Mise en Scène (part 1): review this lecture after reading Chapter 2 Mise en Scène in Understanding Movies, review the film grammar sheet in the week 4 module to aid in the note-taking process. Mise en Scène Part One Mise en Scène is defined as the arrangement of materials and subjects in front of the camera. This is a term that originally came from theater. It means placing on the stage or putting in the scene in French. Mise en Scène is often called the opposite of editing. It's what the director puts into the scene, it's created during the film's production. We'll build on visual subtext when we talk about mise en scène this week. Mise en scène is controlled by the film's director, it shapes the elements of style, it serves to shape the narrative, it shows what the audience needs to see, or hear, to understand the scene. Elements of mise en scène include: set design, costumes, blocking of the actors, the actor's performance, lighting, and photographic composition. When we think of composition this would include the shot size or selection, the camera movement and the angle of the camera. "Each shot choice a director makes results in a misonsen that creates a unique effect." The film's frame is the building block of mise en scène. Directors compose the image to fit the frame. The composition is restricted by the aspect ratio of the film. Aspect ratio is the height and width of the image. Last lecture we learned about different formats of film, IMAX, 35 millimeter, 16 millimeter, Super 8 and digital. Each film format comes with a distinct size or aspect ratio. Here are some aspect ratio examples, in the beginning film was square or standard format and then through time film became much wider and we have these examples of widescreen format here. We talked a little bit about depth of field last week but I want to give you a more in-depth definition. Depth of field, let's begin by breaking the frame up in depth. The frame is divided into three planes the foreground, middleground and background. Depth of field is defined as the distance from the near (that would be the foreground) to the farthest (that would be through the middle and to the background) that objects are in focus. The next slide contains two identical images with different depths of field. Let's spend some time comparing the images. A simple shift in depth of field from deep to shallow can change the information that's communicated to the viewer. On the left we have a deep depth of field and on the right we have a shallow depth of field. How does the visual information change from the deep to shallow depth of field? Adjusting the depth of field changes the information that's communicated. In the deep depth of field we're pulled in to the background, to the man sitting in the chair. In the shallow depth of field, our eyes rest in the foreground and the man in the chair is out of focus. Deep depth of field from Citizen Kane. This image contains objects and subjects that are in focus in all three planes, the foreground, midground, and background. Shallow depth of field from Nightmare on Elm Street. This composition only has one plane with objects in focus the foreground. The eye rests on the important object Freddy's hand in the foreground. Foreground from The Color Purple where important subjects or objects are often placed. Middleground: where actors are often placed from, The Town. Use of the background in Lost in Translation. The background establishes the location, communicates information about the character, sometimes the background is a character. In this case the background is much larger than the human subject, by placing the character in the final third of the frame our eyes rest on her last. Exploiting the frame: areas of the frame can be exploited for symbolic meaning. Let's look at how the placement of subjects and objects within the frame can change the visual subtext. From the Godfather II: center of the frame, reserved for important visual elements. Central framing: from Closer, placing objects or subjects in the center of the frame is a comfortable place. Exploiting the top of the frame from IP Man creates a sense of power authority and control. Exploiting the bottom of the frame in Reservoir Dogs creates a sense of vulnerability and powerlessness. Edges of the frame can be used to create a sense of tension and in this very noir composition with the venetian blinds and the darkness, it can suggest fearfulness or the unknown. Composition and design: the eye can detect seven or eight major elements of composition simultaneously. The mise en scène guides the eye through the composition. The dominant is the area that immediately attracts attention. To determine who or what is the dominant, consider where your eye goes first and why. Here's the criteria: consider the depth of field, who or what is in focus in the foreground, middleground and background. Are the top bottom center or edges of the frame being exploited and does the lighting draw the eye to an area of the frame? From Double Indemnity: what is the dominant in this composition? The man is the dominant because he's in the foreground, he's in focus, he's in the center of the frame, he occupies the top of the frame and he's lit in a way that attracts the eye. After taking in the dominant the eye moves to the subsidiary contrast. Typically, there's a first and then a second subsidiary. Criteria continued: to determine who or what is the subsidiary?Consider where your eye goes after taking in the dominant, again we're going to look at the depth of field, the areas of the frame being exploited and the lighting? Where are the subsidiary contrasts? Where does the eye go first after the dominant and then what is the second subsidiary? The woman is the first subsidiary because she's in the middle -ground. She's in