Mise-en-scène - Composing the frame

Rule Of Thirds – Grid

Composition is built in units of 3• Top, middle, bottom• Left, centre, right• Foreground, middle ground, background

Eye Room – Looking roomIf a subject is positioned to the right of a frame, they should be looking to the left and vice-versa. This creates “Eye room”

Deep space composition

This is where you place significant visual and narrative information on 2 or more of the same planes of depth

Deep focus composition Where not everything in frame is in focus (Or everything is in focus). You select certain things in the frame to be in/out of focus to create meaning/ effect.

Camera AnglesEye Level – Camera is facing the subject at eye level

Low Angle –Camera is lowered, looking up at subject

Extreme Low Angle –Camera is/ almost underneath the subject

High Angle – Camera up high, looking down on subject

Extreme High Angle – Camera is/ almost above subject

Shot TypesClose-up

Subject becomes more significant. Used when a scene demands most dramatic impact. We can only see one specific part of the subject, usually their head.

Medium Shows subject in some detail. Creates a realistic effect and makes the audience feel included without being in the middle of the action. We see the top half of the subject/s.

Long Full body shot. Allows audience to see more of the background and we can get a better idea of what is happening.

Extreme LongSubject only occupies a small part of the shot. Used to show subject is isolated and show audience the surrounding area.

Extreme close-upShows audience key part of subject. For example: Eyes, hands, a wound, an object. This shows audience what the main focus is. Can be used to show emotion/importance.

180 Degree Rule

An Imaginary line which determines where the camera will be placed to preserve screen direction. The camera will remain on ONE side of the line. On that side, there will be 180 degrees of space that can be used by the camera without disorientating the viewer.

Used when jumping between two characters, so that the scene makes sense and looks more natural.

The Kuleshov ExperimentKuleshov said that if you take 1 shot and put it with another shot you can create a third new meaning not present in either shot by itself.

He took a shot of an actor with a blank expression, then another shot of a bowl of soup. He then showed them to a test audience. They said that theycould read hunger in the actors face.

He took the same shot of the actor, and edited it together with a shot of a dead body. The audience said that they could see sadness on the actors face.

He showed that meaning is not just contained within shot, but editing can create new meaning.

He took the same shot of the actor again but this time edited it together with a shot of a child. The audience said that they saw proudness/happiness on the actors face.

Zoom/moving cameraZoom – The subject gets bigger while other things in the frame stay in the same locked relative position. Nothings position in relation to anything else shits or changes. Zooming in simply enlarges the subject.

Moving Camera - Also known as a tracking shot. Everything’s relative position constantly changes. This more closely replicates our visual expectations creating a more realistic look. The effect created is like that of someone walking, as you walk, things get bigger the closer you get but new things will also appear in your vision. Like walking towards the top of a flight of stairs, the closer you get, the more things you will be able to see at the bottom of the stairs. The technique is used by placing the camera on some sort of tracking dolly.

LightingKey Light – Biggest and brightest light that illuminates one part of the subject and casts shadows on another part. High Ratio/ high contrasts = Low key lighting

Fill light – Used to fill in shadows. A little fill light still leaves dark shadows (High Ratio) but you can see a little more detail within the shadows. Add more fill light and you will start to see much more detail, creating a low ratio. (High Key Lighting)

Quality of light • Hard Light – Light coming directly from the source. Picks up every detail and creates a

clear defined line between illumination and shadow. • Soft Light – Defused. Breaks up light from source so the light hits subject from different

angles. Done by bouncing the light off a board or wall or putting semi-opaque material between the light source and the subject. Softens detail and fades the line between shadow and illumination.

SettingSetting can create mood, convey specific narrative information, trigger an emotional response and show a characters state of mind.

Settings can reject the idea of looking “realistic” in favour of the expression of information, mood and state of mind.

EXAMPLE:

Edward Scissorhands

The neighbourhood lacks personality and individuality showing a bland conformity. The street creates a “picture perfect” image, with newly cut lawns and brightly coloured houses with not a thing out of place. This is a stark contrast to Edward’s lair.

The dark and jagged lines of Edward’s lair convey that whoever lives inside is scary/sinister. This place is very different from the idealistic town below. The lair is shows pure individuality in a neighbourhood that is all about sameness.

The contrast changes again when we see inside the lairs gates. The place is dark and scary from the outside but innocent on the inside. The setting tells us a lot about Edward Scissorhands before we even see him. Creating the idea that Edward is just misunderstood.

Point Of ViewPoint of view is implied by the framing of the shot. Framing forces us to look at specific things and also controls how we see them, through camera angles, shot types and composition. The camera is the view point through which we see the action.

Omniscient point of view – Neutral point of view. The omniscient camera can film anything and go anywhere. Point of view of the director, we see what he wants us to see.

Single character point of view – Shows us what a single character is seeing. We see the characters face, then the object they’re looking at, then back to the character to see their reaction. The single character doesn’t need to be human.

Group point of view – Like single character point of view but shared by many characters.