AS Film - Mise en Scene: Lecture 1 14/09/12

Welcome to the supporting teaching blog for your AS Film Studies.

In today's lesson we considered one of the major cinematic techniques - Mise en Scene. This, as you will remember, translates as "everything in the frame". Mise en Scene includes: setting, location, costume, props, lighting and character placement, and has a vitally important role in how meaning is constructed by film makers, and consequently understood by the audience.

 In this blog entry you will find MP4 files of the sequences shown today.

William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, directed by Baz Lurhmann (1996).
Consider how Lurhmann provides a modern take on a classic play in order to engage the contemporary audience. This is achieved by its modern setting, costumes and props, while still retaining the original language. Note how the repeated visual motif of fire set up the violence ahead.

Close Encounters of the Third Kind, directed by Steven Spielberg (1977)
Think about how Spielberg shows both fear and wonderment of the alien contact, through the eyes of the mother and her son. Note how ordinary, everyday objects ,or props, take on a new life in this extraordinary setting. You should also note how Spielberg uses creative lighting techniques to endorse the meaning of the sequence.

28 Days Later, directed by Danny Boyle (2002)
A sequence full of meaning, which Boyle achieves with his creative use of a deserted London as a setting, the use of costume and props, together with how he places the main character within the various locations.


You may choose one of these sequences for your 1500 word coursework analysis. Other film sequences will be shown in the lectures the coming weeks which you can also choose from, as well as those which I did not show in the lessons.

IMPORTANT: You will be required to undertake a short 400-500 analysis of one of these three sequences as part of your initial review on the AS Film Studies course. This will help me assess your analytical and written skills in order to progress further onto this AS Level course.

Consider how directors use Mise en Scene in other films which you have watched.

More on Mise en Scene next week.

Documentary on the making and impact of 'The Long Good Friday'

Very useful documentary on the making of The Long Good Friday and its subsequent impact. Uploaded in six parts, each approximately nine minutes long, it shows how the film first came to be made, the social issues which affected its production, contributions from Bob Hoskins, Helen Mirren, the director John McKenzie, screen writer Barrie Keefe, and much more. The last part goes into some depth of how the iconic ending was shot and considered.

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Part Five

Part Six

'The Mafia? I've shit 'em!' - the ending to 'The Long Good Friday'

The closing moments to the film where Harold dismisses Charlie and Tony in customary Cockney fashion, before being driven to certain (and a very painful) death by what looks like a twelve year old Pierce Brosnan...one of the most memorable and iconic sequences in the film.

Previous Exam Questions for 'Living with Crime'

I shall be giving this out in class but thought having it uploaded here would be useful as well.

 

Previous questions have covered issues such as:
Narrative -  enigmas, Todorov's equilibrium theory, Field and McKee, flashbacks with regards to London to Brighton, the story lines themselves, the key themes
Genre conventions of the crime film  - think specifically British conventions
Representation - social class of the criminals, circumstances, authority figures, choice

Two things to think about regarding 'representation' might be of time and of place, neither of which seem to have come up in recent years.

AS FILM Exam questions for Section B: British Film Topics

You should discuss a minimum of two British films in your answer and base it on the following:

‘Living with Crime’.  Winter 2009

Either

11. How important is narrative structure in communicating the theme of ‘living with crime’ in the films you have studied for this topic?

or

12. How far are criminal characters represented as victims of their circumstances in the films you have studied for this topic?

Either   Summer 2009

11. What are some of the ways in which ‘living with crime’ is explored through the narratives of the films you have studied for this topic?

or

12. How far are the circumstances and choices available to key characters in the films you have studied for this topic related to their social class?

Either   Winter 2010

11. How far do the films you have studied for this topic depend on genre conventions to tell their stories?

or

12. How are different groups of people represented in the films you have studied for this topic?

Either    Summer 2010

11. How far do the films you have studied for this topic use suspense in order to capture the feeling of ‘living with crime’?

or

12. How are criminals represented in the films you have studied for this topic?

Either   Winter 2011

11. “Some of the most interesting ‘Living with Crime’ films are not simply genre films.” How far do you agree with this statement?

Or

12. How far is conflict between individuals and groups an important element in the films you have studied for this topic?

Either   Summer 2011

11. How far do the narratives of your chosen films dramatise the problems facing key characters?

Or

12. How are authority figures represented in the films you have studied you have studied?

London to Brighton - useful review for exam revision

Click on the 'Sight and Sound' link for a useful overview of London to Brighton, which focuses on the plot, and also areas of character representation.

http://www.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/review/3550

Halloween - Opening sequence

Here is the full 6.45 opening sequence to John Carpenter's Halloween.

Compare this to the opening to Scream, also uploaded on this blog from the point of view of mise-en-scene (setting, location, lighting, props, costume and character placement, cinematography (camera angles, movement, positioning), editing and sound (dialogue, music, effects)

How does this differ to Wes Craven's Scream and where might there be similarities?

Scream - Opening sequence

Here is the full 12.26 of the opening to Scream

It should be watched in comparison to the opening to Halloween, which will be uploaded later.

I want you to note the mise-en-scene (setting , loaction, lighting, props, costume and character placement), together with the use of cinematography (camera angles, movement, positioning), editing and sound (dialogue, music and effects). What links can you spot to Halloween and other slasher/horror films?

Why is the character of Casey (and the actress, Drew Barrymore), important to the audience and the narrative?