focus, she's on the edge in the first third of the frame and she's lit in a way that draws the eye. What is the second subsidiary? After taking in the dominant and the first subsidiary, the eye moves to the second subsidiary in the background. The area is out of focus not well lit and communicates a minimal amount of information. Design lines: an important part of mise en scène is the organization of the two-dimensional space. Objects and subjects are arranged to create lines that draw the eyes to certain areas of the frame. Vertical design lines: from The Shining, the vertical lines created by the hallway pulls the eye up and into the frame. Horizontal design lines: from The Graduate, the horizontal design line created by the man's head and the objects in the aquarium creates the effect that the subject is submerged. Diagonal design lines: from The Big Combo, a diagonal line is created by the woman in the foreground and the man in the middle- ground it draws the eye into the frame. Balance or instability is established through the number of subjects and objects in the composition. Even numbers can create a stable and balanced image. Notice the symmetry created by having one side of the composition mirror the others from The Royal Tenenbaums. Odd numbers can create instability or appear off balance from Rosemary's Baby. The placement of the woman in the foreground and the two subjects in the background creates a triangle, the eye moves through the odd number of subjects. Territorial space: how the subjects are arranged in relation to the camera. there are five positions each one sends a different message. Full frontal: the subject faces the camera head-on, this is the most intimate position, it is used sparingly but for maximum effect and the example is from the film We Need to Talk About Kevin. In this example of full frontal from Ferris Bueller's Day Off, the character is addressing the camera, the subject is still facing the camera head-on but addresses the camera and breaks the fourth wall, the character talks to the camera, it brings the viewer into the text of the film. Quarter-turn a favored position with a high degree of intimacy. While not as intimate as full-frontal the viewer can still read the subject's entire face from Volver. From The Killer Inside Me profile: the character faces away from the camera left or right, the sense of intimacy is cut off because the viewer can't see the subject's entire face. A second profile example from Minority Report: since both subjects are in profile there is a sense of mystery or inaccessibility established. Three-quarter turn: the subject is turning away from the camera, it is more extreme than the profile shot, it's more anonymous and anti-social than the shots we've seen so far, from Black Swan. Back to the camera from Madadayo: having the subjects face away from the camera creates a sense of alienation and mystery, the viewer is not able to see the subjects' faces at all, it establishes the least amount of intimacy. Proxemic patterns the relationship of organisms within a given space and we'll also take a look at camera proxemics, that shows the distance between the subject and the camera. An intimate proxemic pattern from City of God: an intimate proxemic pattern is skin contact to 18 inches, the closer people are to each other the greater the sense of intimacy. Would you feel comfortable sitting this close to someone you didn't know, of course not. Let's take a look at an intimate camera proxemic from Breakfast at Tiffany's, the distance between the subject and the camera is a close-up or an extreme close-up this puts the viewer at an intimate distance from the subject. Too close for comfort: the intimate camera proxemic can be exploited to create an invasion of personal space, unlike the previous slide Freddie is too close for comfort. Did you know proxemic patterns exist in all cultures? We tend to move closer to people we like or love, when strangers stand too close to us it's intrusive, it can make us feel uncomfortable. Next time you're in a public place observe proxemic patterns. Personal proxemic pattern: 18 inches to 4 feet, reserved for friends and family, can communicate a sense of closeness and camaraderie between subjects. The personal camera proxemic resembles a medium shot or a medium close-up. This still from The Duchess is a good example of a personal proxemic pattern and a personal camera proxemic. Social proximic pattern: 4 to 12 feet, the subjects in this shot are at a social distance from each other, they're sharing a space without communicating a strong sense of intimacy. A social camera proxemic resembles a long shot from Rebecca, the subjects are sharing the space but not interacting with each other. And finally, a public proxemic pattern: 12 to 25 feet, tends to be formal and detached the subjects have no interaction with each other. Public camera proxemic resembles an extreme long shot, the distance between the subject and the camera prevents the viewer from connecting with the subject closely, and there is a human subject way there in the background. This week's assigned film is The Graduate directed by Mike Nichols, released in 1967, starring Anne Bancroft as Mrs. Robinson and Dustin Hoffman as Benjamin Braddock. There is only one choice for a question this week, please be sure to view the presentation in the week four module on D2L before submitting your response paper. Choose one scene in The Graduate and analyze how the mise en scène communicates an idea. Be sure to look at the mise en scènee grammar sheet for important terms. Films featured in this lecture, students are encouraged to explore these films. You can pull up the pdf version of the lecture on D2L to take a closer look. I thank you so much for watching and until next time have a productive week.