Film Analysis Lecture Week 3- Mise en Scene PDF

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Summary

These lecture notes look at the elements of mise-en-scene. It also explores different styles of lighting, props, acting and themes. It looks at Todd Haynes film Carol....

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Film Analysis, Week 3 Lecture- Carol- ‘Mise- en- scene’   

From French meaning: having been placed in the scene ‘Refers to those elements of a movie scene that are put into position before the filming actua;ly begins and are employed in a certain way once it does begin’ Refers to what is in front of the camera

Element of Mise en scene      

Lighting Costume and Makeup- status, status of mind and period setting Colour- cultural associations, Combined with composition, setting, costume, can divide spaces, suggest patterns throughout Props- physical elements in the shot: shapes, ‘symbols’, ‘metaphors’ Décor Actors and performance

Carol all set in late December so background grey making Carols red coat really stand out

Frontal lighting- eliminates shadows Side lighting- creates sharp attached shadows and long cast shadows Backlighting- comes from behind the subject, creating silhouettes Underlighting- comes from below the subject Top Lighting-directed from above, onto the subject Three point lighting- key light, fill light and backlight Key lighting provides dominant illumination also casts strong shadows Fill light provides less intense illumination to soften light and fill in shadows High key lighting uses fill lights to create low contrast b/w dark and light area Low key ;lighting creates strong contrasts and sharp dark shadows

Instrumental props- used according to their function Metahorical props- some objetcs reinvented as possessing a greater meaning Cultural props- carry meanings according to their significance in wider culture Contextualised props- acquire meaning through their changing place in a narrative Help tell us what genre we are in.

Metaphor- an image or tangible thing which represents a less tangible thing or idea/ concept/ theme Metaphor can also be visible rather than language Motif; a recurring element which may be tangible or intangible (theme) Theme of fatherhood in Spielbergs films Musical phrase replayed throughout a film Guns in a western

Actors and Performance   

Cate Blanchet star of film- in grey while others are in darker costumes so she stands out, furthermore an extra looks right at her. Stars provide a focal point in the mise en scene Blanchet plays Carol like a caged lion, pacing and prowling and golden- White 29015; 15

Melodrama is the genre of mise en scene, site of emotions that cannot be expressed in so many words- Mulvey 1996: 29 Silence is a key feature of melodrama Film an inherently visual medium initially without sound Silece enforced through Motion Picture Production Code Silence around lesbian representation

Douglas Sirk and Melodrama      

Real attention to detail Initially dismissed as trash Melodrama- low brow genre Women’s films- chick flicks Melodrama- body genre Sirks films were considered as cliched stories hammy dialogue and poor acting

Reclamation Of Sirks Films  

Formal beauty of Sirks films Rereading these melodramas as social satires- commentary on social prejudice

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Sirks use of mise en scene

Frames within a frame- Trapped idea usually Mirrors are important

Carol Director: Todd HAYNES Screenwriter: Phyliss Nagy Cinematographer: Edward Lachamn Production Designer: Judy Becker Costume Designer: Sandy Powell Based on novel The price of Salt by Patrica..

Haynes part of new queer cinema as termed by B Ruby Rich in 1992 Characterised by a rejection of heteronormativity Represents sexualities that are neither fixed nor conventional

Lesbianism- remains largely unspoken in Carol Therese seems to reject the idea of being a lesbian

Intertextuality in Carol Beginning of Carol specifically alludes to Brief Encounter(Lean, 1945) Queering of Brief encounter speaks to affective investment in negativity and heartbreak that honours queer history’s losses- White 2015:10

Street Photography- key influence which clahes with melodrama Use of windows in Carol- esp looking out of car windows, recurring image of looking out of window but everything distorted Summary- Mise en scene encorparates everything in front of the camera: lighting, costume, colour, props décor and actors Melodrama is the genre od mise en scene providing visual information in the face of silence

Melodrama has been initially dismissed but has been recuperated fpr its aesthetic and capacity for social critique Cariol is strongly influenmced by new queer cinema and melodramatic modes, posses by a highly evocative kise en scene...