Download Mise en Scène Analysis: An In-depth Guide to Film Visual Language and more Lecture notes Design in PDF only on Docsity! This study sheet accompanies (and draws heavily from) the Louis Gianetti Text, Understanding Movies, 12th Edition, with additional contributions from the ISP IB Film II class of 2011. THE QUICK & DIRECT GUIDE TO Mise en scène Analysis Mise en scéne Defined: Though originally a theatrical term to describe the arrangement of elements on stage or quite literally – “put into the scene,” for the sake of film discussion, let’s approach a definition of mise en scéne (pronounced “meez on sen”) it this way: The appearance and arrangement of all the visual elements within the given playing area (in this case, the frame) to evoke meaning. • Unlike theatre, the filmmaker takes a 3-‐Dimensional Space -‐ an arrangement of characters and objects -‐ and flattens this mise en scéne into a flattened 2-‐D space. The resulting projection is then shown to an audience in still an additional space, and thus carries an audience to a world and point-‐of-‐view far from the theater confines. • Many elements of mise en scéne can be addressed (and are often best addressed) examining still frames. However, Film is Dynamic – never “still.” Examining individual frames, thus, represents a false and unintended way of looking at film. So don’t let your search for stop-‐motion meaning trump the intrinsic understanding that comes out of the context of fluid (intended) watching of a film as it moves naturally from shot to shot. • Mise en scéne analysis considers many elements of the visual language of film. It is never necessary to address all 15 of these approaches for any single shot (though you technically could). More importantly, consider and explore the most apparent elements – those that contribute most heavily to the meaning presented by the shots. 01. The Dominant: What is the eye attracted to first? Why? • The Dominant stands out in some kind of isolation from the other elements within the image. • In Black & White films, this is most often achieved through the juxtaposition of light and dark – where the brightest and harshest elements jump out before those with more subdued lighting. • Color Films generally draw attention to the dominant through a highly contrasting or symbolic color. • In both, MOVEMENT is a primary attraction to the dominant (especially when other elements are static). • Dominants may jump out for other reasons: Central Position, Lines of Perspective that lead to an area of the frame, relative size to other objects, or any other characteristic that creates CONTRAST against non-‐dominants. 02. Subsidiary Contrasts: What are the main eye-‐stoppers that attract us after taking in The Dominant? Why? • After the dominant, the audience’s eye then “travels” to subsidiary contrasts, which will stand out for the same reasons listed above (only less so than the dominant). • This is rarely accidental – even though many directors and cinematographers accomplish such a narrative-‐en-‐scène instinctively without even realizing it. • Intrinsic Interest can also be a heavier influence on where our eyes travel. Because we know the story, or recognize the context of objects an people in the frame, our eyes may be drawn to elements that are NOT necessarily jumping out at us for visual reasons. (ex: a set of keys in a car ignition when the driver is locked out) • Due to this “traveling” from subsidiary to subsidiary, one can thus conclude that movement within the frame is not limited only to objects and people that are literally in motion. 03. Lighting Key & Lighting Quality: Key references the relationship of Light and Shadow (Evenly Lit vs. Higher Contrast lighting designs). Quality references the fall-‐off of light as we move from object to object. It concerns the hard vs. soft divisions between areas of light and areas of darkness. Light can be described in the following terms: • Realistic Lighting Design: Sources and Spill patterns seem REAL, as if practical (everyday) lights were used. This study sheet accompanies (and draws heavily from) the Louis Gianetti Text, Understanding Movies, 12th Edition, with additional contributions from the ISP IB Film II class of 2011. Realistic lighting is usually not worth heavy analysis, unless to emphasize the Cinema Verité / Documentary look. • Pictorial Lighting Design: Drawing from the theory of formalism. The light is manipulated for mood with less attention to whether it is likely (or even possible) in the dramatic situation. Painting with light for visual effect. • The Rig: (1) Key Light (strongest), (2) Fill Light (less intensity, fills shadows), (3) Backlight (rims objects with a “line of light” from behind, separating them from the background, (4) Background Lighting (paints the set for mood) • The Lighting Key: High Key -‐ Evenly lit, hit by multiple key lights, a realistic and seemingly un-‐formalistic approach. Often the case outside, or in comedy, musical, documentary, and seemingly “non-‐painterly” genres. • The Lighting Key: Low Key – Light is uneven, with ratio of the intensity (brightness) of