Mise en scène. Aspect Ratio, Framing and Composition, Rule of Thirds.
The Art of Motion. Camera Kinetics.
Pre-Editing. The Long Take
Mise en scène II

REALISM CLASSICISM FORMALISM
Documentary F I C T I O N Expressionism
Hue: A Matter of Colour Boogie Doodle
Bowling for Columbine 8 ½ Fellini
NB. These are not airtight categories and often overlap.
Styles
Types
(modes)
Gone With the Wind
Review: Styles and Modes of Cinema

Review: Story Structure
Based on Robert McKee’s Story: Substance, Structure, Style
Protagonists’ Quest?
(Hero’s Journey)
What’s at Stake? Are subplots involved too?
The Metaphoric Goal
X Inciting Incident Primary Cause of what Happens
X Crisis Decision
X Event, A Cause for an Effect
X Event, A Cause for an Effect
X Event, A Cause for an Effect
A hurdle that affects the challenge of desire
X Event, A Cause for an Effect
X Event, A Cause for an Effect
X Climax
Give audience what it wants but
not the way it expects.
X Escalating Actions
X Resolution
The climactic effects of
plot and subplot(s).
The Apparent Goal

Systematic Mise en Scene
Analysis
15 pt. Systematic Mise en scène Analysis
1. Dominant. What is our eye attracted to?
2. Lighting Key: High-key, low-key, combo?
3. Shot and Camera Proxemics: What type of shot? How far away?
4. Shot Angles. High, low, neutral.
5. Colour values. What is dominent colour? Colour symbolism?
6. Lens/filter/stock. How do these distort or comment on photography?
7. Subsidiary contrasts. What are the eye-stops after the dominant?
8. Density. How much visual information is packed into the image? Is
texture stark, moderate, or highly detailed?
Continued next screen
“Photographic
considerations”
Review: Aesthetics, Photography

Systematic Mise en Scene
Analysis
15 pt. Systematic Mise en scène Analysis
9. Composition. How is the 2-D space segmented and organized? What is
the underlying design?
10. Form. Open or closed? Does the image suggest a window that
arbitrarily isolates a fragment of the scene? Or is it self contained?
11. Framing. Tight or loose? How much room do the characters have to
move around?
12. Depth. On how many planes is the image composed? Does the
background and foreground comment on the midground?
13. Character placement. What parts of the framed space are occupied?
14. Staging positions.Which way to they look vis-à-vis the camera
15.Character proxemics. How much space between characters?
Continued …

The Frame and Aspect Ratio
“The frame” functions as the basis of composition in a
movie image.
4:3 (1.33:1) is the standard TV aspect ratio we have
been used to for the past 50 odd years. 4 is the
horizontal and 3 the vertical, of course. The
problem with 4:3 is that it doesn't reflect our
natural vision. Humans have better lateral vision
than vertical. In effect, our vision is widescreen,
therefore widescreen TV and film seems naturally
more appealing to us.
Considerations of Mise en scène

The Frame and Aspect Ratio
Widescreen refers to any aspect ratio wider than 4:3 (1.33:1).
1.85:1 - The original widescreen film format developed in the
1950s to help cinema compete with TV. This is still a
popular format.
2.35:1 - (also known as ... Anamorphic Scope, CinemaScope,
Panovision) is not as old as 1.85:1. This aspect ratio
involves filming with a special anamorphic lens fitted to the
camera to squeeze the image horizontally onto the film. A
similar lens fitted to a cinema projector un-squeezes them
during projection to the 2.35:1 ratio.
Widescreen TVs typically have a screen aspect ration of 16:9
(1.78:1) which is narrower than both cinematic widescreen
standards (1.85:1, 2.35:1).
Considerations of Mise en Scene

Rule of Thirds
Considerations of Mise en scène

Rule of Thirds
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsgEzEJ_fd4

Movement -- KineticsThe Moving Camera
There are Seven Basic Moving Camera Shots:
Panning shots (swish pans)
Tilts
Dolly Shots (Trucking, Tracking, Pull-backs)
Handheld Shots
Crane Shots
Zoom Shots
Aerial Shots
This is a good resource for Camera Angles, Proxemics, Move
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1japIhKU9I
Camera Kinetics

Sequence Shots contain no editing.
Early cinema relied entirely on “long-take” shot.
“Long Take” is not the same as “long shot.” A “take” is one run
of the camera that records a single shot.
Usually filmmakers use the long take selectively. One scene
will rely heavily on editing, another will be a long take. This
permits the director to associate certain aspects of narrative
form with different stylistic options.
Example: Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend -- Review of
Kinetics and Moving Camera (vs Moulin Rouge)
Fast Forward … in advance of studies of “EDITING” …
Duration of the Image -- Sequence Shot

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (Howard Hawks, 1953)
Writing credits
Anita Loos (novel)
Joseph Fields (play) ...
(more)
Genre: Comedy / Musical / Romance (more)
Tagline: The Two M-M-Marvels Of Our Age In The Wonder Musical Of
The World!
Plot Summary: Lorelei and Dorothy are just "Two Little Girls from Little
Rock", lounge singers on a transatlantic cruise...
Cast overview, first billed only:
Jane Russell .... Dorothy Shaw
Marilyn Monroe .... Lorelei Lee
Charles Coburn .... Sir Francis 'Piggy' Beekman
Elliott Reid .... Ernie Malone
From imdb
Long-take shots

Moulin Rouge! (Baz Luhrmann, 2001)
Writing credits (WGA) Baz Luhrmann (written by) &
Craig Pearce
Genre: Drama / Musical / Romance
Tagline: No Laws. No Limits. One Rule. Never Fall In Love.
Plot Outline: A poet falls for a beautiful courtesan whom a
jealous duke covets in this stylish musical, with music drawn
from familiar 20th century sources.
Cast overview:
Nicole Kidman .... Satine
Ewan McGregor .... Christian
John Leguizamo .... Henri Toulouse-Lautrec
Jim Broadbent .... Harold Zidler
From imdb