Mise-en-scène - Fall 2024 PPT

Mise-en- scène Overall composition of the shot is part of the mise-en-scene. Shot from The Spirit of the Beehive  What is mise-en-scène? Overall look and feel of a movie, its attitude to detail Sum of what we see in the frame and experience The arrangement of all the e...

Mise-en- scène Overall composition of the shot is part of the mise-en-scene. Shot from The Spirit of the Beehive  What is mise-en-scène? Overall look and feel of a movie, its attitude to detail Sum of what we see in the frame and experience The arrangement of all the elements in the frame French for “putting on stage”; pronounced “meez-ahn-sen” Elements that appear in the frame that the director has control over, whether they are intended or not. All of the elements placed in front of the camera to be photographed: the settings and props, lighting, costumes, makeup, and figure behavior (staging, acting, movement). Aspects that overlap with the art of theater (David Bordwell and Kristen Thompson, Film Art) Four central elements Setting Character Lighting composition French magician illusionist and filmmaker George Méliès (1861-1938) built one of the first film studios, which gave him control over all elements. His attention to detail in the design elements of cinema became a standard. He was the first to storyboard shots beforehand; he designed fantastical sets and costumes. He hand-tinted film to show colour on the screen. (see his 1903 film The Kingdom of the Fairies embedded in Sharman’s chapter) Screenshot from A Trip to the Moon, George Méliès 1902. The film is magic fantasy/science fiction. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLVChRVfZ74&ab_channel=OpenCulture Mise-en-scene contributes to a film’s cinematic style and narrative. In the shift change scene of workers from Fritz Lange’s Metropolis (1927), an early dystopian film, the clothing and movements of the actors create a sense of mechanized, robotic existence in the modern city and industrial workplace. The design of the set contributed to the film’s dystopian narrative. The film’s “mad scientist” character and lab became a convention of films.  Every movie has mise-en-scène What is If you can see it, it contributes to the mise-en-scène mise-en- Even animated films have set design, props, costumes, makeup, scène? framing, composition, and lighting that are drawn, sculpted, modeled, or composed on a computer as in this example from Kitbull (2016) Mise-en-scene design depends on a Production Designer Production Designer the point person responsible for the overall aesthetic design of a film or series Works closely with the director and director of photography Supervises departments that create a movie’s look Creates visual continuity, balance, and dramatic emphasis their most important job is to make sure the setting matches [the film’s] aesthetic vision, specifically through set design and set decoration. What Is Mise-en-scène? setting (set and props); costume; hair; makeup; aspects of colour; lighting; figure behaviour (the performances, blocking: where characters are placed; the planned movement of actors (kinesis)) the actors and characters composition; the frame (the act of framing is linked to cinematography) intersects with some aspects of camerawork (e.g. lighting, framing)  Psycho Janet Leigh’s performance, the costume (appearing nude), the hair example (wet, undone) and Marion’s placement, movements and behavior in the frame, the shower’s setting of white tiles and running water (with connotations of a safe, domestic space to be alone), and high-key lighting (soft shadows) are mise-en-scene that work together with 1. sound: the jabbing sounds of the knife and the sound of the running and draining water; 2. the rapid cutting/editing that emulates the stabbing; 3 the close-up parallel shots of Marion’s eye and the drain, to co-expressively create the creepy feeling of “the shower scene.” https://tvline.com/2016/05/16/bates-motel-season-5-marion-crane-cast-shower -scene-psycho/ Prop – short for property An object that functions as a part of the set or a tool used by the actors Instrumental props: used simply for their common purpose (e.g. Suzu [In This Corner] uses a kitchen knife to chop food) Props as metaphors, symbols: props acquire special significance when they are used to express characters’ thoughts and feelings, their powers and abilities in the world, or the primary themes of the film (Tim Corrigan and Patricia White) Example: the knife in Psycho Linked to Norman, it is not just a kitchen knife; the knife is a murder weapon used to kill a single woman, Marion; Props signify (as metaphors, symbols) Psycho: motif of mirrors to show doubling of personality US Production Code frowned on toilets being shown (implied “unclean” bodily acts). Psycho was the first time a toilet was shown in a film. The toilet flushing is part of the water motif. The circular shape repeats, too, e.g. Marion’s dead eye. https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/438608451180884088/ https://the.hitchcock.zone/onlyamovie/2014/03/08/the-first-hitchcock-toilet/ character a screenwriter invents believable characters that inhabit a narrative structure an actor inhabits that character in their performance the physical design of a character, through costume, make-up and hair