AS Film - Mise en Scene: Lecture 2 - 21/09/12

In this blog you will find MP4 files for the film sequences studied in today's session, along with a few more which I did not have a chance to show.

Hopefully you are now looking at film in a different way - you should also be thinking of particular sequences I have now shown which you may wish to do for your coursework analysis. You need only do one, but having a few possibilities might not be a bad thing at this early stage.

The Ring (2002) director: Gore Verbinski
Note how Verbinski uses everyday props within the mise en scene, such as the phone, the television, the remote control and the fridge, to create tension and suspense. The setting and location are also typical horror conventions, which allows the audience to immediately respond to the intended meaning: two girls are alone in a house at night and it is raining...this may not end well! Finally note where Verbinski places the character of Katie in the frame before she ascends the stairs - why might this be significant? W shall also cover this particular shot in Week 4's look at Cinematography.

Forrest Gump (1994) director: Robert Zemeckis
In this opening sequence consider how Zemeckis uses a simple prop of a feather to track the 'action'. It floats from one character to another before settling on Forrest, who adds it to his collection - these are also important props which are used to tell his incredible story. Note how we first see Forrest placed at the edge of the frame at 1.23, as if the feather is searching out someone, but he does not yet have any importance.

Consider how the setting of 'small town America' represents possible meaning, along with Forrest's costume, particularly the worn out running shoes.

Don't Look Now (1973) director: Nicholas Roeg
Roeg's background as a painter is highlighted here with his constant use of the colour red in this disturbing and enigmatic opening sequence to his psychological horror film. Note also the significant use of water, the cross-cutting between shots of the little girl by the lake and the actions of her parents in the house (we shall consider cross-cutting in more detail when we look at Editing in Week 8), and the use of the red coat as costume.

Seven (1995) director: David Fincher
Fincher contrasts the two detectives, played by Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt, by placing them at different heights, angles and positions within the frame, as both to try gain initial dominance over the other. The contrast is also extended to the mise en scene of costume and props, with Somerset, played by Freeman, being fastidious and minimal in his clothes, domestic environment and what he needs to be a detective. Mills, played by Pitt, in contrast, is wilder, brash and informal.

Bridget Jones' Diary (2001) director: Sharon Maquire
In this first sequence from the film, Bridget is initially seen as a independent young lady exiting from a taxi; however, within moments upon arrival at her mother''s middle class setting, she is transformed into a more awkward, self-conscious singleton, all through the choice of costume. Colin Firth's character, Mark, fares no better with the Christmas jumper from Hell.

Maquire's use of setting and costume helps to put the audience firmly inside Bridget's world of unhappy love affairs, unfulfilled dreams and a battle with nicotine, alcohol and her slimy boss.

The following credits sequence allows us another view of Bridget, at home, in her cosy pajamas, drinking wine alone, and waiting for a phone call which will never come. The setting here of a single room gives us the sense that Bridget is isolated from reality, even though her flat is in the middle of London and all its possibilities.