Mise-en-Scene

Lighting and Colour:
-Use of lighting and colour impacts the most on other elements of Mise-en-Scene. A simple shot of a church can be made threatening by flooding it with deep red light. Props such as statues and crucifixes become frightening and thus the Gothic Horror genre is signalled.

Colour:
-Colour has a big impact on our emotions and therefore on our understanding of a scene. These colours can be used symbolically, for example red symbolises love. Your understanding of the symbolism behind a colour may be influenced by our cultural background as different cultures have different associations with colour.

-Tints of colour can be added by film-marked when editing to create effects. The film Amelie has increased the colour saturation in order to give the film a more fantasy/animated feel/ In contrast the opening sequence from Saving Privet Ryan has de-saturated the colour. It's not quite black and white but the colour levels have been decreased.

Lighting:
Lighting help convey mood or atmosphere. Often our attention is drawn to a particular object or gesture that is important within the film's storyline. The film-maker can also use shadows to hide elements of the scene and create suspense.

If a film is shot in a studio, lights usually come from three different kinds:

• A back light
• A filler light
• A key light

High Key Lighting:
-Refers to a scene where lots of lights are included to create a colourful and/or bright environment. The key light is the main light used in a scene. This is a large light placed at the front, by the cameras. This is because lighting a subject from any other angle (back, side) will create a silhouette or deep shadow across the subject. Filler lights refers to the other lights used in a scene which removes any shadows.


Low Key Lighting:
-Is created by using only key and back lights, creating areas of both light and darkness. This lighting will/is used to create a specific atmosphere. For example the suspense of a thriller or the terror of a Horror. Furthermore it may be used a 'mood' lighting for a romantic scene.

Setting:
-A specific design or choice of location can be very important in/to a film. The setting is able to contribute to the narrative and furthers the audience's understanding of the film. In Thelma and Louise (1991),the two main protagonists are on the run across America, trying to avoid the Police.Eventually they arrive at the Grand Canyon which,in the context of the film's story,serves as a symbol of their quest of freedom. Setting also creates time and place. If set in a historical period, a certain amount of accuracy would be important to the audience.

Costume Props and Make-Up:
In everyday life we often judge people on first impressions.These impressions are formed by what people wear, what they carry, their make-up and hair. In media texts these things are important ways of telling us about different characters. These can change throughout a narrative to show us that things are changing for the characters.

Costume:
-Costume refers to the clothes worn by a character, this could mean mean the armour of Predator or a glamorous dress. It can tell us what people do or a job, if they are rich or poor and even gives us clues as to what type of person they are, for example the symbolic use of colour.

-For some characters, costume is essential both to the genre and the narrative. Spider man uses costume both to mask his identity and to work with his special powers. Superman switches from the business clothes of his day job, to his superhero clothes when he's about to use his powers.

-Costumes also works alongside setting to establish the historical setting of a text and aspects of individuals' characters within that place. Changes in the costume may be used to tell us about personality changes but also about time passing. In films like 'Titanic' costume initially portrays the glamour of the voyage. However when the disaster strikes and the characters have to fight to survive, costumes are torn and indicate the distress faced by the characters. In 'Titanic', Rose's costume is important in showing her social class but also how restricted she feels. At the beginning of the film she moves stiffly and seems to hide her clothes and hat. As the film goes on her clothes become less formal, she is even naked at one, signifying how she is shedding her old life.

Make Up:
-Make-Up is not simply used to make female characters look glamorous. It could also be used to make characters seem grotesque or much older than they are in real life. It can also be used to change a character from one gender to another as in White Chicks or Mrs Doubtfire.

-Make-Up can also be used to create characters from fantasy worlds and aliens from other planets. Furthermore it can also be used to create scars and injuries following action sequences.

Character Positioning within the Frame:
-A characters position within the frame is significant for various reasons. If a character is in the foreground and in focus, then we can be sure that there is something very important about them.We may be listening to a character in the background but the character that is in the foreground grabs our attention.

-Often the director/photographer will 'balance' the screen by carefully positioning characters within the frame. They may position them at different heights to show their various positions in terms of power and importance. Characters can be positioned to show their relationship with each other. For example if an argument has taken place characters may be positioned far apart, in contrast a loving pair will be positioned in close proximity to one another.

Body Language, Expression and Movement:
-Body Language tells us about the relationship between different characters on screen. The hero in an action film will have a strong stance whereas a weaker character may be fidgeting to suggest they are nervous. Film Posters or adverts also use body language to immediately demonstrate to the audience the relationship and status between characters. A good example is the film poster to Mean Girls where the main protagonist has her back turned away from the gang of girls whose body language suggests they might be the aggressors.

