FORM IN FILM

TECHNICAL ASPECTS

TECHNICAL ASPECTS OVERVIEW

A. Mise-en-scène: what is filmed; everything in front of the cameras. (French theatre term, literally meaning “put into the scene” referencing staging. Also spelled “mise en scène” without hyphens; it can be italicized or not)

B. Cinematography: how something is filmed (photographic techniques)

C. Editing: how what is filmed is put together

D. Sound: voice, music, & sound effects; can be diegetic (part of the story) or non-diegetic (e.g., a film score)

MISE EN SCENE

Setting Costuming & Makeup Color Performance Composition Some disagreement as to what exactly constitutes mise en

scène vs. other techniques.

Some include lighting & camera angles (composition) (Both of which most filmmakers and all cinematographers would attribute to

cinematography, but for scholarly analysis, it’s usually lumped into mise en scène)

MISE EN scène: Production Design

Production Designers are usually in charge of the look of a film (in collaboration with the DP).

They oversee the Art Director who oversees set design and construction . . .

• Set Designer and construction• Set Decorator• Graphic artists and illustrators

Prop Master Costume Designer, and Hair and Makeup Design Special Effects

SETTING

Setting is where the action occurs Three basic shooting options:

1. Soundstage – interiors & process shots (e.g., rear-screen projection during driving scene)

2. Studio backlot – full size replicas (towns, streets, houses, shops, etc.)

3. On location . . .

Setting, con’t.

3. On Location:

a. May be one place, but pretend to be another ("creative geography” in editing)

b. May shoot only establishing & outside shots “on location”

c. May take whole cast & crew "on location" to shoot exteriors & interiors

Setting, con’t.

Function of sets: 1. Provide information (e.g. time, place,

character’s status, etc.).

2. Create mood & guide our attention.

3. May play a significant part in the action.

4. Communicate themes & comment on action.

5. Can create "special effects" (e.g. low tech solutions to avoid process shots).

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Psycho (1960, Alfred Hitchcock)

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Looking at Movies DVD Clip

Here’s our friend Dave Monahan in a DVD tutorial with a look at how setting can be an essential part of the storytelling in films . . . (5:00)

Costuming & Makeup

A. Can enhance setting; must be appropriate for the time, place, etc.

B. Can be realistic vs. stylized (more in fantasy)

C. Can serve iconographic or symbolic functions (i.e. white hat/dark hat dichotomy for hero/villain)

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Clip from “Anatomy of a Scene” segment

from Sundance Channel’s series “Anatomy of a Scene” 11:00

Acting 2:00

Use of color in mise en scene

A. Color can refer to many things:

1. Color film stock [see chapter 2]

2. Use of color filters for light [see chapter 2]

3. Use of color in sets, costumes, etc.

B. Color shows different types of characters, places, moods, etc.

Use of color, con’t.

C. Types of color (in both mise en scene &

cinematography; see pp.66-70): 1. Saturated—intense & vivid 2. Desaturated—muted, dull, & pale 3. Warm colors 4. Cool colors

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American Beauty (1999, Sam Mendes)

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American Beauty (1999, Sam Mendes)

Use of color, con’t.

D. Expressive uses of color (varies from culture to culture & context): 1. Color motifs or patterns (a motif is a recurring

element in a film)

2. Specific symbolic meanings of color—e.g. Black, White, Red, Yellow, etc.

(these vary dramatically in different cultures. For example, black is generally associated with death and dying here in the US, other countries associate white with death)

3. Alternating or contrasting use of colors See color plates 1-32 [Chapter 2]

PERFORMANCE (acting)

A. Usually human actors

Required to make an effective drama

Create identification with audience, enhancing our suspension of disbelief

Bad acting (or outdated acting) prevents this identification.

PERFORMANCE, CON’T.

B. Various acting styles:

1. Natural vs. Stylized (realistic vs. "playing a role")

2 Method acting (immersing oneself in the role)

3. Technical acting (using body movements & technique to evoke a role)

4. Type casting vs. casting against type [see p. 33, Fig. 1.26]

5. Styles change over time; earlier films may seem overacted to modern audiences

PERFORMANCE, CON’T.

C. Performance categories:

1.Leading actors/actresses

A.Often played by stars

2.Supporting actors

A.Character actors

3.Extras

4.Cameos (rarely credited, often famous people)

PERFORMANCE, CON’T.

D. Performance challenges: Importance of casting & problem of miscasting Challenge of shooting out of sequence (movies

usually shot out of narrative order, for convenience or cost)

E. Film techniques can alter or "create" a performance – skillful photography & editing can mask a poor performance.

Film Clip

Edward Scissorhands (1990, directed by Tim Burton), starring Johnny Depp and Diane Wiest (and Winona Ryder, not seen in clip).

Cinematography by Stefan Czapsky

Production Design by Bo Welch

Clip is 5 minutes in when we first meet Edward (trt=8:00)

Composition & Use of Space

A. Spatial aspects of setting:

1. Depth cues: illusion of 3-D space in 2-D medium:

a. Overlapping objects

b. Obstruction shots

c. Deep focus (see cinematography)

d. Forced perspective (illusion of depth & distance with smaller rear sets, etc.)

2. Use of foreground, middle ground and background planes

3. Rack focus: between these planessee pp. 46-48 [also see cinematography]

Space & CompositionSpace & Composition

B. Composition: arrangement of subjects in frame. 1. Balance – taking sides; symmetrical to

asymmetrical (see pp. 43-52) 2. Rule of thirds (horizontal & vertical) 3. Diagonals, triangles, or other groupings 4. Contrasts

a. Can be of tone & color, light & dark, etc. b. Also of shape & size

Space & CompositionSpace & Composition

5. Proxemics: close or far distances between characters & objects – a. Tight – people & objects close

together b. Loose – people & objects far apart c. Objects used as barriers (e.g. screen

doors, bead curtains, etc.)

Space & Composition

C. Other uses of space: Looking into windows, mirrors, etc. Use of empty space Use of offscreen space

Discussions of composition leading directly into . . . Cinematography and Lighting for next class!