style, not only contributes to the mise-en-scène, but also helps fully realize the work of both screenwriters and actors The character is designed through hair, costume, makeup; has to fit the setting; actors rely on the American actor Doug Jones excels at design of the character to bring characterizing non-human characters; Jones them to life, to make them acts as both the Faun and the Pale Man in believable so viewers see the Pan’s Labyrinth; both roles required heavy character, not the actor prosthetics and intensive makeup preparation: 5 hours a day for the Faun; 6 https://www.cinemablend.com/new/We-Almost-Got-Different-Version-Pan-Labyrinth- 88627.html hours a day for the Pale Man  Design, character Pan’s Labyrinth (2006). Guillermo del Toro, director. (intertextuality) The Pale Man character’s design evolved from del Toro’s drawing and was inspired by manta rays and Francisco Goya’s 19th- century painting Satan Devouring His Son. Shown is del Toro’s notebook (left) and The Pale Man character (right) as he appeared on the screen.  Actors, stars, character actors Actors who appear in major roles in commercially successful films, and who are nationally or internationally recognized and celebrated are celebrities / stars. Stars sell films; Stars are brands; work across various cultural and economic contexts Actors, agents, studio marketing: focus on managing and maintaining a star’s image Actors are cast with regard to their suitability for a particular role, their acting ability, their brand/reputation, and marketing potential “How does one disentangle the charisma and magnetism of a ‘star’ from the character they are playing on screen?” Sharman. Ch. 8 A star’s performance focuses the action of the mise-en-scene and draws attention to important events and themes in the film (Corrigan Anthony Perkin’s performance of Norman Bates is stylized to evoke authenticity, a particular psychology and masculine identity, and included stuttering, social awkwardness, silent staring, and munching on kettle corn, among other behavioral designs. https://medium.com/joshwamusings/alfred-hitchcocks-secret-psycho-1960-e28d1ba004 a0 Design, Part 4 DESIGN How the look of the setting is determined Set design Décor Prop selection still from The Great Gatsby, dir. Baz Luhrmann; the mise-en-scene of the art-deco drawing room scene (production designer Catherine Martin) pays homage to 1974’s The Great IMDb Gatsby (dir. Jack Clayton), starring Robert  Setting -shooting on location: settings found in the world rather than created in the studio; involves selections, changes, adjustments, construction - Sound stage: : a windowless, soundproofed, professional shooting environment - a built locale in which every variable of light and sound can be calculated to simulate a desired environment; may include https://www.maramarietta.com/the-arts/cinema/i-s/meshes-of-th e-afternoon/ building other worlds; - building a sound stage increases The house used as the set in Maya Deren’s costs Meshes of the Afternoon was her own home in Los Angeles that she shared with her husband Alexander Hammid Set augmented through CGI Sometimes the set requires more than the design team can create materially or finances allow CGI can be a design choice Augmented through green screen technology The backdrop of the set has a green screen (may be blue) Then, in post-production, software picks out that particular color and replaces it with imagery either https://www.artfido.com/the-great-gatsby-vfx-behind-the-scenes-that- made-this-movie-a-visual-spectacular/ filmed elsewhere or generated by digital artists, a process Green screen use in The Great Gatsby called keying. (spoilers) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPD TSYR853U&ab_channel=MovieclipsTrail  Cinematic technique emphasizes The house in Psycho was a the effect of the mise-en-scene: façade; the “house” had only two sides: front & left side. Low camera angle makes the house appear to loom, hence, The house, its setting on the giving it an imposing appearance hill, the lights and shadows, and the landscape are all part of the mise-en-scene. A house can be a character, too Set and costumes of characters provoke realism, authenticity (e.g. office scene from Psycho depicts late 1950s American office and clothing ) Notice pictures on the wall, too! They usually provide interpretive possibilities. Daisy, The Great Gatsby Daisy (Carey Mulligan) is a young elite white woman of 1920s New York. Her clothing, makeup and hairstyle represent historical specificities of gender, class, sexuality, consumerism, the rise of movie culture, the Jazz Age, American capitalism Design: Costume, Makeup, and Hairstyle  Design Components of Mise-en-Scene: Costume, Makeup, Hairstyles can have specific functions within a film; e.g., costume can be a motif, enhancing characterization and tracing changes (e.g. Alike/Lee in Pariah). Props can be motifs (e.g. books in Pan’s Labyrinth) Colour can be a motif (e.g. repetition of honey brown in Rhymes) Can be realistic or stylized (e.g. Capt. Vidal in Pan’s Labyrinth) Interacts with setting (e.g. Beyond the Lights: Noni’s stage outfits are different than what she wears during her Mexican getaway) Digital technology also plays a role (e.g. post-production edits, such as digital manipulation of actors’ faces and bodies) [see https://www.vulture.com/2016/03/special-effects-c-v-r.html Actors rely on their eyes to a great extent; makeup artists  Dramatic dark eye makeup draws attention to Marion’s eyes and creates intensity. Psycho, 1960. Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) on the lam. Because of camera placement, the viewer’s eyes lock with Marion’s eyes. The dramatic eye makeup, Marion’s stare, the blocking, framing and composition of Marion in the center, head on, the medium close-up shot, and Marion’s voiceover of inner dialogue are all co-expressive. Viewers feel / sense Marion’s psychological turmoil.  Design: Costume, Makeup, and Hairstyle Can be inspired by real-life people or fictional characters Minister Mason’s (Tilda Swindon) character in Bong Joon-ho’s Snowpiercer was inspired by real-life people. Her movements were inspired by Col. Qaddafi and Hitler, her facial mannerisms, makeup and costumes by Margaret Thatcher and one of Swindon’s former teachers. Costumes & make-up function in 5 different ways 1. support scenic realism: "when costumes and make-up support scenic realism, they reproduce, as accurately as possible, the clothing and facial features of people living in a specific time and place" (e.g. Kit and Holly in Badlands, late 1950s America) 2. function as character highlights: "they draw out or point to important parts of a character's personality" (Norman’s nice-neighbor/school-teacher look in Psycho) 3. act as narrative markers: "their change or lack of change becomes a crucial way to understand and follow a character and the development of the story“ (In Pan’s L, Ofelia leaves her fancy dress behind to enter the magic world) 4. signify genre: "part of overall production design“ (fantastic supernatural costumes in Pan’s Labyrinth signify a fantasy film) 5. signify culture: "Costumes and make-up that appear natural or realistic in films carry important cultural connotations as well.” (e.g. kimonos, patterns, symbols, colours, cloth, design simplicity in In This Corner of the World) (https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/kimono) (Tim Corrigan and Patricia White, The Film Experience, 107 -108)  Design: Costume, Makeup, and Hairstyle The Dark Knight (2008). Christopher Noland, director. Facial painting and prosthetics render Heath Ledger’s Joker red mouth into a visual parallel of the character’s dual traits of sadistic humor and true evil.- Note how the Joker’s mouth looks like Capt. Vidal’s slashed mouth; the slashed mouth in movies goes back to The Man Who Laughs, Paul Leni, 1928 Lighting Preproduction – designers include an idea of the lighting in their sketches Production – the cinematographer determines the lighting once the camera setups are chosen the cinematographer works closely with the director and production designer to use light as an element of design, contributing to the overall mise-en-scene (Sharman) the illumination that makes visible the elements in a frame shapes the way a movie looks and helps tell the story establishes mood and directs attention to detail lighting creates effects that symbolize and provoke interpretations is a key component of composition often appears natural in a film but is an effect of deliberate choices and manipulation Four major aspects of lighting: its quality, direction, source, and colour. Four major aspects of lighting Quality: relative intensity of the illumination hard=defined shadows, crisp textures, sharp edges soft= diffused illumination Direction: the path of the light from its source to its object; frontal lighting (eliminates shadows), sidelight (aka crosslight), backlighting (creates silhouettes), underlighting (distorts features), top lighting (glamour) Source: includes natural light, Classical Hollywood filmmaking: key light, fill light, backlight (three-point lighting); high-key lighting; low-key lighting Colour: (hue) purely white lights; use of filters, gels, realistic or unrealistic coloured light; colour used to create emotion Lighting and style a film’s overall style partly determined by a film’s lighting style Certain genres have distinct lighting styles (e.g. horror films; Westerns) Source, quality, direction, and Design, lighting: Near Dark color work together with other – lit street lamps signify an elements to determine the urban/town context at night --low-key lighting adds to overall mood and meaning of a the moody, mysterious scene dramatic effect --minimizes distractions --plays with the genre of a Western, which is often shot  Examples from Psycho of how lighting shapes mood, directs attention, and signifies The night lighting suggests something sinister, shadowy. The motel has been by-passed by the new highway; it also contrasts with the Victorian / gothic style family home lit from below (underlighting), Norman’s profile appears sinister; but the light on his throat makes him appear vulnerable, too. In the hotel room, the light draws attention to bodies. The light filtering through the slats of the blinds adds to the clandestine mood and emphasizes Sam’s muscles / body. Frontal lighting draws attention to Marion’s breasts. Lighting in The Great Gatsby, the foyer of Jay Gatsby’s mansion: reflection and candles add to the mood of opulence created by the props and setting. http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/968/2/film-production-design-case-study-of-the-great-gatsby