Amelie opening sequence

Amelie Happiness

Amelie Outsiders

Amelie Childhood

Some aspects of Amelies childhood were very similar to every child's:

• Every child has that phase where they put hula hops on each finger and eat them off, one by one. Amelie does the same but instead of using hula hops she uses strawberries.
• Also the magic hand trick (finger on each side).
• The upside down face, using your chin as a face by drawing eyes, eyebrows, nose and eyelashes.
• Squeezing your face into a window so that the people can see you pulling a weird face.
• Using cherries as earrings. 
• Laying out a path of dominions and knocking one down and watch the rest fall with it.
• Using different variation of props e.g. trying on glasses.
• Drawing a face on your thumb and finger and creating a face.
• Making sound using crystal glasses.
• Drinking from a straw.
• Making Paper strips of men and women.
• Blowing into a leaf and creating a high pitched sound.
• Putting PVA glue on your fingers, and peeling the glue off.
• Flicking a penny and watching it spin.
• Having a coil of ribbon all neat in a circle, and blowing it to make it unfold and create a pattern.

Due to her heart problems she has to be creative on her own and not interact with any other children as she is home schooled, this is all lead due to her wanting to interact with her dad, and when she does(every month, check up) her heart beats fast which makes the father think that Amelie has a heart problem, she does other thing to entertain her such as:

• Amelie plays doctors with an imaginary alligator, just like her father does to her(check up).
• Sees her fish as a friend, due to no friends. 
• Fish attempts to commit suicide due to home environment, due to this they put him in a lake. Amelies imaginations create a scene in which the fish looks at her for a second then swims away, just as if he's saying goodbye. 
• Amelie is given a second hand camera at a  young age which illustrates the trust Amelie has with her parents. Amelie goes out and takes pictures of the sky, but it isn't no ordinary sky. It's clouds shaped like rabbits and teddies bears.Whilst she is taking a photo of the teddy bear shaped cloud a car crash happens in front of her and a neighbour fools her into thinking she caused the accident with her camera. This put Amelie into shock due to her actions, she watches the TV and everything that is on the TV is about accidents such as fire, two deraliments and a jumbo jet crash. As she has been taking photos all day she thinks she caused all of them incidents.
• She figures out that her neighbour fooled her and for her revenge she sits on this roof and pulls the antenna plug whilst the football gets into the good bits(goal scoring). She repetitively does this through the game and this makes the neighbour insane.
• Amelie goes to church with mother, lights a candle to pray for baby brother. They leave the church and  a tourist on top of the church is committing suicide and lands on top of Amelies mum in which leading her to die in front of Amelie.
• Amelie swings her teddy on the swing, where as its usually the parents swinging the child.
• Due to the tragedy Amelie forgets about leaving her teddy outside and it stays outside through sun,rain and snow(through all the seasons).

Amelie - Innocence and Simplicity

Amelie as Cinema Du Look

      ·  Dramatic Colour Filters (greens, reds, yellows, blues)

      ·  Idyllic Version of Paris (no graffiti, no traffic, no crowds)

      · Direct address to camera

      · Dramatic Camera Angles

      ·  Pause of action to add titles

      · Swift Camera movement

      ·  Fantasy / CGI elements

      ·  Filmed with Wide Angle lens to give distorted views

      ·  Perfect Paris with well known locations (Notre Dame, Gard Du Nord, Montemarte, Sacre Couer)

      ·  Alienated Characters

      ·  Elements of Comedy

French Cinema

In recent times, successful French cinema has been divided into two main styles:

Amelie(2001) Film Poster

 Cinema Du Look:                                            

• Style over substance (visual rather than narrative).
• Slick visual Style.
• Idealistic/Fantasy element.
• Enetertaining. 
• Alienated Characters.

 Examples of Cinema Du Look:

• Amelie
• City of Lost Children
• Delacatesm
• Alice in Wonderland

La Haine(1995) Film Poster

Social Realism

• Substance over Style (Narratie over visual style).
• Realistic (Riots in the UK).
• Dealt with social concerns.
• Challenging anfd thought provoking.
• Alienated Characters.

Examples of Social Realism:

• La Haine (Hate)
• A Prophet



Use Of Camera

Camera Usage in Disaster Movies

I have been given a sheet from my Film Studies teacher Mr Fisher and i feel the need to cut it down to short sentences for easy revision so here goes:


Understanding the Role of the Camera


Close Up
-Is used to direct our attention on something in particular. Often a facial expression, as close ups emphasize a characters emotions. A close up could also is a significant clue to a development in the plot or prop.(close up of a knife could mean it being used to kill someone).


Extreme Close Up
-Focuses the audiences attention on even smaller detail, these shots are used for artistic shots. Extreme close up also give a sense of discomfort so they can be used to really get the audience close to the action.


Long Shot
-Shows us the whole of a character, thus drawings our attention to a persons costume and body language. A long shot may be needed to offer perspective. For example in The Day After Tomorrow, we see a long shot to see the wave approaching the library. Long shots are also used so we see the setting as it might be important in that moment.


Mid Shot
-Allows us to see a person from the waist up, mostly used so we can see the dialogue between to characters. Mid shots also give us information about the setting, but not so much is distracts us from the conversation/action.

High/Low Angle
-A high angle shot is when the camera is placed higher than the subject and so we are looking down on them. A low angle shot is the opposite.If you are placed higher up than a character, you feel as if you have more power and the character is more vulnerable. We are placed stronger than them, if the camera is at a low angle the character looks bigger and making them look more important and powerful.