illuminated objects to shadows of 2:1, 3:1, 5:1, 1:0 [Illuminated objects in complete darkness] etc. Low key is reserved for drama, horror, and thriller genres, or scenes and character depictions designed to evoke mood or tell a story with light. • Consider describing the light as Linear (where line is emphasized) vs. Painterly (color, mood, haze are emphasized) • The Lighting Quality: (Contrast and Softness): Does the light have a Hard Quality (Harsh, Linear) or Soft Quality (Diffused, with more gradual fall-‐off as the light wraps softly around objects so line is not emphasized.) • Is there any Blowout? Intentional Overexposure? What might this mean? • Has a filter or postproduction produced a soft Halo, known as Diffusion around objects. What might this mean? 04. Shot Type / Camera Proxemics: What types of shots are used? What is the distance of the camera (and thus the audience) from the action? Both Shots and characters in films MOVE. Note that the meaning may lie in the shift. SHOTS IN REVIEW Sure, you know them, but if you merely “I Spy” them, you are wasting your time. The important necessity is to indicate WHY the particular framing serves the purpose of the moment. • Long Shot (LS) A shot that shows all of a fairly large subject (for example, a person) and usually much of the surroundings. This is useful to give a perspective and context for a scene, for example, a long shot of a robot framed in a laboratory would give a different interpretation of events than a shot of the same robot framed in an elderly home. • Extreme Long Shot (ELS) Sometimes used as an establishing shot: In this type of shot the camera is at its furthest distance from the subject, emphasizing the background and reducing the importance of the subject. • Establishing Shot (ES) This is used at the beginning of a sequence to define the location and to give the audience a perspective on the action to come. • Master Shot (MS) Used at the beginning of a sequence as a reference point for the rest of the sequence to follow. It shows the composition and the key relationships between the subjects and enables the audience to contextualize the action before it happens. It tends to establish the 180 Line of Action. • Medium Long Shot (MLS) ln the case of a standing actor, the lower frame line cuts off feet and ankles. When used, character gestures and movements and relations with other characters are still the focus (over facial expressions). • Medium Shot (MS) In such a shot the subject and its setting occupy roughly equal areas in the frame. In the case of the standing actor, the lower frame passes around the waist. More body language can be seen as the face, chest and hands are in frame – but facial expression is not lost. • Close-‐Up (CU) A picture, which shows a fairly small part of the scene, such as a character's face and neck on the top of the shoulders, in great detail so that it fills the screen. It extracts the subject from the context (so WHAT IS MORE IMPORTANT?) and asks that the audience focus on the delivery or receipt of ideas/dialogue/emotion. This is all about character, emotional response, and REACTION to the dramatic situation. In any case, all close-‐ups focus on emotions or reactions and emphasize the human experience, not the actions or surroundings that stimulate that experience. • Point-‐of-‐View Shot (POV) A shot made from a camera position close to the line of sight of a subject, to imply that the camera is 'looking with their eyes'. This can be effective in putting us into the shoes of the character, and is especially useful in showing us a defenseless position, where we can see, but cannot act. This study sheet accompanies (and draws heavily from) the Louis Gianetti Text, Understanding Movies, 12th Edition, with additional contributions from the ISP IB Film II class of 2011. 09. Composition: How is the 2-‐Dimensional space within the frame segmented or organized? What does this mean? • WEIGHT is a term used to describe the variations in density within areas of the frame. Where we place objects and characters (increase the relative weight) can tell us a lot about their narrative situation and character. • Placement of the horizon line can have dramatic effects on an image. It is rare to place it at the center (as the sky would seem too powerfully dominating over most of the action). Traditional film approaches place most of the weight at the bottom of the frame, with objects being appropriately grounded beneath a present, but non-‐ obtrusive sky. For visual effect, many epics and westerns employ the opposite effect – keeping the horizon line low and allowing the vast sky and nature to excerpt their power over the earth’s stage and its players. • We expect dominant visual elements to be centered (and the realist approach to filmmaking often keeps this as the norm), but formalists often intentionally place subjects within the frame to invoke a higher meaning. • When Up’s and Down’s matter (and they don’t always matter!)