some ways, more intimate and realistic, suggesting the subjective perspective of the individual

.

 

The “Push In”:

The camera, either slowly or swiftly, tracks up to the subject’s face; it is usually used to build tension leading to a sudden

epiphany

The Spiral Shot

: The camera “circles” around an individual or a group of people (usually gathered around a table)--it may be a quick spiraling motion to suggest disorientation or panic, or a slow circular motion to suggest

sanguinity

or encourage close listening