The lighting on Orson Welles’s powerful Charles Foster Kane (media mogul) is harder and relatively low-key, emphasizing his age and worldliness. The lighting on character Susan Alexander (Kane’s mistress, then wife) is high-key and soft, conveying inexperience and youth. Design, lighting: Citizen Kane (1941) Lighting: Direction Three-point lighting developed during the studio era in Hollywood; key light, fill light, and backlight; balances the lighting for effect Low-key lighting – ratio between lights and darks is harsh High-key lighting – very little contrast between darks and lights Lighting ratio – balance between key and fill Lighting: High-key Lighting or soft lighting is even; there is little contrast between darks and lights; light is diffused, with low contrast; can be flattering when filming people https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7ms0ts  Lighting: Lighting from Below Chiaroscuro- bold contrasts and hard edges between light and dark; distinctive shadows (low-key lighting or hard lighting) Chiaroscuro can be used in many different ways in films; there is no standard assigned meaning Frankenstein (1931), dir. James Whale. Lighting from below creates sharp contrasts in the monster’s face, giving him an ominous appearance from the harsh effect https://medium.com/@brianrowe_70270/classic-film- reviews-frankenstein-1931-578dc60a487e  Lighting guides viewers’ eyes through the moving image, helps tell the movie’s story, and calls attention to shapes and textures; shadows may mask or conceal things Light is controlled and manipulated to achieve expressive effects Mae and Caleb in Near Dark, 1980s vampire western film Design: Lighting  Organization, distribution, balance, location, and Composition relationship of actors and props in each shot The Great Gatsby, 1974. dir. Jack Clayton. Daisy (Mia Farrow) and Gatsby (Robert Redford)  The ring and bracelet are product placements. Faces and hands command viewers’ attention - CU of Daisy (Carey Mulligan), The Great Gatsby, Baz Luhrmann  Composition - tripoint pattern reflects the characters’ relationship (still, Near Dark, biker bar scene)  Composition: The Rule of Thirds A convention that takes the form of a grid pattern that, when superimposed on an image, divides it into horizontal thirds representing the foreground, middle ground, and background planes and into vertical thirds that break up those planes into further elements Helps achieve onscreen distribution and balance, and visual continuity between shots Composition: Kinesis and figure movement Kinesis: movement on-screen of objects and characters within the frame; including of actors, animals, creatures, vehicles, and whatever moves within the frame Includes expressions and actions of actors / characters within a shot Kinetic quality of many movies is determined by their genre (e.g. action films: fast, frequent, sudden movement, “graceful” choreography of action; musicals: spectacle, frenetic movement) Blocking – planning the positions and movements of the actors and the cameras Design: Lighting City of God (2002). Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund, directors. Strobe lights and reflections underscore the rapidly developing chaos at a disco party. The Great Gatsby, kinetic quality created through composition and movement of characters; the spiralling effect itself connotes movement even while still ; in the film, the mise-en-scene is co-expressive with the cinematography, esp. camera movement that Cinematic style: German Expressionism (1919 – 1930) Highly stylized sets added to the radical look of German Expressionism films In The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920), Robert Wiene, director, the icy blue tinted drawing conveys the sense of unease of the town of Holstenwall and tilting skeleton-like trees add a sense of foreboding and confusion 43 German Expressionism mise-en-scene cinematic style Gave expression to human feelings and emotions through the use of design elements Extremely stylized mise-en-scène for emotional impact Exaggerated performance techniques; actors externalized their emotions to the extreme Shot in the studio even when the script called for exterior scenes Low-key, shadowy lighting; deliberately artificial lighting, emphasized deep shadows and sharp contrasts  Mise-en-scene, cinematic style: Italian Neorealism World War II, its end, up to mid-1950s End of World War II, Italians were coming out of state repression and terrible violence; no patience for escapist cinema Italian neorealism influenced both narrative and design worldwide Used nonprofessional actors; shot on location; rural areas; poor sections of cities; people doing ordinary things; stark realities handheld cameras Concerned with humanism and social conditions Bitter Rice (1949). Giuseppe De Santis, director. a documentary style Italian neorealism. Shot on location in northern Italy. The story centers on female peasant rice workers. A portable record player is a motif in the film. 45 Mise-en-scène provides the overall look and feel of a film. Nothing in a film’s mise-en-scène is natural or ever accidental; it is all designed to help tell the story. https://www.cinemaparadiso.co.uk/rentals/rhymes-for-young- ghouls-175264.html/gallery