… The top area of the frame suggests power, authority, and aspiration. People here control the elements below. This is also true of objects (a hill-‐top castle, a religious relic hung high on a wall). The areas near the bottom of the frame suggest subservience, vulnerability, and powerlessness. Elements here are exploited symbolically to suggest inferiority. • Objects and figures on the edges of the frame are closest to the darkness, to the outside. They are deliberately peripheral, anonymous, unnoticed, and perhaps dangerous or otherwise in danger. There is insecurity at the edges (as if they run the risk of falling out of the film, or being dominated by that which holds the central ground.) • And don’t forget another important region – that which is OUT-‐OF-‐FRAME. For objects occupying this territory, we are aware of their presence but cannot see their actions, thus making the character or element all the more dangerous, impending. • Finally – What about shapes and lines in the blocking of characters or objects? Both Horizontal Lines (safety, rest) and Vertical Lines (Power, Authority, Strength) represent stability, while Diagonal Lines imply movement and insecurity – a dynamic shift in the situation. A Circle of people would represent Unity, whereas linear or widespread staging of characters might suggest personal disassociation. 10. Form: Is the form Open or Closed? Does the image suggest a window that arbitrarily isolates a fragment of the scene? Or a proscenium arch, in which the visual elements are carefully arranged and held in balance? Open Form Closed Form More Realist – The shot is not composed / “framed” More Formalist -‐ Conceived, Designed, Artsy Spontaneous, Unbalanced, Stylistically Recessive Self-‐Conscious and Visually Appealing Imply freedom of choice (the sky is the limit) Imply enclosure – destiny and futility of will Overly used – they seem sloppy Overly Used – seems pretentious and controlling 11. Framing: Is the framing Tight or Loose? Can characters move freely without impediments? Or are they constrained by the frame and/or accompanying elements within the frame? 12. Depth: On how many levels is the composition constructed? Does positioning in the Foreground, Background, and Midground mean something and how do these depths comment on each other? 13. Character Placement: What part of the frame do characters occupy (Center, Top, Bottom, Edges) and why? 14. Staging Positions: Which way do the characters look in relation to the camera? What does this imply? There are five basic positions, frequently suggesting corresponding visual cues. • Full Frontal (Facing the Camera): The most intimate. The character invites are sympathy. But this can be uncomfortable to the audience – as we are force into the scene. This stance vis-‐à-‐vis the camera can also be highly confrontational. A character seems most powerful and threatening. This study sheet accompanies (and draws heavily from) the Louis Gianetti Text, Understanding Movies, 12th Edition, with additional contributions from the ISP IB Film II class of 2011. • The Quarter Turn (between Full Frontal and Profile): The favored angle of most shots. It still provides a high degree of intimacy without the emotional involvement of our being brought into the scene. • Profile: Our attachment is more remote. The character seems unaware of being observed, and is lost in his/her own thoughts. Here, action and relation to the scene or other characters is emphasized over any emotional state (after all – we can’t see the eyes… the window to the soul and the revealer of inner thoughts). • The Three-‐Quarter Turn (between Profile and Back-‐To-‐Camera): More Anonymous. Useful for showing a character’s unfriendly or antisocial feelings. The character rejects our interests as an audience, and shuts us out somewhat. • Back-‐To-‐Camera: We can only guess what is taking place, so it conveys a sense of concealmente and mystery – a total detachment from the audience. We want to see more, but we can’t. 15. Character Proxemics: How much (or little) space exists between characters? How does this define relationships? • Intimate: From skin contact to about 8 inches away. Love, confort, tenderness. However it can also imply the opposite when and INTRUDER maintains an intimate proximity to the central character. That’s just creepy. • Personal: 1 to 4 feet away. Friends, Family, Acquaintances. Here, personal distances preserve the privacy between individuals, but they do not suggest exclusion of outsiders (as intimate proxemics do). • Social: 4 feet to 12 feet away. Business and Social Gatherings. A friendly range, but with somewhat more formality. Note how these relationships are often discussed as relative to each other – for example, Intimate proxemics between two characters in a “social” scene come across as standoffish – exclusionary. • Public: 12 feet -‐ ? This is more about the LACK of relationship than the relationship. Characters may have common interest in needs, but no real personal relationship to others in the scene. (Think separate tables at a restaurant.) Displays of high emotion are considered bad form at these distances. People generally must exaggerate their gestures and raise their voices to be understood clearly.