Film Analysis: Performance & Mise-en-Scène

Film Form

• Film form consists of various elements such as performance, mise-en-scène, cinematography, editing, and sound.
• These elements work together to create meaning and communicate messages to the audience.

Performance

• Performance refers to the actions and behaviors of actors in a film.
• Key aspects of performance include:
  • Casting: selecting actors for specific roles.
  • Use of voice: tone, pitch, and volume of an actor's voice.
  • Non-verbal gesture: body language, facial expressions, and movements.
  • Performance style: the way an actor portrays a character.
  • Interaction between actors: how actors respond to each other.
  • Choreography of movement: the way actors move and interact with each other.

Mise-en-scène

• Mise-en-scène refers to the arrangement of elements within a scene, including:
  • Setting: the location and environment of a scene.
  • Costume: the clothes and accessories worn by actors.
  • Props: objects used by actors in a scene.
  • Staging: the placement and movement of actors within a scene.
  • Color: the use of color to create mood and atmosphere.
• Mise-en-scène can convey meaning and communicate messages to the audience.

Cinematography

• Cinematography refers to the camera and lighting techniques used in a film.
• Key aspects of cinematography include:
  • Camera angles: the way the camera is positioned to capture a scene.
  • Camera movement: the way the camera moves to create a sense of action or emotion.
  • Lighting: the use of light to create mood and atmosphere.
  • Focus: the use of focus to draw attention to specific elements within a scene.

Editing

• Editing refers to the process of selecting and arranging shots to create a cohesive narrative.
• Key aspects of editing include:
  • Shot-to-shot relationships: the way shots are arranged to create continuity or contrast.
  • Continuity editing: the use of editing to create a sense of continuity and flow.
  • Montage editing: the use of editing to create a sense of pace and rhythm.
  • Stylized forms of editing: the use of unconventional editing techniques to create a specific effect.

Sound

• Sound refers to the use of music, sound effects, and dialogue in a film.
• Key aspects of sound include:
  • Parallel sound: the use of sound to reinforce the action on screen.
  • Contrapuntal sound: the use of sound to contrast with the action on screen.
  • Diegetic sound: sound that originates from within the scene.
  • Non-diegetic sound: sound that is added to the scene in post-production.
  • Foley sound: sound effects created in post-production to enhance the scene.
  • Multi-track sound mixing: the use of multiple sound tracks to create a rich and layered sound.

Pan's Labyrinth

• Pan's Labyrinth is a film that uses mise-en-scène to create meaning and communicate messages.
• Key aspects of mise-en-scène in Pan's Labyrinth include:
  • The use of setting to create a sense of fantasy and reality.
  • The use of costume to create a sense of identity and status.
  • The use of props to create a sense of danger and threat.
  • The use of color to create a sense of mood and atmosphere.

Scenes from Pan's Labyrinth

• Scene 3: Introduction of Vidal to Ofelia
  • Mise-en-scène: the use of setting, costume, and props to create a sense of tension and threat.
  • Performance: the use of facial expressions, body language, and voice to convey character traits.
• Scene 7: Ofelia goes to the stone where the insect flies out
  • Mise-en-scène: the use of setting, costume, and props to create a sense of wonder and curiosity.
  • Performance: the use of facial expressions, body language, and voice to convey character traits.
• Pale Man Scene
  • Mise-en-scène: the use of setting, costume, and props to create a sense of danger and threat.
  • Performance: the use of facial expressions, body language, and voice to convey character traits.
• Hunting Scene
  • Mise-en-scène: the use of setting, costume, and props to create a sense of danger and threat.
  • Performance: the use of facial expressions, body language, and voice to convey character traits.

Film Techniques

• Close-ups: used to focus attention on specific elements within a scene.
• Low-angle shots: used to create a sense of power and dominance.
• High-angle shots: used to create a sense of vulnerability and weakness.
• Lighting: used to create a sense of mood and atmosphere.
• Sound effects: used to create a sense of realism and tension.
• Music: used to create a sense of emotion and atmosphere.

Themes

• The film explores themes of identity, power, and rebellion.

• The use of mise-en-scène, performance, and sound helps to convey these themes to the audience.

• The film critiques the fascist regime and its treatment of women and marginalized groups.### Sound Design and Music

• The enhanced sound on the rope symbolizes Ofelia's inferiority

• The slow chromatic violin scale creates tension and fear

• The scene starts with all diegetic sound, including faint background noises like a horse and creaking door

• The non-diegetic music represents Ofelia's fear of the unknown

• The diegetic sound of hunters crying in pain represents their inferiority in the political system

• The gun shot emphasizes the brutal nature of the fascists

The Pale Man and Captain Vidal

• The Pale Man is conveyed as a fascist like leader, symbolizing brutal oppression
• The Pale Man and Captain Vidal are both shown as indifferent to hurting anyone, including children
• Both characters are blind, literally and figuratively, to the harm they cause
• The Pale Man sitting at the head of the table echoes Captain Vidal sitting at the head of the table, showing the evil characters' power in a patriarchal society

Representation and Critique of Fascism

• The film critiques the brutality of the fascist regime and the oppression of the people of Spain
• The scene where Vidal attacks the first of the hunters represents the brutality of the fascists
• The film presents the power of fascism, with Vidal being powerful and willing to prove a point
• The film conveys the brutality of the fascist regime, showing that they are willing to hurt anyone to enforce fascism

Gender Representations

• Traditional male roles/qualities in the film include dominant, brutal, aggressive masculinity, and narcissism
• Traditional female roles/qualities include determination, quiet power, bravery, and submission
• The film presents a clear binary opposite in terms of gender representation, with male characters representative of a patriarchal society
• The women in the film, Ofelia, Carmen, and Mercedes, all suffer at the hands of patriarchy

Representation of Captain Vidal

• Captain Vidal is obsessed with his father's military exploits and is equally determined that his own son is born close to him
• Vidal's self-loathing is evident in the scene where he commits metaphorical suicide by cutting his reflection's throat
• Vidal's appearance and actions point towards an excessive display of masculinity and desire for order and control, linking masculinity and patriarchy to fascism and oppression

Delve into the world of film analysis, exploring how performance and mise-en-scène create meaning in films. Discuss casting, voice, gestures, and more, and how they convey messages to spectators.