Over the Shoulder:
-This shot is framed from behind a person who is looking at the subject. The person facing the subject should usually occupy about 1/3 of the frame.This shot helps to establish the position of each person, and get the feel of looking at one person from the other's point of view.It's common to cut between these shots during a conversation, alternating the view between the different speakers.

Point of View:
-This shot shows a view from the subject's perspective. It is usually edited in such a way that it is obvious whose POV it is.


Camera Movement:
-Pan
-Tilt
-Tracking
-Crane
-Bird's eye view
-Zoom

Framing
-Framing refers to the edge of the picture and what has been deliberately placed inn or excluded from the frame. We often discuses tight framing of a sequence of shots of close-ups and maybe mid shots where little of the background can be seen. By not allowing us to see the background may also result in a sense of discomfort as we wont be able to see something which may be approaching.


Depth Of Field
-Technique used to distract our attention from the background detail, or to make it noticeable, is depth of field. Sometimes a director will only want us to focus on certain subjects within the shot so he will make sure other elements are out of focus and blurred. If the setting,colours or landscapes are important and the director wants them to be in detail and clear, deep focus is used to make sure everything's focused. Shallow focus is the opposite effect where only part of the image is in focus.

Disaster Movie Codes and Conventions

The Disaster Movie codes and conventions are different compares to the codes and conventions for Crime Drama:

Typical Characters in a Disaster Movie

 Characters:
In Disaster movies many characters are portrayed and each and everyone of them have different roles in the movie:

Film Pitch

Film Pitch

An innocent girl who found out she wasn’t normal, mind power.

The dusty old blindfold is removed from my face, a tear trickles down from my forehead. I attempt to open my eyes, but the rays of light blind my eyes with despair, but then I sensed something, a strong vibe coming from a far. I clench my eyes as tight as I could. Something unusual was happening, I tighten my eyes even harder to attain a more focused image. Then the faded images became focused slowly but surely, I saw an old hallway with glass pieces shattered on the floor. I catched a glimpse of his eye, black, piercing and cold. I could hear his footsteps whilst he was walking “Cling, Cling, Cling”. The noise stopped. He reached out the rusty old door handle and began to turn it. I opened my eyes to an instant thinking it was just a dream till I heard a loud piercing creek sound coming from behind me, something was approaching me “Cling, Cling, Cling”…

The extract which you have just read is from an upcoming movie “Mind” this movie will have a genre of adventure & action/Horror. I have chosen these genres to produce one thing, original. The movie will consist in big action packed scenes with features such as blood. I have chosen to have a certificate of 15 due to the fact that there will be violent scenes which some younger viewers may find horrific and impossible to watch, there will also be strong language included. The date of which I’m planning to release “Mind” is in the half term of October 2012 as that’s when teenagers will all have spare time, not only that its also because its very close to Halloween and by watching a action packed horror movie before Halloween might excite the teenagers for Halloween. The target audience is very common for this movie, its for both girls and boys which are around the age of 15-25 I chose this specific age ground as they would be the group which would be more enthusiastic and interested in action packed/horror movies. I have chose an actor which is known by most people around the world “Will Smith” I have not only chosen him because he has done great movies, I have chosen him because I feel he would do an outstanding job in the opposite area he is use to (e.g. Villain). I also want the main actress to be a new an upcoming actress who will be played by Scarlett Hardy, this will be the first movie she will do and I think this will make her suitable for the role as she is enthusiastic and entertaining.

This film can be compared to a Marvel film such as Hulk, X-men and Spiderman but with a twist as for this movie I aimed for people with powers and big action scenes but with a spooky side to the movie. The budget I am aiming for “Mind“ is around £200,000,000 as this movie will consist in lots of stunt scenes which will have to be done by professionals, this movie will be very action packed and have lots of extravagant scenes. I also want a one actor in particular which is “Will Smith” but his role in the movie wont be like his other movies, I would like “Will Smith” to play as one of the assassins in the movies, not just because he is an outstanding actor but because he also has a huge fan base and if we changed Wills usual personalities to the complete opposite it will impress and interested his fans, meaning the fans would like to see the movie. Of course the fans would want to see a movie with there favourite actor as there fans of “Will Smith” and his previous filmography. Within this budget there will be adverts on social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter as a massive amount of people use these sites everyday on a daily basis, just by having a small advert on the side of the websites could raise the popularity of the movie by 20%. This will also lead on to people being able to steam the trailer through Facebook which would lead to more interest in the movie. The trailer will also be featured on You Tube’s home page as over 280million people view the homepage each day, the film will also be put on adverts on TV as that is still by far one of the best ways to advertise as a wide variation of people watch TV everyday. The movie might have known sound tracks which can help advertise the artist and the film, which would gain more popularity, other than known sound tracks I will have up beat music will make the movies tension speed up (e.g. music which speeds up half way through). To end the advertising I will have adverts which will be on busses and bus stops which will grab people’s attention, buses are also used by a wide variation of people who are of different age. To give the movie that extra touch there will be a variation of new and old angels to give the movie that extra effect.